The Premier League is back this weekend after the midweek Champions League action, with more vital points up for grabs. We have three live games this weekend, all on Sky, and each of them look like entertaining contests. It won’t be long until the December fixture list starts catching up on teams, so they’ll all want to either get in to a good run, or keep up their existing good form.
The big game of the weekend comes at Old Trafford, with Liverpool the visitors. That’s up on Sunday, but before that we’ve got Arsenal v Newcastle on Saturday evening. Swansea against Tottenham rounds off the weekend, and we’ve added Sunderland v West Ham here as our fourth game. Here you’ll find previews of all four of those matches, with a betting tip on each. On top of that, don’t forget to check our accumulator tip at the end of the article.
Saturday 13th December 2014
Sunderland v West Ham (15:00) – West Ham to win (7/4 with Sky Bet)
First up is the non-televised game, and it might be the best value of the weekend. West Ham travel to Sunderland currently in the top four, after three consecutive wins. They’ve looked impressive so far this season, and now they’re currently above Southampton, the team praised by everyone this term. Given how they’ve beaten quite a few big sides, they might actually be more equipped to challenge the better teams than Saints.
They face a Sunderland side who are mid table, but they’ve had too many draws so far and not enough wins. They’re a solid side, especially at home, but the threat West Ham pose should trouble the Black Cats here. They have the aerial prowess of Andy Carroll, plus Diafra Sakho and Enner Valencia. With the likes of Stewart Downing and Kevin Nolan in midfield, they’ve got a good mix between the physical and the technical. With that in mind, West Ham are worth a look here at odds of 7/4, given how high they are in the table.
Arsenal v Newcastle (15:00) – Draw (15/4 with Bet365)
The first live televised game of the weekend comes on Saturday evening, with in form Newcastle traveling to Arsenal. The Gunners lost 3-2 to Stoke last week, and with pressure growing on Arsene Wenger, they can’t afford a home defeat here. They lost even more ground on the top four at the weekend, and they could face an uphill challenge to get back there if they don’t get a run together this month.
The problem for Arsenal is they face a Newcastle side who are in brilliant form, having lost just one of their last nine games. They’re currently seventh in the table, level on points with Arsenal. A win here would put them above the Gunners, so that’s certainly something to play for. Their win over Chelsea last week ended the leaders’ unbeaten record, so they’ll come in here with sky high confidence. With that, and Arsenal’s recent poor performances, we can see the Magpies picking up a draw here at very nice odds.
Sunday 14th December 2014
Man United v Liverpool (13:30) – United to win (10/11 with Sky Bet)
This game is one of the biggest in English football, even if both sides have lost their shine in recent years. Last season Liverpool came here as title challengers, and handed out a heavy defeat to their rivals. That changing of the guard has been short lived, with United now third, whilst Liverpool are stuck in mid table. After a tough run of form and a crucial Champions League encounter on Tuesday, Liverpool are bound to be fatigued when they arrive here and will really be up against it.
United won their fifth game in a row on Monday night, but they’ve not looked that impressive in recent weeks. They looked second best against Southampton, and they were awful at times against Arsenal, but still got a result there. With those sorts of results, they must be doing something right, and things can still get better for them. Their recent struggles have meant bookies giving generous odds on United, as can be seen here. At just below evens at home against a side who are ninth, the Red Devils are well worth backing.
Swansea v Tottenham (13:30) – Both teams to score (8/11 with Bet Victor)
An inconsistent Spurs side make the trip to Swansea knowing that they struggle after midweek Europa League action. Spurs drew at home to Palace last week, just after they’d looked impressive in a win over Everton. It’s hard to know what kind of Spurs side will actually show up here, but either way they’re in for a tough game at the Liberty Stadium. Local rivals Arsenal will attest to that, having already lost there this season.
Swansea are actually two places above Spurs in the table, having made an impressive start to the season. They’ve got the top scoring striker in 2014 in Wilfred Bony, which is something Spurs wish they could say. They’ve had trouble up front, although having said that there have also been issues at the back! With Spurs down in 10th place, they know they have to start picking up results to keep themselves in the Champions League race. Given their patchy form, it’s hard to know what to back with Spurs. One thing you can expect, however, is goals. With Spurs conceding 21 goals in the league this season, they’re weak defensively, while Swansea haven’t been the best at the back either. They’ve conceded in four of their last five games, so both teams to score is a good bet here at 8/11.
Those are our four tips for this weekend’s action, but if you’d like a longer odds bet across all four games, look at the accumulator. These four selections come to a 36/1 fourfold with Sky Bet, which could just give you a bit extra to spend on presents this Christmas.