Week 12 of the Premier League was fairly straight forward for most but it also meant that Manchester City maintained their formidable 8 point lead at the top of the table. It’s a lead that should continue with a fixture away at Huddersfield, unless of course the underdogs can upset the league leaders like they did to Manchester United. Whilst it’s not impossible, it would be some sort of feat for the newly promoted side looking to stay up on their first attempt. There are a few sides that are in need of a win even if it isn’t an upset result. Palace are still in search of win no.2 but even then they will still be stuck at the bottom of the table. Similarly for Swansea, win no.3 seems to be getting harder and harder to come by and a home fixture against an in form Bournemouth is a tough task. It points to what should be a pretty competitive round of fixtures even if the main matchup between Liverpool and Chelsea will likely draw the most attention at this stage,
Week 13 Best Bet: Burnely vs Arsenal under 2.5 goals at $2.08
Week 13 Best Value Bet: Manchester United -2 Handicap vs Brighton at $2.63
Week 13 Head to Head Multi Bet: Crystal Palace Win ($2), Newcastle vs Watford Draw ($3.4), Manchester United Win ($1.17), Manchester City Win ($1.17) = $9.3
**Odds from Sportsbet.com.au as of 22nd November
Headline Fixtures
Liverpool vs Chelsea
Last 5 meetings (All competitions): Liverpool 2, Draws 3
This should be a really good match with both sides in good form and recent meetings between the two being hotly contested. Liverpool’s recent wins over Chelsea have however both been away from home which is perhaps in large part due to their fantastic attacking front line where on the counter they are incredibly dangerous. The problem still remains their defence and lack of defensive cover from their midfield at times that leaves them undone. Their Champions league fixture away at Sevilla during the week is a perfect example where they stuffed a 3-0 lead to draw 3-3. It’s those sorts of results that will deflate them and create plenty of nervous moments when Chelsea make their own attacks this weekend. For that reason this is a match that looks evenly contested and as such should end in a draw. It’s difficult to see Liverpool keeping things tight enough to keep Chelsea quiet and at the same time Liverpool have the pace and threat up top to cause Chelsea plenty of problems.
Predicted Result: Draw 1-1
Best Bet: Chelsea double chance at $1.67
Best Value Bet: Half-Time Draw at $2.2
Burnley vs Arsenal
Last 5 meetings (All competitions): Arsenal 5
This isn’t exactly a glamour fixture but Burnley have been incredibly difficult to beat at home this season. They’ve lost just once conceding just the 2 goals and will no doubt frustrate Arsenal who will be looking to build some momentum after their fantastic performance against Tottenham at the weekend when they won 2-0 pretty convincingly. The challenge for Arsenal his season though has been consistency and if they are going to return to the top 4 this season then it’s these sorts of tough matches where they need to be claiming he 3 points. The fact that Arsenal have won just once on the road this season coupled with Burnley’s very good home record could point to this one being another frustrating day on the road for the Gunners.
Predicted Result: Draw 1-1
Best Bet: Under 2.5 goals at $2.08
Best Value Bet: Half-time Draw at $2.3
Remaining Fixtures
West Ham vs Leicester
Last 5 meetings (All competitions): Leicester 4, Draws 1
It’s difficult to see West Ham getting a convincing result anytime soon. They sit in the relegation zone at the moment thanks largely to a leaky defence that has conceded 25 times, the most in the league. Leicester are on a bit of a run away from home being undefeated in their last 4 and that’s the way this one should finish too.
Predicted Result: Draw 2-2
Best Bet: BTTS – Yes at $1.72
Best Value Bet: Over 2.5 goals at $1.92
Crystal Palace vs Stoke
Last 5 meetings (All competitions): Crystal Palace 4, Stoke 1
Palace have a lot of work to do to climb that table but the positive is their last 3 home results have seen them undefeated with a win and 2 draws. Stoke are in a similar vein of form with a win and draw in their last 2 away but Stoke have been a terribly inconsistent side and Palace are due for a win.
Predicted Result: Crystal Palace 2-1
Best Bet: Crystal Palace to win either half at $1.52
Best Value Bet: Over 2.5 goals at $2.1
Manchester United vs Brighton
Last 5 meetings (All competitions): Manchester United 3, Draws 2
Brighton are undefeated in their last 5 but there’s little reason to believe that United won’t win this. They’ve had a few up and down results in the last 5 or so fixtures but against the smaller sides they should be winning and winning with relative ease.
Predicted Result: Manchester United 3-0
Best Bet: Manchester United to win to Nil at $1.57
Best Value Bet: Manchester United -2 handicap at $2.63
Newcastle vs Watford
Last 5 meetings (All competitions): Watford 3, Newcastle 2
Newcastle have lost their last 3 whilst Watford will be confident after a win at the weekend broke a 3 game losing streak of their own. Newcastle have been difficult to beat at home though winning 3 of their last 5 which should make for a pretty competitive fixture here.
Predicted Result: Draw 1-1
Best Bet: BTTS – Yes at $1.8
Best Value Bet: Watford to win either half at $2.18
Swansea vs Bournemouth
Last 5 meetings (All competitions): Bournemouth 4, Draws 1
Swansea are another side in desperate need of a win and will be looking to burst Bournemouth’s bubble after winning their last 2 on the road. It may mean that Swansea have to wait for their next win but a draw may suffice for now.
Predicted Result: Draw 2-2
Best Bet: Swansea to win either half at $1.84
Best Value Bet: Over 2.5 goals at $2.11
Tottenham vs West Brom
Last 5 meetings (All competitions): Tottenham 2, Draws 3
Spurs were flat against Arsenal last time out and could be in for a tricky test this weekend having had another big win in the Champion’s league this week to secure top of their group. When they beat Real Madrid a few weeks ago, they had a tough time of it against Palace in their next match to sneak a 1-0 win. West Brom have had their moments against Spurs in recent times and though Spurs should win, it may be a pretty close contest here.
Predicted Result: Tottenham 2-1
Best Bet: Over 2.5 goals at $1.68
Best Value Bet: Tottenham to win and BTTS at $3.1
Southampton vs Everton
Last 5 meetings (All competitions): Everton 3, Southampton 1, Draws 1
Neither side looks particularly threatening here with Everton averaging a goal a game whilst Southampton have scored just 9 in 12 matches. Everton have however turned things up scoring 5 of their 12 goals in their last 2 matches in a win over Watford and a 2-2 draw with Palace. It’s that level of opposition though that suggests they still have a lot of work to do and whilst Southampton don’t score a lot, they don’t concede a lot either.
Predicted Result: Draw 1-1
Best Bet: Half-Time Draw at $2
Best Value Bet: Draw at $3.4
Huddersfield vs Manchester City
Last 5 meetings (All competitions): Manchester City 2, Huddersfield 1, Draws 2
Huddersfield won’t be ruling themselves out here having beaten Manchester United at home not so long ago but City look unstoppable right now, even if the score line in this one ends up close. It’s too difficult to go past City here having yet to lose a game along with a record of 40 goals scored and just the 7 conceded.
Predicted Result: Manchester City 3-0
Best Bet: Manchester City Half-Time/Full-Time at $1.62
Best Value Bet: Manchester City -2 Handicap at $2.5
