FIRST up is the only one of last weekend’s winning treble and I can't ignore Christian Benteke (2.20).
The 22-year-old was in inspired form on Monday evening and claimed a superb hat-trick as Aston Villa hammered relegation rivals Sunderland 6-1 at Villa Park.
The victory boosted Paul Lambert's side's survival hopes significantly, while Benteke’s burst continued his fine debut season in England where he has now netted 18 Premier League goals in 32 appearances.
Over recent weeks the Belgian powerhouse has scored seven in his last seven starts and continues to improve an already healthy reputation.
Today Benteke and his team-mates travel to Carrow Road and face another of their relegation rivals in Norwich and they’ll be boosted by looking at the hosts’ recent form.
The Canaries have won only one of their last eight league outings while defensively have kept just one clean sheet in that period of time.
Second this weekend will be West Brom’s loan striker Romelu Lukaku (2.10), who got back on the goalscoring trail last weekend with his side’s second in a 3-0 win at Southampton.
The 19-year-old has netted 14 times in the Premier League this season from 31 appearances, although only 17 of those have been from the start. The Belgian had failed to score in his previous four outings prior to last Saturday but has tended to net in bunches this term.
Albion play host to relegation-threatened Wigan and there are only three sides in the top flight that have conceded more goals than the Latics. They have kept just two clean sheets in the league so far, one against relegated Reading and the other at home to struggling Norwich.
Lukaku, despite his tender age, has the potential to mix it with a physical Wigan backline, and add to his tally of seven goals already netted at the DW Stadium this campaign.
The third and final selection this time out will be Liverpool’s in-form striker Daniel Sturridge (2.10) who will continue to burden the weight of goalscoring expectation with Luis Suarez’s continued suspension.
With the Uruguayan banned until next season, Sturridge will be the man Brendan Rodgers looks towards to find the back of the net and he has started well with three strikes over his last two outings.
After netting the first equaliser in the Reds’ 2-2 draw with Chelsea a fortnight ago, the 23-year-old bagged a double as they hammered Newcastle 6-0 last weekend.
After a difficult start to the campaign, and with limited appearances in a Chelsea shirt, the England international made a January switch to Anfield and made an instant impression.
He has taken his tally to seven in only eight Premier League starts for Liverpool and will be a key figure in Sunday’s Merseyside derby with Everton.
The stats bode well for the Reds’ attackers, with Rodgers’ side netting at least three times in six of their last nine outings at Anfield, while the Toffees have conceded at least two times in four of their last six games.
Goalscorer Gamble
Christian Benteke (Aston Villa)
Romelu Lukaku, (WBA)
Daniel Sturridge (Liverpool, Sun)
Treble pays £150.50 to a £10 stake at BetVictor
Milesey (Betfair)
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