The Premier League finally returns following a drawn-out international and FA Cup break.
The action gets underway on Wednesday morning (AEST) as Man U looks to consolidate their position in the top four with a win over cellar-dwellers, Burnley.
Elsewhere, Liverpool plays host to Leicester, Arsenal travel to Wolverhampton, and City attempt to exterminate the Bees.
We’ve previewed all nine Premier League fixtures across the weekend and provided our best betting plays below!
Two of January’s big movers are set to put their spending to the test when they meet at St. James’ Park on Wednesday morning (AEST).
Frank Lampard will take charge of his first Premier League fixture as the Toffee’s manager after leading his new side to a 4-1 victory over Brentford in the FA Cup over the weekend.
They’ll be faced with a new look Newcastle outfit who could name up to five new signings, with their defensive unit getting a much-needed facelift.
Lampard’s first point of call will also be focusing on improving Everton’s defensive performances, an area where the former Chelsea great has a well of experience to draw from.
Both sides are under extreme pressure here with relegation looming, as such I’ll be backing a low-scoring affair to keep off Game Week 24.
The Hammers will attempt to break back into the top four when they play host relegation-threatened Watford.
The Hornets are winless across their last nine league outings (2D,7L), a run that includes a 4-1 hiding to the Hammers back in GW17!
The Irons are experiencing their own small dip in form, losing two PL fixtures on the trot at the hands of Leeds and top 6 rivals Man U.
This will be of little concern to the home side, who have taken 13 from a possible 15 points against sides that are currently sitting in the bottom five.
The Hammers have won their last four league matches against the Hornets, with each contest seeing over 3.5 total goals scored, a trend I am backing to continue here.
Man United looks to bounce back from their embarrassing FA Cup elimination when they travel to Turf Moor to take on the Clarets.
Burnley has been a happing hunting ground for the Red Devils in years gone by, with the visitors winning to nil across their last five trips to Turf Moor.
These two sides last met on new years eve, Man U won that contest comfortably, with both Ronaldo and McTominay finding the back of the net.
The Clarets have only managed to score two goals across their last seven league fixtures, to make matters worse their first choice strike Chris Wood jumping ship to Newcastle.
I can’t see Sean Dyche’s side posing any threat on De Gea’s goal here, with United a red hot chance to claim their sixth straight clean sheet victory at Turf Moor.
The Spurs welcome the Saints to London as the home side looks to build towards UCL qualification.
Tottenham head into this fixture off the back of a convincing 3-1 display against Brighton in the FA Cup, with Harry Kane’s confidence in front of goal continuing to build with the talisman securing his first brace of the season.
The English captain will fancy his chances against the visitors, after scoring 11 goals from his last 13 games against the Saints!
Tottenham are undefeated across their last five home league fixtures (4W,1D) and will be out to claim their sixth straight win when playing host to Southampton.
I’m backing Kane to find the back of the net in what should be a comfortable victory for the Spurs.
Same Game Multi: $3.26
Tottenham to win $1.60
Over 2.5 Goals $1.75
Harry Kane Anytime $1.90
Manchester City’s 12-game winning streak in the league came to an end last time out when they were held to a 1-1 draw against the Saints.
That hiccup doesn’t bode well for the visitors, with the Sky Blues winning to nil following all four of their previous league draws or defeats this season.
Pep’s side has won their previous nine games at the Emptyhad across all comps, averaging 3.33 goals scored over the trip!
Alternatively, Brentford are staring down the barrel of five straight defeats, conceding 12 goals across their previous four fixtures.
The Bees went down 4-1 to the Toffees mid-week in the FA Cup, a scoreline the Citizens should easily surpass!
Norwich are out to claim three consecutive Premier League wins for the first time since 2012 when they host Crystal Palace on Thursday morning.
The Canaries are actually enjoying a little purple patch at the moment, winning four of their last five games across all comps, including two bid victories against relegation rivals Everton and Watford.
Alternatively, the Eagles have won just once across their last five PL matches, though that victory came against the Canaries in convincing fashion.
Dean Smith has already worked wonders during his short tenure, dragging the Canaries off the bottom of the table and into the warm embrace of 17th place.
The Eagles have won just one fixture on the road this season (4D,5L), though it was against Man City!
I believe this game will be much closer than the odds would suggest, as such I’m more than happy to take the home side at $3.50.
Leeds will attempt to win back-to-back away fixtures for the first time this season when they travel to Villa Park.
Standing in their way is a Villa side who has looked dialed in since the arrival of Steven Gerrard.
Stevie G’s pulling power was on display in January, with the PL legend bringing in ex-teammate Phillip Coutinho from Barca, while securing the signatures of Lucus Digne and Callum Chambers.
Meanwhile, Leeds fell victim to the new-look Newcastle outfit last time out, ending their biggest winning streak of the season (2 games!).
I’m backing the goals to flow here, with the home side to be responsible for most of the damage.
Wolverhampton and Arsenal lock horns at Molineux Stadium, with a place in the top six on the line.
The Wolves will look to pick up where they left off before the international break, claiming three straight wins since the turn of the year.
Alternatively, the Gunners have endured a rough start to 2022, winless across their last five fixtures in all comps, including an embarrassing defeat to Nottingham in the FA Cup.
The Wolves currently hold bragging rights in this match-up, taking out the last two league fixtures against the Gunners 2-1, in fact, Arsenal has only managed one win in this fixture since 2012 (2D,3L)!
I don’t think Arsenal possess either the experience or patience to break down this extremely disciplined Wolves outfit, as such I’m backing Bruno Lage’s side to continue their surge up the ladder.
Liverpool are out to keep the pressure on league leaders Man City when they welcome the Foxes to Anfield this Friday morning.
Klopp might be able to call on Mane and Salah for the first time this calendar year, as the dynamic duo return from their Grand Final appearance in the African Cup of Nations.
Regardless, the Reds enjoyed a purple patch across January, going seven games without defeat (5W,2D), outscoring their opponents 17-5.
The same can’t be said for Leicester, who have won just one of their four fixtures this year, picking up one point in the league, while getting bundled out of the FA Cup 4-1 to championship outfit Nottingham!
Leicester has been a thorn in Jurgen Klopp’s side since his arrival to the PL, with the Foxes bettering the Reds on four occasions, with only Man City boasting as many victories (4).
Despite recent success, the Foxes look out of kilter of late, and with Klopp able to call on his deepest squad of the season, I believe there’ll be nothing but one-way traffic at Anfield!