This is the time of the season when the title can be won and lost in the English Premier League. There are a ton of games jammed into a short space of time over the holiday season, with some teams unable t handle the pressure. We saw Manchester City drop 2 games during the past couple of weeks, while Liverpool now find themselves in the driver’s seat at the top of the table. The race for the crown is still on, though, which is why we are going to focus on the EPL for our games and soccer betting picks of the week. There is a lot to cover, so let’s get right into it.
Top Soccer Betting Picks of the Week – December 31st Edition
“We have to look forward because we have another important game on Tuesday. It’s the first game of the year… we need to win.”
— Arsenal FC (@Arsenal) 31 de diciembre de 2018
English Premier League Top 10
- 1-Liverpool 54 PTS
- 2-Manchester City 47 PTS
- 3-Tottenham 45 PTS
- 4-Chelsea 43 PTS
- 5-Arsenal 38 PTS
- 6-Manchester United 35 PTS
- 7-Wolverhampton 29 PTS
- 8-Leicester City 28 PTS
- 9-Watford 28 PTS
- 10-Everton 27 PTS
Arsenal vs Fulham – Tuesday
Things got off to a rocky start for Arsenal in the Unai Emery era, but the Gunners slowly but surely turned things around. They are back to dropping points of late, though, with their latest game being a 5-1 thumping at the hands of Liverpool.
Arsenal will head back home for a game on New Year’s Day, which just happens to be a London derby against Fulham, a team struggling to stay up in their first season back in the EPL. Arsenal has gone 7-2-1 at home this season, scoring 20 and giving up 9, while second-bottom Fulham has picked up just 2 points on the road. This should be a comfortable win for Arsenal over their city rivals.
Soccer Betting Prediction: Arsenal 4 – Fulham 1
Chelsea vs Southampton – Wednesday
Chelsea looked as though they might be one of the top challengers this season, but they have also dropped some points over the holiday season. They are now sitting 11 points off the pace being set by Liverpool. Chelsea is coming off a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace on the weekend, while Southampton fell 3-1 to Manchester City.
Chelsea has only dropped one game at home this season and has been defensively sound, giving up 8 goals in 10 home games. Southampton has just 1 road win, but they have picked up 5 draws away from home. Chelsea should be able to come up with the win here.
Soccer Betting Prediction: Chelsea 2 – Southampton 0
Newcastle vs Manchester United – Wednesday
Newcastle is down in the #15 spot right now, but they are just 3 points clear of the relegation zone. They picked up a valuable point against Watford over the weekend, but this one is going to be a much tougher proposition.
Since taking over from the fired Jose Mourinho, club legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has dramatically changed the fortunes of Manchester United. In the 3 games that he has been in charge, United have scored 12 goals and surrendered just 3, with Paul Pogba (4 goals, 3 assists) pulling all the strings. Look for United to keep the good times rolling.
Soccer Betting Prediction: Newcastle 1 – Manchester United 3
Huddersfield vs Burnley – Wednesday
Certainly not the most glamorous game on the schedule, but it’s one that is vitally important for both teams. They are both in the relegation zone right now, with Huddersfield sitting bottom of the table with just 10 points from 20 games.
Burnley is in the bottom 3, but have a 5-point lead over their Wednesday opponents and are a point away from being above the drop zone. Burnley is coming off a huge 2-0 win over West Ham on the weekend, and while they are not known for having much of a scoring punch, they are a little better off than Huddersfield. I see 2 wins in a row for Burnley.
Soccer Betting Prediction: Huddersfield 0 – Burnley 1
English Premier League Top Scorers
- P. Aubameyang (Arsenal) – 13
- H. Kane (Tottenham) – 13
- Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) – 13
- E. Hazard (Chelsea) – 10
- S. Agüero (Manchester City) – 9
- Richarlison (Everton) – 9
- R. Sterling (Manchester City) – 9
