During normal campaigns, clubs around Europe are usually preparing for the November international breaks ahead of a relentless schedule heading into Christmas and the New Year. This time around, the biggest teams in the continent are already coming to the end of a busy period ahead of the start of the World Cup in Qatar. While punters can still get their fix when the 32 nations compete on the international stage, they will have to wait until Boxing Day for their next dose of Premier League action, making it worthwhile to assess what attractive betting odds are on offer on Matchday 16 of England's top flight.
When punters look for the ideal accumulator tip, it will soon become apparent that they should not be selecting Brentford to earn a result at Manchester City. So many factors are counting against the Bees this weekend, including the fact that City have a 100% record at the Etihad Stadium and scored 29 times in the process. Furthermore, Brentford are yet to win on their travels, possess the third-worst defensive away record in the division and visit the North-West on the back of losing to Gillingham on penalties in the EFL Cup. The odds are far too low when it comes to a Man City win on its own, but a bet on over 3.5 goals at just below Evens feels like a no-brainer.
The same can be said for taking a punt on Bournemouth to record a weekly double over Everton. The two teams met in the EFL Cup on Tuesday night with the contest between much-changed sides ending in a 4-1 victory for the Cherries. While the Toffees were missing more key men than their hosts, it was a drab performance and they will remain without key forward Dominic Calvert-Lewin for the second instalment on Saturday. Everton surely cannot fare any worse than on Tuesday, but betting odds in the region of 15/8 for Bournemouth to prevail on the South coast is far too good to turn down.
There have been times this season when Crystal Palace have looked ordinary, particularly during the first halves of games when they tend to fall behind. However on four occasions, the Eagles have overturned a deficit to record three points, the latest occurrence being at West Ham United last Sunday. This weekend, Patrick Vieira's outfit square off against a Nottingham Forest side who sit bottom, have the joint-second worst home defensive record in the Premier League and have already given up leads at the City Ground. Although it is clearly a long shot, a small bet on Forest to be leading at half time and Palace at full time at around 30/1 is worth the risk.
With 11 points separating the two teams in the Premier League table, Tottenham Hotspur are deservedly the favourites ahead of their North London showdown with Leeds United but sometimes, momentum is everything in the Premier League. At a time when Spurs have lost three times in league matches, Leeds have posted thrilling victories over Liverpool and Bournemouth, catapulting them up the table. Although Leeds continue to have issues in defence, taking the 3/1 on offer for Leeds at 'draw no bet' should get the attention that it deserves.
That same can be said of Newcastle United defeating Chelsea with both teams getting on the scoresheet at 7/2. The only risk may be whether Chelsea will actually find the back of the net with key players missing and their attack sometimes struggling to be ruthless in the final third. Newcastle have many things in their favour, particularly being at home to Crystal Palace in the EFL Cup at the same time when Chelsea will be playing Man City on away territory three days prior to their own contest. Graham Potter will be forced to play members of the squad who already have too much football under their belts, too, and that should only add to the belief that the Magpies should run out convincing victors at St James' Park. body check tags ::
