Matchweek 21
Arsenal ($6) vs Manchester City ($1.50) – Saturday 1st January @11:30pm AEDT
Arsenal take on league leaders Manchester City to kick off 2022 in the Premier League on New Year’s Day.
The Gunners have rocketed up the table into fourth place, following four wins on the bounce.
But the real acid test will come this Saturday against the juggernaut that is City, who now sit eight points clear of second-placed Chelsea.
Arsenal will also be without manager Mikael Arteta in the dugout, after the Spaniard tested positive to Covid.
All season, the criticism of Arsenal has been that they are flat-track bullies, sweeping aside opposition they’re expected to flatten, while crumbling to sterner opposition.
If the Gunners are going to finish in the top four, they are going to have to beat one of the big dogs sooner or later.
Team News
Arsenal are unlikely to recall Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who remains frozen out of the squad by manager Mikael Arteta.
City could still be without Rodri, John Stones and Kyle Walker, who are still shaking off respective injuries.
Best Bets
Match Result: Manchester City ($1.50)
Watford ($5) vs Tottenham Hotspur ($1.61) – Sunday 2nd January @2:00am AEDT
Tottenham travel to Vicarage Road to take on struggling Watford on Sunday morning.
Spurs remain undefeated in seven Premier League matches in the Antonio Conte era, though they dropped points away to Southampton last match.
Meanwhile, Watford’s new manager bubble has well and truly burst, with the Hornets losing their last five league matches on the bounce.
New manger Claudio Ranieri will be desperate to secure all three points on New Year’s Day, especially given the ruthless reputation the Watford board have conjured.
Team News
Spurs are still likely to be without Argentine duo Giovani Lo Celso and Cristian Romero, while Ryan Sessegnon and Steven Bergwijn are also unlikely to feature.
Watford have injury dramas of their own, with Ismaila Sarr, Ben Foster, Danny Rose and Tom Cleverley all sidelined.
Best Bets
Anytime scorer: Harry Kane ($1.90)
Crystal Palace ($3) vs West Ham ($2.30) – Sunday 2nd January @4:30 am AEDT
Crystal Palace clash with West Ham in a London derby on Sunday morning.
The Eagles will be looking to secure back-to-back wins, following their 3-0 hammering of Norwich last match.
Meanwhile, West Ham scored an emphatic win of their own last time out, away at struggling Watford.
Patrick Viera’s Palace started off the season with such promise but have recently found results hard to come by, while David Moyes’s West Ham need to start winning games on a more consistent basis to stay in touch with the top four.
Team News
Both teams welcome back their respective star players from suspension, with Wilfried Zaha and Declan Rice both available for selection.
Best Bets
Match Result: Draw ($3.40)
