Manchester United are in turmoil, Liverpool are floundering following the departure of star striker Luis Suarez and a rejuvenated Tottenham are looking down on the others from the top spot -- it's been an entertaining opening fortnight in the EPL.
Coming off a 1-2-1 weekend, handicapper James Eastham is back to guide you towards the smart picks ahead of this weekend's fixtures.
Here are his four best bets:
Tottenham Hotspur (home) vs. Liverpool
Asian handicap: Tottenham 0 (-108) vs. Liverpool 0 (+101)
3-way line: Tottenham +165 / Liverpool +178 / Draw +254
PickCenter public consensus moneyline pick: 64 percent Tottenham
Total: 3 (Over +107, Under -117)
Asian handicap
The Asian handicap betting eliminates the draw and provides the possibility of getting your stakes back (depending on the bet you place). For example, if you back a team at 0 Asian handicap, your stakes will be returned if the game ends in a draw (as the handicap has been equaled).
If you back a team -1 Asian handicap and the team you've backed wins by a single goal, your stakes will be returned (as the handicap has been equaled). This safety net of having your stakes returned is the primary difference between Asian handicap and handicap betting. PickCenter
A host of players bought a year ago with the money Spurs raised by selling Gareth Bale to Real Madrid (approximately 100 million euros) are finally showing signs of settling in. Erik Lamela, Etienne Capoue, Roberto Soldado and Christian Eriksen (the latter was admittedly very good last season) all featured in Spurs' superb 4-0 romp past QPR last weekend, making it two wins from two matches for Mauricio Pochettino's side.
After a difficult 2013-14 for the club on and off the pitch, Spurs' investments may be belatedly paying off. How deep and true the revival will run remains to be seen, but what's clear is that Tottenham go into this game in better shape than Liverpool. Just as Spurs floundered after Bale's departure, so Liverpool are realising how hard life will be without Suarez. The Reds lost 3-0 at Manchester City on Monday night in a defeat that suggested only one of last season's top two will challenge for the EPL title this time around. Spurs look