Overs or Unders: United's frontmen to outfox Leicester

Radamel Falcao should see plenty of the ball, with United likely to dominate possession.

Neil Harvey's predicting a stubborn Villa to thwart the Gunners, but believes Man United's hitmen will find their range against Leicester, as he explains in this week's Overs or Unders...

Saturday

Burnley v Sunderland - 15:00

I'm a great believer in motivation. And so far this season Burnley have had many reasons to take a cautious approach to their play.  Manager Sean Dyche will have been wanting to avoid any demoralising early-season drubbings. The sort that can cause panic in the boardroom and sap the confidence of players. And in that sense, it's been mission accomplished. 

But with just two points from four games, Burnley now need to step it up a notch. And here's the perfect chance to do so, with upcoming games against Sunderland, West Brom, Leicester and West Ham all matches where the Clarets will fancy their chances. So I expect Burnley to now cast off their early-season shackles and show much more attacking intent. They have to, if they hope to stay in the Premier League.

Likewise, I'd expect Sunderland to aggressively go for the three points. On paper, this will be one of their easier away games this season. And manager Gus Poyet has never been shy of taking the game to the opposition. The Mackems will be disappointed with their three points in the campaign so far and should also actively seek out the win here.

Recommended Bet
Over 2.5 Goals @ 2.3811/8

Aston Villa v Arsenal  - 15:00

Sitting second in the table with a heady 10 points from 12, it's hard to imagine Aston Villa altering what's so far been a successful approach. And that approach is one that's been based largely on defence. With just one goal conceded from four games, Villa officially have the meanest backline in the Premier League so far. And holding Liverpool to a blank at Anfield is about as impressive as it gets, so expect the Villains to imploy similarly cautious tactics this weekend against the Gunners.

For their part, Arsenal have yet to hit full stride. Both their away games to date ended in draws, which gives me little confidence they can derail a Villa team that's currently in the groove. With Arsenal six points off the pace being set by leaders Chelsea, Arsene Wenger will be aware how important it is not to lose yet more ground. So this game could see the Gunners getting a little twitchy. While Villa boss Paul Lambert can afford to sit back and be cautious, in a chess-like game that could take a while to ignite.

Recommended Bet
Under 2.5 Goals @ 1.9210/11

Sunday

Leicester City v Manchester United  - 13:30

Leicester's impressive start to the season has seen them take points off both Everton and Arsenal at the impressive-sounding King Power Stadium. But will they have the power to resist the attacking strength off a reinvigorated Manchester United? 

There's no denying the quality of Leicester's results so far. But what's worrying is how much possession they conceded along the way. Against Everton, the Foxes allowed their guests 59 percent of the ball. And against the Gunners, that figure rose to 67 percent. I don't need to tell you that Leicester will be lucky to keep conceding so much possession and keep getting results. 

United bounced back to form with a roar in their last outing - with that 4-0 win over QPR. And their team line-up is now once again looking like something that should be feared on an international stage, with Di Maria, Van Persie, Rooney and Mata joined for the first time last week by one of the best strikers in the world, Radamel Falcao. This United team hasn't yet gelled, but it's just too good not to inflict damage of some kind against a Leicester defence that's looked average so far. But you also can't rule out the Foxes also finding the net against this top-heavy United side. 

Recommended Bet
Over 2.5 Goals @ 1.728/11

Manchester City v Chelsea - 16:00

Chelsea have been unusually attacking so far this season and lead the Premier League by a mile in terms of attacking play, with their early tally of 15 goals. But this could all go out the window for their trip to the Etihad. Sat top of the table, and with a five point lead over the reigning champions, Jose Mourinho knows his Chelsea side currently hold all the aces. The aim this Sunday can surely only be to prevent their rivals from closing that gap. A win for Mourinho would be great, but not essential. While pursuing it could prove a high-risk proposal.

So I'm expecting a more thoughtful Chelsea side to take the field and look to subdue what appears to be an off-colour City side. Manuel Pellegrini's team must still be wondering how they lost at home to Stoke last time out. And the last-gasp defeat by Bayern Munich in midweek won't have helped morale much either. City will want to push for the win, but won't be comfortable in doing so aggressively given their recent failings. So don't be surprised if we find both teams lacking a little in lustre this Sunday.

Recommended Bet
Under 2.5 Goals @ 2.0811/10

Overs or Unders 2014/15 P/L

Staked: 12pts
Returned: 11.47pts
P/L: - 0.53pts