Mark O'Haire's Premier League Notebook: Three MD6 bets including Chelsea, Liverpool and Villa | OneFootball

English Premier League

Mark O’Haire pinpoints three punting angles to follow on MD6

Mark O'Haire's latest Notebook pinpoints three punting angles to follow across MD6 of the Premier League.

Crystal Palace v Liverpool - Palace capable of thwarting Liverpool

Crystal Palace v LiverpoolSaturday, 15:00

How sustainable has Liverpool's winning spree been to start the season? That's a question that's been raised many times over the past fortnight with Arne Slot's defending champions manoeuvring themselves into an early position of power in the Premier League with late goals proving decisive in almost all of their encounters.

Enhancing that eye-catching record at Selhurst Park on Saturday might prove more difficult than the market estimates, mind. Sure, the Merseysiders boast a superb record at Crystal Palace yet 1.96 quotes on the Betfair Exchange of Liverpool securing another success look a touch too short considering Crystal Palace's trajectory under astute boss Oliver Glasner.

The Eagles are enjoying a 17-game unbeaten streak across all competitions - the club's second-longest streak in history. During this run, Palace have beaten Liverpool at Wembley, held the Reds at Anfield, turned over Man City, Tottenham, Aston Villa and avoided defeat against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, as well as Arsenal at the Emirates.

Superbly set-up in Glasner's preferred 3-4-2-1 system, Eagles' goalkeeper Dean Henderson has made only 1.60 saves per-game this season - the third-lowest total in the division, highlighting how well protected he is. With Ismaila Sarr due back from injury, Palace have the solidity and sophistication to secure a share of the spoils.

Chelsea v Brighton - Play your cards right at Stamford Bridge

Chelsea v BrightonSaturday, 15:00

The first five matchdays of the 2025-26 Premier League season has seen a decrease in cards. This season's renewal is averaging just 3.78 cards per-game compared to 4.34 cards per-game last term - whilst a trend to be aware of, it's not worth discarding the booking markets altogether. Instead, punters are urged to pick their battles.

Stamford Bridge on Saturday promises plenty with the top-flight's most consistent performer overseeing proceedings. Simon Hooper has already brandished card hauls of 5-5-6-6 in his four fixtures this season and the arbiter is averaging a very healthy 4.94 cards across his 31 league assignments going back to the beginning of 2024-25.

A massive 84% of those 31 dates delivered a minimum of four cautions, with 58% of fixtures featuring five bookings or more. With Chelsea and Brighton averaging a chunky 2.80 cards and 2.60 cards per-game respectively - first and second in the EPL's card rankings - the opportunity to support Over 4.5 Cards at 5/6 holds plenty of appeal.

Aston Villa v Fulham - Andersen to expose Villa's set-piece woes

Aston Villa v FulhamSunday, 14:00Live on Sky Sports

Having shipped seven goals from set-pieces this season, West Ham's dreadful defending from dead-ball situations has deservedly hit the headlines. By contrast, struggling Aston Villa have leaked a solitary strike from set-pieces, yet the data suggests Unai Emery's outfit could (and should) have conceded many more.

Surprisingly, Villa have faced the same number (28) of attempts from dead-ball deliveries as the Hammers, generating an Expected Goals (xG) value of 2.50 xG. Opposition defenders have had plenty of joy too - the Villains have conceded at least three shots from central defenders in four of their six Premier League and Europa League matches.

It's an area Fulham will undoubtedly look to attack in Sunday's showdown at Villa Park. Marco Silva's men have already notched once from set-pieces and are avergaing 3.20 efforts from dead-ball situations with towering centre-half 6 ft 4 in centre-half Joachim Andersen an obvious target with the Dane already having four shots in five outings.

Despite their Thursday night success over Bologna, Villa still look vulnerable. Rock-bottom for Expected Points (xP), boasting the league's lowest xG output and averaging only 2.40 shots on-target of their own - their lowest tally in a season since records began in 1997-98. at 17/1 looks worth a small interest.