You know the Christmas period is getting close when the Premier League fixtures begin to pile up. This midweek sees an extra round of games from the top flight, as sides face three fixtures in seven days or so. That gets us towards the festive matches, and they could have a pretty big say in all areas of the table.
Who will be able to take advantage of these midweek games, and set themselves up for a great run in to 2017? Ahead of the fixtures, we’ve picked out four games and four betting tips to keep an eye on. They include two title challengers, the reigning champions and a couple of managers who could desperately do with a victory.
Tuesday 13th December 2016
Bournemouth v Leicester (19:45) – Bournemouth to win (6/5 with Coral)
Champions Leicester head to the south coast on Tuesday night, as they aim to pick up a first away win of the season. They’ll be hoping it goes a lot better than their last trip, which was a record defeat. The Foxes recorded the biggest ever loss of any English side in the Champions League, a result which did little to improve their awful season. Can Claudio Ranieri get his side back on track for what is likely to be another very difficult away fixture?
Bournemouth come into this clash having beaten Liverpool 4-3 at home in a fantastic game. That showed the spirit that the Cherries have, one which should easily keep them up this season. They’ve been solid at the Vitality Stadium this term, and that record doesn’t look to be in danger. Leicester have the worst away stats in the Premier League, so they’re unlikely to take the points on Tuesday night. We’re backing them to record another loss, which is priced at 6/5 with Coral. With the champions’ away form looking horrendous, that seems like great value.
Everton v Arsenal (19:45) – Arsenal to win (21/20 with Sky Bet)
Everton have just one win in their last five at Goodison Park, and questions are starting to be asked by the Toffees’ supporters. Going into their clash with Arsenal on Tuesday, it’s easy to see why the Gunners are firm favourites. Even Manchester United came close to winning here, before Marouane Fellaini stepped in and gifted his former club a point. That’s the Red Devils, a side who are struggling to win games and who are now turning their focus towards the Europa League this season. Surely that makes this look like a winnable game for the visiting Gunners who are flying high?
Arsenal should still be on a high from the Champions League win, which showed that there’s something a little different about the team this year. They have a little more resolve, and they’ve got attacking players up front who can blow through any deep defence. The direct nature of this Everton side shouldn’t bother them, while the Toffees will probably struggle to deal with Alexis Sanchez, especially if he’s playing as he did in the Gunners’ last away game. That’s why we’re going with an away win here. This isn’t a ground the away side should be afraid of travelling to. Everton are out of form, which has us backing Wenger’s men at good odds of 21/20 with Sky Bet.
Wednesday 14th December 2016
Middlesbrough v Liverpool (19:45) – Liverpool to win & both teams to score (23/10 with Betfair)
Middlesbrough are having a mixed return to the top flight, but it’s games like this which sides look forward to. Facing a high flying Liverpool side under the lights just before Christmas. There will be plenty of questions asked of Jurgen Klopp’s men and how they deal with this cold December night. However, there’s likely to be a few more questions asked of this Boro defence. That’s looked a little shaky at times this season, and now they face a side who pose all kinds of threats to any back four. Can the hosts make it through this game?
Liverpool’s scoring form suggests that they’ll blow away most teams. Klopp’s side are a high energy, high pressing unit. That means they shouldn’t have any problem dealing with the cold night or long trip. Their problem so far has been at the back, as shown when they conceded four at Bournemouth in their last away game. The Reds need to tighten up, but they don’t seem to have any leaders among their backline. That should leave them vulnerable, and we see Boro scoring. An away win and BTTS is our tip here and it’s priced at 23/10 with Betfair.
Crystal Palace v Man United (20:00) – Under 2.5 goals (19/20 with Bet365)
Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho faces a fellow manager who is feeling the strain this week. Crystal Palace boss Alan Pardew looks like a man sleepwalking towards the sack. Not only did he lose six straight league games, but he recently came out and spoke of their new American investor’s lack of footballing knowledge. Even if they come across as simple as Jamie Redknapp, making something like that public just isn’t a good idea. After that, it’s easy to see him being out of a job in the near future. A defeat to Manchester United could push him even closer to the sack.
The Red Devils come into this game without a great scoring record, they’ve got a below average goal return so far this season. They just don’t seem to be clicking going forward. Palace should be worrying about goals here, seeing as they’ve scored in just one of their last five at home to the Red Devils. United’s games of late have been typically low scoring, and we can see the same again here. Under 2.5 goals in this clash looks to be the best value bet. It’s priced at 19/20 with Bet365.