English Soccer Feb 5 and Feb 6 Picks and Predictions

Prospector Sam is here with your free soccer picks for this weekend's English Premier League soccer  and FA Cup action for the weekend of February 5 and February 6, 2022.

Club Soccer is back, which is a welcome return following the International Break. I may be jaded from gambling or too tired of watching the US blow every opportunity to succeed, but I just don’t have a lot of love for international soccer. Give me the best of the best every time, and that certainly means club soccer for our purposes.

But, more importantly, I want to take a moment to discuss the current posturing going on for the proposal to pay the World Cup every 2 years instead of 4. Conceptually, I think it probably has some merit. The 4 year gap currently gives time for continents to host their own competitions, but that really just benefits Europe who have the only significant event.

More importantly, though, is that FIFA remains undefeated in being the super villain of all super villains and it’s truly magical to watch.

In comments last week, FIFA’s president opined on the value of hosting the World Cup more frequently as a way to help protect lives and solve border crises (I think? It was very hard to follow what he actually was getting at) because NOBODY cares about people more than FIFA… well, aside from the whole “taking oil money to have a World Cup in Qatar then allowing them to use enslaved workers to build stadiums with no safety measures which caused a lot of those workers to die.”.

It was so impressively absurd that you almost had to respect it. “Almost” being the key word there, because FIFA claiming to have morals is probably akin to stealing candy from children or lying to a nun, but credit for trying at least.

Now that I’ve got that out of the way, let’s get to what you all actually came for - Gambling!

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Free English Premier League Picks 2021-22

Watford vs. Burnley: Saturday February 5, 1:00PM EST

Well, this is technically the EPL article but there’s only one EPL game this weekend so I figured I had to give you a pick before I trudge into the depths of the FA Cup.

The premise for this bet is simple, and it’s a theme you’re going to start seeing from me as we get closer and closer to the end of the year; teams near the bottom can’t afford to miss out on points when they have a chance to get them.

Watford and Burnley sit 19th and 20th in the table, and are the kind of clubs that might not make it back for a decade if they’re relegated (which, honestly, would be totally fine except for the fact that I’ll miss Sean Dyche).

So, I expect both to come out clawing for points like a couple of girls with those weird long fingernails that seem completely impractical, and I think both end up finding the net at least once.

Both Teams to Score is fairly well priced for us at -122 and the biggest concern is obviously Burnley’s horrific scoring record, but I think the desperation combined with Watford’s terrible defense are enough to get us over the line.

BET: Both teams to score YES (-122)

MORE: Watford vs. Burnley simulator

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Free FA Cup Picks 2021-22

Kidderminster vs. West Ham: Saturday February 5, 7:30AM EST

Did I bet this game purely because the name Kidderminster made me laugh? I’ll say no, but it was absolutely a consideration. We’re down to the final 32 teams in the FA Cup and there are very few low end clubs still straggling around, but Kidderminster have somehow swindled their way here despite playing in the 6th division of English football.

It’s an impressive feat and it’s huge for them because a game like this could pay their wages for a season, but probably not a great chance that they win.

Obviously, the odds on West Ham ML aren’t exactly worth your time, so let’s get a little creative and take the first half over 1.5 which sits at +142. The logic? West Ham should blow the doors off Kidderminster (seriously, what a fucking name) regardless of who they put out there, and I expect they’ll want to end this one early. So, getting +142 feels damn good based on that expectation and I like the high payout for the risk.

Best bet of the article for me, especially because it means you have to find a way to watch this game.

BET: First half total OVER 1.5 (+142)

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Man City vs. Fulham: Saturday February 5, 10:00AM EST

I’m going to get out ahead and admit this one is a bit risky, so tail respectfully. And, at first glance, the pick will seem crazy. City have conceded just 14 goals in 23 EPL matches so betting on a Championship club to find a way to break them down is borderline psychotic.

BUT, this particular Championship team has scored 74 goals in 28 games and I’ll be damned if they don’t have a better shot at scoring than the Burnleys or Norwichs of the world.

City will likely be resting a lot of players coming back from international duty in a game they almost certainly win regardless of how well Fulham plays, which will give the Cottagers a bit more opportunity to find space and break down their opposition.

It may be a late game garbage goal after City takes a 4-0 lead or even a shock early counter, but Fulham’s scoring record is good enough that you can expect them to finish chances when they see one. -102 is a decent number for us here, and it’s worth taking a shot on for sure.

BET: Fulham team total OVER 0.5 (-102)

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Nottingham Forest vs. Leicester: Sunday February 6, 11:00AM EST

This game is a bit of a mystery box, especially when you can’t really tell how seriously either of these sides will take the match. Leicester will have a lot of players coming back from international duty while Nottingham have played through the break in the Championship, so the variation in lineups could be big.

That said, getting Leicester at even money to win this in regulation is too good to pass up. The Foxes have been mediocre in the EPL this season and the FA Cup is likely their only chance to make a big splash, so I expect they at least take this game seriously enough to try to win against a team they should be able to handle comfortably.

Nottingham aren’t bad, but they sit 8th in the Championship and are probably destined for another season in the second tier, rotting away in perpetuity.

There’s a fairly large gap in talent here and, so long as Leiscester come out swinging, they should be a comfortable favorite against a mid table Championship club.

Getting a 1:1 payout is worth the risk, and I’ll take on a little more potential variance than normal based on the value.

BET: Leicester moneyline (+100)