PREMIER LEAGUE action comes thick and fast on New Year’s Day.
We’ve got betting tips for you from three top-flight games in amongst a packed schedule which will see all nine matches televised on BT Sport.
Frank Lampard’s Chelsea are wildly unpredictableCredit: Reuters
They include Chelsea’s visit to Brighton, Southampton’s clash with Spurs and a Premier League classic head-to-head as Manchester Unitedd travel to Arsenal.
Brighton vs Chelsea (12.30pm)
WHICH Chelsea are going to turn up this week?
Frank Lampard’s side seem to lurch from the sublime to the ridiculous – smashing Spurs on their own patch before putting in a no-show against Southampton, only to beat Arsenal with two late goals three days later.
One thing’s for sure, being a Chelsea fan at the moment is far from boring.
And you can say the same thing for supporters of Brighton, who are reaping the benefits of the board’s brave decision to part ways with Chris Hughton.
His replacement Graham Potter has the Seagulls playing some terrific stuff, with canny signings Neal Maupay, Aaron Mooy and Leandro Trossard all starting to gel.
This is far from a walk in the park for Chelsea, despite what their away record might say on paper.
Chelsea put a very useful gap between themselves and the chasing pack on SundayCredit: Reuters
Chelsea’s home results in the Premier League have been disappointing
Brighton deserved so much more from games against Tottenham and Sheffield United, but got rewarded for their hard recent work with three points against Bournemouth.
Since the Seagulls’ return to the top-flight, they’ve lost both of their meetings with Chelsea at the Amex.
In fact they’ve failed to really land a glove on the Blues at all in their H2H’s, with the last clash a straightforward 2-0 victory for the Blues back in September.
Chelsea aren’t doing things the easy way at the moment, conceding in six of their last seven away games.
Brighton have scored in seven of their last nine home games and we’re confident they can do it again infront of what is sure to be a buoyant crowd.
The 4/7 on both teams to score isn’t great, but it’s worth topping up all your accas with as we reckon it’s the perfect bet to start off a successful New Year’s Day punting.
It would be very Chelsea under Lampard to go and lose this, but we can’t turn down the 12/5 on the Blues winning but Brighton finding the net.
Maupay continues to find his feet at this level and is starting to demonstrate just why Brighton shelled out £16million to Brentford in the summer.
In a game where we’re confident Brighton score, he’s the man to be on anytime at a generous 7/5.
SunSport’s best bets
Both teams to score at the Amex: 4/7
Chelsea to win with BTTS: 12/5
Neal Maupay to score eighth goal of the season: 7/5
Southampton vs Spurs (3pm)
IT’S not yet clicked for Jose Mourinho at Spurs.
The Special One’s side have been particularly underwhelming in their last three matches – losing to Chelsea, scraping past Brighton and then needing a late goal to snatch a point at bottom of the table Norwich.
Suspensions to key players like Son Heung-min don’t help – although Moussa Sissoko and Harry Winks are both back available for this game – but that’s really no excuse for a squad which reached the Champions League final in 2019.
Southampton are on a real high after a terrific second-half of December in which they’ve picked up seven points from nine.
That’s propelled them out of the relegation zone and into the dizzy heights of 15th place.
Let’s face it, every Saints fans would have snapped your hand off for this position at New Year when the ninth goal went in against Leicester.
Spurs don’t have a good record here and their last win was way back in 2016, throwing away a lead last season to lose 2-1.
Spurs eventually overcame Brighton in rainy North LondonCredit: PA:Press Association
Ralph Hasenhuttl got the tactics all right at Stamford BridgeCredit: Reuters
It shows how bunched up the Premier League is this year that a win for Southampton would take them to within just FIVE points of Tottenham.
Throw away the historical form in this one and look at the here and now.
Fifteen of Spurs’ 20 Premier League games this term have featured three or more goals, whilst Saints aren’t far behind on thirteen.
Southampton have conceded in every home match, whilst Spurs have scored in everyone of theirs.
It doesn’t take a genius to see that you back goals here and ignore the results market at your peril.
We wouldn’t be at all surprised to see Southampton take the points against a Spurs team who look like they need a real Mourinho overhaul in the summer.
Over 2.5 goals is 6/10 and the banker of our New Year’s Day selections.
Whilst you can get the same price on there being a goal scored in each half – that’s happened in Spurs’ last five away games on the spin.
Danny Ings currently has more Premier League goals than Harry Kane, despite playing 400 less minutes. Yep.
In a game where we expect plenty of goals, 21/20 on Ings to score anytime and the 6/5 on Kane should both be backed.
SunSport’s best bets
Over 2.5 goals at St Marys: 6/10
A goal to be scored by either team in each half: 6/10
Danny Ings to score 13th of the season: 21/20
Harry Kane to find the net for Spurs: 6/5
Arsenal vs Man Utd (8pm)
IF Mikel Arteta didn’t know he had a real job on at the Emirates, he does now.
The Spaniard is still looking for his first win as Arsenal boss following a draw at Bournemouth and a heartbreaking 2-1 defeat to Chelsea at the Emirates.
Empty seats met the final whistle in North London, condemning the Gunners to a fourth-straight home defeat.
Arteta needs to stop the apathy – and fast.
His team shot out of the blocks against Chelsea, took the lead and seemed to be on course for a morale-boosting three points.
But it all fell apart after the 80th minute, with this time Bernd Leno guilty of making a costly mistake.
Man Utd once again appear to have turned a corner, but it’s impossible to really judge a team on routine wins over Newcastle and Burnley.
They’re scoring goals again though and we expect them to do so again here against what can only be described as a comedy Gunners defence.
Arsenal have conceded two or more goals on home soil in seven of their last eight matches.
And that one game where they didn’t they still didn’t win, held to a 1-1 draw by Wolves.
Leno couldn’t believe what he’d done against ChelseaCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
It really is dismal stuff for a side so expensively assembled – and United to continue that trend is our main bet for this match.
Man Utd are EVENS to score two or more and that should be dived upon by everybody to get your New Year off to a cracking start.
The bookies are really struggling to split this pair and it shows in the market, where a win for each side is priced up at 31/20.
In other words, absolutely anything could happen and you’re hedging your bets backing a win for either team.
Instead, top up that United bet with a fail-safe single on over 2.5 goals and both teams to score at 4/5.
Despite their troubles, both sides have natural goalscorers in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Marcus Rashford and they both top their respective scoring charts.
We’re chasing value here and simply going for the striker with the best price to net anytime, because this scoreline could honestly be anything.
That honour falls narrowly to Rashford, who will bank your £21.50 from a tenner if he finds the net.
If you’re feeling adventurous, the United academy product to open the scoring is an even more appealing 7/2.
SunSport’s best bets
Man Utd to score two goals or more: Evens
Over 2.5 goals and both teams to score: 4/5
Marcus Rashford to net at anytime: 23/20
*All odds correct at time of publication
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
