Matchday 16 of the English Premier League was full of drama with goals galore and big upsets happening across the board, most notably Bournemouth’s 3-0 victory over Manchester United and Everton beating Chelsea 2-0.
While some sides have had a full week’s recovery since their last game, a rarity at this point in the winter schedule, others have had to compete in European competitions and this could lead to more shock results.
With so much drama set to take place, we’ve picked out our top tips and booking code for this weekend’s Premier League action:
Everton to win, 2.16
Burnley vs Everton
Despite Everton’s recent 10 point deduction which saw them move into the relegation zone, Sean Dyche’s men have performed brilliantly to accelerate out of the bottom three already and now sit four points above the drop. This should come as no surprise to those who have been following the Toffees this season though as without the point deduction they would find themselves 10th in the league and just four points below sixth place.
Burnley have severely disappointed since joining the Premier League this summer, many fancied the Clarets to finish midtable after their exquisite promotion campaign last season. Instead, Burnley sit 19th in the table with just eight points from 16 games and look increasingly likely to drop back to the EFL Championship come the end of the season. If they are to stay up then three points against an Everton side who currently find themselves in the relegation battle would be hugely important.
While Burnley will be fighting for the win, Everton’s quality this season has been far superior to their opponents and with the added factor of the game being hosted at Goodison Park we expect that Everton will take the win.
Brighton to win, 6.30
Arsenal vs Brighton
Arsenal vs Brighton is bound to be a tough match for both sides, with many believing these are the two best pure footballing sides in the country. While the table would suggest Arsenal should take the three points from this one as they sit second and Brighton sit eighth, Arsenal haven’t beaten Brighton at the Emirates Stadium in the league since Brighton’s promotion in 2017. Brighton also won 3-0 there earlier this year. For this reason, we’re backing Brighton to win this one come the end of the 90 minutes.
Liverpool to win, 1.32
Liverpool vs Manchester United
Liverpool vs Manchester United games at Anfield have become extremely one sided in recent seasons, with Manchester United only scoring one goal at Anfield since 2016 which also happened to be their last victory there. Even more disappointingly, they have conceded 16 in this time including a crushing 7-0 defeat last season.
With Manchester United coming into this game in extremely poor form we expect that Liverpool will comfortably win this game once again, extending United’s abysmal run at Anfield.
Aston Villa to win, 2.25
Brentford vs Aston Villa
Aston Villa have been a joy to watch since Unai Emery’s arrival at the club in November 2022, taking the fourth most points of any team in the league in this time. Currently sitting in third place, Villa have gone on an incredible run in recent weeks which has seen them take victories against Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City and Arsenal.
While Brentford are no slouches, they simply don’t match up to the standard that this Villa side has produced this season and we firmly believe Emery’s side will grab yet another victory in this one.
Top Booking Code: 5W2P2YN (odds: 41.06)
