The Premier League is 16 rounds in and it’s an intriguing battle at both ends of the table.
Arsenal lead the way by two points, but Manchester City are in hot pursuit after Mikel Arteta’s side suffered only their second defeat of the season against high-flying Aston Villa.
Arsenal were holding on to a 1-1 draw at Villa Park only for Emiliano Buendía to score in the 95th minute having only come on four minutes earlier. The Argentine’s goal has blown the title race wide open once again.
Chelsea’s three-match winless run has seen them drop to fifth – eight points behind league leaders Arsenal – and they will be hoping to return to winning ways when the Toffees head to London this weekend. After holding Arsenal at Stamford Bridge with 10 men, Chelsea were hammered 3-1 by Leeds at Elland Road, before drawing 0-0 with Bournemouth last weekend.
The reigning champions, Liverpool, are having a disastrous campaign. Occupying 10th spot, the Reds have had to contend with a midweek trip to Milan in the Champions League before facing an in-form Brighton team at Anfield. Sitting 10 points behind Arsenal, Arne Slot has plenty of work to do in order to salvage Liverpool’s campaign.
At the other end of the table, Burnley and Wolves are sitting in the bottom three – and with the latter quite far adrift after picking up just two points, Rob Edwards has taken on the impossible job after recently leaving Middlesbrough.
Let’s dive into the four Premier League fixtures set to take place on Saturday 13th December and provide our best insight and predictions.
Chelsea vs Everton prediction – 13th December
Despite being winless from their last three Premier League matches, Chelsea head into this as odds-on favourites at 3/5. Although Everton have won four of their last five, they are currently priced at 9/2 to continue their rich vein of form.
Everton will look at both Brighton and Sunderland for inspiration as both sides have beaten Chelsea at Stamford Bridge this season. Chelsea’s form picked up in November – they beat Barcelona in the Champions League – but they have lost their groove in recent weeks, and goals have dried up in the league.
However, for those who like head-to-head data, approach with caution as you do have to go all the way back to 1994 to find the last time that Everton were victorious against Chelsea on their travels.
Everton have also lost four away matches this season, including a 1-0 loss against Leeds. Yet recent away wins to nil against Manchester United (with 10 men) and Bournemouth indicate that the Toffees could be a tough nut to crack.
Chelsea always seem to find a way to beat Everton, and it could be argued that their four wins to date have been against sides who were underperforming. Their sole loss in their last five was a big one, when they conceded four against Newcastle in front of their own fans.
The hosts aren’t in form, while Everton never win at Stamford Bridge. A draw could be on the table, but both teams to find the back of the net at 10/11 looks to be a good betting angle for this encounter.
Back both teams to score here at 10/11.
Liverpool vs Brighton prediction – 13th December
Liverpool’s nightmare season sees them enter this match having won just five points from their last five Premier League matches. They suffered back-to-back 3-0 defeats against Man City and Nottingham Forest, and a 4-1 defeat vs PSV in the Champions League saw Arne Slot under serious pressure to deliver a positive result.
Fortunately for the Dutchman, a 2-0 away win against West Ham followed – and perhaps a corner might have been turned. However, this wasn’t the case. A 1-1 draw against newly promoted Sunderland three days later followed before they threw away a 2-0 lead to draw against Leeds United.
It has simply been a case of one step forward and several back for Liverpool this season – and Slot will have to rally his team once more against eighth-placed Brighton on Saturday.
Brighton head to Anfield on the back of some inconsistent results and performances. After a recent four-match unbeaten run that saw the Seagulls beat Leeds, Brentford and Nottingham Forest, they threw away a 2-0 lead to lose against Aston Villa, before rescuing a point against a poor West Ham side at home last weekend.
Having beaten Liverpool last time out 3-2, Brighton will be hoping to get back on track against a Liverpool side carrying little threat compared to last campaign. Three average performances in a row is unheard of for the visitors this year, but the same can’t be said for the hosts.
With that in mind, Brighton can leave Anfield with at least a point during this hectic festive period at 6/5.
Back Brighton in a double chance bet at 6/5 here.
Arsenal vs Wolverhampton Wanderers prediction – 13th December
League leaders Arsenal will be hoping to return to winning ways after their last-minute loss against Aston Villa. It was their first defeat since August when they lost 1-0 against Liverpool at Anfield, and Mikel Arteta will be expecting his team to put in a solid performance against a side that’s struggling to pick up points at the bottom of the table.
Despite that defeat, Arsenal remain top of the tree – two points ahead of Pep Guardiola’s Man City – and at home they have been almost flawless. Picking up 19 points from a possible 21, Arsenal have scored 19 goals and conceded just two in front of their supporters.
Also, goals are being spread about the team. Leandro Trossard, Eberechi Eze, Viktor Gyökeres and Bukayo Saka all have four Premier League goals each, while the in-form Mikel Merino has three goals and three assists to his name.
Wolves, on the other hand, have picked up just one point from a possible 21 on their travels. They have also scored just once while conceding 12. Many pundits have claimed that they are already relegated to the Championship, and improvement under their new head coach Rob Edwards hasn’t happened as of yet.
Time is running out for Wolves and a trip to the Emirates is far from ideal as they try to pick up their first win of the season. With that in mind, it’s easy to back Arsenal to win this match. However, due to their short price at 2/11, it’s also best to add in Wolves not to score. The bet builder at 4/6 looks a solid bet.
Back Arsenal to win to nil at 4/6 here.
Burnley vs Fulham prediction – 13th December
Another team struggling this campaign are recently promoted Burnley. Currently on 10 points after 15 matches, Burnley sit five points adrift and won’t want that gap to grow during this hectic period.
However, having lost their last six matches in a row – and failing to score in three of those – manager Scott Parker has his work cut out in order to bridge that current gap.
Up next are Fulham. The Cottagers have been incredibly inconsistent this season, and recent form backs that up. With three losses from their last five, it’s no surprise to see them sat in 15th spot.
A dramatic 5-4 defeat against Man City was backed up with a 2-1 loss at home to Crystal Palace, and on their travels they have only won once this season, losing five others and drawing just once.
Burnley’s star of the show at present is Zian Flemming, who has five Premier League goals, and after scoring off the bench against Newcastle at the weekend, the Dutchman will be fighting to start against Fulham’s leaky defence.
If he does, the midfielder could return to the scoresheet once more. Priced at 3/1, Burnley know that they will be more prolific at home rather than on the road, and Flemming can be the difference at Turf Moor against an out-of-sorts Fulham side.
Back the Dutchman to score against Fulham at a rather generous-looking price.
Back Burnley’s Zian Flemming to score at 3/1 here.
Summary
For those looking to place bets on the Premier League this weekend as well as throughout the Christmas period, be sure to check out Tonybet’s sportsbook, which provides hundreds of markets and competitive odds. Always remember to gamble responsibly.
Check out the pre-match odds on the Premier League with Tonybet here.
