While right now many are reflecting on the final round of games before Christmas, and looking ahead to Boxing Day’s bumper offering of football. It’s hard to blame them, given the twists that have seen Leicester City top the pile almost half way through, plus there are 10 games on Saturday, giving fans the chance to enjoy four live games in the space of seven hours.
But, after Boxing Day comes the next round of fixtures, and they’re sooner than you might think. Most of the top flight are back in action 48 hours later, with the next round of games kicking off on Monday. It’s sure to be a punishing time for the players, but the quick return to action will surely delight fans. Here we’re taking a look towards the midweek Christmas fixtures, previewing the biggest games.
Monday 28th December 2015
Watford v Tottenham (15:00) – Watford to win (11/5 with Coral)
Who would have had this down as a clash between sides chasing the Champions League places at the start of the season? Right now only a point separates these teams, with Watford in seventh position, and Tottenham fourth. The Hornets are flying, and in any other season they’d be the story of the year. The fact that Leicester are doing so well means they’re going slightly under the radar, but that could suit Quique Sanchez Flores and his team. They’ve got next to no pressure coming into this one, but they have recently shown they can put on a show at home to the big sides.
Tottenham have one of the best defences in the league right now, but it’s going to get a real test from Troy Deeney and Odion Ighalo. These two are a throwback to the days of strike partnerships, with the pace and guile to hurt any team. With 17 goals between them in as many league games, they are a proven success at this level. Spurs have been playing well of late, but they occasionally slip when faced with a run of games, and Watford’s solid team could well take advantage of them here.
Manchester United v Chelsea (17:30) – Draw (12/5 with Betfair)
This match should be the highlight in this round of fixtures, but it sees fifth place against 15th, which is far from exciting on the face of it. It’s also a clash between two sides struggling for form, with Chelsea having their worst season in years, and Manchester United slowly losing their grip in the fight for the Champions League. Can either side make a big return to form in this clash, or will these two cancel each other out after their recent troubles?
We’re going for a draw in this one, because it really is hard to separate these two right now. Chelsea may have won last weekend, but they are far from their best. United’s recent poor run has seen them lose back to back games against promoted sides and drop out of the Champions League. Both are suffering from a crisis of confidence, and it’s hard to see either boss pushing his team to out and go for the win here. Expect two teams who are defensively solid, with little spark going forward. This could end up being a very tight affair.
Tuesday 29th December 2015
Leicester v Manchester City (19:45) – Draw (5/2 with Betfair)
This game, the real big game of the round, will be far from tight. Manchester City head to Leicester on the back of some dodgy away form, can they close the gap on the leaders, or will the Foxes jump another hurdle? City have won just once in their last six away games, and their last league victory away from the Etihad came in mid-September. That’s hardly the record of champions, and they look far from the strongest team in the league right now. But, they’ll get to see the league’s strongest team on Tuesday night.
It still hasn’t sunk in that Leicester are doing so well. Few see them as real challengers for the top four, but only one team in Premier League history has failed to finish fourth or higher after topping the tree at Christmas. Their season is going from strength to strength, and every time they are predicted to struggle, they manage to see off the task at hand. Now, we aren’t going all out on a Leicester win, but we can’t see City stopping them here. We’re going for the draw, which would really help City get back on track away from home.
Wednesday 30th December 2015
Sunderland v Liverpool (19:45) – Both teams to score (10/11 with Coral)
Wednesday’s game doesn’t quite match up to the rest of the offerings, given how Liverpool’s form has dipped. They’ve lost their spark from the early Klopp days, and they’re really struggling to see off the smaller teams. After their hammering at Watford, it’s hard to even back them away to struggling Sunderland. It is actually more tempting to back a win for the Black Cats, given how they tend to take big scalps around the Christmas period. Could they follow up with another one here?
Wins over City on Boxing Day in 2011 and New Year’s Day in 2012 were followed up with victories at a strong Everton team in 2013, and a derby win at Newcastle last year. A win against Liverpool could be on the cards here, and it’s worth considering as an outside bet at 4/1 with Betfair. We at least fancy the Black Cats to get a goal, and their leaky defence should easily be beaten by the Reds. That’s why we’re going with both teams to score here, which is well priced at just under evens with Coral. We think this is the perfect chance for the Reds to end their run of three away games without a goal, and we just can’t see them keeping a clean sheet.