Crystal Palace vs Leicester
The Eagles will host the Foxes at Selhurst Park on Tuesday, December 29 at 2:00am (all times AEST).
The Foxes will be looking to regain some real estate toward the top of the table when they travel to face Crystal Palace, with the Midlands club sitting third with the two Manchester clubs and Aston Villa in red-hot form with a games-in-hand.
Brendan Rodgers’ men have had a sporadic last fortnight, falling to the Toffees, defeating Tottenham and then being tied to Manchester United at home, but will look for some stability before the turn of the new year when they head to Selhurst Park.
The Eagles currently sit 13th after consecutive hammerings by Liverpool and Aston Villa, with the former putting seven goals past Palace’s defense.
Unfortunately Roy Hodgson’s backline won’t be able to rest ahead of 2021, as they face Jamie Vardy and the flying Foxes forward third, an attack set to cause plenty of havoc and headache.
Leicester did the double over Palace last season, with Vardy scoring three goals across the two fixtures and looking his very best against Londoners.
With the gap between the Foxes and the top-placed Reds starting to grow stronger, a win away to the Eagles will be a vital three points prior to New Year’s Day.
For Palace, a win will give them a great chance of moving into the top half and hand their relegation probability a handy hit.
Will the Eagles climb the table? Or will it be a ‘Vardy party’ once again?
Our Tip: Leicester Win @ $2.00
Chelsea vs Aston Villa
Villa will head to London to face the Blues on Tuesday, December 27 at 4:30am.
It will be sixth vs seventh when the Lions travel south to Stamford Bridge, with the Midlands giants sitting pretty with two games-in-hand over Chelsea and eyeing an extension on their goal difference advantage this week.
Dean Smith’s men have won three games and held one draw in their past four fixtures and will look to begin a tough run ahead with another three points against Frank Lampard’s side.
Following their clash at The Bridge, Villa will then head to Old Trafford, before an FA Cup clash against Liverpool and a return to the league with games against Tottenham and Everton at home.
The first cab off the rank of this nightmare run is Chelsea however, who have been handed three losses in their past four matches and will be desperate to make amends on their poor December run with a strong finish.
The Blues have won their past six fixtures against the Villa and will be eyeing a seventh consecutive victory in hope of moving back into the top bracket of the league.
With one side overachieving the other under par, there will be plenty to take away from this upcoming 90 minutes as we enter the new year, with both clubs looking to ensure themselves as a serious contender for European qualification.
Both clubs have been hit with omissions to their back-third, with Ben Chillwell likely to miss the clash through injury, while Villa defender Tyrone Mings will be sidelined after receiving a red card in his side’s last outing in their victory over Palace.
Can Chelsea make amends? Or will Villa’s hot run continue?
Our Tip: Chelsea Win @ $1.60
Everton vs Manchester City
City will move to the Merseyside to face Everton on Tuesday, December 29 at 7:00am.
The Toffees’ last win over the Manchester giants came in January 2017, with Everton running rampant at Goodison Park in a 4-0 victory over the Sky Blues.
Almost four years on from that victory, Seamus Coleman looks to be the only player to potentially start in both clashes for Everton as they plan to end City’s six-game undefeated run, with the past five all wins for the Mancunians.
While recent history will dictate another three points for the Cityzens, the Toffees have a new look under Carlo Ancelotti and are sitting pretty with 29 points 15 matches and right on the tails of their crosstown rivals atop the table.
While hosting Pep Guardiola’s side is already a tough task in itself, Everton will be without Lucas Digne, James Rodriguez and Allan in what will be a true test for the Merseysiders.
Despite a somewhat shaky start, City look to be on the right path as they enter the top five, with their last league loss coming over a month ago, a run potentially extending to seven games this week.
A busy week saw Pep’s side move into the League Cup semi-finals in a win over Arsenal before a comfortable 2-0 victory over the Magpies, with their final match of 2020 set to test the barometer for City.
Another win will not only add to their impressive run, but will add a major boost of confidence to their upcoming clashes against Chelsea in the league and then Manchester United in the EFL Cup.
Both clubs have plenty to prove before the turn of the new year and will be wanting to end 2020 on a high.
Will the Toffees sit near the summit to start 2021? Or will City have the last laugh of the year?
Our Tip: Manchester City Win @ $1.50
