Premier League Sunday tips: Expect excitement at Newcastle

The Premier League is running a reduced schedule over the weekend because of the FA Cup semi-finals, but that does not mean that there will be any shortage of excitement.

Indeed, Sunday sees two fixtures take place, including a vitally important match between West Ham and Burnley. First up, though, is an encounter between Newcastle and Leicester.

Newcastle v Leicester

2.15pm, Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier League

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has been at pains to stress that there will only be limited spending in the summer, suggesting that a number of this squad could still have a role to play at the club. It is up to them to prove their worth, however. This should be a motivating factor against Leicester in what is otherwise a dead rubber.

The Magpies have impressed at St James’ Park of late, winning their last four, including a victory against Wolves last weekend.

Leicester, meanwhile, are five undefeated, having battled through in the Conference League against PSV in midweek, with both goals coming in the last 15 minutes.

This is a fixture that typically produced goals – each of the last five in the league have seen at least three scored – and with two teams high in confidence and with little pressure on them, it should deliver once more.

Recommended Bet: Over 2.5 goals @ 2.02

West Ham v Burnley

2.15pm

It was fair to say that the Premier League community was shocked on Friday when it was announced that Burnley had sacked manager Sean Dyche after a decade in charge. No doubt that is reflected in the Clarets’ squad, too.

Having lost such an influential figure in surprising circumstances at this stage of the season is a major gamble by the board and one that few will expect to work. They have, after all, lost five of their last six, while they post just a single away win all season.

Sean Dyche was surprisingly sacked on Friday

West Ham, meanwhile, come into the match with contrasting emotions. Having swept aside Lyon in the Europa League on Thursday 3-0 away from home, they will expect to prove too strong for their opponents. After all, they have won two of the last three between these clubs and drawn another 0-0.

The Hammers’ biggest enemy could be complacency. After all, they have won four of their last five at home in the Premier League.

Recommended Bet: West Ham @ 1.77

Recommended bets

Newcastle v Leicester: Over 2.5 goals @ 2.02

West Ham @ 1.77