Premier League returns, Coppa Italia final

It’s finally here! The Premier League returns this Wednesday, as Aston Villa take on Sheffield United and Arsenal travel to Man City. There’s also the small matter of the Coppa Italia final. But what should you be watching?

1. Aston Villa v Sheffield United – John Fleck SMM, 9-12
Villa can escape the relegation zone on Wednesday night, if they can beat 7th place Sheffield United at 6pm on Sky Sports Main Event. That might be a big ask, however, given their pre-lockdown form.

It’s been a miserable return to the top flight for Aston Villa. They’re stuck in 19th place on 25 points, and have lost their last 4 games in a row. However, thanks to their game in hand, a win against the Blades would see them swap places with Watford.

Their fellow promotees, meanwhile, have been the season’s surprise package. If Chris Wilder’s side pick up all 3 points at Villa Park they will jump into 5th place – that’d be above Man United, Tottenham AND Arsenal.

What Sheffield are lacking are goals – so much so that John Fleck is their top scorer despite only finding the back of the net 5 times. Luckily, 2 of those goals came in December’s 2-0 win over Villa. He might be worth a watch, then, at a SMM spread of 9-12.

2. Man City v Arsenal – Man City/Arsenal Goal Supremacy, 1.55-1.75
Man City and Arsenal both would like to forget this season – they meet at 8.15pm on Sky Sports Main Event.

A whopping 25 points behind Liverpool – with a game in hand – and banned from next season’s Champions League, a Premier League silver medal will be a bitter pill to swallow for City.

Yet that’s far better than what the Gunners have managed. They’re in 9th place, though could leap up to 6th with a win in Manchester. They were actually on a solid run of form pre-break, unbeaten in 8 games (admittedly with a run of 4 consecutive draws in the middle).

However, they last beat Man City in the FA Cup in 2017, losing their subsequent 6 meetings, including December’s 3-0 home defeat. In fact, 5 of those 6 wins saw City scored 3 goals against Arsenal.

That means a chunky Man City/Arsenal Goal Supremacy spread of 1.55-1.75 might not seem as eyebrow-raising as it first seems.

3. Napoli v Juventus – Total Goals, 2.4-2.6
Ahead of this weekend’s Serie A restart, Napoli and Juventus meet in the Coppa Italia final, at 8pm on BT Sport 2.

They dumped out one half of Milan each en route to the Stadio Olimpico. Juve beat AC Milan on away goals, while Napoli’s semi against Inter finished 2-1 on aggregate.

As for their head-to-head record this season, Juventus won a 4-3 thriller at the end of August, but with Napoli picking up a 2-1 victory in January.

Which way will it go on Wednesday? Hopefully closer to 2019’s summer sizzler – Spreadex are offering a Total Goals spread of 2.4-2.6.