Premier League predictions: Luton can topple flaky Chelsea, Manchester United to win away | Football News

December 29, 2023 admin

Our in-form tipster Jones Knows has got you covered for the upcoming football feast as he offers his insight across another exciting Premier League fixture list.

Luton vs Chelsea, Saturday 12.30pm

Weren’t Luton supposed to finish rock bottom and accrue the lowest Premier League points tally of all-time? They’ll get battered everywhere they go, eh? Well, those who took that lazy avenue of analysis are being proved wrong by Rob Edwards and his determined boys.

Ross Barkley is playing the best football of his career and Alfie Doughty is rapidly becoming one of the most creative players in the Premier League. They have the quality to hurt teams. With confidence flowing, momentum building and Kenilworth Road rocking, it’s very easy to swerve flaky Chelsea at 1/2 with Sky Bet.

Remember, this is a team that have lost four on the trot on the road. It’s debatable whether they’ll have the stomach to deal with Luton’s unashamedly in your face style of play. It’s 13/8 with Sky Bet for the home side to avoid defeat. That’ll do for me.

SCORE PREDICTION: 1-0

Aston Villa vs Burnley, Saturday 3pm – PLAY SUPER 6 HERE!

The Aston Villa offside train was in full motion at Manchester United, where they caught the Red Devils offside nine times. Incredible numbers when you consider the line was set at five or more at 11/10 with Sky Bet.

My punting instincts have taken me to the total match offsides market for this one as Burnley are accustomed to playing with an aggressive line themselves. It’s nowhere Villa’s immaculate trap but catching 14 players offside in their last five games is a healthy number and should help this bet along nicely.

Sky Bet have their line set at six or more total match offsides at Evens. Burnley’s offsides could cover that themselves going by the averages so to get the added bonus of their line on our side too, should see this bet come home a winner.

SCORE PREDICTION: 2-0

Crystal Palace vs Brentford, Saturday 3pm – PLAY SUPER 6 HERE!

Crystal Palace are a cracking bet at 6/5 with Sky Bet.

Now Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze are back, results are going to follow the upsurge in performance levels in recent weeks. Since returning for his second spell, Roy Hodgson has a 42 per cent win rate when both of his key men start.

Brentford are always a team I’m keen on taking on away from home against lower ranked teams. In 12 away games against the bottom eight since the start of last season, Brentford have won just twice, including losing at Sheffield United earlier this month. And they head to Selhurst Park without their key creative outlet in Bryan Mbeumo – and Ivan Toney isn’t back until next month.

The goal expectancy has got me interested, too.

Premier League games continue to produce a record goals average and there is a trend emerging that games of this nature between two teams in the relegation mix are resulting in exciting spectacles with goals on the menu.

Of the 21 games involving both Sheffield United, Luton, Burnley, Nottingham Forest, Crystal Palace, Everton and Brentford this season, the overall goal average has been 2.8 per game – above what has been expected by the market. And 33 per cent of those 21 games have seen four or more goals scored. I wouldn’t put people off having a stab at Palace to win and over 3.5 goals angle at 7/1 with Sky Bet.

SCORE PREDICTION: 3-1

Manchester City vs Sheffield United, Saturday 3pm – PLAY SUPER 6 HERE!

Sheffield United are rated as 28/1 shots with Sky Bet to walk away with maximum points. It’s one of the most one-sided Premier League matches in history, according to the odds. Best look elsewhere for a bet then.

It comes in the Sheffield United player fouls market where the continued absence of Erling Haaland is seeing a spike in the number of fouls committed by central defenders against City as they are tasked with dealing with more fleet of foot players like Phil Foden.

In the four games domestically and in Europe without Haaland, nine centre backs have lined up against City and the total foul count from them stands at 20 fouls conceded with every single one of them making at least one foul. This leaves Blades centre-back Jack Robinson, an aggressive defender, very vulnerable to making multiple fouls. He’s 11/4 with Sky Bet to make two or more fouls – something he did in his last match vs Luton.

SCORE PREDICTION: 5-0

Wolves vs Everton, Saturday 3pm – PLAY SUPER 6 HERE!

This will be a battle of two teams completely comfortable in their own skins with managers doing a fine job with the tools at their disposal. From an outright perspective it’s a tough one to call with the draw shorter than usual at 9/4 with Sky Bet for good reason. Everton probably owe Wolves one though having missed five big chances in the reverse fixture at Goodison Park that Gary O’Neil’s side stole 1-0 in the final few minutes.

If Everton are to win then a way to potentially land a monster winner is to add Jordan Pickford to be carded.

He’s been carded four times in his last 20 Premier League games with two of those coming in victories for timewasting. Combining an Everton win and a Pickford card brings out a fun 14/1 poke with Sky Bet to flutter with.

SCORE PREDICTION: 1-2

Nottingham Forest vs Manchester United, Saturday 5.30pm, live on Sky Sports – PLAY SUPER 6 HERE!

Is Chris Wood turning into peak Ronaldo (the original) a sustainable punting theory? If so, the 100/1 with Sky Bet on him bagging another hat-trick looks dripping in value. If not, we may need to look elsewhere for an angle in.

Forest were magnificent on the break against Newcastle, flooding forward in numbers and punishing the opposition. It was a trademark Nuno Espirito Santo performance, as explained in depth by my colleague Adam Bate. But this will be different.

Manchester United won’t allow such space – they are notoriously defence-first focused in these away trips. And their away win price does appeal at 11/10 with Sky Bet when assessing their record against teams that finished in the bottom 11 places of the Premier League last season or are predicted to be there this season. Since the start of last season, they have taken 40 points from 48 available, winning 13, against such opposition and conceding just eight goals in those 16 matches. Away win.

SCORE PREDICTION: 0-1

Fulham vs Arsenal, Sunday 2pm, live on Sky Sports – PLAY SUPER 6 HERE!

The frustrations regarding Arsenal’s declining attacking numbers can be seen through Martin Odegaard’s increased fouls committed numbers. He’s added a bit more bite to his game off the ball this season anyway so this bonus frustration from a lack of goals and assists provided by him lately is only going to help his fouls number remain higher than what the market expects.

He’s made 12 fouls in his last eight starts, making two or more in four of those appearances. In a game Arsenal will be in ‘win ugly’ mode for, the 2/1 with Sky Bet on the Norwegian making two or more fouls has a chance of landing.

SCORE PREDICTION: 1-2

Tottenham vs Bournemouth, Sunday 2pm

For anyone that watched Tottenham defend at Brighton on Thursday, the 3/1 with Sky Bet on a Bournemouth win is going to be hard to resist.

Emerson Royal and Ben Davies are obviously very good at football but asking them to play an aggressive high line and pass the ball out at every opportunity is simply a recipe for chaos. They are going to put under intense pressure from a confident and streamlined Cherries outfit that are unbeaten in eight games, winning six. The away win looks good enough on it’s own but with Dominic Solanke is such great nick, scoring nine goals in his last eight, adding him to score into the bet to generate a 11/2 shot makes perfect sense.