The halfway point of the English Premier League season is nearly upon us and there’s another weekend of crucial fixtures impacting the top of the EPL table. There’s an entertaining slate of EPL games on Matchday 18, and we’ve got you covered with our preview and EPL tips!
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EPL 2022-23: Matchday 18 Preview & Betting Tips
Liverpool vs Leicester
Anfield, Saturday 31st December, 7:00am AEDT
Liverpool will be looking for their fourth straight win as their slow climb back into the top four race begins to gain momentum. The Reds are in sixth place with a 7-4-4, five points away from fourth placed Tottenham, as they host a struggling Leicester side. The Foxes are coming off a 3-0 defeat against Newcastle, and face a tough test heading to Anfield, a venue they haven’t won at since the 3rd of May 2000.
The key separating factor in this game is the proficiency of Liverpool’s front three, and the out of form Foxes’ defence. Despite underperforming this season, The Reds have scored 31 goals from fifteen games, the fifth most in the Premier League. In contrast Leicester have conceded 28 goals, which sees them as the sixteenth ranked defence in the league.
Liverpool have a 7-1-2 record in their last ten Premier League matches against Leicester. The Reds are beginning to hit their stride after a poor start to the season which saw them with a 2-4-2 record after eight games. Liverpool were remarkably efficient against Aston Villa on Tuesday, and they’ll add to Leicester’s woes with a convincing victory.
Liverpool -1.5
$1.75 (1.5 Units)
Manchester City vs Everton
Etihad Stadium, Sunday 1st January, 2:00am AEDT
Manchester City kept themselves in the title race on the back of an Erling Haaland brace that helped them to a 3-1 win over Leeds. City have won seven of their last nine games and host an Everton side that are once again fighting for Premier League survival. The Toffees have lost three games in a row and sit just one point away from the relegation zone.
Haaland’s brace added another achievement to his historic season, becoming the fastest player to reach 20 Premier League goals. Haaland took just fourteen games, smashing the previous record held by Kevin Phillips who took 21 games. Haaland is not only on track to break Mo Salah’s record of 32 goals in a 38 game season, he’s on pace to beat Alan Shearer’s record of 34 goals in a season, which occurred in a 42 games season.
Everton have scored a measly 13 goals in the ‘22/’23 season, which is the third fewest of any side in the Premier League. It’s a terrible mismatch coming up against the best attacking side in the league who have scored 43 goals, that is led by the Golden Boot leader who has scored 20 goals by himself. The defending champions have won nine straight games against the Toffees, and simply have too much attacking firepower for Everton to compete with.
Manchester City -2
$1.60 (2 Units)
Newcastle vs Leeds
St James’ Park, Sunday 1st January, 2:00am AEDT
Newcastle’s fairytale campaign rolls on, with their 3-0 win over Leicester on Tuesday extending their winning streak to six games in a row. Eddie Howe’s side will be looking to keep the streak alive when they face off against Leeds. The Magpies are third on the Premier League table with a 9-6-1 record, and are unbeaten across their last eleven games.
Newcastle were last beaten on 31st August, and their success this season has come from their league best defence which has allowed just eleven goals this season. To pair with their outstanding defence, Newcastle have become a consistent threat in the front third, scoring 33 goals this season, the third most in the Premier League. The Magpies can beat sides in a variety of different ways with how well rounded they are at both ends of the pitch.
Leeds have won just four of their fifteen games this season, with their inability to produce at the defensive end a massive issue. Leeds have lost six of their last eight games, and have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of those eight games. Newcastle will be looking to put their foot down and consolidate their position in third, with Tottenham, Manchester United and Liverpool battling for fourth. The Magpies have been excellent all season long, and will continue their unbeaten run against Leeds.
Newcastle -1.5
$2.20 (1.5 Units)
More EPL Matchday 18 Tips
West Ham vs Brentford (Saturday 6:45am AEDT)
The Hammers’ horrible run of form continued in their first game back from the break as they went down 3-1 to the Gunners. They’ve already notched up 10, which is only four fewer than their entire 2021-22 campaign. In contrast, the Bees have had a couple of strong performances against top six sides on the spin and will be full of confidence heading to the London Stadium. The Bees are over the odds to come away with at least a point.
Brentford or Draw ($1.75 at Ladbrokes)
Wolves vs Manchester United (Saturday 11:30pm AEDT)
The Wolves secured three valuable points against a fellow relegation battler in Everton on the weekend. It was just their third win of the campaign and saw them climb off the bottom and into 18th spot on the table. Still, the Wolves will have to string a few of those performances together to earn our trust. I suspect going toe-to-toe with a team of Manchester United’s quality is a task too tough on current form.
Manchester United ($1.85 at TAB)
Bournemouth vs Crystal Palace (Sunday 2am AEDT)
Both Bournemouth and Crystal Palace failed to fire a shot in their respective return games from the World Cup break. The Cherries have now lost five of their last six league matches while Palace have gone down in three of their past five. Regardless, Palace are the more talented team in this matchup and also have the greater upside. Getting $2.50 about them in this fixture is solid value.
Crystal Palace ($2.50 at TAB)
Fulham vs Southampton (Sunday 2am AEDT)
Southampton got their campaign off to a decent start with seven points from their first five games, but it’s been a massive uphill battle since. They head to Craven Cottage having lost four league matches on the spin and find themselves up against a Fulham outfit coming off a dominant 3-0 win away at Crystal Palace. All signs lead towards a win for the home side here.
Fulham ($2 at Ladbrokes)
Brighton vs Arsenal (Sunday 4:30am AEDT)
Arsenal remain top of the league to start the new year but have a tricky test on their hands to kick off 2023. They face a Brighton outfit that are knocking on the door of the top six and who are also winners of three of their last four matches. This makes it a tough match to predict in terms of the winner, although there’s still a notable trend that could be worth following in a betting sense.
The Over 2.5 Goals and Both Teams to Score markets have both hit in each of Brighton’s last five league matches. Further, both of those markets also hit when these sides last met. With that said, I’m leaning towards BTTS as the play here as it just feels a little safer.
Both Teams to Score ($1.65 at Ladbrokes)
Tottenham vs Aston Villa (Monday 1am AEDT)
The Spurs had to come from two down to salvage a point in their return fixture against the Bees. They’ve now conceded 2+ goals in each of their last six league matches. Meanwhile, Villa have banged in 10 goals from their last five matches, winning three of them. It seems Villa will get their chances to score goals despite being the road team here, so I’ll be backing in BTTS again.
Both Teams to Score ($1.75 at TAB)
Nottingham vs Chelsea (Monday 3:30am AEDT)
Nottingham suffered their fourth 3+ goal defeat for the season when they visited Old Trafford last weekend. It’s turning into a worrying campaign for this newly-promoted side who went all out in the transfer market. Unfortunately, they now come up against a Chelsea outfit who were easy winners last start and that will be desperate to claim another three points. It’s hard to see this ending in anything other than a Chelsea win.
Chelsea ($1.66 at Ladbrokes)
