The FA Cup takes centre stage over the weekend and that’s lined up a massive week of football for fans, with a full round of league games starting on Tuesday. We usually expect the fixture list to slow down a little once the Christmas and New Year period is gone, but with both cups and the league heating up in early January, there’s a lot for players to get through this month.
Focusing on the next round of league games, we’ve got some huge matches, and a repeat from the weekend cup games. Every weekend now is throwing together relegation contenders and big sides, and this midweek round is no different. These results will have a massive impact on the table, and they could set sides up for glory – or failure. Here we’re looking ahead to the midweek fixtures, picking out the best of the bunch and giving our betting tips on each.
Tuesday 12th January 2016
Newcastle v Manchester United (19:45) – Newcastle/draw (13/12 with Betfair)
Manchester United finally got back to winning ways against Swansea, but will they be able to maintain that against a side in the bottom three? You’d imagine this would be a simple win for the Red Devils, but it’s not quite that simple. While they beat Swansea, they didn’t look great doing it, and Louis Van Gaal seemed unhappy with the small flashes of skill that won them the game. Taking a bashing from their manager after finally winning won’t do much for their confidence, so it will be interesting to see just how they play at St James’ Park.
Plus, Newcastle seem to reserve their best displays for games live on TV or against big opponents, and this is both. Some think the pressure is off the players in these games, others think they’re trying to put themselves in the shop window. Either way, it works for them. The Toon already picked up a point against United this season when they drew at Old Trafford, can they repeat the trick? Well, given how poor United have been, and just how well Steve McClaren’s side have done against big sides this term, we’re backing the hosts on the double chance market.
Aston Villa v Crystal Palace (19:45) – Palace win (6/4 with Coral)
Crystal Palace have been a little out of sorts lately, but despite that they’re still very much in contention for a European spot. Aston Villa have been out of sorts since winning on the opening day this season, their only victory this term. That really puts the recent struggles that the Eagles have been suffering into context. Remi Garde never got that new manager bounce to help him along, and because of that, his team are now cut adrift at the bottom, with very little prospect of survival.
That means this should be a perfect opportunity for Palace to get back to winning ways. They may have been beaten at home to Chelsea last time out, but Alan Pardew’s men are much better away from Selhurst Park. They seem to prefer being away from home and using their pace on the break. Right now, there are few easier places to go to and win than Villa Park. The Villains haven’t registered a home win all season. Palace have 17 points from their nine away games, while Villa have just three from their home matches this term. At 6/4, a Palace win looks like the best value bet of the week.
Wednesday 13th January 2016
Liverpool v Arsenal (20:00) – Liverpool to win (2/1 with Betfair)
Wednesday night sees a huge clash as Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool host top of the table Arsenal. The Reds haven’t been having the best of times lately, they’ve been very inconsistent since their new manager took over. They come in to this off the back of one of their worst displays of the season against West Ham, so it’s easy to see why the Gunners are favourites to leave Anfield with maximum points. This is the kind of game Arsenal need to win to show that they have a mentality worthy of winning the Premier League. The only problem is, we said that before they played Southampton on Boxing Day and look how that turned out.
There are still big question marks over both these sides, but one thing to look to is Liverpool’s record against league leaders. They’ve already faced the table toppers twice this season, doing pretty well in both. They blew away Manchester City in November, winning 4-1 at the Etihad and knocking them down to third place. On Boxing Day they beat Leicester 1-0 at Anfield, the Foxes’ first and only away defeat all season. Their style seems suited to these big clashes, and in the fascinating battle between Arsene Wenger and Klopp, we see the former Dortmund boss coming out on top.
Tottenham v Leicester (20:00) – Both teams to score: no (11/10 with Coral)
This game comes just days after the pair are scheduled to meet in the FA Cup. After traveling down to White Hart Lane on Sunday evening, the Foxes will be repeating that journey on Wednesday night, as they look to keep up their fantastic league season so far. It’s a strange clash to leave off TV, with BT Sport picking the Man United game over this one. On the face of it you’d think they’ll be missing out on a game packed with goals, but we’re not so sure.
Leicester have really tightened up in recent weeks, which has improved them at the back, but slightly shackled them going forward. They’ve conceded just one goal in their last three league games, but they’ve also failed to score. They now head to Tottenham without Jamie Vardy, to play a Spurs side who have been great at the back this campaign. Their pressing game has improved them drastically, and now they’re much harder to beat. Because of that, we’re expecting a much tighter clash here, so we’re backing against both teams to score at very nice odds.