The battle for points and positions ahead of Premier League Week 16 is starting to heat up as the table finally starts to take some shape following the early-season chaos.
There are four games to look forward to on Saturday, including two fascinating 3pm kick-offs in Chelsea vs Everton and Liverpool vs Brighton, while leaders Arsenal host bottom club Wolves in the day’s late evening fixture.
On Sunday, highlights include the rematch between May’s FA Cup finalists, Crystal Palace and Manchester City, as well as the eagerly-anticipated Tyne-Wear Derby between feuding neighbours, Sunderland and Newcastle.
The division serves up more action on Monday Night Football, when Man Utd are in action again against bogey-side Bournemouth at Old Trafford.
As per the usual run of things here at bettingsitesreviewed, we’ve got free Premier League predictions and betting tips for every game, starting with Saturday’s quartet of contests.
Premier League Week 16 Saturday games
Chelsea vs Everton
We kick things off at Stamford Bridge, where a stuttering Chelsea side could struggle in their attempts to overcome an Everton outfit that has been gaining momentum.
Chelsea are unbeaten in their last 30 Premier League home meetings with the Toffees (W17, D13), which is their longest unbeaten home run against any opponent in their league history, however, the landscape looks positive for visiting Everton here.
David Moyes’s side have won four of their last five league assignments, keeping clean sheets on each occasion, and in ex-Chelsea midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Jack Grealish, they have a couple of in-form difference-makers.
Chelsea meanwhile, have gone four games without a win, and fatigue could be a factor on Saturday following the Blues’ Champions League exploits in Bergamo in midweek. They lost 2-1 to Atalanta on Tuesday with a full-strength XI and could well be jaded.
A compact and well-protected Everton backline has been breached just eight times in seven away fixtures since August. Only Palace (5) and Arsenal (7) have conceded fewer away goals, and the Merseysiders can set up to frustrate again on Saturday.
Chelsea manufactured less than 1.00 in expected goals in each of their last three league matches (vs Arsenal, Leeds & Bournemouth), and they might find it tough to penetrate Everton’s robust rearguard.
Everton seem considerably overpriced at 4/1 here given the teams’ respective form, so we’re looking to the double chance market for profit in this one.
Prediction: Everton/draw double chance – 11/10 (2.10)
Liverpool vs Brighton
With the fallout from Mohamed Salah’s public strop still being felt, Liverpool dug out a much-needed 1-0 win at Inter in the Champions League on Tuesday evening, while the Egyptian icon watched on from Merseyside.
Though it took a controversial late Dominik Szoboszlai penalty to separate the teams in Italy, the win would have been a welcome tonic for suffering boss Arne Slot, who will be planning ways to stop the domestic rot when Brighton visit Anfield on Saturday.
Albion (8th), who sit two places above Liverpool (10th) in the table, have lost only once in six Premier League matches and did well to snatch a point in added time against West Ham last weekend (1-1).
They haven’t won at Anfield since 2021, though they will fancy their chances of upsetting the odds against their beleaguered hosts here.
Brighton beat Liverpool 3-2 when the teams last met at the Amex Stadium in May and encounters between the pair are usually competitive. 80% of their last ten tussles in league and cup rewarded BTTS bettors, while nine of the same games beat a target of over 2.5 goals.
Liverpool’s defensive vulnerabilities were fully on show again in their chaotic 3-3 draw with Leeds at Elland Road last weekend. That was the fourth time in their last seven outings in the league where the Reds shipped 3+ goals, and with Pool struggling to stem the flow, more action could be in the works here.
Prediction: Over 2.5 goals and both teams to score – 8/11 (1.73)
Burnley vs Fulham
The first of two live games on Saturday evening comes from Turf Moor, where an ailing Burnley will be aiming to avoid a seventh successive Premier League defeat when Fulham land in Lancashire.
Clarets boss Scott Parker would love to snap that rotten run against his former employers, however, Burnley look ill-equipped to beat anyone at present, especially with their lengthening list of absentees that now includes key suspended defender Kyle Walker.
Fulham’s form continues to be patchy, though they do tend to shine against the division’s new boys. They are unbeaten in their last 11 Premier League games against promoted sides (W6 D5), winning each of the last four in a row, a run which includes this season’s victories over Sunderland and Leeds.
The Cottagers were burned by successive home losses to Man City and Palace in their last two games, but showed attacking potential in both defeats, and actually outperformed their opponents for shots mustered on both occasions.
Toothless Burnley failed to score completely in each of their last three home fixtures and a sharper Fulham can pip them to the points on Saturday. The Cottagers’ 1-0 wins over Sunderland and Leeds earlier in the campaign help to inform here, so back a narrow away win for Marco Silva’s side.
Tip: Fulham to win – 10/11 (1.91)
Arsenal vs Wolves
Fresh from a routine 3-0 win over Club Brugge in Belgium on Wednesday, Arsenal have an opportunity to boost their Premier League goal difference on Saturday when they welcome bottom club Wolves to North London.
Wanderers were torn to shreds by Man Utd on Thursday evening and conceded 4.0 in xG against, 27 attempts and ten shots on target in a 4-1 rout at Molineux, and they could be thumped into submission again at the Emirates Stadium.
If their task wasn’t tough enough, Wolves have lost midfielder Andre to suspension following the Brazilian’s booking against United and the 24-year-old joins his injured compatriot and midfield foil, Joao Gomes, on the sidelines.
League-leading Arsenal will smell blood here. They enjoyed their biggest win of the campaign so far at home to newly-promoted Leeds (5-0) in August, and they will be targeting something similar against this dreadful Wolves team.
The handicap markets did have some appeal for this one (-2.0 at 11/10), but a safer move could be to back Arsenal to score over 2.5 goals at 8/11 with the best football betting sites in the UK.
Top six teams, Man City (4), Chelsea (3) and now Man Utd (4) have all cut loose against Wolves this season, and the Gunners are backed to do the same.
Tip: Over 2.5 Arsenal goals – 8/11 (1.73)
Premier League Week 16 Sunday Games
Crystal Palace vs Manchester City
Top for occupants, Crystal Palace and Manchester City, are two of the Premier League’s most in-form outfits, and the outcome of Sunday’s head-to-head between the pair at Selhurst Park is difficult to forecast.
That’s why it makes more sense to lean into goals here and backing both teams to score in Croydon is the favoured approach at prices hovering around 4/7.
The Eagles famously conquered City in last season’s FA Cup Final, though the final 1-0 scoreline there was something of a trend breaker, with each of the teams’ four tussles before that producing goals at both ends.
Ahead of Sunday’s face off, Palace have failed to score in only one of their last ten assignments in all competitions, and they should have room to counter-attack their way onto the scoresheet on Sunday.
In fact, Oliver Glasner’s Eagles tend to do their best work in games where they see less of the ball. 17 of their last 20 Premier League wins have come when they’ve had lower than 50% possession, and with City likely to dominate in that department, the hosts should have space to exploit again.
City meanwhile, can travel south with confidence following a superb 2-1 win at Real Madrid in the Champions League. Pep Guardiola’s side have also been purring in attack domestically, hitting 19 goals in their last six league matches combined, and they can match anything Palace produce on Sunday.
Tip: Both teams to score – 4/7 (1.57)
Nottingham Forest vs Tottenham Hotspur
With Forest losing two of their last three in the league and Tottenham enjoying only one win in six attempts in the top flight, neither side can be backed with any confidence at the City Ground on Sunday.
Instead, we’re steered towards the card markets, where a Spurs side with a knack for indiscipline are tipped to earn over 2.5 cards in the East Midlands.
Tottenham have statistically been one of the division’s most aggressive outfits this term and have collected league-high-equalling 38 yellow cards since the start of the campaign (avg 2.53 p/g).
In addition, only four teams have been committing more average fouls per 90 minutes than Spurs (11.50), who seem to be operating under a more combative remit under Thomas Frank.
Tottenham have collected 3+ cards in each of their last six Premier League fixtures and in eight of their last ten matches in the division overall since late September, and we expect them to stick the boot in again in Nottingham.
When Spurs last visited the City Ground in December for last season’s corresponding fixture, they picked up four cards, including a late red for former Forest defender Djed Spence and a similar tally for the visitors is anticipated here.
Tip: Over 2.5 Tottenham cards – 1/1 (2.00)
Sunderland vs Newcastle
A white-hot atmosphere is certain at the Stadium of Light on Sunday for the first Tyne-Wear Derby of the campaign between Sunderland and Newcastle, and we expect the animosity between these local rivals to translate into cards.
A very different Sunderland XI lost 3-0 to Newcastle at this venue in January last year in an FA Cup Third Round tie that featured 29 fouls and six yellow cards, though this will be the antagonists’ first tussle in the Premier League since 2016, making it a significant showdown.
With the home crowd driving their team on, we expect the Black Cats to rattle into tackles from the first whistle on Sunday, and match official, Peter Bankes, who has been doling out an average of 4.00 cards per game this term, should be busy again.
Newcastle have collected fewer cards (19) than any other Premier League team this term however, so it makes sense to throw our lot in with the hosts on this occasion.
Sunderland have been earning an average of 2.00 cards per game since their promotion, so it won’t take much of an increase on derby day to get them over the line here.
Tip: Over 2.5 Sunderland cards – 5/6 (1.83)
West Ham vs Aston Villa
Red-hot Aston Villa posted an eighth successive win in all competitions when they nicked a victory in Basel in the Europa League on Thursday evening. They’ve also won 90% of their last ten Premier League matches and will kick Sunday’s game off as even-money favourites.
However, a test against an improving West Ham looks tricky enough to encourage us to look beyond the match result markets and towards BTTS, where prices appeal on the top UK betting apps at 13/20.
The Hammers aren’t in full flow, however, they have lost only once in six in the league, digging out positive results against Newcastle (3-1), Bournemouth (2-2), Man Utd (1-1) and Brighton (1-1) along the way.
Villa are riding the crest of a wave, though five of their last six victories in all comps have been achieved by single-goal margins in contests where expected goals stats were balanced. Both teams impacted the scoresheet in five of the same games.
Unai Emery’s high-fliers have also kept only one clean sheet in seven Premier League away matches since the summer, a record that suggests they could concede again when they visit the London Stadium.
This is a fixture that has rewarded BTTS bettors in 11 of its last 12 editions, and we’re tipping that pattern to continue on Sunday.
Tip: Both teams to score – 13/20 (1.65)
Brentford vs Leeds
Brentford will welcome their return to the Gtech Community Stadium on Sunday following back-to-back defeats on the road at Arsenal (0-2) and Tottenham (0-2), and we’re tipping the Bees to harness home advantage against Leeds.
Daniel Farke’s Yorkshiremen produced coupon-busting results against Chelsea (3-1) and Liverpool (3-3) in their last two games, though both upsets were produced at Elland Road and away from that venue, United continue to struggle.
Leeds have lost six out of seven away fixtures since their promotion back to the Premier League, with the outlier during that run coming against bottom-club Wolves (3-1), so bettors should expect them to toil on their travels again.
Brentford meanwhile, have done most of their best work this season on home soil, where they have earned five wins from seven matches and collected 16 of their 19 total points for the campaign so far.
Man City, (1-0, 5 October) remain the only team to have beaten Brentford on their own patch this season and the Bees have notched 3+ goals in four of their last five outings in West London.
Leeds are a different animal when they aren’t at Elland Road, so oppose them at an attractive price at just under evens on Sunday.
Tip: Brentford to win – 19/20 (1.95)
Premier League Week 16 Monday Game
Manchester United vs Bournemouth
Ruben Amorim’s temperamental Man Utd face another one of their long list of bogey sides on Monday evening when Bournemouth travel to Manchester targeting a third win at Old Trafford on the bounce.
The Cherries had too much running power for United in last season’s corresponding fixture, galloping to a 3-0 win over their hosts to match the exact scoreline they achieved when winning at the Theatre of Dreams the year before.
Bournemouth six-game winless run ahead of their latest jaunt north means they aren’t easily backed to triumph here, however, though the Cherries have enough talent in attack to get behind a United defence that has kept just one clean sheet in 15 Premier League fixtures.
United have been beaten only once in their last nine league games, which looks like a solid run, however, they rarely pass the eye test, and even last week’s 4-1 win at bottom club Wolves had a period of discomfort for the Red Devils.
Amorim’s outfit were also frustratingly limp in their last two home tussles against Everton (0-1) and West Ham (1-1), and they could find the going tough again when Bournemouth visit.
However, even though it almost feels like it shouldn’t be, United are the league’s third-highest scorers with 26 goals and rank second behind City for xG (26.8). That points to a big improvement in the final third, and with Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo keen to deliver before jetting off to AFCON, United can score again here.
11 of United’s last 14 Premier League matches have delivered winners for BTTS backers, so look to the same market for profit on Monday evening.
Tip: Both teams to score – 1/2 (1.50)
