Matchday 16 was arguably the most dramatic Matchday of the season as Liverpool, Arsenal and Man City all failed to win. The title and top four races are shaping up to be serious battles, so check out our preview below to see our best bets for Matchday 17 of the English Premier League season!
EPL 2024-25: Matchday 17 Preview & Betting Tips
Aston Villa vs Manchester City
Villa Park, Saturday 21st December, 11:30pm AEDT
Manchester City’s tumultuous run continued after losing a near unlosable Manchester Derby. The defending champions led 1-0 before conceding in the 88th and 90th minute as they once again threw away a lead, in a result that saw Pep Guardiola’s side fall to fifth on the table. City now travel to Birmingham to take on seventh placed Aston Villa, in a crucial clash given only two points separate both clubs. Villa are coming off a loss against Nottingham Forest where they conceded goals in the 87th and 93 minutes, to go from leading 1-0 to being defeated 2-1.
After being two of the better defensive teams, both clubs have struggled at the back this season, ranking in the bottom half of the league for goals conceded. Both clubs however have been strong in the front third, ranking in the top eight for goals for this season. It’s likely that there will be plenty of goals on display in this matchup, with eight of the last eleven league matches played between Villa and City seeing three or more total goals scored.
Manchester City will be buoyed by the dominance they have had against Aston Villa over the last decade. In Premier League fixtures against Villa since 2014, City have a 12-2-1 record, including a 4-1 win when these clubs last met in April. The defending champions haven’t had any issues gaining leads, it’s all about holding a lead for them. Villa Park holds no fears for Manchester City, and they’ll be desperate to bounce back after last week’s collapse.
Manchester City to Win
$2.05 (1 Unit)
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
Gtech Community Stadium, Sunday 22nd December, 2:00am AEDT
Back-to-back wins has seen Nottingham Forest move back into the top four, in what has been the big surprise of this season. Forest will travel to West London to take on Brentford with a massive opportunity to establish their place in the top four. Brentford have lost two of their last three games and have dropped to eleventh as a result. Forest’s last outing was a remarkable come from behind win over Aston Villa, with goals from Nikola Milenkovic in the 87th minute and Anthony Elanga in the 93rd minute, saw Forest steal a 2-1 win.
Nottingham Forest have an 8-4-4 record this season and have won three of their last four games, largely built on their defence. Forest have the equal third best defence in the league (19 goals conceded), with only Arsenal and Liverpool better. It’s a remarkable effort for a club that has barely survived relegation in the past two seasons since being promoted to the Premier League, finishing 16th and 17th.
Brentford are treading water at the moment, with only three wins from their last seven games. They have the worst defence of any team that is not in the relegation zone, which makes them vulnerable coming up against Chris Wood who is the fourth highest goal scorer in the league with 10 goals. Brentford do have an excellent home record; however, Nottingham Forest have been decent on the road with a 4-2-2 record. Forest provide excellent value in this clash given how good their defence is, and how poor Brentford’s is.
Nottingham Forest to Win
$3 (1 Unit)
Tottenham vs Liverpool
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Monday 23rd December, 3:30am AEDT
Back-to-back draws have seen Liverpool’s lead at the top of the table dwindle to just two points on Chelsea, and now face a must win clash against Tottenham to guarantee top spot on the table. Spurs are coming off a 5-0 battering of Southampton, scoring all five goals in a dominant first half. Liverpool trailed twice against Fulham in their last outing, with Diogo Jota’s goal in the 86th minute salvaging a point for the Reds who were in strife after Andy Robertson was sent off in the 17th minute.
Ange Postecoglou’s side is arguably the most confusing team in the Premier League. Tottenham are the 2nd best attacking team (36 goals scored) and the 3rd best defence (19 goals conceded) in the Premier League, however they are 10th on the table with a 7-2-7 record. All seven of Tottenham’s wins this season have come by margins of greater than two goals, while all seven of their losses have come by only one goal. They are an incredibly difficult team to get a read on given they can produce brilliance or complete ineptitude.
Fortunately for Liverpool, Andy Robertson served his suspension in the Carabao Cup midweek, so he will be available for Monday’s clash. The Reds have certainly had the wood over Spurs across the last six years, winning nine of their last thirteen league matchups against Tottenham. Liverpool are still the number one ranked defensive team in the league, and have the fourth most prolific attack. Tottenham are 0-2 against the current top four in the league, and Liverpool will further add to their struggles against the best teams in the league.
Liverpool to Win
$1.75 (1.5 Units)
