Saturday’s Football Tips: New Guardiola deal is bad news for struggling Spurs

Manchester City went into the international break on their worse run under Pep Guardiola but the bookies are banking on them roaring back to life at home to Tottenham Hotspur today.

Some people put a shock run of four successive defeats down to the uncertainty over Guardiola's future but the two-year contract extension he agreed on Thursday night has given City a massive boost.

Betano make the Premier League champions their 9/20 hot favourites for an Etihad win today and it's hard to disagree with Spurs looking so flaky.

Ange Postecoglou's side lost at home to Ipswich Town before the break and will need a vastly improved performance to stand any chance against Guardiola's men.

Manchester City vs Tottenham Hotspur top betting tips

Tottenham have been a bit of a bogey team for Manchester City in recent years but most of the defeats and draws have come in London. On their last nine visits to the Etihad, Spurs have come out on top just once so I'm going to combine a City win with BTTS at 11/8 with Betano.

The international break has given Kevin De Bruyne more time to build up his fitness and he should start here after three cameos off the bench. The Belgian is 6/4 at William Hill for an assist and that looks good value if he does get the nod from Guardiola.

Tottenham always have a go and there should be chances at both ends, with City's defence looking uncertain all season. Dominic Solanke is set to lead the line for Postecoglou's men and looks good value at evens with Bet365 just to have a shot on target.

Arsenal vs Nottingham Forest top betting tips

Some pundits have written Arsenal off for the title already and the Gunners desperately need to get three points on the board today when in-form Nottingham Forest visit the Etihad.

A horror run of just two wins in five games in all competitions has knocked Mikel Arteta's side out of their stride just when it looked like they were ready to go one step further in the title race.

But they now have a much kinder run of fixtures and will be looking to eat into Liverpool's nine-point lead, starting with the visit of Forest.

Only goal difference is keeping Nuno Espirito Santo's side below Arsenal in the table but Betano make them 15/2 outsiders at the Emirates.

I'd imagine Nottingham Forest will sit back and look to hit on the break so I'm going to bet on the corner count racking up for the Gunners. Backing Arsenal at -4 in the corner handicap pays 7/5 at Unibet while the same firm price over 7.5 home flag kicks at 13/10.

Martin Odegaard's return to fitness is a big boost for Arteta and the skipper is 5/2 at Bet365 to provide an assist.

Leicester City vs Chelsea top betting tips

The lunchtime game in the Premier League is a tasty one as Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca returns to his old stomping ground in Leicester.

The bookies reckon the Italian will come back to haunt his old club, with Betano making the Blues their 9/20 hot favourites.

I don't think the result is as big a foregone conclusion as the bookies are making out but Chelsea's superior quality up front should make the difference.

Noni Madueke's confidence will be up after impressing for England during the international break and he's a tempting 6/5 at Bet365 to either score or assist.

Foxes stopper Wout Faes can often be a bit rash so the Belgian could be worth backing for a card at 25/4 with Unibet.

Heart of Midlothian vs Celtic top betting tips

Celtic have been rampant in the SPFL Premiership so far this season but they are now heading into their toughest spell of the season, with trips to Tynecastle, Pittodrie and Ibrox on the horizon amid a busy Champions League schedule.

Taking on Hearts in the capital is a tricky one after the international break, especially with Celtic's influential Japanese trio only reporting back on Friday after long-haul flights.

I fancy BTTS in this one but it only pays 7/10 with Betano. Adding on over 2.5 goals boosts the odds to evens and that looks worth a punt.

This fixture is often fiery and we saw two penalties and a red card when Celtic lost 2-0 on their last visit to Tynecastle. Over 47.5 booking points looks good at 6/5 with Betfred.

For a long-odds option, combining cards for midfield adversaries Malachi Boateng and Callum McGregor pays 16/1 at Bet365.

Saturday's Football Tips: Super singles

• Dominic Solanke over 0.5 shots on target Evens Bet365
• Arsenal -4 corner handicap 7/5 Unibet
• Noni Madueke goal or assist 6/5 Bet365

Long shot

• Malachi Boateng and Callum McGregor to be carded 16/1 Bet365

Upcoming match previews & tips

• Sat 12:30 Leicester City vs Chelsea
• Sat 15:00 St Mirren v Aberdeen
• Sat 15:00 Rangers v Dundee United
• Sat 15:00 Everton v Brentford
• Sat 15:00 Fulham vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
• Sat 15:00 Arsenal vs Nottingham Forest
• Sat 15:00 Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace
• Sat 15:00 AFC Bournemouth vs Brighton & Hove Albion
• Sat 15:00 Ross County vs Motherwell
• Sat 15:00 St Johnstone vs Kilmarnock
• Sat 17:30 Manchester City vs Tottenham Hotspur
• Sat 17:45 Dundee vs Hibernian
• Sat 18:00 Juventus v AC Milan
• Sat 19:45 Hearts vs Celtic
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• Popular Man Utd bet builders for Amorim debut: Is this tempting 11/4 shot worth it?
• Football Bet of the Day: Look to Lincoln for goals on Saturday
• SlipsTips’ Bet Builder Tips: Spurs pair stand out at the Etihad on Saturday evening

Racing Tips

Cairnzy bagged a Friday winner so it's over to Rizzel today to give the bookies another bashing.

• Saturday’s Racing Tips – Ben Pauling eyes up Berkshire National glory with Slipway

As always, post your betting tips for today in the comments section below.

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