Christmas is almost upon us, but there’s still an entire round of Premier League action set to take place before presents can be opened!
Arsenal and Liverpool square off in the first fixture in Week 19 of the EPL and the action continues all the way through until Sunday morning, when Leicester City hosts Manchester United.
Arsenal vs Liverpool
Week 19 of the Premier League is underway in style when Liverpool travels to London to face Arsenal.
Both teams are offered soft kills last weekend and both teams took all three points. For Arsenal, it was a pretty unconvincing 1-0 win at home against a Newcastle United side that looks set to be relegated this season. The Gunners simply cannot get into a winning rhythm and they face a big task in a more quality opponent on Saturday.
Liverpool were barely troubled by Bournemouth and left Dean Court 4-0 victors. It was an all-round dominant performance, but a necessary one for the Reds, who failed to get on the score sheet against West Brom the round prior.
Neither team looks as though they could trouble a club like Manchester City, but Liverpool undoubtedly have the better claims this season and they can win this game.
Tip: Back Liverpool to win @ $2.75
Everton vs Chelsea
Saturday night will see a host of quality Premier League fixtures, including Everton vs Chelsea at Goodison Park.
A month ago, this match would have been an absolute whitewash in favour of the defending champions, but as England’s top flight tends to go, momentum has returned to Everton’s ranks and they are seeking a third-consecutive win on Saturday.
The Toffees’ attack has finally started converting chances and they were on full show last weekend when Wayne Rooney, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Dominic Calvert-Lewin all hit the back of the net.
Chelsea remain third overall and they are also seeking a third-consecutive Premier League win. It is fair to say that the London club were a bit flat in their 1-0 win over Southampton last weekend and they cannot afford a similar performance at Everton.
Tip: Back the draw @ $3.75
Southampton vs Huddersfield Town
This match looms as one of the more interesting in Week 19 of the Premier League, from a betting perspective.
Southampton were extremely disappointing against Leicester City in Week 17, but they can be forgiven for losing 1-0 to an opponent of Chelsea’s calibre away last week. The Saints are typically excellent in games like this one and they loom as a tough task for Huddersfield at St Marys.
Huddersfield put on a masterclass to leave Watford as 4-1 victors last weekend, with Aussie Aaron Mooy producing another outstanding solo performance, capped by two goals.
This looms as another opportunity for Huddersfield to secure all three competition points and cement their position in the top ten ahead of Christmas. They are big overs at their current quote.
Tip: Back Huddersfield to win @ $6
West Ham United vs Newcastle United
West Ham have recaptured their giant-killing tag this season, but they face a team that they really should be beating in the form of Newcastle this weekend.
The Hammer shocked Chelsea 1-0 two weeks ago, before keeping Arsenal scoreless with a 0-0 draw in Week 17. Last weekend, they returned to winning form with a 3-0 win over Stoke City away from home and we were able to capitalise on terrific odds in that fixture.
There isn’t a lot to say about Newcastle’s recent run of form, other than it being pretty terrible. West Ham represent excellent value once again and they are out Premier League best bet this week.
Tip: Back West Ham to win @ $2.10
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Watford
Mat Ryan’s Brighton host the seemingly out-of-form Watford early on Sunday morning Australian time.
Brighton have had a tough couple of weeks in the Premier League, but they managed to keep the in-form Burnley to a 0-0 draw last week and are a team that can build off the result.
Following a glittering start to their season, an undisciplined Watford have lost all three of their most-recent matches and suffered red cards in each. They will be without captain Troy Deeney in this game as a result and they truly face an uphill in returning to winning form.
Tip: Back Brighton to win @ $2.50
Swansea City vs Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace’s sharp turn in form continued last week with a 3-0 demolition of the in-form Leicester City away home and they can continue that resurgence against Swansea City on Sunday.
Palace have responded well to manager Roy Hodgson and they have been on fire recently; undefeated in their seven most-recent Premier League fixtures, capped by last weekend’s particularly strong showing.
Things have not been the same for Swansea however, who are anchored to the bottom of the table and are in serious danger of relegation.
Palace are playing with just a bit more urgency than they Welsh opponents and they can deliver on healthy odds again here.
Tip: Back Crystal Palace to win @ $2.55
Stoke City vs West Bromwich Albion
Stoke City are another club that looks set to be contesting the relegation dogfight for the remainder of the season, but they are offered an opportunity to reverse their fortunes against the similarly-lacklustre West Brom.
The Potters’ previously-feared home ground advantage has all but evaporated and they have been comfortably accounted for at the Britannia several times this season, including a 3-0 loss to West Ham most recently.
The Baggies put up something of a fight against Manchester United last weekend, but they still failed to take anything from the game and they are winless in sixteen weeks.
In current-form either team could win this, but I am happy to back Stoke to give something to their fans ahead of Christmas.
Tip: Back Stoke City to win @ $2.15
Manchester City vs AFC Bournemouth
Runaway leaders Manchester City are still yet to taste defeat in the Premier League season and realistically, it’s not going to happen in their Week 19 match with Bournemouth.
If they hadn’t already, City put all the doubters to shame last week when they made light work of Tottenham, to the tune of 4-1 at the Etihad Stadium. This is a truly special team and they are on track for an easy premiership this campaign.
Bournemouth were comfortably played off the park by Liverpool last weekend and it is tough to see them being much better against an even stronger City outfit.
Tip: Back over 4 goals to be scored @ $1.90
Burnley vs Tottenham Hotspur
Sunday morning’s fixture between Burnley and Spurs at Turf Moor is set to be one of the more intriguing matches in the Premier League this weekend.
Burnley have far-and-away exceeded all expectations this year and remain sixth in overall standings. They were held to a 0-0 draw by a spirited Brighton outfit last week, but won two-consecutive matches prior and really do look like a club that could claim a European berth come season’s end.
Spurs were thrashed by Manchester City last week, but that is happening to pretty much every club and the result can be ignored ahead of this match.
This is a winnable game for Burnley and they represent terrific value at current odds, but Spurs should bounce back with a hard-fought win.
Tip: Back over 2.5 goals to be scored @ $2
Leicester City vs Manchester United
The final game of the weekend will see Leicester City host Manchester United at King Power Stadium.
The Foxes were stringing together a nice little run of form before they were stopped in their tracks by Crystal Palace last week; walking away on the wrong end of a 3-0 score line. Despite eventually going down on penalties, Leicester will have taken plenty of benefit and confidence from their mid-week League Cup game against Manchester City, in which they held the league-leaders to a 1-1 draw through extra time.
United responded to their Derby Day loss with wins over Bournemouth and West Brom and they should be able to make it three in a row here.
Tip: Back Manchester United to win @ $1.75