Burnley v Liverpool
December is a busy time in the Premier League. Let’s check out the best Premier League 5 Dec betting tips, starting with Liverpool v Burnley. Burnley go into this important midweek fixture with only one side beneath them in the Premier League table after 14 games. They set-up with stats of two wins and three draws against nine defeats; that run has them on nine points, one better than London side Fulham; they are level with Southampton in 18th and only one off Huddersfield and safety. It has been a poor start but it’s certainly too early to panic.
The Clarets, who finished seventh last term, were beaten 2-0 by Crystal Palace in London at the weekend. They were downed by goals from McArthur inside 16 minutes and a Townsend second on 77 that put the game to bed. Sean Dyche has run out of patience with his troops; he’s made it known by telling members of the press in his post-match interview that the team had lost their eye of the tiger; in fact, he was more than happy to admit the best team won on the day. That wasn’t difficult to argue against as Burnley finished without a shot on target and only 41% of the overall possession.
Reds aiming high
Liverpool continue to aim for top-spot in the Premier League; as their title push gathers momentum fans are beginning to dream, thinking of what may lie ahead this season if their reds can hold form during the winter months. Liverpool have won 11 and drawn three of their starts so far, making them the only team other than Man City to hold onto a proud unbeaten record. They have claimed maximum points in four of their last five and have won each of their three most recent outings. Leaders, City, are two points better off at last count.
The visitors come in on the back of a fantastic Merseyside derby win over Everton on Sunday when stamping out their opponent’s progress with a hard-fought 1-0 victory. In a thrilling match it looked like the sides would end all-square, locked at 0-0 going into 90 minutes; however, there was to be late drama as Origi scored a winner with 96 on the clock to delight the home support. England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, who has been sensational this season, made a horrible error for the goal to hand Liverpool what was a bizarre win. Jurgen Klopp had no problems showing his delight.
Away win favourite
Liverpool are favourites to claim another three points and that will come as no surprise to genuine followers of English football or to those who love to bet on the outcome of these matches. They have been much the better side of the two so far this season and have put many of their lower ranked rivals to the sword as they blaze a trail of glory. There has been nothing in the form of either team to suggest Burnley will be the first to defeat Liverpool.
The away win is our strong pick; however, with bookies offering 2/7 (Bet365) we can’t back them in the 1-X-2 market as there’s no value there. Perhaps they will prove popular with accumulator punters; however, we’d much prefer to go in search of the value. Liverpool have kept a clean-sheet in each of their last three domestic matches. Therefore, a win to nil goes as our bet of the night, available at 10/11 with Bet365. That’s good enough to take on its own and the stats suggest we can get stuck in.
Wolves v Chelsea
The next of our Premier League 5 Dec betting tips are Wolves v Chelsea. Wolves are in free-fall following a strong start; they can be found down in 12th place with a record showing four wins, four draws and six defeats. That’s the form of a side you would expect to steer clear of relegation and bag a decent midtable finish; however, the problem is much of their better results came early in the season and they have struggled for points in recent times. Four defeats in their last five – a draw the spare – has pulled them to within seven points of the relegation zone. Although it’s far too early to panic, all concerned will be eager to address the situation sooner rather than later.
The locals were last seen losing to Cardiff away from home courtesy of a 2-1 scoreline on Friday night in a match they really should be winning given their opponent’s lowly standing in the division. They took the lead through Doherty on 18 minutes; however, that was overturned by Gunnarsson on 65 and Hoillett on 77, the latter enough to gift the Welsh club a rare three points. It was a bitter pill to swallow for followers of the beaten side and they will demand an instant reaction from their players.
Blues in danger of losing their grip
Chelsea have impressed in the early exchanges of this season and could be found challenging for top-spot during the autumn months; however, they have dropped off the pace of late and can now be found in third, with nine wins, four draws and a defeat. That’s fine form and would be enough to see them challenge most seasons; however, this is a competitive renewal and the Londoners are already seven points off leaders Man City who are showing no signs of slowing down. Chelsea’s last three reads draw-lose-win and that sums up how their recent form has gone.
They did claim the victory last time out when beating neighbours Fulham at Stamford Bridge on Saturday afternoon, weighed in for the points thanks to a 2-0 final score. Pedro had the ball in the net inside four minutes and that set the pace for the match; Loftus-Cheek scored another near the end. It wasn’t exactly pretty, and fans probably expected a more comfortable margin of victory, but the job was done and the points were in the bag.
Away win picked
This looks another strong Chelsea win and traders agree; they’ve priced the blues as favourites for all three points. That’ll come as no great shock to punters but the fact Bet365 are offering a competitive 4/5 on the points heading back to Stamford Bridge may just catch a few off-guard. That’s fantastic value and is certainly much better than we expected to find, given the overall form of both sides. Traders are keeping in mind Chelsea’s recent dip, but there’s no point getting carried away with that.
The draw is 11/4 with the same firm who are confident enough to trade a chunky 4/1 on the home win which is the best price you’ll find in the market if looking to side with the locals for an upset. An eye-catching price but it’s not enough to earn our stake and we’d much rather take our chances on Chelsea putting a run together. Half-Time/Full-Time offers a shot at a higher return with 15/8 sent out by Coral.
Man Utd V Arsenal
Game of the night and BT Sport bring us this one live where two super powers of English football face-off. Man Utd enjoy home advantage and will be looking to make it pay; however, they have underperformed in the league so far this season and bring a record of 6-4-4, leaving them seventh in the table; they are currently eight points off their opponents and a place in the top-four. It’s still very early in the campaign, but if United were to lose this we’d be confident enough to say they’d finish outside of the Champions League places. Bookies make them 7/5 (Bet365) favourites to beat Arsenal.
The Gunners are another team who have struggled for consistency of late; however, they are holding their own in the top-four and start just eight points off leaders Man City. We’re sure fans would’ve taken that back in the summer with a new manager coming in. The visitors have won each of their last two to recover from a run of draws and are 2/1 at 888sport. We’d much prefer to sit on the fence and back the share which can be trusted at a tempting 13/5 (Bet365). That’s market best price.
Tottenham v Southampton
You’d be hard-pressed to find a team who have been quite as impressive as Spurs in recent weeks as they blast their way towards the prizes in England and the Champions League. They did lose last time out however, beaten 4-2 by Arsenal in a Sunday thriller at the Emirates, a result that would’ve taken the wind from their sails. Coral have them 2/5 to bounce back on Wednesday.
Southampton are stuck in a relegation dog fight; that’s the result of a poor start to the season that has seen them lose half of their first 14 and win just once. They are one point better than bottom club Fulham but did draw last time, holding on for a 2-2 at home to Man Utd. A repeat performance is needed but not expected with the away win as big as 8/1 (Bet365). Fancy another draw? It’s a big ask but there’s plenty to get excited about with Bet365 offering a market best of 4/1. We’re happy to add Spurs to our accas.