We have a new leader at the top of the Premier League table after Matchday 16. Liverpool reached the summit for the first time this season, after they defeated Crystal Palace 2-1 at Selhurt Park while Arsenal were defeated 1-0 away to Aston Villa.
That result moved Aston Villa up to third in the table, just a point behind Arsenal, who themselves are now a point behind the Reds. Manchester City are the other team in the top four after they returned to winning ways against Luton.
It was a great weekend for Everton as their big win over Chelsea saw them move four points clear of the relegation zone, leaving Luton, Burnley and Sheffield United somewhat detached at the bottom of the table. It was a third win in three for Sean Dyche’s team who are amongst the most in form teams in the EPL at the moment.
Spurs got back to winning ways too with a thumping win over a jaded Newcastle United while Manchester United suffered one of their most underwhelming performances of the season as they went down 3-0 at home to a resurgent Bournemouth, who are now moving towards mid-table safety.
Check out the latest Premier League standings in the table by clicking here.
This week we have three days of action, starting on Friday night as Nottingham Forest host Spurs in a repeat of the first ever live league game shown on British television back in the early to mid 1980s. We then have nine more games across Saturday and Sunday including a massive clash at Anfield where Liverpool host Manchester United.
You can find all the latest betting odds on all ten EPL games this week right now at bet365 Sport, together with a fantastic choice of markets for each game.
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Before we preview this weekend’s action, let’s now take a quick look at a couple of the big news stories in the Premier League this week.
Latest Premier League News
Newcastle United In For De Gea Amongst Others?
The injury bug has bitten hard at Newcastle and now the Toon Army could be down to one fit first team goalkeeper- Loris Karius. Little wonder then that the club have been linked with a move for Free Agent David de Gea, once of Manchester United. De Gea didn’t move to a club after his United deal expired, most likely due to his huge wages, but Newcastle could afford to offer him a deal and a route back into the Premier League and according to sources, it is one that De Gea likes the sound of.
The Toon Army have also been linked with Kalvin Phillips (Manchester City) and former Liverpool ace Sadio Mane in the past few days as Howe seeks to bolster his injury hit squad.
City To Go For First FIFA Club World Cup After Saturday’s Game
Manchester City face Crystal Palace this weekend but after that they will jet off to the Gulf States to compete in the FIFA Club World Cup. As one of the seeds for the six-team tournament, City are seeded into the semi-finals so won’t play until next week. Erling Haaland won’t travel for the tournament but City still have high hopes of lifting a trophy that relatively few English teams have won previously.
Premier League Matchday 17 Fixtures and Tips
Kick off times are 8pm Friday, 3pm on Saturday and 2pm on Sunday unless otherwise stated.
Friday 15th December
- Nottingham Forest v Tottenham Hotspurs
Both these sides come into this game having turned the tide in their last game. Forest earned a solid point at Wolves, while Spurs ended a run of four defeats by beating Newcastle 4-1. Forest are conceding too many goals at home for my liking and not taking their chances. They clearly miss Awoniyi up front and I think that means that Spurs will be the victors here. Tip – Tottenham to win and both teams to score – 11/5.
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Saturday 16th December
After an absolutely stunning performance last weekend at Old Trafford, where they deservedly put Manchester United to the sword, Javier Iraola’s team face Luton Town at home in a game that they feel they should win. It’s clear the Cherries players are now understanding more about what their manager wants, and they are reaping the benefits. So much so that I think they will win this one quite comfortably. Tip – Bournemouth to win 2-0 – 15/2.
- Chelsea v Sheffield United
Chelsea’s form has been so up and down this season, it is impossible to really get a grip on whether they are close to being a very good team, or to being an awful one. That doesn’t say much for how they have spent a huge amount of money. However, if they cannot beat a Sheffield United side who only grabbed their second win of the season last weekend, then they should be viewed as being closer to a poor team. I think that they will though given the Blades ills this season. Tip – Bet Builder – Gustavo Hamer to be booked, Cole Palmer to score or assist, Chelsea to win to nil – 6/1.
- Manchester City v Crystal Palace
After ending their run of four games with a win at Luton, after going a goal behind, Manchester City now return to the Etihad to face a Crystal Palace team that went down 2-1 to Liverpool last week, Palace have beaten Manchester City before at the Etihad, but they have also been well beaten by City and in truth, given how things have gone for both teams of late, the latter looks more likely than the former here. Tip – Jeremy Doku (Man City) to score at any time (2/1).
- Newcastle United v Fulham
Eddie Howe will be hoping the January transfer window could open a few weeks early given the injury list at Newcastle United. He has had to pick roughly the same 11 players for several games in a row now and they do look jaded in recent performances. Fulham do not, having scored 13 goals in their last three games, the last two being 5-0 home wins. Away from home though they aren’t as solid and Newcastle are due a win and will get it here. Tip – Newcastle to win 3-1 – 14/1.
- Burnley v Everton (5.30pm)
Can Everton continue their stunning run of form away to manager Sean Dyche’s former club? The Toffees are now four points outside the relegation zone and five ahead of Burnley, so this has already got a feel of it being a must win game for the home side. The problem is that I don’t see how they can win this game given the relative strengths of both teams. As such, I am backing Everton to land the win here. Tip – Everton to win and both teams to score – 7/2.
Overhead Kicks
Sunday 17th December
Last season Brighton inflicted a 3-1 defeat on Arsenal in this game, ending their title hopes and you can bet that Mikel Arteta and his team will be keen on securing revenge here. Brighton though have lost just one of their last five and they are always tough to beat. Arsenal rested key men for the trip to Eindhoven in midweek and they will benefit from that I feel though I think Brighton will find the net in what should be a close game. Tip – Arsenal to win and both teams to score – 15/8.
After a fantastic week which saw them record home wins over Manchester City and then Arsenal, Aston Villa now have to try and pick up more points on the road and they begin with a tricky trip to Brentford. The Bees have coped well without the suspended Ivan Toney so far this season and they will provide a stern test for the midland team here, but one I think they will pass. Tip – Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa) to score at any time – 6/4.
- West Ham United v Wolverhampton Wanderers
I don’t really know what to make of West Ham at the moment. On the one hand, they are capable of giving any team a real game. But they are also likely to have results such as a 5-0 loss to Fulham like last week. Wolves are more consistent, they dont score or concede as many as the Hammers. I think these teams will battle it out but I feel a score draw is on the cards here. Tip – Draw 5/2.
- Liverpool v Manchester United
The big game of the weekend and some would argue the biggest game of the Premier League season. Liverpool host Manchester United with both sides in very different form. Liverpool now top of the table and with a 100% winning record at Anfield, United out of the Champions League, in 7th spot and having lost their last two games at home. Liverpool are 1/3 to win this game but I think the best bet is for Mo Salah to score the first goal of the game which is 7/2. Tip – Salah (Liverpool) to score first – 7/2.
