Premier League Preview GW 17
1st meets 20th in the opening game of the weekend, as Liverpool host Watford at Anfield. The Reds have an 8 point lead at the top of the Premier League after a spectacular run of form that has shown no signs of letting up. Elsewhere, Southampton play West Ham in a huge game at the bottom and Manchester City travel to the Emirates on Sunday.
Remember that here at LeoVegas, we have Premier League betting tips & previews each match throughout the season. We have online betting odds for all of the latest Premier League matches, plus we also have football betting tips for matches from around the world, as well as a terrific selection of other sports too.
Now, here are some of our selected tips & odds for the Premier League Gameweek 17.
Liverpool vs Watford - 12:30pm 14th December
Something that hasn’t necessarily been associated with Liverpool before is rotation, but over the Christmas period it looks like Jurgen Klopp will be using his squad depth. Players such as Divock Origi and Xherdan Shaqiri have come into the team and done well in the last few weeks, with the likes of Sadio Mane and Mo Salah being rested. Results have carried on being excellent though. The exact opposite can be said for Watford, hence the new manager. They have not won since five games ago and will need Pearson to start off strongly. The odds are against them though.
[LIVERPOOL OVER 2.5 GOALS - ODDS: 7/10]
Sheffield United vs Aston Villa - 3:00pm 14th December
Both of these sides have only won one of their last five, but it is clear to see that Sheffield United are much tougher to beat, which is why they are in the top eight. A big blow for Aston Villa is the news that influential centre back Tyrone Mings will be missing the game through a hamstring injury. There has only been one clean sheet from either of these sides in the last ten games combined, so we could see goals here.
[BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE - ODDS: 7/10]
Chelsea vs Bournemouth - 3:00pm 14th December
Chelsea go into this game as huge 1/4 favourites to claim the victory in this one, and it is quite clear to see why. Bournemouth have lost five Premier League matches in a row and Eddie Howe must be starting to feel under a little bit of pressure. Bournemouth have also failed to score in their last two games, so Chelsea must be fancying their chances of a clean sheet.
[BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE: NO - ODDS: 26/25]
Burnley vs Newcastle United - 3:00pm 14th December
Both sides will be happy with their starts to the season, though Burnley’s form has dropped off a little bit in recent weeks. The Magpies’ main attacking threat Allan Saint-Maximin may be out for up to a month with a hamstring injury, which may see Joelinton move out to the left to accommodate Andy Carroll into the team. That could mean that the ball spends a lot of time in the air on Saturday.
[ANDY CARROLL TO SCORE ANYTIME - ODDS: 3/1]
Leicester City vs Norwich City - 3:00pm 14th December
The Leicester City player of the season award is going to be a competitive one judging by their season so far. With so many fantastic performers, it is difficult to point out just one player as the star man. Jamie Vardy is getting the goals, but it is the former Norwich man James Maddison who could be the most dangerous on Saturday. If the Canaries are able to claim anything from this game then it would be a huge success for them.
[JAMES MADDISON TO SCORE ANYTIME - ODDS: 37/20]
Southampton vs West Ham United - 5:30pm 14th December
Two of the Premier League’s bottom five clash in Saturday’s late game, with both managers yet again under pressure. Danny Ings is the man on a roll for the Saints, and he will once again be the player they rely on for goals in this one. For West Ham, apart from the shock win at Chelsea things are looking grim. Surrendering a lead against Arsenal was poor from them, and they have to do better here if they are to get anything.
[SOUTHAMPTON TO WIN - ODDS: 9/10]
Manchester United vs Everton - 2:00pm 15th December
In a bizarre turn of events, Manchester United are now one of the most in-form teams in the league after beating Spurs and Man City in the space of a few days. Marcus Rahford and Anthony Martial are looking sharp which should cause Everton problems. Duncan Ferguson showed tactical nous and plenty of passion as the Toffees beat Chelsea last week, which sets up an intriguing contest here at Old Trafford.
[OVER 2.5 GOALS - ODDS: 10/13]
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Tottenham Hotspur - 2:00pm 15th December
Jose has had a good start in charge of Spurs and will be targeting the final Champions League place with plenty of the season still left to go. This will be a very tough game though as Wolves have not lost in the league for 11 games and have juggled the domestic games with the Europa League superbly. Interestingly, the average number of goals when these two sides meet is 3.8, so this could well be a thriller.
[OVER 3.5 GOALS - ODDS: 47/20]
Arsenal vs Manchester City - 4:30pm 15th December
Man City have dropped far too many points recently, leading to many fans and pundits suggesting that the title race is over for them. Arsenal barely got a win at West Ham and have struggled massively for the entirety of this season. Plus, Arsenal always seem to concede shots on goal against pretty much every team in the league, so the chances of Man City carving through the Gunners are pretty high.
[TOTAL SHOTS ON TARGET BY MAN CITY: OVER 6.5 - ODDS: 19/20]
Crystal Palace vs Brighton - 8:00pm 16th December
Whether this is referred to as the A23 or M23 derby can be debated, but it is certainly one of the most bizarre rivalries in English football. One thing is for sure though, both sets of fans will be desperate to win this one. In terms of head to head in recent years, it is Brighton that have the better record with three wins in the last five, with Palace winning one and one draw. This should be a very interesting Monday Night Football fixture.
[BRIGHTON TO WIN: 39/20]