The Premier League madness is on, with several games in the span of just five days. New Year closes and starts with English football, which we adore. The most interesting games of Round 18 will be presented in the upcoming paragraphs, so stay tuned because there are many of interesting and useful info prepared.
Liverpool VS Leicester
The Reds were impressive in Birmingham against Aston Villa, 1-3, not only winning three points but also performing at the highest possible level. That’s something Liverpool needed to boost morale, and for sure, that happened on Monday. Apart from that, Cody Gakpo’s signature is done, and the Reds will have even more options upfront, which is particularly important now, with Darwin Nunez being terrible.
Leicester was blown away at home against Newcastle, 0-3, yet that isn’t their true face. The Magpies scored two goals in the opening few minutes, stunning the hosts, who couldn’t recover afterward. The big problem for Brendan Rodgers is James Maddison’s situation because of the player’s injury and his current shape. Maddison is by far the best and the most important guy in Leicester.
Liverpool’s games are efficient, and the Reds have a better team than the Foxes. With or without Maddison, the hosts should win and cover a 1.5-goal spread.
Pick: Liverpool -1.5 3/4 at BetXchange
Manchester City VS Everton
The Citizens couldn’t score early against Leeds at Elland, but in the end, they broke the Peacocks’ lock and won 1-3. Haaland scored two goals, further increasing the advantage in the goalscoring list. Man City scored two or more goals in nine of the past ten home games and three or more in six.
Everton and Frank Lampard are in trouble. They are just above the relegation zone, not winning in the past five competitive games, four of them in the English Premiership (three losses and a draw). The defensive area is the biggest problem for the Toffees, who conceded at least twice in the most recent four clashes.
This is a potential massacre for the guests, who could leave Etihad with five or more goals in their net. There’s no doubt Haaland is going to try to deliver as many hits as possible and keep his incredible form.
Pick: Manchester City -1.5 2/5 at BetXchange
Brighton VS Arsenal
The Seagulls play very good football. Graham Potter is gone to Chelsea, but his system still lives, and Brighton works according to it. Since he left, the Seagulls have begun to show signs of weakness in defense, allowing at least one goal in the previous eight events.
Arsenal’s championship dreams live, despite Gabriel Jesus’ injury. The Gunners were down at halftime against West Ham but managed to flip the result upside down and triumph. Mikel Arteta’s team on the road looks impressive with six wins and one loss and draw, 14-4 goal difference.
What is noticeable when Arsenal plays on the road is the low efficiency of those games. The past six away events they played were with under 2.5 goals. So, that’s our pick for this game too.
Pick: Under 2.5 goals at BetXchange
Newcastle VS Leeds United
The Magpies are the third team in the standings right now. And all that without some mega transfers, which were expected after the Saudi takeover. With far less cash than predicted, Eddie Howe created a very respectable team whose growth will continue. For the moment, Newcastle has only one defeat in 16 games, with eight wins and seven draws.
Leeds is in trouble because of all the injured players they have. Some of them are key pieces of the puzzle, like Bamford, and the Peacocks don’t have quality replacements for either of the absent guys.
Our pick here is Newcastle to win because of their very good form and also, due to the guests’ problems with missing players.
Pick: Newcastle 1/2 at BetXchange
