Betting Matchweek 25 in the Premier League: Manchester United and City to Roll

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 26: Rasmus Hojlund of Manchester United celebrates with team mates after scoring their sides third goal during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Aston Villa at Old Trafford on December 26, 2023 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images)

Manchester City looks to continue their surge to the top of the Table this weekend at The Etihad against the inconsistent Blues of Chelsea.

Additional storylines in the Premier League Saturday and Sunday include Rasmus Hojlund looking to score in a 6^th consecutive top flight match as the Red Devils continue their midseason push and Jurgen Klopp’s troops take their precarious lead atop the Table on the road to GTech to battle Ivan Toney and the Bees.

Let’s run through the full fixture of Matchweek 25 and discuss a couple wagers from each match that look appealing.

Brentford (+400) v. Liverpool (-165) | Draw: +340

The Bees’ win at Molineux should infuse them with a dose of confidence heading into this match at GTech Stadium against top of the Table Liverpool. Their win over Wolves was their 1^st clean sheet in their last 15 league matches. Their back end will need to be as resilient this weekend as Mo Salah is expected to return to the pitch for Jurgen Klopp. Trent Alexander-Arnold is out for the Reds however. Brentford have scored 1^st in three straight and in four of their last five. Lets play Brentford OVER 0.5 1H Goals (+130) but Liverpool to prevail (-1) for the match +140. A note of caution: Neither side has taken three points from the other’s house in PL play.

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Burnley (+825) v. Arsenal (-350) | Draw: +475

A tall task for the Clarets this weekend as they look to grab their 1^st win of 2024 against the Gunners of Arsenal. Following last week’s humiliating of West Ham, Arsenal enters the match still perfect in Premier League play in 2024. The offense was all the talk after that smashing of the Hammers, but Arteta’s crew always defends as well. Away from the Emirates, Arsenal have conceded but 11 goals in 11 contests. There is no reason to expect anything other than a dominant performance by the visitors. Plays that carry value include Arsenal to win to Nil (+105) and Total Corners for the match to exceed 10.5 (+125). Less of a sweat is simply to play Arsenal’s corners OVER 6.5 (-145) for the afternoon.

Fulham (+188) v. Aston Villa (+125) | Draw: +270

Fulham faithful are hoping the recent run of offense by their club – 5GF in last 2GP – continues Saturday at Craven Cottage against the Villains who have yet to concede a goal on the road in their four league matches of 2024. They will need to be stingy in their own end as Aston Villa will be without Boubacar Kamara (knee) in the midfield. Fulham finds a way at home to win having secured seven of their eight league victories on home soil. They will bend at times and so we will play OVER 10.5 Total Corners (-115) for the match. However, expect them to hold it together just enough on the back end to emerge victorious. Fulham ML (+188).

Nottingham Forest (+140) v. West Ham United (+180) | Draw: +250

The Hammers have to step on the pitch at City Ground and bounce back against Forest, don’t they? The educated assumption would be yes except West Ham are now winless in their last five in league play (0-3-2). The good news is they face a Tricky Trees squad that are winless themselves in their last four PL matches (0-1-3) and now sit just two points from the relegation zone. It all adds up to a match that should feature plenty of desperation which should equate to goals. Lets play OVER 3.5 Total Goals (+188) and the two sides to fittingly play to a Draw (+250).

Newcastle (-125) v. Bournemouth (+290) | Draw: +310

Winless since Boxing Day, the Cherries travel to St. James Park to take on Newcastle. Neither of these sides has been anything close to sound on the back end this campaign. The Magpies have conceded 16 in their last 6 contests after giving up a mere 33 all of last season while Bournemouth have seen their opponent score 44 times in league play. Offense has not been an issue though as the Cherries have scored 15 times in their last eight away from home while Newcastle have scored at least twice in each of their last five (14GF). Even with Isak and Wilson expected to be out for the Magpies, a Newcastle victory (-125) is the likelier outcome. Knowing how porous these two backlines have been, let’s sweat goals and look for OVER 3.5 Goals (+115).

Tottenham (-175) v. Wolverhampton (+400) | Draw: +350

Fans have been kept on the edge of their seats at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as yes, the Lilywhites have won five straight at home, scoring at least two in each of the five…but they have not kept a clean sheet in any of the matches. They welcome a Wolves’ squad who lost a key piece in Matheus Cunha to injury last weekend in their 2-0 loss at home to Brentford. Spurs on the other hand are as healthy as they have been all season. No reason to believe they will do anything but attack Wolves at every opportunity. Expect Son and co. to win by at least two and so we play Tottenham (-1) at +130 and OVER 6.5 Corners (-120).

Manchester City (-275) v. Chelsea (+675) | Draw: +450

The Citizens are in top form having won six straight in league play and 11 in a row overall while Chelsea continues to sputter inconsistently (3-0-2 in last 5 PL matches). The Blues last defeated Pep’s squad in the 2021 Champions’ League final. That said, these sides did play to a 4-4 draw earlier this season and Chelsea has begun to find some consistency on offense with eight goals in their last three games. That said, they have been outscored 5-1 in the 1H of those three with each of the three ending in more than three total goals between the two sides. Expect more of that at The Etihad. OVER 3.5 Total Goals (+110) makes sense as does City OVER 6.5 Total Corners (-130).

Sheffield United (+375) v. Brighton (-155) | Draw: +310

Sheffield United find themselves with the rare opportunity to win a second consecutive contest this weekend at Bramall Lane. That said, the Blades have not done well defending at home this season having conceded 31 goals in 12 matches at Bramall Lane. A deeper dive into the metrics finds Sheffield struggling most in the second half of matches of late having been outscored 14-4. While Brighton have managed just two of a possible 18 points in their last six road contests, let’s run with Brighton to win the 2H (-110). With Pedro (thigh) still on the shelf for the Seagulls, let’s ride with Ansu Fati to dent the net (+140) at some point in the affair.

Luton Town (+290) v. Manchester United (-125) | Draw: +310

Bolstered by the continued strong play of their young guns, the Red Devils have won three straight and have their sights on a Champions’ League birth. Offense has been the key with Hojlund scoring in a record five straight. Manchester United have scored at least two in each of their last six. They have trailed at the Break just once in their last eight overall. Luton remains just above the relegation zone following their 3-1 loss at Kenilworth Road to cellar dweller Sheffield last weekend. Expect offense in this one as each side looks to mask their deficiencies on the back end by pushing it up front. The stats back a play of OVER 11.5 Total Corners (+125) but it will be a sweat. Let’s also play Manchester United 1H ML (+125).

Everton (-145) v. Crystal Palace (+425) | Draw: +260

The Eagles’ struggles this season are well documented. Palace on the road of late have especially labored scoring just six times on the way to a mark of 0-2-4 in their last six away from Selhurst Park. The outcome has been decided by halftime in each of those six. Everton now sits inside the Relegation Zone due to an extended run of poor results. Offense has been at the core of their issues with just 2GF in their last five league matches. On a weekend in which we expect offense in many of the matches, that is not our expectation for this contest at Goodison Park. If we really want to sweat the last game on the slate for Matchweek 25, let’s run with UNDER 2.5 Total Goals (-145) and Everton to find a way to snag a lead at the Break (+125).

Enjoy Matchweek 25 and know we will post plays for City v. Brentford following all play on Sunday.