Ian Wilkerson
Show Bio
The World Cup is now over, Argentina is the new world champion and now soccer fans can look forward to the return on the Premier League on a landmark date in the English soccer calendar. Just like NFL games on Thanksgiving, Boxing Day soccer games are a huge tradition in England and this year the EPL is roaring back into life on the day after Christmas.
There is enough action to keep newly converted fans going through the morning and well into the afternoon. Tottenham gets the packed program going with a trip across London to take on Brentford, which caused a major surprise before the break with a 2-1 win at Manchester City.
Four games follow at 10:00am ET, including top-4 chasing Newcastle’s trip to resurgent Leicester, before the slate concludes with Liverpool’s visit to Aston Villa and another all-London matchup between top team Arsenal and struggling West Ham.
We have picked out a four-game parlay to hopefully see you successfully through a great day of soccer, which pays +1313 odds with FanDuel Sportsbook at the time of publishing. Be sure to check out the rest of our Premier League soccer predictions and remember to gamble responsibly.
Tottenham ML vs Brentford (-110)
Newcastle ML vs Leicester (+120)
Aston Villa vs Liverpool – Over 2.5 goals (-154)
Arsenal vs West Ham – Under 2.5 goals (+104)
Parlay odds: +1313
Tottenham ML vs Brentford (-110), 7:30am ET
Tottenham still has work to do to gain a top-4 place in the Premier League this season, but should improve in the next few weeks, starting with a win at Brentford. Spurs have had plenty of injury problems but the availability of stars such as Dejan Kulusevski and Heung-Min Son should be a big boost to manager Antonio Conte. Brentford shocked Manchester City before the World Cup break with a 2-1 win at the Etihad. Spurs should be positive, especially as they came back from 2 goals down to win at Bournemouth the last time they played on the road. Tottenham has also lost just 2 of its last 12 away league games, so that bodes well too.
Newcastle ML vs Leicester (+120), 10:00 am ET
There was a time when it looked as if Leicester would be in relegation trouble but the Foxes have conceded just 1 goal in their last 6 games and went into the World Cup break on a high note. However, this looks a much tougher test against Newcastle and they could come back to earth with a bump. Leicester’s run has been impressive and it included a respectable 1-0 loss to Manchester City, but the 4 wins came against bottom-6 teams Leeds, Wolves, Everton and West Ham. Newcastle has not lost in the league since August and the Magpies were dynamic in a 4-1 win at Southampton in their last road game, so expect another Newcastle success.
Aston Villa vs Liverpool – Over 2.5 goals (-154), 12:30 pm ET
Aston Villa should be confident for this game after impressive home wins over Brentford and Manchester United and even though Liverpool has won on 7 of its last 8 visits to Villa Park, this may be a difficult game for Jurgen Klopp’s team. The Reds had gone 5 away games without a win before they posted a 2-1 success at Tottenham, so that should give them a boost as they look to battle into the top 4. We should see an open game between these teams, especially as Villa also gained an impressive win at Brighton recently, and there could be plenty of goals.
Arsenal vs West Ham (+104), 3:oo pm ET
Arsenal will be delighted to be 5 points clear at the top of the Premier League, but there was bad news for the club after the World Cup. Striker Gabriel Jesus suffered a knee injury in Brazil’s 1-0 win over Cameroon and he looks set to be out of action until at least March. That leaves the Gunners short of offensive options and they may not be able to create many chances against London rivals West Ham. The Hammers have lost 9 of their 15 Premier League games this season and have scored just 12 times, so it would be a surprise if this turned into a back-and-forth contest.
Make sure you check out the rest of our EPL picks and predictions for the holiday weekend
Pickswise is the home of free Soccer Predictions and soccer parlays. With expert picks from the MLS and top European Leagues such as the Premier League and the Champions League.
