In The Mixer: 7 experts pick out their favourite outright bet for the second half of the season

In The Mixer is FST’s weekly column where we catch up with our team of football betting experts and get their opinion on the hot topic of the week.

After officially passing the half-way line in the 2024/25 Premier League season with the last gameweek, this week we have tasked our experts with picking out their favourite outright bet for the remainder of the campaign.

All odds below are quoted with bet365, where new customers can sign-up below to claim up to £50 in free bets!

Jack Ogalbe

Aston Villa to finish in the top 6 at 11/5

Graham Potter got the full West Ham experience on Friday night but the refereeing controversy and the circus surrounding his arrival overshadowed how much Aston Villa improved in the second half.

They were lucky to be only 1-0 down at the break, but returned from the interval with fresh impetus. The officials may have hurt the Hammers ahead of the equaliser, but the Villans were well on top by then and deservedly won 2-1.

Unai Emery’s side have been hampered by their Champions League commitments but are only four points off the top four and are worth taking while you can at an excellent price for a top six finish.

Ian Wilkerson

Ipswich to be relegated at 5/6

There have been signs of life in Suffolk over the last few weeks that suggest Ipswich are going to make a decent fist of staying in the top flight, but their chances of doing so look to have been overestimated.

Leicester and Southampton look likely to occupy two of the relegation spots and there will be optimism at Portman Road after a win over Chelsea and a commendable draw at Fulham.

However, this could be as good as it gets and the Tractor Boys would be in big trouble if anything happened to their excellent striker Liam Delap.
While Wolves were beaten 3-0 by surprise package Nottingham Forest 3-0, their defending has been stronger under Vitor Pereira, while Everton should improve following David Moyes’s return, so Kieran McKenna’s side may not quite have enough.

Simon Barlow

Matz Sels to win the Golden Glove at 9/4

Nottingham Forest have the joint-second-best defensive record in the division, having conceded only 19 goals through their opening 20 matches. That is the same number as Liverpool and only one fewer than Arsenal, although their goals-against-per-match ratio is actually better than the Reds’ because they have played one more game.

That defensive steel should give Forest keeper Sels a great chance of claiming the Premier League’s Golden Gove. The Belgian has kept nine clean sheets — two more than current holder David Raya and five more than Alisson of Liverpool, who no longer stands head-and-shoulders above Caoimhin Kelleher in the Anfield pecking order.

Jordan Pickford remains Sels’ only other close challenger but the prospects of him adding to his seven shutouts may be adversely affected by Sean Dyche’s removal as Everton boss.

Forest have faced the fourth-fewest shots and have the third-lowest expected goals against in the Premier League, which indicates how well-protected Sels has been.

Aidan Perkins

Tottenham to finish in the top half at 8/11

Tottenham have been frustratingly inconsistent this season, mixing eye-catching wins over both Manchester clubs with insipid defeats against the likes of Crystal Palace and Ipswich.

However, Ange Postecoglou has plenty of quality at his disposal and a squad containing players of the calibre of Dejan Kulusevski, James Maddison, Dominic Solanke and Heung-min Son should be more than good enough to at least land a top-half finish in the second half of the campaign.

Spurs are 12th, but only four points behind Brighton in 10th, and are the second-highest scorers in the top flight with 42 goals, just five short of leaders Liverpool’s tally.

Liam Flin

Newcastle to finish in the top four at 13/8

Newcastle finished 2024 in excellent form and the Magpies should have what it takes to break back into the Premier League top four.

Having finished last year with a run of five straight wins in all competitions, the Magpies have since won away to Tottenham and Arsenal and have found their groove under Eddie Howe.

They finished seventh last season despite injuries and should easily improve on that with hotshot striker Alexander Isak in the form of his life.

Nottingham Forest will surely fall away in the latter stages of the season and unlike other teams around them, Newcastle do not have the added burden of European football.

James Milton

Chelsea to finish outside the top four at 7/4

Chelsea have picked up only two points from their last four Premier League fixtures against Everton, Fulham, Ipswich and Crystal Palace and they look a tempting bet at 7/4 to finish outside the top four.

Enzo Maresca’s men start the week only six points above Fulham, who are ninth in the standings, and Newcastle, Manchester City and Bournemouth are breathing down their necks.

Maresca has made a positive impression at Stamford Bridge but things should get tougher for the Blues, whose remaining fixtures include away games against seven of their fellow top-half clubs.

Alex Hilton

Manchester United to finish in the top half at 10/11

Ruben Amorim is slowly getting a tune out of Manchester United and it is just a shade of odds-on that the Red Devils secure a top-ten finish.

Such an outcome would have been unheard of prior to this campaign but the Old Trafford giants have slumped to such an extent that finishing in the top half would now be seen as an achievement.

A six-match winless streak is masked by a decent 2-2 draw at Liverpool and a penalty shootout success at Arsenal in which United drew 1-1 despite being down to ten men for over 50 minutes. Things still aren’t great but performances are improving, and a decent forthcoming run of fixtures should see them start to move up the Premier League table.

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