I’m back to guide you through the upcoming Premier League matchweek with expert insights and analysis. This week I’m zeroing in on red-hot Chelsea midfielder Cole Palmer, and a Sheffield side looking to bounce back after sacking manager Paul Heckingbottom.
Wolves vs. Nottingham Forest (Saturday, December 9)
Just five points separate these two teams in the Premier League, but it feels like so much more. There isn’t a team in the league who have been as unfortunate as Wolves this year with poor refereeing costing them a number of points. They are far better than their points tally suggests, and Gary O’Neill has them playing well.
Nottingham Forest are in freefall with four defeats in a row. Manager Steve Cooper is under serious pressure with his team in a death spiral. There are reports that the club will sack him if they lose this game and I think they will lose it. Getting -125 on Wolves feels like real value considering Forest lost 5-0 to Fulham on Wednesday.
Pick: Wolves (-125)
Sheffield United vs. Brentford (Saturday, December 9)
Talking about sides in trouble… enter Sheffield United. Although they sacked manager Paul Heckingbottom, the reality is that this is a poor team. The depth of talent in the squad is terrible compared with other more established Premier League teams.
They’ve picked up just five points in 15 games and I can’t see any way that they win this even with that famous “new manager bounce.” However, the Bees have lost three of their past four and have just lost top scorer Bryan Mbeumo to injury. They are still comfortably the better team, but I think they’ll struggle for goals and a draw looks like value at +285.
Pick: Draw (+285)
Aston Villa vs. Arsenal (Saturday, December 9)
Arsenal’s last-minute winner over Luton was the sort of result people say wins titles, but they’ve needed last minute winners twice in the past few weeks, which is a concern. The same can’t be said for Aston Villa, who shocked Man City 1-0 in a game in which they had 22 shots compared to City’s two.
After outclassing last season’s treble winners Man City, we need to start taking Villa’s Premier League title charge seriously. They’re a good team and I don’t think they’ll lose here. I’m not sure if they get one or three points but I back Unai Emery’s team to get something, so I’ll back the double chance, which at -130 is real value.
Pick: Aston Villa or Draw (-130)
Everton vs. Chelsea (Sunday, December 10)
The signing of Cole Palmer from Man City already looks like a really smart bit of business from Chelsea, one of the few positive moments of this season so far. They looked terrible in defeat to Man Utd on Wednesday, but the England international still scored.
He’s already scored five times in 12 games and is Chelsea’s best scorer when you count goals per 90 minutes. Everton have improved at the back, but given Palmer’s talent I think he’s worth wagering on.
Pick: Cole Palmer to score (+240)
Tottenham vs. Newcastle (Sunday, December 10)
Both teams come into this after disappointing defeats midweek and it’s hard to pick a winner here on the moneyline. Instead, we’re going to back Newcastle to score a second half goal.
Spurs have given up 13 goals in the second halves of games this season compared to just nine in the first 45 minutes. In addition to that, Newcastle have scored 13 in the first half of their games, yet 19 in the second half.
Pick: Newcastle Over 0.5 Second Half Goals (-149)
