The Premier League action doesn’t slow down at the turn of the year, as there’s a full round of matches kicking off on New Year’s Day. With some big games thrown in there, there’s quite a lot of matches for us to look forward to across the week. The round starts on Monday, with Brighton facing Bournemouth in the early kick-off, and there’s plenty more to follow.
Everton against Man United rounds off Monday’s action, which is just the first of the big live clashes this week. That’s followed up by a meeting between Arsenal and Chelsea in the race for the Champions League. Ahead of this week’s midweek matches, we’ve picked out four live games and selected betting tips for each of them to help you earn a profit as 2018 gets underway.
Monday 1st January 2018
Brighton v Bournemouth (12:30) – Brighton to win (5/4 with BetVictor)
The opening Premier League game of 2018 sees Bournemouth looking to end Brighton’s impressive home form. The Seagulls have lost just one of their last nine home matches in the league, and they’ll be out to extend that when they take on the Cherries. A 1-0 win over Watford boosted their hopes of staying in the top flight, and that extended their impressive run of form at their own ground. That should give them confidence heading into this match, especially as they take on a Bournemouth side who are struggling to pick up results this season.
The visitors have been losing too many games of late, and they only managed to claim a point against West Ham at home with a last minute goal. That point ended a three game losing streak, while they head into this match having lost 60% of their away trips. The visitors are going up against a really well organised side, as Brighton are tough to break down at home. Given that the Cherries have conceded in 80% of their away trips this term, we fully expected the Seagulls to do enough to edge them out on Monday.
Everton v Man United (17:30) – Everton Double Chance (13/10 with Betfair)
Manchester United are struggling on with just their £300 million spending on signings, but at least with the transfer window open Jose Mourinho can add to that paltry number. The Red Devils boss has said that his spending so far isn’t enough to win the league, despite City only spending an extra £20 million or so more than their city rivals. The truth is that Mourinho hasn’t been able to unite and improve his players quite like his great rival, and that’s what is letting them down in the title race. It’s also making them vulnerable in too many matches, as seen by their recent displays against Burnley and Leicester.
Mourinho’s side just don’t have the cutting edge needed to finish teams off, and that has to be a concern against Everton. Sam Allaryce has turned the Toffees into a solid unit, and United will struggle to break them down. On top of that, the hosts are now looking more clinical, with Wayne Rooney appearing revitalised back at his first club. We think the Toffees can extend their unbeaten run under their new boss against the Red Devils, and as a result we’re backing the hosts on the double chance market at 13/10 with Betfair.
Tuesday 2nd January 2018
Swansea v Tottenham (13:30) – Tottenham -1 Handicap (4/5 with Betfred)
Carlos Carvalhal has a tough homecoming as the new Swansea boss, as he takes on Tottenham at the Liberty this week. The Swans have got an awful record going forward this season, and they’re unlikely to find a way through this impressive Tottenham side. The Welsh outfit have struggled in their meetings with the elite in the top flight, and that’s something which is likely to continue given how Harry Kane is playing at the minute. Having smashed the record for goals in a calendar year, he’ll be looking to start 2017 with a bang.
Swansea have already lost by four goals at home to the two Manchester clubs, and Tottenham could rack up a similar scoreline. The visitors have won by at least two goals in 80% of their away trips this season, and we think they’ll be able to rack up plenty of goals against this poor Swansea side, having won by at least two in four of their last five Premier League matches. We think the visitors will record a comfortable victory, and we’re backing them to win with a -1 handicap this weekend, which can be backed at 4/5 with Betfred.
Wednesday 3rd January 2018
Arsenal v Chelsea (13:30) – Draw (5/2 with Ladbrokes)
Can Chelsea lay down a marker at Arsenal in their push for the top two? These two sides are playing their first meeting of three this month, with a couple of EFL Cup clashes to come. However, the priority for both is to claim a spot in the top four this season, with Arsenal desperate to return to the Champions League. The problem for the Gunners has been their recent disappointments in big games, having seen their strong home form fall apart when the bigger tests have arrived at the Emirates. That’s likely to be the case once again when the Blues visit on Wednesday night.
The Blues have tightened up a little more at the back, and they’re becoming harder to beat. They’ve lost just once in the league since mid-October, and they’ll be expecting to pick something up here having avoided defeat in 80% of their away trips. However, the last two meetings between these two have finished level, and we can see them sharing the points this week. The Gunners are likely to restrict themselves a little more than they did against Man United or Liverpool, and as a result we can see them playing out another low scoring draw.