There’s plenty of English Premier League action over the holiday period with Matchday 18 serving up some excellent clashes. It’s a massive slate of football over the coming days, and BeforeYouBet has you covered with our best bets!
EPL 2025-26: Matchday 18 Preview & Betting Tips
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
City Ground, Saturday 27th December, 11:30pm AEDT
Manchester City heading to Nottinghamshire looking to push to take top spot, when they face Nottingham Forest. Man City are just two points behind league leaders Arsenal, having won five straight games leading into Matchday 18. Forest’s horror season continues, with a 1-0 loss to Fulham last week leaving them in 17th place on the table with a 5-3-9 record. Forest will be desperate to get further away from the relegation zone, and taking points off City would be a huge result.
Pep Guardiola’s side have been in brilliant touch in all facets of the game this season, sitting as the number one ranked attack (41 goals scored), the number two ranked defence (16 goals conceded) and rank fourth for possession (57.8%). Their attacking football has been led brilliantly by golden boot leader Erling Haaland, who has scored 19 goals. City have won three straight games by scorelines of 3-0, highlighting how good they’ve been playing at both ends of the pitch.
Forest rank 19th for goals scored this season (17 goals), which is a major concern coming up against such a prolific Manchester City side. Manchester City have scored 16 goals across their last five games, only one goal off Forest’s season total. There’s a major gap in attack quality, which could result in an ugly encounter. Manchester City have had the better of this matchup with a 4-1-1 record in their last six league games against Forest. Those four wins have all come by 2+ goals, with an aggregate score of 13-0.
Manchester City -1
$2.45 (1.5 Units)
Arsenal vs Brighton
Emirates Stadium, Sunday 28th December, 2:00am AEDT
Arsenal will be looking to keep their hold on first when they host ninth placed Brighton at the Emirates on Sunday morning. December has been a bad month for Brighton who were on the cusp of the top four, but two losses and two draws this month has seen them fall five points away from the top four. After a loss to Aston Villa in early December, Arsenal have steadied with two straight wins over Wolverhampton and Everton, and although they haven’t been at their best, they keep finding a way to win.
Arsenal’s all-conquering defence is the reason they are still able to win games even when they aren’t at their best, as their back four continue to shut teams out. The Gunners have conceded only 10 goals this season, 6 fewer than the next best team. To go with their defence Arsenal have scored the second most goals in the league (31) and are ranked second for possession (59.4%). They can win games in many different ways, which makes them such a great team.
Brighton have struggled in recent times against Arsenal, going winless in their last four league fixtures against the Gunners. Another big factor in this clash is Arsenal’s excellent record at home (7-1-0) compared to Brighton's ordinary away record (2-2-4). Given Brighton’s drop in form, it’s hard to see them turning things around against a quality side that has so much to play for. Knowing they’ll likely lose top spot if they drop points, there won’t be any complacency from Mikel Arteta’s men.
Arsenal -1
$2.05 (1 Unit)
Chelsea vs Aston Villa
Stamford Bridge, Sunday 28th December, 4:30am AEDT
Stamford Bridge plays host the best game of Matchday 18 as third placed Aston Villa take on fourth placed Chelsea. Aston Villa are the most in-form team in the Premier League having won seven straight games, to be only three points behind league leaders Arsenal. They’ve also put a gap between themselves and Chelsea, sitting seven points clear inside the top four. It’s a crucial clash for Chelsea in their hopes to stay in the top four, while it’s crucial for Villa in their pursuit of top spot.
Aston Villa’s balance has been crucial to their winning streak, possessing a top six ranked attack and top five ranked defence. They have been able to come out on top thanks to some brilliant attacking performances on this winning streak and will be looking for that to continue on Sunday. Despite being in fourth, Chelsea have struggled over the last month, winning just one of their last five games. With Liverpool on equal points, Chelsea will likely slip out of the top four if they don’t beat Villa this weekend.
It’s surprising to see Aston Villa start as such big outsiders given the form they are in, compared to the form Chelsea are in. Villa have had the better of this matchup in recent times, winning three of the last five Premier League matches between the two clubs. Aston Villa’s away record this season is the exact same as Chelsea’s home record (4-2-2), meaning going to Stamford Bridge shouldn’t hold any fears. If Villa can keep the possession battle tight and let Chelsea gain control, they’ll come out on top in this clash.
Aston Villa to Win
$3.80 (1 Unit)
