As the Premier League season nears the hectic festive period, there are plenty of great fixtures to look forward to over matchday 16. The weather may be freezing, but things are really heating up at both ends of the Premier League table.
Title contenders Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City all have big games, while Manchester United are hoping for another win under new manager Ralf Rangnick. Here, we take a look at every fixture across this weekend, and provide you with the best Premier League betting tips for matchday 16.
Manchester City v Wolves Betting Tips
Defending champions Man City went top of the table at the weekend, thanks to Chelsea’s defeat at West Ham United. Pep Guardiola’s side cruised to a 3-1 victory away to Watford, with Bernardo Silva underlining his status as one of the Premier League’s most in-form players.
Wolves suffered late heartbreak last time out, losing 1-0 to Liverpool thanks to Divock Origi’s 94th-minute strike. The Wanderers have shown signs of improvement under new manager Bruno Lage recently, but their lack of goals is a real cause for concern.
The Molineux outfit have only scored once in their last five games, as they beat West Ham 1-0 in late November. Raul Jimenez’s return to the side has been seen as a win in itself for the Wolves, but the Mexican needs more support up top.
Going away to this City side while in poor goalscoring form does not bode well. The Wanderers may have completed the double over the Blues in 2019-20 – producing a smash-and-grab performance at the Etihad to win the first meeting 2-0 – but City scored seven times across last season’s two clashes, before ultimately winning both.
The Citizens have won all five of their Premier League fixtures since losing at home to Crystal Palace at the end of October, and are starting to look truly ominous. Given their visitors’ poor form in front of goal, back the hosts to win to nil at 3/4. The Blues are overwhelming 1/5 favourites in these Man City v Wolves tips, with a 3-0 home victory priced at 6/1.
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Chelsea v Leeds United Betting Tips
Chelsea have gone from looking like the complete package to bearing a soft underbelly over the last few weeks. The European champions have blown hot and cold since the start of November, losing the lead in the Premier League table as a result.
Leeds United head to Stamford Bridge boosted by the return-to-action of key man Patrick Bamford. Marcelo Bielsa’s side have been worryingly short of goals in the absence of their first-choice striker, who came off the bench to score a 95th-minute equaliser against Brentford on Sunday.
Chelsea have been nursing their own No 9 back from injury in recent games, although Romelu Lukaku was unable to have an impact in the defeat to London rivals West Ham after coming on at half-time. Thomas Tuchel needs the Belgian fit and firing, as he looks to restore confidence among the team.
The Blues were majestic in thrashing Serie A giants Juventus 4-0 in the Champions League towards the end of November, but have been struggling domestically. The West Ham defeat had been on the cards after Chelsea failed to beat Burnley and Manchester United on home soil in two of their four games prior.
It’s not a great time to play Leeds either, who’ve got back on track over recent weeks following a poor start to the season. The Whites are starting to look like their real selves, and have now lost just once in their last seven Premier League outings, after losing four of their opening eight.
Even so, our Chelsea v Leeds predictions revolve around the home win. The Blues have a massive amount of quality in their ranks and Leeds suffered a couple of key injuries last time out to Liam Cooper and Kalvin Phillips.
Take the home team to win at 1/3, although with a dangerous Leeds side also scoring those odds rise to a more attractive 21/10. Chelsea beat Bielsa’s side 3-1 last season at the Bridge, with a repeat of that scoreline 12/1.
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Liverpool v Aston Villa Betting Tips
Steven Gerrard returns to Anfield as Aston Villa manager, as the former Liverpool captain aims to dent his old club’s title challenge over the busy Christmas period. The second-placed Reds are in great form though, and will be in no mood for handing out any presents to their former midfielder.
Liverpool can count themselves a little fortunate to be second in the table coming into this game. Even though they were the better side, the Reds had Origi to thank once again for his last-gasp winner off the bench at Wolves.
Villa, meanwhile, were on the receiving end of a touch of misfortune at the weekend. They harshly had a Jacob Ramsey goal ruled out when Leicester City goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel was adjudged to be in control of the ball following a spill.
Despite that setback, Villa showed their character and Gerrard will have been pleased with the response that helped carry his team to a 2-1 victory over former boss Brendan Rodgers.
The Villans have won three of their four games under their new manager – only losing 2-1 at home to champions Man City. The Midlands outfit have scored seven goals across those games, while they memorably put seven past Liverpool last season.
However, despite that and Gerrard’s undoubted impact at Villa, it’s tough to see Liverpool slipping up here. Considering the odds, backing the Reds to win at 1/4 may only provide value as part of a Premier League accumulator or another multi-bet selection. Liverpool to win and both teams to score could be promising at 8/5.
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Norwich City v Manchester United Betting Tips
Ralf Rangnick will bid to make it two wins from two in the Premier League when he takes his Manchester United side to Norwich City. The Red Devils boss became the first German to ever win his first Premier League game as manager last weekend, but it won’t be easy against a Canaries side who are enjoying a bounce from a new boss.
Dean Smith lost his first game as Norwich manager last weekend, although it was a tough assignment away to Tottenham. The Canaries picked up only their second victory of the season in Smith’s first game in late November, before sharing the spoils with both Wolves and Newcastle United.
This promises to be another difficult game for Norwich though, with Man United appearing to have reacted well to their change of manager. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has left behind a squad that should be higher than sixth in the table, and Rangnick is the man tasked with fulfilling that potential.
All the talk before, during and after United’s 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace on Sunday was about pressing. In response to all the noise, particularly surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo and his ability or inclination to press, the Reds put in a stellar first-half performance to win the ball back more times in the final third than in any game since Sir Alex Ferguson retired.
Known as the ‘godfather of gegenpressing’, Rangnick’s philosophy, demand for control and 4-2-2-2 formation all seem to have made an impact. United are also on a four-game winning streak against Norwich, who come into this game rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table.
We can also expect United to pick up another win here at 1/2. The Canaries have only scored eight goals in 15 games, so we’re backing the visitors to win to nil at 7/4 in these Norwich v Man United tips.
For more Premier League betting tips and odds, visit KWIFF, where all the latest match data is provided live to give you the most up-to-date info you need.
Crystal Palace v Everton Betting Tips
Sunday afternoon’s feature match comes from Selhurst Park, where Patrick Vieira’s Crystal Palace will attempt to pile the misery back onto Everton. The Toffees recorded a morale-boosting victory over Arsenal on Monday but have made a structural change in the wake of their recent poor form. It remains to be seen whether that has any impact on the pitch just yet.
Director of football Marcel Brands leaving the club appears to hand all of the power to Rafa Benitez, but the Everton manager hasn’t appeared particularly deserving of that given his start to life at Goodison Park. The Toffees do at least come into this game on the back of their first win in nine, thanks to their comeback victory over the Gunners.
Everton had lost six of those previous eight fixtures – although they did pick up credible points against Man United and Tottenham in the other two games. The dreadful form had led to a volatile atmosphere at Goodison, so the Everton players – and remaining board members – will be happy to relieve some of the pressure ahead of this weekend’s encounter.
They won’t be too happy coming up against the Palace side, though, who’ve played some exciting football under new manager Vieira this season. However, the Eagles’ 1-0 defeat to Man United at Old Trafford on Sunday means they’ve now lost their last three matches on the bounce.
All three of those defeats were by a single goal, with Palace suffering some bad luck to have nothing to show for their performances. Even so, they have at least been putting in some good displays, which is a lot more than can be said for Everton on the whole.
Our Premier League betting tips recommend you back the home team to end their losing streak with a key victory in these Crystal Palace v Everton predictions.
That would also end a long winless run against the Toffees, who’ve not lost to the Eagles in their last 13 meetings. A Palace victory by one goal could be interesting at 3/1, while Everton are 5/2 to make it two wins from two.
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Premier League Predictions
There are five further fixtures over the weekend, providing us with more opportunities for outright Premier League bets or to add some selections to your weekly accumulator. Brentford and Watford get things started on Friday night, as they lock horns at the Brentford Community Stadium.
Thomas Frank’s side have taken to the Premier League like the proverbial duck to water, finding themselves residing in mid-table security ahead of this weekend’s encounter against a fellow newly-promoted side. Watford may have finished second ahead of Brentford in the Championship last term, but take the hosts to pick up a big win this week at 19/17.
Arsenal entertain Southampton at the Emirates on Saturday afternoon, in what is a crucial game for Mikel Arteta’s side. The Gunners need to start stringing together some wins if they’re to get back among the Premier League elite, but their youthful side has betrayed its lack of experience on occasion this term.
However, Southampton are not in a great moment right now, having failed to win any of their last four matches. That run includes a defeat to lowly Norwich, with Arsenal the 4/6 favourites for the win here.
Antonio Conte has made an immediate impact at Tottenham, with the Italian unbeaten in his four Premier League matches as Spurs boss. Tottenham have won each of their last three in the league, but all of those games were on home soil.
Brighton have made a strong start to the campaign and will provide a stern test on Sunday. The Seagulls beat Spurs in last season’s corresponding fixture and have only lost three of their opening 15 matches this term. Eight of those have been draws though, with another stalemate here worth a look at 23/10.
Burnley have only drawn one fewer than Brighton so far this season, sharing the spoils on seven occasions. However, the Clarets have only managed one win in 14 matches, and head into their clash with West Ham at Turf Moor in the bottom three.
The Hammers, on the other hand, are flying high in fourth place. David Moyes is doing a terrific job at the London Stadium, where West Ham beat league leaders Chelsea last time out. Back the Irons to add another three points to their tally this weekend at 21/20.
Finally, there’s a huge game at the King Power Stadium on Sunday afternoon, where Leicester City take on Newcastle. The Magpies eventually secured their first victory of the 2021-22 Premier League season at the 15th time of asking last weekend, as Callum Wilson’s first-half strike proved enough to see off Burnley at St James’ Park.
Leicester, on the other hand, lost 2-1 to Aston Villa and showed real defensive weakness at set-pieces. The Foxes have slipped to 11th, while Newcastle are on a high. The away win could prove excellent value in this game at 5/1.
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