•They’ve beaten a -1 handicap on four occasions against such sides and scored three goals on three separate occasions.
•Brighton will be upbeat despite winning just one of their last six matches.
Southampton vs Fulham, Sunday 17:00
Southampton recorded their fourth Premier League win of 2021 on Tuesday, knowing that their Premier League status is now secure. Despite that victory over Crystal Palace, the ‘Saints’ have picked up the fewest points this calendar year.
Southampton have also fared well this season when taking on other bottom eight sides at St. Mary’s. They’ve beaten a -1 handicap on four occasions against such sides and scored three goals on three separate occasions. Despite conceding in eight consecutive home games, Southampton have only conceded less than half of their overall goals at home.
Recording their second straight one-season PL stay, Scott Parker’s Fulham side were officially relegated on Monday night after extending their winless run to seven games, in a season that has had too many draws and too few goals.
Winning seven more points on their travels than at home, away form hasn’t been to blame for their relegation. Only seven PL sides have avoided a HT deficit more often away from home than the ‘Cottagers’, while only Man City and Aston Villa have conceded fewer than Fulham’s average of 0.35 away goals ‘against’ before HT.
Head to head
26.12.20 PL Fulham Southampton 0 : 0
27.08.19 EFL Fulham Southampton 0 : 1
27.02.19 PL Southampton Fulham 2 : 0
24.11.18 PL Fulham Southampton 3 : 2
06.01.18 FAC Fulham Southampton 0 : 1
Brighton vs West Ham 15.05.2021 22:00
Brighton will be upbeat despite winning just one of their last six matches. Losing to Wolves last time out, having led, Brighton have now dropped a joint-league high 23 points from winning positions this season. Games remain incredibly close however, with just three of their last 34 competitive outings seeing a winning margin of more than a goal.
They have been flying high at home of late, only losing two of their last eight matches. Their 2-0 win over a dangerous Leeds side was their seventh home clean sheet of the season, only Chelsea and Manchester City can claim better records.
A poor run of form means a coveted Champions League place is almost out of reach for West Ham, although Europa League qualification remains a strong possibility. Each of those three recent losses were by one-goal margins, but entertainment levels have still been good this season, with a league-high.
Starting as favourites may suit West Ham on the road in such games. They’ve been involved in some back-and-forth affairs this season too, as a joint-league high 41.18% of their trips saw both teams net in the first half. A fourth consecutive H2H draw in the reverse means the Hammers have never beaten Brighton in seven PL attempts.
Head to head
27.12.20 PL West Ham Brighton 2 : 2
01.02.20 PL West Ham Brighton 3 : 3
17.08.19 PL Brighton West Ham 1 : 1
02.01.19 PL West Ham Brighton 2 : 2
05.10.18 PL Brighton West Ham 1 : 0
Leverkusen vs Union Berlin, Sunday 16:30
Bayer Leverkusen are just one win away from sealing a top-six berth after three clean sheets in their last five league games. However, Leverkusen have not been the most reliable pre-match favourites across this Bundesliga campaign.
They have won their last three games here, and will now look to score 3+ goals in three straight home league games for the first time since 2014/15.
Union Berlin must win both remaining games—and hope results go their way elsewhere—to finish in the top six. However, they’ve failed to win five of their last seven league games, with the home side on the day scoring first in all.
The visitors have failed to score in three of their last five road trips, and lost on all three of their previous visits here, receiving a red card in each game. Whilst over half of Union’s away league defeats have seen a 2+ goal margin, their trips are amongst the least entertaining in terms of total goals.
Head to head
15.01.21 BUN Union Berlin Leverkusen 1 : 0
04.03.20 POK Leverkusen Union Berlin 3 : 1
15.02.20 BUN Union Berlin Leverkusen 2 : 3
21.09.19 BUN Leverkusen Union Berlin 2 : 0
24.10.17 POK Leverkusen Union Berlin 4 : 1