A jammed packed week of Premier League football continues as Matchday 16 commences on Saturday evening. This weekend’s action is headlined by a top four clash between Aston Villa and Arsenal, and we’ve got you covered with our best bets!
EPL 2023-24: Matchday 16 Preview & Betting Tips
Crystal Palace vs Liverpool
Selhurst Park, Saturday 9th December, 11:30pm AEDT
Liverpool will be looking to keep the pressure on Arsenal when they open Matchday 16’s proceedings against Crystal Palace. The Reds were clinical in their midweek victory over Sheffield United, with their 2-0 win built on the back of a commanding performance. Liverpool recorded 15 shots on goal to Sheffield United’s 6, and held a mammoth 76% possession. Crystal Palace’s horror run of form continued with a 2-0 loss against fifteenth placed Bournemouth, with Palace winning just one of their last eight games in the league.
Crystal Palace’s inability to pose any attacking threat has been the major reason they’ve slumped to fourteenth place on the table. Palace have only scored multiple goals in a game twice this season, and have a goal difference of -7. Liverpool have had no such issues in their front third scoring 34 goals, the second most in the league this season, including ten goals from their last four games. The Reds have had an excellent spread of contributors with 11 different goal scorers, spearheaded by Mo Salah’s 10 goals which has him second in the Golden Boot.
This has been one of the most one-sided matchups in English football over the past eight years, with Liverpool holding an 11-2-1 record in Premier League fixtures against Crystal Palace since 2016. Not only has it been dominant from a results point, but it has been dominant from the performance standpoint as well with an aggregate score of 26-3 across their last nine games against Palace. Liverpool are in great form and are going to have no issues taking care of a struggling Crystal Palace outfit.
Liverpool -1
$2.45 (2 Units)
Aston Villa vs Arsenal
Villa Park, Sunday 10th December, 4:30am AEDT
Aston Villa’s 1-0 upset over Manchester City has moved Unai Emery’s side into third place on the Premier League table. The blockbuster matches continue for Villa as they host league leaders Arsenal, as they look to extend their unbeaten run to five games. A 97th minute goal from Declan Rice gave Arsenal their fourth straight win, as they got out of jail against Luton Town. The Gunners are four points clear of Villa who are in third place, and have a golden opportunity to get some breathing space on the chasing pack in the title race.
There could be plenty of goals in this fixture given the form of Aston Villa and Arsenal, who are two of the best attacking teams in the league. Villa are the second highest scoring team in the league (34 goals scored), while Arsenal are ranked 4th with 33 goals. The Gunners have scored nine goals in their last four games while Aston Villa have scored eight goals in their last four games. With both sides having outstanding attacking games, the team that can gain control through midfield will go a long way towards winning the game.
The differentiating factor between the two sides is the quality of Arsenal’s defence. Mikel Arteta’s side have conceded only fourteen goals this season, which is the fewest in the league. Arsenal also have an outstanding record against Villa, winning the last four fixtures between the two sides. The Gunners are firing on all cylinders at the moment and have answered the test time and time again against the best sides in the league. Arsenal keep finding a way to get the job done, and they’ll maintain their spot at the top of the Premier League.
Arsenal to Win
$2.10 (1 Unit)
Tottenham vs Newcastle
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Monday 11th December, 3:30am AEDT
The final game of Matchday 16 sees Tottenham and Newcastle continuing their charge to the top four, in a crucial clash in North London. As of the time of writing both sides are yet to play their midweek fixtures however if they both pick up wins as expected, Tottenham will be equal on points with fourth placed Manchester City and Newcastle will be in sixth place, just one point behind Spurs. This a genuine six point game in a top four race that tightened dramatically over the last few weeks.
Both sides have been cruelled by huge injury lists, which has pushed both Spurs and Newcastle’s depth to the limit given the key players that are out. Tottenham are without Eric Dier, Rodrigo Bentancur, James Maddinson, Ivan Perisic and Ryan Sessegnon. While Newcastle will be missing Harvey Barnes, Matt Targett, Dan Burn, Callum Wilson, Joe Willock and Nick Pope. It’s been an impressive effort by both clubs to remain in the top four race despite not being able to get their best eleven on the park each week.
Given the quality of both sides and the injury issues they’re facing, this clash could go either way, however one thing that we do know is that there will be plenty of goals in this fixture. Four of the last five Premier League fixtures between Spurs and Newcastle have reached over 3.5 goals, while eight of Newcastle’s games this season have seen at least four total goals. The total goals market is the way to go in this fixture, in what should be an entertaining clash.
Total Goals Over 3.5
$2.30 (1.5 Units)
