The highlight games for the next set of EPL matches are CHELSEA versus EVERTON and ARSENAL versus WOLVES. Our feature columnist, John Newsome, previews these and all game week 16 matches with his unique and insightful commentary. You can view all previous analysis from John’s regular column here: English Premier League Predictions For Saturday.
Be sure to check out John’s new book, entitled “Three Days At Anfield“, a riotous and heartfelt tribute to Barnsley FC that blends football nostalgia, fan memoir, and a love letter to the beautiful game. Available on Amazon now.
Please note all prices quoted below were correct at the time of publication.
Game Week-16
Saturday 13th
CHELSEA v EVERTON
15.00 in England
With a total of 20 goals scored in Saturday’s fixtures and 30 going into the back of the net over the complete Game Week-15 set, Chelsea didn’t contribute to any of those stats, playing out a draw by a 0-0 score against Bournemouth at the Vitality.
Apart from Cole Palmer starting his first game since mid-September, there’s not much more to be said about that stalemate on the South Coast.
Cole got almost an hour of play into his legs so hopefully for the Chelsea faithful (and for the England Football Fans) the lad can remain fit and get more game time each week.
Chelsea sit in 5th place with the same 25 points as Manchester United from the 15 games completed.
Chelsea head to Italy on Tuesday to face Atalanta in Match Day-6 of the Champions League-League Phase.
Everton contributed 3 goals to the weekend’s tally, gaining a superb victory over Nottingham Forest by a 3-0 scoreline at the Hill Dickinson Stadium on Saturday.
After the opening goal was credited as a Forest OG, Thierno Barry scored his first Premier League goal for the Toffees on the stroke of half-time.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall scored Everton’s 3rd in the 80th minute to give David Moyes boys the home win over the ex-Gaffer Sean Dyche.
That was Kiernan’s 3rd in the last 4 games and his 4th of the season, making him Everton’s joint leading goal scorer along with Iliman Ndiaye.
Everton sit in 7th place with 24 points from the 15 games completed.
Nicolas Jackson scored the only goal of the game to give Chelsea the victory over Everton by a 1-0 score in last season’s encounter at Stamford Bridge.
Betfred offer Chelsea at Odds On 4/7, the Draw at 13/5 and 9/2 for Everton to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 4/1 that Cole Palmer Scores First and 7/5 that Chelsea Win To Nil.
(If your pre-match First Goalscorer bet scores First and then scores a Second, Betfred DOUBLE the odds.
If they score a Third, Betfred TREBLE the odds.)
Home Win 3-0- Get 11/1 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
LIVERPOOL v BRIGHTON
15.00 in England
‘Pool, Pool are falling apart again, Pool, Pool are falling apart again!’
Following a goalless 1st-half against Leeds United at Elland Rd, a couple of goals from Hugo Ekitike gave Liverpool what appeared to be a comfortable lead.
That wasn’t the case with Leeds scoring twice to make the scores level and although Dominik Szoboszlai scored a 3rd goal in the 80th minute, it wasn’t the end, with Leeds getting an equaliser in the 96th minute to give both teams a share of the points from a draw by a 3-3 score.
Liverpool have drawn their last two games with a win in the previous, following two straight defeats, meaning a total of 5 points from a possible 15.
Liverpool sit in 10th place with the same 23 points as Sunderland and today’s visitors Brighton.
There is still conjecture regarding Mo Salah, who was left on the bench again and has only played the 2nd-half against Sunderland in the last three fixtures.
Mo then released a statement which unfortunately John Newsome couldn’t read due to the Crying Baby noise (wah-wah-wah) coming from the Egyptian who seems to think the ‘club’ (Liverpool) have thrown him under the bus.
Maybe the new contract Mo signed in April, paying him a reported £400,000 a week, with the club that has supposedly thrown him under the bus, counteracts that particular argument.
Or maybe, Mr Salah needs to put his toys back in his pram and concentrate on working hard for the team and putting the ball in the back of the net, which the ex-Egyptian King has only done 4 times this season.
John Newsome wants to just say,
‘Dry thi Eyes Mo and get back to scoring goals!’
Like Chelsea, Liverpool head to Italy on Tuesday to face Inter Milan at the iconic San Siro Stadium in Match Day-6 of the Champions League.
One can’t see them going on the same plane to save their Carbon Footprint but no doubt later on in the campaign there will be a ‘Zero Carbon’ weekend where the main player will be someone called ‘Hypocrisy!’
There was an announcement made on Monday that Mo Salah wasn’t part of the Liverpool squad that will play against Inter.
It’s also unlikely that Mo will be back for this game against Brighton, considering that Mo was already set to leave and head off to Morocco to meet up with the Egypt Team for the upcoming African Cup of Nations after the weekends game.
Brighton gained a point from a draw by a 1-1 score against West Ham at the Amex on Sunday.
After a goalless 1st-half, West Ham scored in the 73rd minute to take the lead.
Brighton left it late to get a goal with Georginio Rutter scoring the equaliser in the 91st minute to give both teams a point apiece.
Brighton sit in 8th place with the same 23 points as Sunderland and as already mentioned, the same 23 as today’s hosts.
Liverpool secured a home victory over Brighton when the two teams met at Anfield last season.
Ferdi Kadioglu scored the opener to give Brighton a lead at the break.
The game was quickly turned around in the 70th and 72nd minute when Coady Gakpo and Mo Salah scored the Liverpool goals to give Arne’s Slot Machines the win over Fab’s Seagulls by a 2-1 scoreline.
Betfred offer Liverpool at slight Odds On 4/6, the Draw at 11/4 and 16/5 for Brighton to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 4/1 that Hugo Ekitike Scores First and 5/4 that there are Over 3.5 Goals.
(If your pre-match First Goalscorer bet scores First and then scores a Second, Betfred DOUBLE the odds.
If they score a Third, Betfred TREBLE the odds.)
Draw 2-2- Get 11/1 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
BURNLEY v FULHAM
17.30 in England
Sky Sports
Burnley suffered their 6th Premier League defeat in a row and the 8th from the last 10 games on Saturday.
Saturday’s loss came against Newcastle at St James Park with the home team getting the victory from a 2-1 scoreline.
After Newcastle had scored twice in the 1st-half, Burnley were awarded a late penalty, which was converted by Zian Flemming in the 94th minute.
Although the goal gave the travelling Clarets a little lift, it did spoil this EveryTip column’s prediction of ‘Newcastle Win To Nil.
Burnley sit in 19th place with 10 points from the 15 games played.
Fulham suffered their 2nd home defeat in a row on Sunday, this time against Crystal Palace by a 2-1 score.
That was following the bizarre loss against Man City at Craven Cottage the previous Tuesday by the 4-5 score.
Palace scored the opener after 20 minutes which was equalised by Harry Wilson in the 38th to leave both teams level at the break.
Emile Smith-Rowe thought he’d scored Fulham’s 2nd just after the restart, however, the dreaded VAR ruled the goal out for offside.
Palace then scored the eventual winner in the 87th minute to inflict the defeat on Fulham.
Marco Silva wasn’t happy about the disallowed goal, stating that the offside player Samuel Chukwueze has a toenail that is too big.
Fair enough!
Fulham remain in 15th place with 17 points from the 15 games played.
Both teams shared the points from a draw by a 2-2 score when Burnley last hosted Fulham at Turf Moor in the 2023/24 Premier League campaign.
Fulham’s Joao Palhinha and Rodrigo Muniz scored to give the away team a lead at the break.
It was then the David Datro Fofana show with the on-loan Striker from Chelsea scoring twice for Burnley to give both teams a point apiece.
Betfred offer Burnley at 11/4, the Draw at 9/4 and slight Odds On 9/10 for Fulham to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 15/2 that Samuel Chukwueze Scores First and 15/8 that Fulham Score in Both Halves.
(If your pre-match First Goalscorer bet scores First and then scores a Second, Betfred DOUBLE the odds.
If they score a Third, Betfred TREBLE the odds.)
Away Win 0-2- Get 15/2 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
ARSENAL v WOLVES
20.00 in England
TNT Sports
Arsenal suffered a defeat against Aston Villa at Villa Park on Saturday, which was the Gunners’ second loss of the season in the Premier League, the other being against Liverpool back in Game Week-3.
After conceding a Villa goal and trailing at the break, Mikel Arteta sent on Leandro Trossard at the start of the 2nd-half.
Leandro scored the equaliser 7 minutes into the 2nd-half then was surprisingly taken off by Mikel in the 86th minute.
With time almost up and a draw looking the likely outcome, Aston Villa scored the winner in the 95th minute, which was literally the last kick of the game, to knock the stuffing out of Mikel and his Young Guns.
The defeat by a 2-1 scoreline, as predicted in this EveryTip column, leaves Arsenal at the summit with 33 points, now only 2 points ahead of Man City who sit in 2nd with 31 points.
Aston Villa sit 3rd with 30 points.
Arsenal go to Belgium on Wednesday to face Club Brugge in their Match Day-6 of the Champions League-League Phase.
The Gunners are the only team in that particular League who are unbeaten after 5 games so they will be wanting to continue that winning streak.
Wolves suffered another defeat on Monday, this time against Manchester United at Molineux by a 4-1 scoreline.
That’s the 8th Premier League defeat in a row and the 4th under Rob Edwards.
After not scoring in the previous 5 games, which were all defeats for Wolves, Jean-Ricner Bellegarde did get a Wolves goal to equalise an earlier United notch which left both teams level at the break.
Unfortunately for the Gold and Blacks in attendance, United came out stronger in the 2nd-half which resulted in Wolves conceding a 2nd after 6 minutes of the restart.
United then scored a 3rd in the 63rd minute and following a dreaded VAR referral that adjudged Yerson Mosquera was responsible for a handball in the area, conceded a penalty and ultimately a 4th that resulted in another defeat.
Wolves stay at the foot of the table with 2 points from the 15 played so far.
What that basically means is Wolves will be playing Championship football next season and Rob Edwards will be wishing he’d stayed at Middlesbrough.
Egos in football, unbelievable Jeff!
This matchup between these two iconic teams is one of the oldest fixtures in English Top Flight history.
The game at the Emirates between these two last season, was the opening fixture of the 2024/25 Premier League season.
Goals from Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka, 1 in each half, gave Arsenal the home victory over Wolves by a 2-0 scoreline.
Wolves were under the guidance of Gary O’Neil before Vitor Pereira took over.
Now it’s Rob Edwards turn to lose, sorry face Arsenal as the Wolves Manager.
Betfred offer Arsenal at Odds On 1/7, the Draw at 5/1 and 14/1 for Wolves to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 4/1 that Bukayo Saka Scores First and 23/20 that Arsenal Win Both Halves.
(If your pre-match First Goalscorer bet scores First and then scores a Second, Betfred DOUBLE the odds.
If they score a Third, Betfred TREBLE the odds.)
Home Win 3-0- Get 5/1 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
Sunday 14th
CRYSTAL PALACE v MAN CITY
14.00 in England
Sky Sports
Crystal Palace gained a victory over Fulham at Craven Cottage on Sunday.
Goals from Eddie Nketiah and Marc Guehi gave the Eagles the London Bragging Rights over the Cottagers from a 2-1 scoreline.
Fulham scored to equalise Eddie’s opener before Marc got the winner late on.
Crystal Palace sit in 4th place with 26 points from the 15 games played.
Crystal Palace play in the Europa Conference League on Thursday but don’t head East over the Channel like most European games.
Palace head West to Ireland to face Shelbourne in Match Day-5 of that particular competition.
A cautionary note, Crystal Palace don’t have a good record in Premier League games straight after a European game.
A strange phenomenon happened at the Etihad on Saturday.
No, there wasn’t a full house at the home of Man City, that would be too extreme.
The phenomenon was that Man City gained a victory over Sunderland by a 3-0 scoreline and Erling Haaland didn’t, repeat, didn’t get a goal!
It was left to Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol and Phil Foden to score the goals.
Phil Foden’s header was a thing of beauty, coming from a brilliant Rabona kick by Rayan Cherki.
If one’s not sure what a Rabona is, an example would be that if John Newsome tried a Rabona, one would end up in Accident and Emergency (A and E) with a broken leg.
As it’s nearly Christmas, it was definitely Cherki with all the trimmings.
Man City stay in 2nd place with 31 points, now just 2 points adrift of Arsenal at the summit after 15 games played.
City are also in European action this week and head to Spain on Wednesday to take on Real Madrid at the Bernabeu in the Champions League.
Both teams shared the points from a draw by a 2-2 score when Man City last visited Selhurst Park to take on Crystal Palace.
The game was played just over 12 months ago on the 7th of December 2024.
Daniel Munoz (Crystal Palace) and Erling Haaland (Man City) scored in the 1st-half to take both teams in level at the break.
Maxence Lacroix (Crystal Palace) and Rico Lewis (Man City) scored after the break to give both teams a point apiece.
The two later met in the FA Cup Final where Palace got the Trophy following a victory over City by a narrow 1-0 scoreline.
Betfred offer Crystal Palace at 13/5, the Draw at 5/2 and slight Odds On 5/6 for Man City to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 5/2 that Erling Haaland Scores First and 11/5 that Man City Win To Nil.
(If your pre-match First Goalscorer bet scores First and then scores a Second, Betfred DOUBLE the odds.
If they score a Third, Betfred TREBLE the odds.)
Away Win 0-2- Get 9/1 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
***Premier League Team of the Week***
GOALKEEPER- Emiliano Martinez- Aston Villa
RIGHT-BACK- Matty Cash- Aston Villa
CENTRE-BACK- Michael Keane- Everton
CENTRE-BACK- Marc Guehi- Crystal Palace
LEFT-BACK- Josko Gvardiol- Man City
MIDFIELDER- Adam Wharton- Crystal Palace
MIDFIELDER- Rayan Cherki- Man City
MIDFIELDER- Emiliano Buendia- Aston Villa
FORWARD- Hugo Ekitike- Liverpool
FORWARD- Anthony Gordon- Newcastle
FORWARD- Thierno Barry- Everton
STAR MAN- Emiliano Buendia- Aston Villa
***Last Week’s Winning Tips-
Aston Villa To Win- 16/5
Man City To Win- 2/9
Newcastle To Win- 2/7
Tottenham To Win- 13/10
Manchester United To Win- 4/5
Correct Scores-
Aston Villa v Arsenal 2-1- 12/1
Correct Tips-
Aston Villa v Arsenal-
Over 2.5 Goals- 11/10
Leeds United v Liverpool
Leeds To Score Over 1.5 Goals- 7/4
Fulham v Crystal Palace
Harry Wilson To Score Anytime- 16/5
NOTTINGHAM FOREST v TOTTENHAM
14.00 in England
Sky Sports
This fixture is quite apt regarding last weekend’s games.
Both Managers (Sean Dyche and Thomas Frank) faced up against the team that they were in charge of last season.
Granted Sean only lasted until January as the Everton Manager, however, he had been at Goodison Park for a couple of years.
There was a theory that if a person
who had managed a team for X amount of years then moves clubs and faces said old club, he should be able to get his new team a victory, based on all the information gained whilst at that old club.
For example, Sean Dyche, now Manager of Nottingham Forest, goes back to his old club, Everton and should have enough information to get the win.
Unfortunately for Mr Dyche, his Nottingham Forest team suffered a defeat against Everton by a 3-0 scoreline, so in that instance, the theory doesn’t work.
Nottingham Forest slipped to 17th place with the same 15 points as Leeds United from the opening 15 games played.
Both teams are in European action this week with Forest heading to the Netherlands to face Utrecht on Thursday in Match Day-6 of the Europa League-League Phase.
Tottenham stay in London and face Slavia Prague on Tuesday in Match Day-6 of the Champions League-League Phase.
The fact that Forest have to travel to and from the Netherlands and play their midweek game on Thursday as opposed to Tottenham staying in London and playing 2 days earlier, could have a bearing on this Sunday Afternoon Premier League fixture.
The theory mentioned earlier regarding previous Managers, was borne out when Thomas Frank’s Tottenham faced his old club Brentford on Saturday.
After 2 draws and 2 losses in the previous 4 Premier League fixtures, Tottenham gained a win over Brentford by a 2-0 scoreline.
Richarlison and Xavi Simons with the goals, both in the 1st-half.
Tottenham sit 11th in the table with the same 22 points as Newcastle, both having completed 15 games.
John Newsome still believes in the theory that a person who has managed one club, who then takes his new team back to his old club has enough information to get a positive result.
Maybe the reason Sean Dyche failed was because he was only at Everton for 2 years and was up against the Wiley Old Fox that is David Moyes.
Whereas Thomas Frank was at Brentford for 7 years and took on the Apprentice, him being Keith Andrews.
Anthony Elanga scored the only goal of the game in the 38th minute to give Nottingham Forest the victory over Tottenham by a 1-0 scoreline when these two met at the City Ground last season.
Betfred offer Nottingham Forest at 7/5, the Draw at 21/10 and 7/4 for Tottenham to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 11/2 that Richarlison Scores First and 8/1 that Tottenham Win Both Halves.
(If your pre-match First Goalscorer bet scores First and then scores a Second, Betfred DOUBLE the odds.
If they score a Third, Betfred TREBLE the odds.)
Away Win 1-3- Get 18/1 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
SUNDERLAND v NEWCASTLE
14.00 in England
Sky Sports
Despite Sunderland having a brilliant start to life back in the Premier League gaining some great results over the previous 14 games, Regis Le Bris and his Black Cat team came up against Pep Guardiola and his High Flying Blues at the Etihad on Saturday.
Unfortunately for all connected with Sunderland, Man City gained the home victory by a 3-0 scoreline.
That was Sunderland’s 4th loss in the opening 15 games, with 6 wins and 5 draws coming from the other 11, leaving the Black Cats in 9th place with the same 23 points as Liverpool and Brighton.
Newcastle gained the home win over Burnley at St James Park on Saturday.
Goals from Bruno Guimaraes and a converted Anthony Gordon penalty gave Newcastle a lead at the break.
Unfortunately for the Toon Army in attendance, there were no further Newcastle goals in the 2nd-half, however, the Magpies did concede a penalty late on that was converted by Burnley, to leave Newcastle with the victory from a 2-1 scoreline.
Newcastle sit in 12th place with the same 22 points as Tottenham.
Eddie’s Magpies head to Germany on Wednesday to take on Bayer Leverkusen in Match Day-6 of the Champions League.
The Tyne–Wear derby is a fierce football rivalry between Sunderland and Newcastle who are located just 12 miles apart in the North East of England.
The rivalry is one of England’s oldest Football Derby’s with the first competitive fixture between the two taking place in 1888.
The Toon Army travel the short distance to the Stadium of Light to face the Black Cats for the first time in the Top Flight since October 2015.
A Sam Allardyce Sunderland team gained the home victory over Steve McClaren’s Newcastle by a 3-0 scoreline, with goals from Adam Johnson, Billy Jones and Steven Fletcher.
Newcastle’s Fabricio Coloccini was shown a Red Card on the stroke of half-time which resulted in a penalty for Sunderland that Adam Johnson converted to give Sunderland a lead at the break and a man advantage for all of the 2nd-half.
The return fixture at St James Park later in the season (April 2016) saw Newcastle, now under the guidance of Rafa Benitez gain a point from a draw by a 1-1 score against Big Sam’s Sunderland.
The two teams have played since, in January 2024, when Newcastle progressed to the 4th-Round of the FA Cup with a win over Sunderland at the Stadium of Light by a 3-0 scoreline.
Betfred offer Sunderland at 21/10, the Draw at 11/5 and 23/20 for Newcastle to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 13/2 that Anthony Gordon Scores First and 21/10 that Newcastle Score in Both Halves.
(If your pre-match First Goalscorer bet scores First and then scores a Second, Betfred DOUBLE the odds.
If they score a Third, Betfred TREBLE the odds.)
Away Win 1-2- Get 15/2 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
WEST HAM v ASTON VILLA
14.00 in England
Sky Sports
The Claret and Blue Derby!
West Ham gained a point from a draw by a 1-1 score against Brighton at the Amex on Sunday.
That was successive draws by the same 1-1 score following the game against Manchester United last Monday.
Jarrod Bowen scored West Ham’s goal in the 73rd minute, however, Brighton scored a very late equaliser in the 91st to burst the hopes of the Travelling Bubbles.
West Ham remain in the relegation zone, sitting 18th with 13 points from the opening 15 fixtures.
Aston Villa gained a brilliant victory over Arsenal at Villa Park in the early Saturday Afternoon kick-off.
Matty Cash scored the opener to give Villa a lead at the break.
Arsenal equalised just after the restart and for a period of time exerted pressure on the home team, however, an inspired couple of substitutions from Unai Emery who sent on Jadon Sancho and Emiliano Buendia gave Villa some late momentum.
When time was almost up on the clock, Emi Buendia, who had only been on the pitch for 8 minutes, scored the winner in the 95th which was literally the last kick of the game.
The stunning win over the current league leaders by a 2-1 scoreline was predicted in this EveryTip column on Friday, so it’s hoped a few readers put a couple of quid on the game and earned some much needed money to pay for the ever increasing cost of living and the upcoming festivity for those who will be celebrating the Big Fella in Red coming down the Chimney in a few weeks time.
Aston Villa sit in 3rd place with 30 points from the opening 15 games completed.
Villa face Basel in Switzerland on Thursday in their Match Day-6 of the Europa League-League Phase.
Aston Villa gained the away-day victory over West Ham by a 2-1 scoreline in last season’s encounter between the two at the London Stadium.
That was the first game of the 2024/25 Premier League campaign.
Goals from Amadou Onana and Jhon Duran gave Villa the points.
Lucas Paqueta converted a penalty after Amadou’s opening goal, before the Wild Boy scored the winner.
Betfred offer West Ham at 5/2, the Draw at 23/10 and slight Odds On 19/20 for Aston Villa to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 10/3 that Ollie Watkins Scores First and 2/1 that Jarrod Bowen Scores Anytime.
(If your pre-match First Goalscorer bet scores First and then scores a Second, Betfred DOUBLE the odds.
If they score a Third, Betfred TREBLE the odds.)
Away Win 1-3- Get 14/1 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
BRENTFORD v LEEDS UNITED
16.30 in England
Sky Sports
Brentford suffered a defeat against Tottenham at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday.
The Apprentice (Keith Andrews) was beaten by the Master (Thomas Frank) with the Bees suffering the loss against Spurs by a 3-0 scoreline.
Brentford sit in 14th place with 19 points from the 15 games completed.
The Leeds United ditty of ‘Leeds are falling apart’ is still in the drawer following a brilliant performance against Liverpool at Elland Rd on Saturday.
After a goalless 1st-half, Liverpool scored twice to take the lead early in the 2nd-half.
Leeds were then awarded a penalty, which Dominic Calvert-Lewin converted to halve the deficit.
Anton Stach scored Leeds’ 2nd in the 75th minute, however, the parity only lasted 5 minutes with Liverpool scoring a 3rd to reestablish the lead.
When time was virtually up on the clock, Ao Tanaka scored the equaliser in the 96th minute to send the West Yorkshire Puddings berserk all around Elland Rd.
‘AO, Let’s Go!’
After 4 straight defeats, that’s now a win and a draw (against Chelsea and Liverpool respectively) for Daniel Farke’s Whites, which should alleviate some pressure which was beginning to mount on the Gaffer.
Leeds move up to 16th place with the same 15 points as Nottingham Forest.
The West Yorkshire Puddings all headed off into the Leeds Night Sky singing their iconic ditty,
‘Marching On Together!’
It was September 2022 when Leeds United last visited the GTech Stadium to face Brentford in the Premier League.
Thomas Frank’s Bees got the home victory over Jesse Marsch’s Whites by a 5-2 scoreline.
Ivan Toney (remember him?) scored the first 3 goals, 1 being a converted penalty.
Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa scored Brentford’s 4th and 5th.
The Leeds United goals came from Luis Sinisterra and Marc Roca when the score was 2-0 and 3-1.
All 5 goal scorers have moved on from their respective clubs so they won’t be on show today.
Betfred offer Brentford at slight Odds On 19/20, the Draw at 9/4 and 5/2 for Leeds United to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 11/2 that Dango Ouattara Scores First and 15/8 that Dominic Calvert-Lewin Scores Anytime.
(If your pre-match First Goalscorer bet scores First and then scores a Second, Betfred DOUBLE the odds.
If they score a Third, Betfred TREBLE the odds.)
Home Win 2-1- Get 7/1 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
Monday 15th
MANCHESTER UNITED v BOURNEMOUTH
20.00 in England
Sky Sports
Another 8 PM kickoff, the 3rd in a row for Manchester United with this one and the game against West Ham both in front of the faithful at Old Trafford.
Manchester United gained a victory over Wolves at Molineux on Monday Night Football.
Bruno Fernandes scored the opener in the 25th minute, somehow bungling the ball into the net after a poor bit of play from the Wolves Defence.
Wolves did score before the half-time cup of tea, which was the first goal conceded by any team Wolves had played in the previous 5 games.
United came out stronger in the 2nd-half and after an intense bit of pressure, Bryan Mbeumo scored in the 51st minute to give United the lead again.
Mason Mount added a 3rd just after the hour mark and after the dreaded VAR got involved, United were awarded a penalty 20 minutes later for a handball by a Wolves Defender.
Bruno Fernandes converted to score his 2nd and United’s 4th and with no further goals, United got the victory over Wolves by a 4-1 scoreline.
Whilst it wasn’t an impressive performance in the 1st-half, the 2nd-half made things better for the Travelling Red Devils in attendance which included the Darts World Champion and World Number One, Luke Littler, who will be defending his title over the next few weeks at Alexandra Palace, being one of the Sporting highlights of the year especially over Christmas and the New Year.
There’s nothing finer between Christmas and the New Year than sitting on the couch with a glass of Sherry and a couple of Mince Pies of an afternoon watching the Darts!
One Hundred and Eighty!
All the best Double L.
United moved up to 6th place with the same 25 points as Chelsea, both having completed 15 games.
Bournemouth gained a point from a draw by a 0-0 score against Chelsea at the Vitality on Saturday.
Antoine Semenyo thought he had scored early on to give the home team a lead, however, the dreaded VAR ruled the goal out for offside.
That was really the best of the action on a cold December Afternoon.
The Cherries are now winless in the last 6 fixtures, with 4 losses and 2 draws in those 6 games.
Bournemouth sit in 13th place with 20 points from the 15 games played so far.
In last season’s encounter between United and Bournemouth at Old Trafford, the game took place almost 12 months ago to the day on the 22nd of December 2024.
Bournemouth gained an away day victory over United by a 3-0 scoreline which was the 2nd win in successive seasons at Old Trafford by the same 3-0 score.
Goals from Dean Huijsen, Justin Kluivert and Antoine Semenyo gave Andoni Iraola’s Cherries the Christmas present of all 3 points
Coincidentally, the win in the 2023/24 campaign was also in December, so it’s possible the December curse could occur again today.
Betfred offer Manchester United at slight Odds On 5/6, the Draw at 13/5 and 5/2 for Bournemouth to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 5/1 that Bryan Mbeumo Scores First and 15/8 that Antoine Semenyo Scores Anytime.
(If your pre-match First Goalscorer bet scores First and then scores a Second, Betfred DOUBLE the odds.
If they score a Third, Betfred TREBLE the odds.)
Draw 2-2- Get 11/1 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
The 2026 World Cup Draw took place last Friday.
In a first for the World Cup Tournament, there are now 12 Groups of 4 teams totalling 48 Countries that will head over to the USA, Canada and Mexico next June.
These are the Groups and Stadium Locations-
2026 World Cup Draw-
Group A-
Mexico
South Africa
South Korea
Winner of UEFA Playoff-D
Stadium Location
Guadalajara, Monterrey, Mexico City (Mexico), Atlanta (USA)
Group B-
Canada
Winner of UEFA Playoff-A
Qatar
Switzerland
Stadium Location
Toronto, Vancouver (Canada), Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle (USA)
Group C-
Brazil
Morocco
Haiti
Scotland
Stadium Location
Atlanta, Boston, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia (USA)
***Scotland’s Group C Fixtures-
June 14th 2026
Scotland v Haiti
02.00 in England
Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Boston
June 19th 2026
Scotland v Morocco
23.00 in England
Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Boston
June 25th 2026
Scotland v Brazil
23.00 in England
Hard Rock Stadium, Miami
Group D-
USA
Paraguay
Australia
Winner of UEFA Playoff-C
Stadium Location
Vancouver (Canada), Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle (USA)
Group E-
Germany
Curacao
Ivory Coast
Ecuador
Stadium Location
Toronto (Canada), Houston, Kansas, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia (USA)
Group F-
Netherlands
Japan
Winner of UEFA Playoff-B
Tunisia
Stadium Location
Monterrey (Mexico), Dallas, Houston, Kansas (USA)
Group G-
Belgium
Egypt
Iran
New Zealand
Stadium Location
Vancouver (Canada), Los Angeles, Seattle (USA)
Group H-
Spain
Cape Verde
Saudi Arabia
Uruguay
Stadium Location
Guadalajara (Mexico), Atlanta, Houston, Miami (USA)
Group I-
France
Senegal
Winner of FIFA Playoff- 2
Norway
Stadium Location
Toronto (Canada), Boston, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia (USA)
Group J-
Argentina
Algeria
Austria
Jordan
Stadium Location
Dallas, Kansas, San Francisco (USA)
Group K-
Portugal
Winner of FIFA Playoff-1
Uzbekistan
Colombia
Stadium Location
Guadalajara, Mexico City (Mexico), Atlanta, Houston, Miami (USA)
Group L-
England
Croatia
Ghana
Panama
Stadium Location
Toronto (Canada), Dallas, New York/New Jersey, Boston, Philadelphia (USA)
***England’s Group L Fixtures-
June 17th 2026
England v Croatia
21.00 in England
AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Dallas
June 23rd 2026
England v Ghana
21.00 in England
Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Boston
June 27th 2026
England v Panama
22.00 in England
MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
If one looks at the Groups there are a few teams that are not confirmed yet.
The UEFA and FIFA Playoffs will be decided in March,
UEFA Playoff A-
Italy
Wales
Bosnia-Herzegovina or
Northern Ireland
UEFA Playoff B-
Ukraine
Poland
Albania or
Sweden
UEFA Playoff C-
Turkey
Slovakia
Kosovo or
Romania
UEFA Playoff D-
Denmark
Czech Republic
Republic of Ireland or
North Macedonia
Semi-Finals- 26 March 2026
Path A
SF1- Italy v Northern Ireland
SF2- Wales v Bosnia and Herzegovina
Path B
SF3- Ukraine v Sweden
SF4- Poland v Albania
Path C
SF5- Turkey v Romania
SF6- Slovakia v Kosovo
Path D
SF7- Denmark v North Macedonia
SF8- Czechia v Republic of Ireland
Finals- 31 March 2026
The Winner of each game to face the other Winner in the specific Path to see who heads to the USA, Canada and Mexico next June.
The FIFA Playoffs take place over the same weekend-
Semi-Finals- 26 March 2026
Finals- 31 March 2026
FIFA Playoff 1-
DR Congo
Jamaica or
New Caledonia
New Caledonia to take on Jamaica in Pathway 1 Semi-Final with the Winner to face DR Congo in a Final Eliminator.
FIFA Playoff 2-
Iraq
Bolivia or
Suriname
Pathway 2 Semi-Final pits Bolivia against Suriname with the Winner to face Iraq in a Final Eliminator.
As always, this EveryTip column will be all over the 2026 World Cup so please keep coming back each week to keep up to date.
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