PREMIER LEAGUE BOXING DAY: We preview Thursday’s busy Boxing Day Premier League fixtures with recommended BETDAQ bets and extended match stats. It gets underway at 12.30pm with SPURS v BRIGHTON.

TOTTENHAM V BRIGHTON

12.30pm What an action packed day of Premier League action with a whopping nine fixtures! Boxing Day is definitely the best day of sport! We kick things off with Spurs hosting Brighton after they lost here to Chelsea at the weekend. That game was filled with drama, including VAR and we had off field stuff that ruined the game too. Brighton lost at home to Sheffield United, and Spurs should be able to get the job done today.

The match odds at the time of writing currently trade; Tottenham 1.58, Brighton 6.4 and the draw is 4.6. The problem for Spurs has been conceding goals but they have been able to outscore the smaller teams. They have come up short against the likes of Bayern, Chelsea and United but with Brighton only taking five points from their last 21 available we feel Spurs are massive at 1.58. They are a cracking option for Betdaq Multiples to start the day!

BETDAQ BEST BET:
Tottenham to beat Brighton at 1.58.

You can view all markets here -> http://bit.ly/BDQtotbri

MATCH STATS

  • Spurs have won their last three top-flight home games against Brighton, keeping a clean sheet each time. Their last such defeat was in October 1981 (0-1).
  • Following their 3-0 victory in the reverse fixture, Brighton are looking to complete their first ever league double over Tottenham.
  • Tottenham are unbeaten in their last 13 top-flight Boxing Day games (W10 D3) since losing 0-2 at Portsmouth in 2003. Their last such home defeat was back in 1991 against Nottingham Forest (1-2).
  • Brighton are winless in their last 10 Boxing Day games (D4 L6) since a 1-0 win over QPR in 2005. Their two such games in the Premier League have ended in one defeat (vs Chelsea) and one draw (vs Arsenal).
  • Since José Mourinho’s first game in charge of the club, no Premier League team has conceded more goals than Spurs across all competitions (14 – joint-most, along with Arsenal).
  • Tottenham’s defeat to Chelsea last time out ended a run six Premier League home games without defeat (W4 D2) – they haven’t lost consecutive home games in the competition since January.
  • Brighton have won just five points from their last 21 available in the Premier League (W1 D2 L4), with four of those points being won in London (2-1 vs Arsenal, 1-1 vs Crystal Palace).
  • There have been six Premier League hat-tricks scored on Boxing Day, with Tottenham the only side with more than one (2). Indeed, Spurs players have scored the last two such hat-tricks in the competition (Gareth Bale in 2012, Harry Kane in 2017).
  • Tottenham striker Harry Kane has scored seven goals in just four Premier League games on Boxing Day. In the history of the competition, only Robbie Fowler (9), Alan Shearer (8) and Robbie Keane (8) have scored more on 26th December.
  • Tottenham boss José Mourinho has never lost in seven Premier League games on Boxing Day (W5 D2), managing more games without defeat on the day than any other manager in the competition.

ASTON VILLA V NORWICH

3pm This is a huge game at the bottom of the table. After Watford beat Manchester United at the weekend, they are now level on points with Norwich and only three behind Aston Villa. Another win for Watford today and a loss for either side here would put immense pressure on them heading into the New Year. While this isn’t a “must win” game for Villa, they can’t afford to lose a game like this with home advantage. Norwich led against Wolves at the weekend but unfortunately suffered another loss while Villa lost a big game here against Southampton. The Saints are now three points clear of Villa, and a loss against Norwich would mean it’s been a horrible Christmas! The reality is both sides are poor and the league table reflects that. On balance, we’re happy to lay Villa at 2.18 – we see a much closer game than those odds suggest and from a value point of view, laying the home side is a nice position to take.

BETDAQ BEST BET:
Lay Aston Villa at 2.18.

You can view all markets here -> http://bit.ly/BDQastnor

MATCH STATS

  • Aston Villa are looking to secure just their second Premier League double over Norwich (also 2013-14), following their 5-1 victory at Carrow Road in October.
  • After winning their first Premier League away game against Aston Villa in November 1992 (3-2), Norwich are winless in their last seven top-flight visits to Villa Park (D3 L4). However, they did win 2-1 at the ground in the Championship last season.
  • Aston Villa are winless in their last nine Premier League Boxing Day games (D4 L5), netting just one goal in their last five. Indeed, only Newcastle (13) have lost more such games than
    the Villans (12) in the competition’s history.
  • Norwich City have played more Premier League games on Boxing Day without a victory than any other side in the competition (6 – D1 L5).
  • Aston Villa have conceded as many goals in their last two Premier League home games (7) as they had in their previous seven at Villa Park this season.
  • After winning five consecutive Premier League games in which they scored the first goal, Norwich have dropped points on each of the last four occasions they’ve opened the scoring in the competition (D2 L2).
  • Aston Villa have won only once in their last nine Premier League matches (W1 D1 L7), losing each of the last four in a row. Villa boss Dean Smith has never lost five consecutive league games in his managerial career.
  • Aston Villa’s Conor Hourihane has been directly involved in eight goals in his seven league games against Norwich (5 goals, 3 assists), more than he has against other side in English league football.
  • Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish has scored three goals in his last five Premier League games – as many as he had in his opening 45 appearances in the competition. The midfielder has more goals (5) and the joint-most assists (4) of any Aston Villa player in the Premier League this season.
  • Norwich’s Todd Cantwell has seven goal involvements in 18 Premier League games this season (5 goals, 2 assists) – more than double the amount he registered in 24 Championship appearances last term (1 goal, 2 assists).

BOURNEMOUTH V ARSENAL

3pm The Arteta era begins at Arsenal and it will be very interesting to see how they perform away from home. They have always had no backbone away from home and while we seen brief away wins under Emery, it was the home performances that put pressure on him. Arteta will have a style that he would like to see from the squad, but can they reach level given the talent Arteta worked with at Manchester City? They bump into a Bournemouth side in woeful form though, and this is a fantastic chance for Arteta to start with three points. Bournemouth have managed just two shots on target in their last 273 minutes of Premier League football and they haven’t found the net in three of their last four. They surprisingly won away to Chelsea which came from nowhere given their form going into that game too! Backing Arsenal away from home comes with a massive wealth warning, but given the new manager and Bournemouth’s form, we’re going to take a chance with Arsenal at 2.04.

BETDAQ BEST BET:
Arsenal to beat Bournemouth at 2.04.

You can view all markets here -> http://bit.ly/BDQbouars

MATCH STATS

  • Bournemouth have won just one of their 10 meetings in all competitions with Arsenal (D1 L8), coming from behind to win 2-1 at home in January 2018.
  • Arsenal have won seven of their nine Premier League meetings with Bournemouth (D1 L1), never failing to score against the Cherries.
  • Bournemouth are winless in all four of their Premier League Boxing Day games (D2 L2), with all of these matches coming against London sides. They’ve drawn both such games at home (0-0 with Crystal Palace, 3-3 with West Ham).
  • Of current Premier League sides, only Man Utd (80%) have a higher win percentage on Boxing Day in the competition than Arsenal (62% – won 13/21). However, away from home the Gunners have won just one of their last five such games (D3 L1).
  • Bournemouth have lost six of their last seven Premier League games, with the exception being a 1-0 win at Chelsea in that run. At home, the Cherries are looking to avoid losing four consecutive league games for the first time since September 2011.
  • Arsenal drew 0-0 at Everton in their last away league game – they’ve not kept back-to-back clean sheets on the road in the Premier League since February 2016, the second game of which was a 2-0 win at Bournemouth and followed a goalless draw.
  • Arsenal will be starting a top-flight Boxing Day game in the bottom half of the table for the first time since 1983-84 (12th), when they won 4-2 against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane.
  • Bournemouth have had just two shots on target in their last 273 minutes of Premier League football and have failed to land a single shot on target in two of their last three matches.
  • Arsenal’s Mesut Özil has been directly involved in five goals in his five Premier League appearances against Bournemouth (3 goals, 2 assists). Against no side has the German scored more Premier League goals than he has against the Cherries.
  • Mikel Arteta will take charge of his first game as Arsenal manager in this match. At 37y 275d on the day of the game, he’s the youngest person to take charge of the Gunners since Terry Neill in 1976 (34y 105d in his first game).

CHELSEA V SOUTHAMPTON

3pm Southampton managed to get a massive three points away to Aston Villa at the weekend, and unfortunately for them they bump into Chelsea here. It would have been nice to continue that momentum and perhaps they will! Chelsea haven’t been playing fantastic football in the last few weeks and they have had some very disappointing results. They did managed to win a big London Derby at the weekend though away to Spurs. They should get the job done here, but the 1.37 on the home win looks very short. Chelsea have been beaten by Bournemouth, Everton and West Ham in recent weeks and with Southampton fighting down the bottom of the table, we’re going to take a chance that this is the shock result today. From a value point of view, Chelsea are too short at 1.37 and we’re happy to lay them.

BETDAQ BEST BET:
Lay Chelsea at 1.37.

You can view all markets here -> http://bit.ly/BDQchesou

MATCH STATS

  • Chelsea have won seven of their last eight Premier League games against Southampton (D1), since a 1-3 home loss in October 2015.
  • Southampton and Chelsea drew 0-0 in this exact fixture last season – Saints have never kept consecutive away clean sheets against the Blues in the top-flight.
  • Chelsea and Southampton have met four times on Boxing Day in the Premier League, most famously 20 years ago when Chelsea became the first Premier League side to name a starting XI with no British players in a 2-1 win at the Dell.
  • Chelsea are currently unbeaten in their last 14 Premier League Boxing Day games (W9 D5), the longest such run without defeat in the competition’s history. Their last loss was back in 2003 against Charlton (2-4).
  • This is Southampton’s 17th Premier League Boxing Day game (W4 D6 L6), and it will be their 16th such game against a London side, with the exception being a 3-0 win at Cardiff in 2013. Their only away Boxing Day victory in the capital in the competition was at Crystal Palace in 2014 (otherwise D4 L3).
  • Chelsea have lost two of their last three Premier League home games (W1), as many as they had in their previous 28 at Stamford Bridge in the competition (W16 D10 L2). Indeed,
    in all competitions the Blues have lost five home games this season – only once in the 21st century have they lost more at Stamford Bridge (6 in 2015-16).
  • Southampton have scored in each of their last eight Premier League away games, their longest such streak in the competition since a run of 11 between December 2013-April 2014. Indeed, only Man City (20) and Liverpool (12) are on longer current runs of scoring in consecutive away games in the competition than Saints.
  • Southampton’s last 16 Premier League goals have been scored by English players – excluding own goals, it’s the longest such run in the competition since Queens Park Rangers between March 1996 September 2011 (17).
  • Danny Ings scored Southampton’s goal in their 1-4 defeat in the reverse fixture against Chelsea. In the Premier League era, only Rickie Lambert (2012-13) and Kevin Davies (1997-98) have scored in both games against the Blues in a single season for the club.
  • Chelsea’s Willian has netted four goals in 17 Premier League appearances, one more than he netted in 32 games last term. Willian, who scored twice last time out vs Spurs, hasn’t found the net in consecutive PL games since October 2015.

CRYSTAL PALACE V WEST HAM

3pm West Ham didn’t play last weekend because of a fixture clash for Liverpool, so they will be the freshest side on Boxing Day! The Hammers have picked up some massive wins with both of them coming away from home. The win away to Chelsea was a shock and they battled hard to win away to Southampton. They still remain one of the sides in danger towards the bottom of the table while Crystal Palace are just outside the top ten. Palace have been excellent at the back this season, but it has come at a cost. They just aren’t scoring that many goals and their home games have seen fewer goals than any other ground in the Premier League this season. Over 2.5 goals is odds on here and we feel that’s all wrong for these two sides. West Ham might struggle to score against this Palace side and with Palace not scoring for fun either, we might see a very boring affair here. Under 2.5 goals should be odds on and we’re happy to back it at 2.06.

BETDAQ BEST BET:
Under 2.5 goals at 2.06.

You can view all markets here -> http://bit.ly/BDQcrywes

MATCH STATS

  • Crystal Palace won the reverse fixture against West Ham 2-1 back in October, having won just one of their previous 10 Premier League games against them (D4 L5).
  • West Ham have only lost both Premier League meetings with Crystal Palace in a season once before, in the 2013-14 campaign when the Eagles were newly promoted.
  • The team scoring first hasn’t won any of the last five Premier League meetings between Crystal Palace and West Ham (D3 L2), with the Eagles coming from behind to win 2-1 in October.
  • Since their return to the Premier League in 2012, West Ham have won just one of their five Boxing Day games (D2 L2), winning 4-1 at Swansea in 2016.
  • Crystal Palace’s home games have seen fewer goals scored than other Premier League sides this season, with just 15 scored at Selhurst Park this season (F7 A8). Indeed, since the start of last season, Selhurst Park (2.04) has seen fewer goals-per-game than any other ground to host a Premier League match (57 goals in 28 games).
  • West Ham have won two of their last four Premier League games (L2), more than they had in their previous nine in the competition (W1 D3 L5). Their last four wins have all been while keeping a clean sheet, with the Hammers failing to win any of their last nine Premier League games in which they’ve conceded (D2 L7).
  • Only bottom side Watford (10) have failed to score in more Premier League games this season than Crystal Palace (8). In Premier League history, of the 20 teams to have played 400+ games in the competition, only Sunderland (37.8%) have failed to score in a higher ratio of their matches than the Eagles (36.2% – 147/406).
  • Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson has managed more Premier League games on Boxing Day without winning than any other current Premier League manager (5). However, all five of his games have finished in a draw, meaning only José Mourinho (7) has managed more games without defeat on that day in the competition.
  • Crystal Palace have led for the fewest minutes of any Premier League team this season (249), holding a lead in just two of their last 10 matches, winning both against Burnley and Bournemouth.
  • Sébastien Haller has scored in just one of his last nine Premier League games for West Ham, though it was the winner at Southampton in their last game. Despite this, he’s still the Hammers’ top league scorer this season with five goals.

EVERTON V BURNLEY

3pm The Carlo Ancelotti era starts at Everton and it will be very interesting to see how he gets on at Goodison. It’s fair to say that it’s a big step down for him compared to the clubs he has been in charge of, and how he copes with the level of player at Everton will be fascinating. He starts life with a home game against Burnley who have grinded out two 1-0 wins coming into this fixture. Everton played out a desperately boring 0-0 with Arsenal at the weekend and they look too short at 1.74. Burnley are five points ahead of them in the table and will come into this game with high hopes of winning. The Everton lay is a tempting bet, but we much prefer under 2.5 goals at 2.0. Everton created very little at the weekend and Burnley are a very solid team. It’s hard to expect anything but a very close game here and under 2.5 goals should be odds on.

BETDAQ BEST BET:
Under 2.5 goals at 2.0.

You can view all markets here -> http://bit.ly/BDQevebur

MATCH STATS

  • None of the 11 Premier League meetings between Everton and Burnley have finished level, with Everton winning six to Burnley’s five.
  • Burnley have won five of their 11 Premier League meetings with Everton – no side have they beaten more in the competition.
  • Everton and Burnley also faced on Boxing Day in the Premier League last season, with the Toffees running out 5-1 winners at Turf Moor. It was their biggest win on this day since 1999 (5-0 vs Sunderland).
  • Everton have lost their last two Premier League Boxing Day home games, though this is their first such match since 2014 (0-1 vs Stoke). They’ve never lost three in a row at home on the day in their league history.
  • Burnley have won just one of their last 15 away league games played on Boxing Day (D4 L10), with that victory coming at Barnsley in the Championship in 2010 (2-1).
  • Following their goalless draw with Arsenal last time out, Everton are looking to record back-to-back clean sheets in the Premier League for the first time since their opening two games this season.
  • Burnley have won their last two Premier League games, both by a 1-0 scoreline. They last won three in a row in the competition in April this year, while they last won three in a row without conceding back in November 2017.
  • This will be Carlo Ancelotti’s first game in charge of Everton. Of all managers to have taken charge of at least 30 Premier League games, the Italian has the fifth best win rate in the competition (63.2% – won 48/76).
  • After winning his first nine Premier League meetings with English managers by an aggregate score of 30-6, new Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti has won fewer than half of his subsequent 13 meetings with English bosses (W6 D4 L3).
  • Burnley have scored six goals in the final five minutes of Premier League matches this season, more than any other side. Three of their last four goals have been scored in the final five minutes, including Jay Rodriguez’s winning goal against Bournemouth.

SHEFFIELD UNITED V WATFORD

3pm Watford got a huge three points on Sunday afternoon against Manchester United and would dearly love to bag another win here. They bump into a classy Sheffield United side though who sit above Manchester United in the table. Sheffield United have been nothing short of excellent this season, they sit fifth at Christmas after being nearly odds on to get relegated this season – it’s a remarkable achievement. Despite Watford being able to beat Manchester United, that’s hardly a reliable source of form these days. Watford sit bottom of the Premier League for a reason and with Sheffield United playing some excellent football, the home win here at 1.88 is a confident selection. That price is at least ten ticks too high.

BETDAQ BEST BET:
Sheffield United to beat Watford at 1.88.

You can view all markets here -> http://bit.ly/BDQshewat

MATCH STATS

  • Sheffield United have lost just one of their last five home league games against Watford (W3 D1), though it was the most recent such meeting in the Championship back in October 2010 (0-1).
  • Watford are unbeaten in their last four league meetings with Sheffield United (W3 D1), keeping a clean sheet each time. Only against Stoke (6 between 2005-2015) and Brighton (5 between 1968-1973) have they recorded more successive shutouts in league football.
  • Sheffield United have won their last three Boxing Day games in league football. However, in the Premier League they’ve failed to win all three such games (D1 L2) and have so far failed to score on this day in the competition.
  • Watford are winless in their last seven Boxing Day away games (D3 L4), with the Hornets failing to score in six of these. However, only one of their last 12 Boxing Day games has been away from home (2-2 vs Chelsea in 2015).
  • Sheffield United haven’t won four consecutive Premier League matches since August 1993, winning the final three games in 1992/93 and on the opening day of the 1993/94 season.
  • Watford are looking to win back to back Premier League games for the first time since February, when they beat Everton at home and Cardiff City away.
  • Since winning 5-1 at Cardiff in February, Watford have netted just nine goals in their last 14 Premier League away games (conceding 33) and have picked up just eight of a possible 42 points on the road (W2 D2 L10).
  • Sheffield United have given 12,287 minutes to British players in the Premier League this season, more than any other club.
  • Watford striker Troy Deeney has scored on six days of the week in the Premier League – the only day he hasn’t scored on is Thursday (he’s never played on that day). Since the start of the 2015/16 season, the only current Premier League player to score on all seven days is Arsenal’s Alexandre Lacazette.
  • Since the start of the 2016/17 season, Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder has won 83 matches in the top four tiers of English league football – 11 more than any other English manager (Paul Tisdale and Paul Cook on 72).

MANCHESTER UNITED V NEWCASTLE

5.30pm Many fans will have great memories of this fixture, but unfortunately both clubs are shadows of their former selves. #OleOut was trending again on Twitter on Sunday afternoon after United suffered a 2-0 defeat away to Watford. Their form in the Premier League this season has been remarkable. They are unbeaten against the clubs above them, including the only team to take points off Liverpool, and can’t seem to beat teams below them. United have been completely unreliable and Newcastle will fancy their chances of a result here.

The match odds at the time of writing currently trade; Manchester United 1.39, Newcastle 10.0 and the draw is 5.4. It would take a brave punter to back United at 1.39 after what we seen at the weekend. They created very little and with Newcastle beating United already this season, the 1.39 looks very short. Newcastle have actually won two of their last four meetings in the Premier League between the sides, so there might be many backers of 10.0 come 5pm on Saturday. There’s definitely value in the United lay at 1.39 based on how they’ve been playing this season and we’re happy to lay a home win.

BETDAQ BEST BET:
Lay Manchester United at 1.39.

You can view all markets here -> http://bit.ly/BDQmunnew

MATCH STATS

  • Manchester United have lost just one of their last 34 top-flight home meetings with Newcastle United (W24 D9), going down 0-1 in December 2013 under David Moyes.
  • Newcastle United won the reverse fixture against Manchester United 1-0 in October – they’ve not done the double over the Red Devils in the top-flight since the 1930-31 campaign.
  • Newcastle have won two of their last four Premier League meetings with Man Utd (L2), as many as they had in their previous 28 against them in the competition (W2 D7 L19).
  • In Premier League history, Manchester United have won more games (20) and have a higher win percentage (80%) on Boxing Day than any other side in the competition. Meanwhile, Newcastle United have lost more games on the day than any other side (13).
  • Manchester United haven’t lost a home league game on Boxing Day since 1978 (0-3 vs Liverpool), winning 15 and drawing three such games at Old Trafford since.
  • Since beating Stoke City 5-1 in 2013, Newcastle United have lost their last four league Boxing Day games by an aggregate score of 1-9.
  • Manchester United have won just one of their last 17 Premier League matches when they’ve enjoyed more possession than their opponents (W1 D8 L8), a 3-1 win at Norwich City in October.
  • Newcastle United have 25 points after 18 games this season (W7 D4 L7), eight more than they had after 18 games last season under Rafael Benitez (W4 D5 L9).
  • Manchester United’s Mason Greenwood scored in his last Premier League appearance at Old Trafford, scoring the equaliser against Everton. Only three teenagers have scored in consecutive home matches for the Red Devils in the competition – Ryan Giggs (1993), Wayne Rooney (2005) and Federico Macheda (2010).
  • In 10 away Premier League games at Old Trafford as a manager, Steve Bruce has lost nine matches, drawing the other. During his playing career, Bruce lost just four of his 72 Premier League games at Old Trafford as a Manchester United player (W50 D18 L4).

LEICESTER V LIVERPOOL

8pm This is undoubtedly the highlight of the day! What a way to finish a superb day of sport too. It’s unfortunate that Leicester lost against Manchester City at the weekend, otherwise there would have been a huge amount riding on this tie. The reality is Liverpool have basically won the league already, and another win here would just go a little further towards 1.01 on the title. Leicester have been excellent this season and with home advantage, they should prove a tough test for Liverpool.

The match odds at the time of writing currently trade; Leicester 3.7, Liverpool 2.08 and the draw is 3.85. Liverpool were busy last weekend winning the FIFA World Club Cup and they might prove to be a nice break for the players in host weather. They have been excellent this season and nobody is in the same class as them in the Premier League. The 2.08 on them to win here is just too big to ignore. Leicester have been excellent this season but as we seen at the weekend, they just aren’t at the same level as City and Liverpool. We’re very happy with 2.08 on Liverpool and it’s the best back of the day.

BETDAQ BEST BET:
Liverpool to beat Leicester at 2.08.

You can view all markets here -> http://bit.ly/BDQleiliv

MATCH STATS

  • Leicester have lost four of their last five Premier League meetings with Liverpool (D1) since winning 3-1 in February 2017.
  • Liverpool have won their last two Premier League away games against Leicester – they’ve never won three consecutive away matches against them in top-flight history.
  • Both teams have found the net in each of the last seven Premier League meetings between Leicester and Liverpool. In the previous 20 meetings between them in the competition, both teams had scored in just eight matches.
  • Leicester and Liverpool faced on Boxing Day in the Foxes’ title winning campaign of 2015-16 – the Reds won 1-0 at Anfield, inflicting one of just three league defeats on Leicester that season.
  • Liverpool have won their last four Boxing Day matches in the Premier League, by an aggregate score of 11-0. They’ve never won five consecutive such matches in their league history.
  • Liverpool have won 29 Premier League games in 2019 – only once in their history have the Reds won more top-flight games in a single calendar year (33 in 1982).
  • At the start of the day, Liverpool are 10 points clear at the top of the Premier League table. In English top-flight history, the only side to be 10+ points clear at Christmas and not win the title were Newcastle United in 1995-96.
  • Leicester lost their last Premier League game, conceding as many goals in their 1-3 defeat against Man City as they had in their previous eight combined in the league. The Foxes haven’t lost back-to-back league games since their final three under Claude Puel in February.
  • In Premier League history, only Andy Cole (11) and Thierry Henry (8) have scored more Premier League goals against Liverpool than Leicester’s Jamie Vardy (7). Indeed, Vardy has scored in each of his last three home games against Liverpool in the competition (5 goals).
  • Liverpool forward Sadio Mané has been directly involved in 10 goals in his last nine starts in all competitions (4 goals, 6 assists), registering at least one assist in his last four starts. Mané could be the second Liverpool player to assist in five consecutive starts in 2019, after Trent Alexander-Arnold (six in April and May).

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