Looking ahead to Matchweek 17 of the 2023/24 EPL season, we break down the five best bets for the weekend of Premier League action.
1. Tottenham & Over 2.5 goals vs Nottingham Forest @ $2.35
Ange Postecoglou breathed a huge sigh of relief on Monday morning (Australian time) when his side blew away Newcastle 4-1 to get back into the winners circle. The win comprehensively put an end to their recent rut and now, travelling to face a struggling Nottingham Forest outfit, they should make it two in two. No EPL club has had a poorer recent run than Forest, with just one points in their last five outings. Manager Steve Cooper is hanging on for dear life, and big Ange’s men — who’ve scored eight goals in their last three outings — should prove a class above in this one.
Bet Now Nottingham Forest vs Tottenham🗣️ “It’s no coincidence that now we’re getting some players back we’re starting to look a bit stronger”
Ange Postecoglou reflects on Tottenham’s recent form after their 4-1 win over Newcastle ⚪ pic.twitter.com/71U5uFxNRH
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 11, 2023
2. To win both halves – Manchester City @ $2.10
Alongside Forest, the only other EPL club with just one point from their last five is Crystal Palace. Roy Hodgson’s men could count themselves unlucky not to have got a point off Liverpool on the weekend, but last week’s 2-0 home loss to Bournemouth underlined the stale nature of their current form under the former England manager. City, then — buoyed by an important away win to Luton — should fill their boots here back on home soil. Adding further headaches for Palace, City’s main man is in line for a return.
Bet Now Manchester City vs Crystal Palace🚨🔵 Pep Guardiola on Haaland injury: “He’ll be back I think on Thursday”.
“We’ll see how he feels…”, Pep added. pic.twitter.com/5iJV43H5Jm
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) December 12, 2023
3. Arsenal -1.0 vs Brighton @ $2.25
Brighton are hardly setting the world on fire at present, and continue to drop points against sides that they would’ve comfortably beaten mere months ago. They’ve won just two of their last 10 EPL games, the last seven of which were against teams currently in 10th or lower on the table. Coming off a back of a loss to Aston Villa that saw them relinquish top spot, the Gunners will be hungry as they return back to home soil. The Gunners are averaging 3.3 goals per game over their last three home EPL fixtures, and should have enough to win by two goals or more.
Bet Now Arsenal vs BrightonMikel Arteta: “We want to finish this first stage in style.”pic.twitter.com/Qlsb0iQuYs
— Gunners (@Gunnersc0m) December 12, 2023
4. Liverpool -1.0 vs Manchester United @ $1.78
United have had arguably their most awful week under Erik ten Hag, hammered 3-0 at home to Bournemouth before being booted out of the Champions League at the hands of Bayern Munich. The European exit (finishing last in their group ensures Europa League is out the window, too) was particularly galling given that aside from the Bavarian giants their group (with FC Copenhagen and Galatasaray) was relatively straightforward compared to others. They now face the league leaders, unbeaten in nine EPL games, at the cauldron that is Anfield. While this is typically the game United will fire up for and show fight, the Reds should get this done relatively comfortably.
Bet Now Liverpool vs Manchester United🇪🇺 No European football
⚽️ 15 goals conceded in their group
📉 6th in the Premier League
💴 Over £400 million spent
🤕 Maguire & Shaw injured
🔴 Liverpool nextIs Erik Ten Hag in trouble? pic.twitter.com/Vr4okf2UU9
— SPORTbible (@sportbible) December 12, 2023
5. Aston Villa H2H vs Brentford @ $2.05
Having knocked off the might of Manchester City and Arsenal inside the last week, it’s hard to not look at Villa as huge chances in this one, and at better-than-evens appear a strong option. Sure, Brentford away is a tough task for even the most seasoned EPL side, but Unai Emery has this Villa outfit drilled impeccably well at present. The scintillating football on display was perhaps best underlined by the interplay that led to skipper John McGinn’s winner against the Gunners on the weekend. Glorious stuff.
Bet Now Brentford vs Aston VillaWhat a move. What a moment. 😍
🔥 @JMcGinn7 pic.twitter.com/sdpNYROn9z
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) December 9, 2023