After six long weeks, the Premier League is finally back. Of course, we had a memorable World Cup to enjoy in the meantime but the best league in world football returns on Boxing Day with so many questions that will be answered.
Can Arsenal keep up their pre-World Cup form? Will Erling Haaland add to his 24 goals? Will Newcastle continue to mount a serious push for Champions League qualification?
These are just some of the big things to look out for on matchday 16. As ever, Bet9ja is the place to be to bet on the Premier League, with more than 200 markets for every match, including players markets such as goalscorer, special, shots, cards and assist.
Here’s a look at the key matches for matchday 16:
Arsenal vs West Ham
Emirates Stadium
Monday 26th December, 21:00
If there were any team in the Premier League that wouldn’t have wanted the World Cup break, it would be Arsenal. The Gunners beat Wolves 2-0 thanks to a Martin Odegaard brace in their last league outing, extending their unbeaten run to eight in the Premier League. Mikel Arteta’s men are currently five points clear of Manchester City, with both having played 14 matches.
Their biggest casualty from the World Cup was the injury of star man Gabriel Jesus. The Brazilian has been instrumental to Arsenal’s fine start to the season, scoring five league goals and is set to miss a prolonged period of time. But Martin Odegaard has stepped up to the plate. Since being named Arsenal captain in the summer, Odegaard has been in excellent form, scoring six goals and running the show from midfield. His form after the break will continue to be key for Arsenal’s title chances.
Monday’s opponents West Ham are struggling at the wrong end of the table. After a memorable 2021/22 season which included a seventh place finish and a UEFA Europa League semi-final, this campaign has been a struggle right from the start. David Moyes’ men lost their first three matches of the season, and they have only been victorious four times in the league. Having a packed schedule with eight UEFA Conference League played so far might not have helped, even though they won every one of them. A 0-2 home defeat to Leicester last time out made it three straight Premier League defeats in a row. If the break could halt Arsenal’s momentum, it couldn’t have come at a better time for the Hammers.
With Jesus out, top scorer Odegaard will be relied upon for his goalscoring attributes. You can get odds of 8.00 for him to score first at Bet9ja, and 3.60 to score anytime. For West Ham, their top scorer Michail Antonio is 12.25 to net first and 5.25 to score anytime.
Despite form going out the window somewhat after a six week break, it’s hard to look past an Arsenal win, which combined with under 2.5 goals, is priced up at 3.80 at Bet9ja.
Bet9ja odds (at time of writing): Arsenal win: 1.52, Draw: 4.35, West Ham win: 6.40
Leeds vs Manchester City
Elland Road
Wednesday 28th December, 21:00
Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City will be desperate to get back to Premier League action, following that shock defeat to Brentford just before the break. A damaging 1-2 home loss courtesy of an Ivan Toney brace which included a last gasp winner, leaves City five points behind Arsenal. The two are scheduled to meet in February, although City are due to play Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham twice before then. That means any slip up against Leeds is almost unthinkable.
All eyes will be on Erling Haaland. The Norwegian international had the World Cup off and will be desperate to add to his 18 league goals, after scoring against Liverpool in the EFL Cup. Interestingly, Haaland returns to his city of birth, with his father Alfie Haaland having a stint at Leeds United between 1997 and 2000. In terms of team news, all the big hitters from the World Cup should be ready to go, apart from winner Julian Alvarez, who is expected to be given extra time off after lifting the trophy for Argentina.
Leeds are coming off the back of a 3-4 defeat to Tottenham last month, where a late Rodrigo Bentancur brace saw Spurs come back from 2-3 down and break Leeds hearts. Before that, Leeds came back from 1-3 down to beat Bournemouth 4-3 and also secured a famous 2-1 victory at Anfield against Liverpool. Jesse Marsch’s side certainly don’t struggle for goals, having scored 22 times in 14 Premier League matches so far. However, they have conceded 26 goals and only three teams have conceded more this season. Being open and expansive might play into Man City’s hands however, so a slightly more defensive approach might be needed.
Expect goals in this one. Last season, City beat Leeds 4-0 at Elland Road and 7-0 at the Etihad Stadium. Over 3.5 goals is priced up at 2.03 at Bet9ja, and over 4.5 goals is 3.25. If you fancy another big City win against Leeds, a City win combined with over 3.5 goals is odds of 2.36 with us. Meanwhile, you can get odds of 3.70 for Haaland to score first.
Bet9ja odds (at time of writing): Leeds win: 9.00, Draw: 5.90, Man City win: 1.30
Brentford vs Tottenham
Gtech Community Stadium
Monday 26th December, 13:30
On a high after beating Man City in their last league outing, Brentford are unbeaten in three and one defeat in six leaves them in 10th position. Tottenham’s comeback win against Leeds was much needed after three losses in four and kept them fourth. Brentford also drew 0-0 to Chelsea and have only lost once at home this season. A draw at 3.75 might be worth backing.
Bet9ja odds (at time of writing): Brentford win: 3.95, Draw: 3.75, Tottenham win: 1.90
Leicester vs Newcastle
King Power Stadium
Monday 26th December, 16:00
Both Leicester and Newcastle recorded important victories midweek in the fourth round of the EFL Cup, giving valuable minutes to first team players. After a tough start to the season which didn’t see the Foxes pick up a Premier win until the eighth match of the season, Leicester have been on fine form with four wins in five, including the last two. Newcastle are one of the form teams in the league, currently 10 unbeaten having won five in a row, including victories over Chelsea and Tottenham. Miguel Almiron has eight goals in 15 league matches and is 8.70 to score first and 3.85 to score anytime. With both teams in great form, a draw is priced up at 3.50 with Bet9ja.
Bet9ja odds (at time of writing): Leicester win: 3.25, Draw: 3.50, Newcastle win: 2.22
Aston Villa vs Liverpool
Villa Park
Monday 26th December, 18:30
After a shock 2-7 defeat at Villa Park in October 2020, Liverpool managed to win this fixture 2-1 last season. Four wins in six puts Liverpool back in top four contention. For Aston Villa, World Cup winner Emiliano Martinez will be a big loss in goal, although their last home match was an impressive 3-1 victory against Man Utd. A Liverpool win is favourable and we’re offering odds of 10.00 for a 0-2 correct score.
Bet9ja odds (at time of writing): Aston Villa win 4:45, Draw: 4.00, Liverpool win 1.76
Log in or sign up today at Bet9ja and live every kick of the Premier League!
