Prince-Wright’s Premier League picks for this weekend

By Joe Prince-WrightApr 14, 2017, 11:50 AM EDT

We are reaching a pivotal stage of the Premier League season.

If you, like me, love to dissect all the games and predict what the score will be and which team will win, I encourage you to get involved in the comments section below. Let’s have a bit of fun.

[ VIDEO: Previews of every Week 33 game ]

Okay, so I’ve consulted my crystal ball and here’s how we see things panning out.

[ STREAM: Premier League “Goal Rush” ]

With the first section labelled “basically, free money” for the picks I think are dead certs. The section labelled “don’t touch this” means if you’re betting I advise you to stay clear, while the “so you’re telling me there’s a chance” section are the longshots. If it is better odds you are after, those are the picks to go for.

BASICALLY, FREE MONEY

Tottenham 3-0 Bournemouth – (Saturday, 7:30 a.m. ET, NBCSN) – [STREAM]

Everton 4-1 Burnley – (Saturday, 10 a.m. ET, Premier League Extratime) – [STREAM]

Middlesbrough 0-2 Arsenal – (Monday, 3 p.m. ET, NBCSN) – [STREAM]

DON’T TOUCH THIS…

West Brom 1-2 Liverpool – (Sunday, 8:30 a.m. ET, NBCSN) – [STREAM]

Watford 1-1 Swansea City – (Saturday, 10 am. ET, NBCSN) – [STREAM]

Crystal Palace 1-1 Leicester City – (Saturday, 10 a.m. ET, CNBC) – [STREAM]

Stoke City 1-1 Hull City – (Saturday, 10 a.m. ET, Premier League Extratime) – [STREAM]

Southampton 1-1 Man City – (Saturday, 12:30 p.m. ET, NBC) – [STREAM]

“SO YOU’RE TELLING ME THERE’S A CHANCE…”

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Man United 2-1 Chelsea – (Sunday, 8:30 a.m. ET, NBCSN) – [STREAM]

Sunderland 2-1 West Ham – (Saturday, 10 a.m. ET, Premier League Extratime) – [STREAM]

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WATCH: World Cup, Day 8 — Argentina on the edge; France aims for berth

Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images

By Nicholas MendolaJun 20, 2018, 7:35 PM EDT

Halted World Cup flip-throw heard around the world

AP Photo/Sergei Grits

By Nicholas MendolaJun 20, 2018, 6:46 PM EDT

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Milad Mohammadi knew the time was right for something special, but special isn’t always good.

And good is a subjective term. Cause to us this is very good, Milad.

The Iranian national team defender failed with a flip-throw bid in the final moments of a 1-0 loss to Spain on Wednesday at the World Cup in Russia.

[ MORE: Latest 2018 World Cup news ]

Click here for live and on demand coverage of the World Cup online and via the NBC Sports App.

And this wasn’t like he illegally flipped or broke some other rule. No, like a kid trying an audacious jump into the deep end, Akhmat Grozny star Mohammadi just bailed and climbed in from the side (so to speak).

The kiss, the look skyward, the headbutt… all integral parts of a wonderful World Cup moment.

– "You should totally try the flip throw-in at the World Cup"
– "Really? Should I?"
– "Yeah man, it's gonna be dope!" pic.twitter.com/t60hRYs4cq

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 20, 2018

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Renard, Morocco ‘very proud’ of unlucky national team

AP Photo/Antonio Calanni

By Nicholas MendolaJun 20, 2018, 6:01 PM EDT

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If you would’ve told Morocco fans or their manager, Herve Renard, that they’d outshoot and outpossess both Iran and Portugal at World Cup, their next question would probably be, “So do we need to do against Spain to win Group B?”

Alas, Morocco lost a pair of 1-0 decisions to become the first team knocked out of the 2018 World Cup.

[ RECAP: Morocco 0-1 Portugal ]

The Lions of Atlas fell to Iran in their opener on a stoppage time own goal after carrying 64 percent possession and a 13-8 advantage in shot attempts, then lost to a Cristiano Ronaldo fourth minute goal on Wednesday despite a 16-10 shot advantage and 53 percent of the ball.

“I’m very proud of the performance and I am very proud of my players, I’m very proud of this country,” Renard said.

With no hope of advancing to the next round, the manager is finding the experience bittersweet. From RTE:

“What I am sure of at this moment is that the entire Moroccan people is proud of this team. Of course it’s easier to play with a player who has one chance and he puts it away. But we are in Morocco.

“We have quality players. Despite the ups and downs of the game, we should have been more effective. Because, like in the first game, we had plenty of chances. I won’t blame anyone. That’s football. It’s always those who know how to be present in the box, the most gifted players, who make the difference. We took a lot of risks and we didn’t get our reward.”

It’s unlikely Morocco will hold either of those statistical advantages against Spain, especially a Spanish side yet to qualify, but there is plenty to like from the tournament aside from poor finishing quality.

But the performances of 19-year-olds Amine Harit (Schalke) and Achraf Hakimi (Real Madrid) — not to mention Hakim Ziyech (25, Ajax) — seem to hint at a promise for 2022. And Renard’s men can still play spoiler for Spain, which is no small shockwave.

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Queiroz: Iran has one ‘match point’ left in World Cup group stage

AP Photo/Sergei Grits

By Nicholas MendolaJun 20, 2018, 4:57 PM EDT