Antonio Conte’s Chelsea remain at the top of the Premier League table, but the likes of Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal are all ready to pounce on any Blues mistakes. The side top of the pile at Christmas tends to remain there but with at least three top teams hunting the Blues down, we look set for a fantastic title race.
As we enter 2017, we’ve got a number of mouth-watering matches to look forward to. 2016 finished with Liverpool v Man City and more brilliant football awaits to blow away the boozy cobwebs. Middlesbrough and Leicester City get this round of Premier League games underway, there’s also the tasty looking fixture between Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea and much more besides.
- Middlesbrough v Leicester City – Draw (11/5 at BetVictor)
- West Ham United v Manchester United – Manchester United to Win (3/4 at BetVictor)
- Bournemouth v Arsenal – Arsenal to Win -1 (9/4 at Coral)
- Tottenham Hotspur v Chelsea – Chelsea to Win 2-1 (9/1 at BetVictor)
- Blackburn Rovers v Newcastle United – Newcastle United to Win to Nil (19/10 at Coral)
Premier League
After a strong festive period, Antonio Conte’s Chelsea still top the pile in the Premier League. However, with a tough match at White Hart Lane to come, can Liverpool, Arsenal or Manchester City make up some ground on the leaders? There are plenty of huge games at the other end of the table as well, as West Bromwich Albion welcome Hull City and Swansea City travel to Crystal Palace. With both the Swans and the Eagles having recently dispatched with their managers, that last game looks very tough to call.
Middlesbrough v Leicester City – 2nd January
We kick things off with the intriguing looking fixture at the Riverside Stadium between Aitor Karanka’s Middlesbrough and Claudio Ranieri’s Leicester City. Despite the Foxes winning the Premier League title last season, whilst Boro were slugging it out in the Championship, these two are extremely close in this year’s top-flight table.
It was always going to be a difficult task for Leicester to emulate their memorable campaign of last term, but nobody could have anticipated Ranieri’s men being this poor so far. As for last season’s second-tier runners-up, they have had a solid campaign back in the top flight, and they certainly look capable of staying up. They don’t score a huge amount of goals but are a well balanced side and perform well on home soil.
After very challenging back-to-back away matches, Boro will be pleased to be back in front of their own fans for this one. Considering both sides’ recent form and where these two are in the table, we can see Monday’s match ending all square at the Riverside. Therefore, we like the look of BetVictor’s 11/5 for the draw, with 0-0 and 1-1 both worth considering in the correct score betting.
Draw – 11/5 at BetVictor
West Ham United v Manchester United – 2nd January
Also on Monday, Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United and Slaven Bilic’s West Ham United go head-to-head at the London Stadium. Both sides have had tough spells this season, but both have seemingly turned a corner in recent weeks. Will it be West Ham or the Red Devils who can keep their positive momentum going with a win in this one?
Since losing 5-1 at home to Arsenal, the Hammers have been in much better form. During the month of December, Bilic’s men drew at Liverpool and earned superb wins over Burnley, Hull City and Leicester City. Man Utd have also been going through something of a purple patch of form in December, and their recent run of results has kept them on the heels of the top four. They have work to do to force themselves into the title race but a Mourinho side with Zlatan Ibrahimovic as its focal point should never be written off.
Last season, these two played out some thrilling matches. This term, the pair drew 1-1 at Old Trafford in the Premier League, with Jose’s boys beating the Irons 4-1 in the EFL Cup a few days later. Despite West Ham’s recent pick up, we can see the Manchester men leaving the capital with all three points. Bet365 have the away triumph priced at decent enough odds of 3/4 and that’s solid value.
Manchester United to Win – 3/4 at BetVictor
Bournemouth v Arsenal – 3rd January
Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal make the trip south to the Vitality Stadium on Tuesday to face Eddie Howe’s Bournemouth. With both teams needing the points for different reasons, we should be in for a cracker on the south coast.
The Gunners had a topsy-turvy December, but they have just about managed to keep themselves in the hunt at the top. After two tough home fixtures, the north Londoners may be slightly relieved that they are on the road for this one, especially as they won 2-0 at Dean Court 11 months ago.
The Cherries may well be having another good go at survival, but we can see them coming up short on Tuesday. Coral are offering 9/4 for Wenger’s men to win -1 at Bournemouth, a price we feel is worth taking advantage of. The home side will be without Jack Wilshere against his parent club and the Gunners’ greater squad depth should see them ease to three points here.
Arsenal to Win -1 – 9/4 at Coral
Tottenham Hotspur v Chelsea – 4th January
The last of our Premier League fixtures is without doubt the biggest, as London rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea do battle at White Hart Lane. With the Blues still sitting pretty at the top, will they ease to another win on the road, or can Spurs stop them in their tracks? Neutrals and fans of all the other title contenders will desperately be hoping the home side can get a result but Conte’s men won’t care about that.
Back in May, Chelsea came from two goals down to draw 2-2 against Tottenham, which gave the PL title to Leicester. Because of that, the home faithful will be desperate for their side to get one over on their London counterparts on Wednesday. When the pair met at Stamford Bridge back in November, goals from Pedro and Victor Moses gave the Blues a priceless 2-1 victory.
We like the look of Conte’s men to win 2-1 again, which is available at the eye-opening price of 9/1 with BetVictor. With the likes of Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal ready to capitalise on any slip-ups, Chelsea will be eager to keep doing the business at the top. Spurs won’t make it easy but Chelsea are playing with real swagger and unshakeable belief right now.
Chelsea to Win 2-1 – 9/1 at BetVictor
Championship
The Sky Bet EFL Championship is also beginning to heat up. Chris Hughton’s Brighton & Hove Albion and Newcastle United continue to trade places at the top. Meanwhile, the likes of Reading, Huddersfield Town and Leeds United are keeping the top two honest. At the other end, Rotherham United, Wigan Athletic and Blackburn Rovers are all fighting for their lives at the bottom. The Championship is attracting some huge crowds this season and it’s very easy to see why.
Blackburn Rovers v Newcastle United – 2nd January
With the pressure growing ever stronger on the shoulders of Blackburn Rovers boss Owen Coyle, a home match with Rafael Benitez’s fired up Newcastle United is not the easiest of fixtures for the Lancashire outfit.
However, with Blackburn well and truly embroiled in a relegation dog fight, Coyle’s men need to start getting some points on the board, and fast. As for Newcastle, their patchy form has let Hughton’s Brighton & Hove Albion keep up with them at the top.
Nonetheless, we can only see one winner in this one. Usually, when the Magpies have been beaten this term, they have hit back better and stronger than ever. We fancy Benitez’s side to win with ease at Ewood Park, and we feel there’s good value in Coral’s 19/10 for the away team to win to nil.
Newcastle United to Win to Nil – 19/10 at Coral