While it might have seemed like a break from English Premier League action on the weekend, it was anything but for the players, the majority of whom had FA Cup games to compete in. They’ll be back in action in the EPL this week with Matchday 18 set to kick off on Wednesday morning (AEDT).
We have a preview and betting tips for some of our favourite games in Matchday 18, which weirdly sandwiches Matchday 19 on the weekend with five games this week and five games next week. (We’ll only be previewing our favourite matchups from the first week of Matchday 18 games)
EPL Matchday 18 Betting Tips
Wolverhampton vs Everton
Molineux Stadium, Wednesday 7.15am (AEDT)
Wolverhampton sit in 13th place on the table and haven’t won a game through their last four. They will get a home game here against Everton, who snapped a five game winning streak with a loss to West Ham in their last clash. The Wolves have a fair injury list at the moment, with Jimenez, Jonny, Marcal and Podence all set to miss this game while Bony is currently listed as questionable.
Everton don’t have as much to worry about on the injury front, with only Allan and Fabian Delph potential to miss from their starting XI. It’s been very even throughout recent matchups between these two sides, with the two sides fighting out a 2-2-2 record across their last six games.
Everton definitely have the advantage on paper and on form here, the only thing going against them will be the fact that they are away from home. That shouldn’t concern them too much, however, as they have been better away from home this season than they have been at Goodison, racking up a 5-1-2 record on the road. Back them to win this one.
Aston Villa vs Tottenham
Tottenham claimed a 3-0 win over Leeds in their last EPL clash to maintain their position in the top four. The victory snapped a four game winless streak for the Spurs, who started the season like a house on fire but have been slowly sliding down the table. Things should get a little bit easier over the next week for Tottenham, who have winnable games against Villa and Sheffield over their next two before games against Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City in the next five.
Aston Villa marginally avoided being relegated back to the Championship last season, finishing 17th on the table. Their form this year has been a different story, currently sitting in 8th place on the EPL table with an 8-2-5 record. They are coming off a 2-1 loss to Manchester United in their last EPL game, and were beaten comfortably by Liverpool 4-1 in the FA Cup on the weekend.
Villa are right in the mix of a horror stretch of schedule that sees them play Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool, Tottenham, Everton and Manchester City six straight games across all competitions. It wouldn’t surprise us if they went through this stretch without winning a game and even though they are at home here, we can’t see them troubling Tottenham, who have no real injuries to speak of and are coming off a big 5-0 win in the FA Cup on the weekend.
The clash between Aston Villa and Tottenham has been postponned due to COVID-19. Instead, Tottenham will be taking on Fulham on Thursday mornign and we think this game actually sets up pretty similar to how the Aston Villa contest would have, except in this game, Tottenham are at home. Back them to win comfortably.
Arsenal vs Crystal Palace
Emirates Stadium, Friday 7am (AEDT)
Arsenal started the season very slow but they have bounced back to win their last three Premier League games in a row. They still sit all the way down in 11th place on the table but seem back on track to challenge for at least a spot in the Europa League, although they do sit just six points behind Tottenham in fourth place.
Crystal Palace are 6-4-7 on the season so far and sit in 14th place on the table. They are coming off a 2-0 win against Sheffield in their last EPL fixture but this will be a big step up in opponent, and they were beaten 1-0 by the Wolves in the FA Cup on the weekend.
Interestingly, the Gunners have not defeated Crystal Palace in their last four meetings, dating all the way back to a 4-1 win in January of 2018. Palace have won just one of those four games, but their record against Arsenal is certainly promising. On the road, however, we think it’s unlikely that they can get a result here against an Arsenal side that looks revitalised after a slow start.
