Spurs may be heading into a buzzsaw at Anfield. Photo Credit: Orlando Ramirez, USA TODAY.

The recent international break coincided with spring break in many places, which meant that your humble correspondent was also abroad this past week. There were spring breakers all over the place where we were. It got me thinking about the mile marker spring break always represents for students. Final exams and term papers are around the corner as the term comes to an end.

Coincidentally this last international break of the club season served as the last respite before the titles and the relegations are decided. Except for Huddlesfield Town, of course, who are already officially playing out the string.

It has been a losing season for me, though recent results have been encouraging with two winning weeks out of the last three. With more matches coming midweek, this slate isn’t a huge profit-taking exercise. But there is value here. Onto this week’s winners.

CARDIFF CITY v. CHELSEA

Not too long ago this match looked like it would be a turgid watch. Chelsea was comfortable if not dominating in their run for a top 4 position and Cardiff were circling the drain, almost certainly headed back to the Championship.

Check the table now, though. Chelsea is in a scrap for that last Champions League position, and the Bluebirds might actually find their way out of this relegation trouble yet. Also, though Cardiff is pretty awful generally, they have managed to collect the occasional points at home including two wins in their last four league matches on their home ground.

Chelsea will almost certainly win this match. The 2/5 odds on that wager tell you so. The question is: Will it be a walkover? With Cardiff needing to claw at every last point on offer to stay up, almost surely not. Take Chelsea to win AND both teams to score at 9/4.

LIVERPOOL v. TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR

Speaking of desperate teams, here we have second-place Liverpool and third-place Spurs squaring off. But their table positions don’t really tell the whole story.

“Desperate” is an overused word in professional sports. Professional athletes are paid whether they win or lose. Even still it can safely be said that Liverpool is in a desperate struggle to win the Premier League for the first time after dominating the first tier of English football in decades past.

This is Liverpool’s strongest squad in many years, and their time to strike is right now. Unfortunately for Liverpool, the Manchester City side which leads them in the table is one of the strongest club teams that England has ever seen. Liverpool really has to win every match on the run in and hope for City to trip up.

Meanwhile, Spurs have a slippery, uncertain grip on third place in the table, and a loss to Liverpool is apt to drop them to fourth — and leave them tied on points with Manchester United.

It’s really tempting to grab Spurs here. Their odds to win at 9/2 and to draw at 16/5 are lucrative, but all that does here is to underscore how unlikely they are to get a result at Anfield against a Liverpool side that has, all things considered, much more to play for. Take Liverpool to win at 4/7.

ARSENAL v. NEWCASTLE

The Gunners are the bunch looking to grab the third spot in the table away from Tottenham Hotspur, which would delight all those Gooners at the Emirates this weekend. Where a Champions League place was previously a seemingly predetermined right for Arsenal, in recent seasons it’s been beyond their reach.

Fortunately for Arsenal, they are catching Newcastle at a nice point in the schedule. The Magpies are fairly safe from relegation and so far from the top half of the table that it’s probably going to start getting pretty dull for Rafa Benitez. His thunder and guts way of grinding out low scoring results is fine early in the season when relegation is a real concern. There isn’t much threat of that now, though. Newcastle is on 35 points. Cardiff, the 18th place side are on 28. Even with a game in hand, Cardiff isn’t making up seven points on Newcastle in Cardiff’s eight remaining fixtures.

This one might be a stroll for Arsenal, but they’re flaky. And it’s impossible to trust Newcastle, with their -9 goal difference, to score. Take Arsenal to win at 2/5.

Good luck tomorrow and on Monday.

WEEK 31 RESULTS

West Ham to win against Huddersfield Town at 4/7: WIN

Liverpool to win at Fulham AND both teams to score at 15/8: WIN

Chelsea to win at Everton at 10/11: LOSS

WEEK 31 TOTAL: +$145

SEASON TO DATE: -$1,468