Boxing Day 2021 has come and gone, but the festive season continues, as the run-up to the new year is packed with Premier League games.
Two matches have been postponed, but there are still eight games over the next three days to keep us company. When the fixtures congest like this, the better and deeper squads often jump to the forefront as clubs with less spending power struggle to piece together the same depth.
So backing the best teams to separate themselves throughout these busy periods is one way to pick matches. The likes of Manchester City, Liverpool, and Chelsea continue to roll over the rest of the field as they push for Premier League glory. There's no reason to get cute and try to win the lottery by attempting to predict slip-ups from the favorites. Instead, as the top sides rack up wins, you should too.
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Here's a look at what's to come over the midweek slate before the calendar turns to 2022.
Premier League Matchday 20 odds & lines
Odds courtesy of DraftKings
| Date | Match | ML Favorite | ML Draw | ML Underdog | Spread | Over / Under 2.5 Total Goals | BTTS (Yes / No) |
| Dec. 28 | S'hampton vs. Spurs | TOT +110 | +250 | SOU +255 | TOT -0.5 (+110) SOU +0.5 (-125) | -115 / -105 | -140 / +110 |
| Dec. 28 | Watford vs. West Ham | WHU +115 | +250 | WAT +240 | WAT +0.5 (-135) WHU -0.5 (+120) | -120 / +100 | -160 / +120 |
| Dec. 28 | Palace vs. Norwich | CPY -160 | +290 | NOR +500 | CRY -0.5 (-160) NOR +0.5 (+140) | -105 / -120 | -110 / -115 |
| Dec. 28 | Leicester vs. Liverpool | LIV -280 | +450 | LEI +700 | LEI +1.5 (-110) LIV -1.5 (-105) | -105 / -120 (3.5 goals) | -170 / +130 |
| Dec. 29 | Chelsea vs. Brighton | CHE -230 | +370 | BRI +650 | CHE -1.5 (+130) BRI +1.5 (-145) | -110 / -115 | +110 / -145 |
| Dec. 29 | Brentford vs. Man City | MCI -600 | +700 | BRE +1600 | BRE +2.5 (-170) MCI -2.5 (+150) | +130 / -160 (3.5 goals) | +135 / -180 |
| Dec. 30 | Everton vs. Newcastle | EVE -110 | +270 | NEW +310 | EVE -0.5 (-110) NEW +0.5 (-105) | -105 / -120 | -120 / -105 |
| Dec. 30 | Man Utd vs. Burnley | MUN -300 | +450 | BUR +850 | MUN -1.5 (+100) BUR +1.5 (-115) | -145 / +115 | +105 / -140 |
How to watch the Premier League in USA
Premier League matches are broadcast in the USA across NBCUniversal networks (NBC, NBCSN, USA Network, Telemundo and Universo) and its Peacock streaming service.
Premier League games on NBC and NBCSN will be streamed on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app for authenticated cable, satellite or telco subscribers.
- Dates: Friday, Aug. 13, 2021, through Sunday, May 22, 2022
- TV channels (USA): NBC, NBCSN, USA Network, CNBC (select matches)
- Spanish-language TV: Telemundo, Universo (select matches)
- Streaming: NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app, Peacock
Televised matches can also be streamed live on fuboTV, which offers a free seven-day trial for new users.
| Date | Match | Time (ET) | TV Channels | Streaming |
| Tue, Dec. 28 | Leeds United vs. Aston Villa | Postponed | ||
| Tue, Dec. 28 | Arsenal vs. Wolves | Postponed | ||
| Tue, Dec. 28 | Southampton vs. Tottenham | 10 a.m. | NBCSN, Universo | fuboTV |
| Tue, Dec. 28 | Watford vs. West Ham | 10 a.m. | — | Peacock |
| Tue, Dec. 28 | Crystal Palace vs. Norwich | 10 a.m. | — | Peacock |
| Tue, Dec. 28 | Leicester City vs. Liverpool | 3 p.m. | NBCSN | fuboTV |
| Wed, Dec 29 | Chelsea vs. Brighton | 2:30 p.m. | — | Peacock |
| Wed, Dec 29 | Brentford vs. Man City | 3:15 p.m. | NBCSN, Universo | fuboTV |
| Thu, Dec 30 | Everton vs. Newcastle | 2:30 p.m. | — | fuboTV |
| Thu, Dec 30 | Man United vs. Burnley | 3:15 p.m. | NBCSN, Universo | fuboTV |
Premier League betting tips & picks
Last week: 3-0
Season record: 5-1 (+5.66 units, each bet 1 unit)
Pick: Tottenham to win & both teams to score (+270)
Southampton has stayed alive this season by beating up on bad and vulnerable teams, which is exactly how to build a Premier League lifeline. They do not, however, look up to the task against upper tier opposition. They started the season with impressive draws against the two Manchester clubs, but since there have been three losses in three against Chelsea, Arsenal, and Liverpool, which saw it outscored 10-1.
Tottenham is currently playing like a top side, as Antonio Conte has his club on a roll. Spurs were not among that level of competition earlier in the season, but given their current form, this club can be considered an upper echelon opponent.
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While the final result hasn't always been terribly kind to the Saints, Southampton has scored on Spurs in 13 straight matches across all competitions. They haven't been shut out against Spurs since a 2-0 loss back in December of 2015. History between clubs tends to play a bigger factor than is sometimes logical, and I like backing both teams to score in this one.
Pick: Liverpool to win & over 2.5 goals (-140)
Leicester City is a good team, let's just get that out of the way. But teams on short rest are generally ones to fade: The Foxes have to play the top two teams in the league within 48 hours, which is just a ludicrous piece of scheduling by the Premier League. These are the openings we look for.
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The value picks here aren't plentiful, as the bookmakers also recognize the mountain Leicester City must climb, but the Foxes are thin defensively, with Ricardo Pereira and Caglar Soyuncu both down injured in the last match. James Maddison has been a bright spot for Leicester and could make things happen in attack. The goals will come. These odds aren't at all appetizing, needing the over added on just to achieve any semblance of a return, but it still presents an inviting opportunity.
Pick: Chelsea -1 Asian Handicap (-135)
Brighton got exactly what the doctor ordered on Boxing Day, a win over Brentford pushing the Seagulls up to ninth in the Premier League table.
Here's what gets you ninth in the Premier League table after Boxing Day nowadays: wins over Burnley, Watford, Brentford, Leicester City, and Brentford again, plus eight draws. Brighton is the best of the teams in its tier, and that's all the Seagulls want or need to fight another day. It also probably won't be good enough against Chelsea.
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The Blues, meanwhile, have Romelu Lukaku back, and they needed him in a big way. Christian Pulisic wasn't cutting it at striker, and with its talisman on the field, Chelsea is simply a much better team. The moneyline in this match offers no value, but taking Chelsea on a -1 spread allows for some palatable odds while also leaving some room for a potentially close encounter.
11 - Since Thomas Tuchel's first game in charge of Chelsea in January, the Blues have scored more penalties in the Premier League than any other side (11), with Jorginho netting nine of these himself - more than any other club besides Chelsea in this period. Source. pic.twitter.com/cHForQcy7o
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 26, 2021
