Covid-19 may be doing its best to wreck the festive football schedule for some clubs and their fans, but the Premier League continues to put on a show as the calendar turns to 2022. The new year’s first round of fixtures throws up a number of crackers, with huge games at both ends of the table.
Manchester City could open up a commanding lead at the top if things go their way over the coming days, although Liverpool and Chelsea won’t be giving up their pursuit of the defending champions just yet. It’s also a big week in the top four and relegation battles, as we look ahead to some of the best Premier League betting tips for matchday 21.
Arsenal v Manchester City Betting Tips
All of a sudden, Arsenal are one of the most in-form teams in the Premier League. Mikel Arteta’s side have responded to some poor performances and turmoil surrounding their captaincy to go on a superb four-match winning run, rising to fourth place in the table in the process.
However, three of those four victories have been over teams near the bottom. Southampton, Leeds United and Norwich City have all been struggling for form, with only West Ham United anywhere near the top of the table. And unfortunately for the Gunners, defending champions Manchester City are next up at the Emirates.
The Blues are the only team with a better current record than Arsenal, winning nine in a row prior to Wednesday’s trip to Brentford. Victory in that game and this would see City open up a 12-point lead over Liverpool, with Pep Guardiola’s side looking like the sort of title-winning machine that usually scoops the league crown.
Arsenal may be in good form and at home, but City are the better team and have a superb record in this fixture. The Citizens are unbeaten in their last 12 Premier League matches against the Gunners, winning each of the last nine. The Blues have only conceded twice in those nine games, scoring 24 at the other end.
With that in mind, City are the 4/7 favourites for the win in the first Premier League fixture of 2022. Arsenal have failed to score in their last five league games against the Blues, who are 21/10 to win to nil. City have scored exactly three goals in five of their last nine league wins against Arsenal, and netted six in their two meetings last term. A 3-0 away win is 13/1 in these Arsenal v Man City betting tips.
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Crystal Palace v West Ham Betting Tips
The late kick-off on New Year’s Day comes from Selhurst Park, where Crystal Palace and West Ham meet in a London derby. Both teams won their last matches after a couple of disappointing results, with this fixture seeing plenty of action in recent years.
Both teams have scored in each of the last nine meetings between Palace and West Ham, which have produced two wins apiece and five draws. The Hammers were victorious in last season’s corresponding fixture, courtesy of an entertaining 3-2 scoreline, but this is a new era for the Eagles under Patrick Vieira.
The Frenchman has managed to pick up good points through the first half of the season, despite imposing significant changes on Palace’s style of play. The Eagles are much closer to the European places than the bottom three at the midway point of the campaign, and beat basement boys Norwich City 3-0 on the back of a 2-2 draw at home to Southampton and 3-0 loss at Tottenham.
West Ham also eased to a victory over a relegation-threatened side last time out, although they did have to come from behind to beat Watford 4-1 at Vicarage Road. David Moyes’ side were without a win in five games in all competitions prior to that, drawing at Burnley in the Premier League before defeats to Arsenal and Southampton.
It’s a tough game to call given Palace’s home advantage, the respective form of the two teams and the recent history of this fixture. As such, another draw between these clubs could be the way to go in these Crystal Palace v West Ham predictions. A sixth stalemate in 10 meetings is 13/5, while a sixth straight draw with both teams scoring is 18/5.
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Brentford v Aston Villa Betting Tips
Brentford follow up a tough date with Manchester City on Wednesday with another home game, this time against Aston Villa. Steven Gerrard’s side will start as the narrow betting favourites following a promising start to life under the new Villans manager.
The Bees are a tough game for anyone though, and they will be right in this fixture on Sunday afternoon. Thomas Frank’s side have had a tough time of it since the middle of October, but they’ve won each of their last two home games against Everton and Watford and are not to be underestimated.
However, Villa have been transformed under Gerrard, with their only defeats since the new manager’s arrival coming against each member of the top three, Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea. The Villans have failed to beat Brentford in any of their last seven meetings going back to 2016 in the Championship, but there’s a good chance that could change this weekend.
The visitors are 6/4 for the win in these Brentford v Aston Villa tips, which is a good price considering their recent performances. The Villans may need to score at least a couple to claim the three points though, with the Bees netting 21 goals in their first 17 games. Villa to win and both teams to score is 4/1, with a 2-1 away victory priced at 10/1.
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Chelsea v Liverpool Betting Tips
Second and third in the Premier League table come together in Sunday’s late kick-off, as Chelsea host Liverpool at Stamford Bridge. There are huge title ramifications at stake, with one or both of these teams set to lose ground to league leaders Man City.
Both sides have slipped up in recent matches, and neither can afford to do so many more times in their bid to reel in the defending champions. Liverpool head into this game without a win in two following their defeat to Leicester City, while Chelsea only won one of their four matches prior to their 3-1 victory at Aston Villa on Boxing Day.
That sort of form will not be good enough to catch City, meaning this is a monumental game for both these teams. It’s a fixture Liverpool have held the upper hand in over recent years, with the Reds winning four of the last six Premier League meetings between the clubs.
The Blues have only won once, although the teams did draw 1-1 at Anfield in August, with Liverpool unable to break down Chelsea’s 10 men following Reece James’ red card at the end of the first half. Another draw here between two evenly-matched sides is 28/11 in these Chelsea v Liverpool betting tips.
If you want to pick a winner though, the visitors could prove enticing at 19/12. The Reds simply cannot afford to lose this game, and they usually rise to the occasion when their backs are against the wall. Liverpool have a strong recent record against Chelsea, although the Blues have scored in six of their last seven games against the Reds. Liverpool to win and over 3.5 goals could be tempting at 7/1.
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Manchester United v Wolves Betting Tips
Manchester United and Wolverhampton Wanderers round off this matchday in the only fixture being played on Monday. Victory is vital for the Reds, whose performances under new manager Ralf Rangnick have reverted to type after a promising start.
United looked great in the first half of their first match under their interim boss, but their displays have been poor since. The Old Trafford club were second best and lucky to scrape a 1-0 win at bottom club Norwich, before a limp showing against second bottom Newcastle United in their following fixture.
The Reds have been affected by two matches being postponed due to a coronavirus outbreak, but they aren’t showing any of the new identity expected of them under Rangnick. Wolves have also taken time to adapt to new manager Bruno Lage’s ideas, but the Molineux side have turned a corner of late.
They may be severely lacking in the goalscoring department, and also had their two fixtures between Christmas and New Year postponed, but the Wanderers were in decent form before their enforced break. Defensively sound, Lage’s side only lost 1-0 against title-chasing Man City and Liverpool, before a 1-0 win at Brighton and goalless draw against a further title contender in Chelsea.
Man United will find Wolves tough to break down, especially if their lack of fluidity and attacking thrust continues in the final third. The visitors will sit in and look to hit United on the break, where the Reds are extremely vulnerable. It’s set to be a cagey encounter, with under 2.5 goals looking very promising at evens. You can add the hosts to that as the winners for 11/4, with a 1-0 victory for the Reds 13/2 in these Man United v Wolves predictions.
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Premier League Predictions
There are five other games taking place across Saturday and Sunday, with Leicester hosting Norwich in one of those. The Foxes beat title-chasing Liverpool 1-0 last time out, a massive result that could prove a turning point in what’s been an underwhelming season so far for the Foxes.
The campaign has been a number of levels below underwhelming for Norwich, who enter this game rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table. The Canaries have only won two of their 19 fixtures so far, scoring a paltry eight goals while conceding 42. The home win looks almost a certainty at 2/5, with a Leicester win to nil 17/11.
Claudio Ranieri’s Watford host Tottenham at Vicarage Road in the only other 3pm kick-off on New Year’s Day. The Hornets have lost five in a row since beating Manchester United 4-1 in November, conceding 15 goals in the process as their slide towards the relegation zone continues apace.
Like Watford, Spurs have appointed an Italian coach mid-season after a poor start. Antonio Conte has transformed Tottenham’s fortunes though, with Spurs unbeaten in seven Premier League matches under their new boss. It’s very tough to look past an away win at 17/25. Watford are still scoring goals though, with a Tottenham win and BTTS bet priced at 5/2.
Moving on to Sunday, there’s a number of crucial games in the fight to stay in the Premier League kicking off at 2pm. The first of those sees Southampton host Newcastle at St Mary’s. The Saints may be 10 points clear of the relegation zone, but losing this game would drag them closer towards the bottom three.
Newcastle are a very poor side though, despite claiming a point against Man United last time out. The Magpies will be missing a large number of players through injury, illness and suspension, so go with a home win at 3/4.
Leeds United and Burnley also lock horns on Sunday, with Marcelo Bielsa’s side having only won one of their last eight matches, although there’s little shame in losing to Chelsea, Man City and Arsenal on their last three outings.
Even so, Leeds look incapable of producing strong defensive displays. Fortunately for them, they’re up against a Burnley side here who are averaging less than a goal a game. The Clarets have suffered a number of postponements that make their position near the foot of the table a little misleading, but take Leeds to pick up a key win at 6/5.
Finally, two teams who wouldn’t expect to be anywhere near the relegation battle as 2022 develops meet at Goodison Park. Everton host Brighton in a game that’s looking like a must-win for the Toffees. Failure to beat the Seagulls would be another hammer blow to Rafa Benitez and his hopes of winning over the Everton supporters. Overall, we’re backing the home team to claim a valuable three points at 20/13.
