The highlight games for the next set of EPL matches are BOURNEMOUTH versus ARSENAL and MAN CITY versus CHELSEA. Our feature columnist, John Newsome, previews these and all game week 20 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-20
The strange anomaly regarding these Game Week-20 fixtures is that the two teams haven’t met this term yet, whereas Game Week-19 saw each fixture being the reverse of Game Week-15.
Saturday 03rd
ASTON VILLA v NOTTINGHAM FOREST
12.30 in England
TNT Sports
An in-form Aston Villa team headed to the Emirates to take on Arsenal full of confidence, however, that confidence edged away when Arsenal scored 4 to inflict the defeat on Villa by a 4-1 scoreline.
Ollie Watkins did score a late consolation goal in the 94th minute when the score was 4-0 in favour of the Gunners.
Unai Emery could point to the fact that Matty Cash and Boubacar Kamara were missing due to picking up their 5th Yellow Card of the campaign.
That said, Declan Rice and Riccardo Calafiori were missing from the Arsenal team, so Mikel could easily point to that.
Aston Villa stay in 4th place with 39 points at the halfway mark of the season.
Nottingham Forest also suffered a defeat last time out, succumbing to a loss against Everton by a 2-0 scoreline at the City Ground.
That’s now 5 defeats out of the last 7 Premier League games, with 2 wins from the others.
Nottingham Forest sit in 17th place with 18 points from the 19 games played.
17,18,19.
Aston Villa gained the home victory over Nottingham Forest in last season’s encounter between the two at Villa Park.
Morgan Rogers and Donyell Malen scored the Villa goals in the 1st-half, with Jota Silva halving the deficit midway through the 2nd-half, however, Villa held on for the win from a 2-1 scoreline.
Betfred offer Aston Villa at slight Odds On 4/5, the Draw at 5/2 and 16/5 for Nottingham Forest to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 4/1 that Ollie Watkins Scores First and 2/1 that Aston Villa 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.)
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BRIGHTON v BURNLEY
15.00 in England
Brighton gained a point from a draw by a 2-2 score against West Ham at the London Stadium on Tuesday.
After conceding a Hammers goal the Seagulls were awarded 2 penalties in the space of 4 minutes.
Danny Welbeck stepped up and coolly scored the first one, however, 4 minutes later, Danny tried a ‘Panenka’ for the second one and hit the crossbar.
Doh!
Brighton then conceded a penalty on the stroke of half-time, which was converted, leaving the Seagulls trailing at the break.
Joel Veltman scored Brighton’s equaliser on the hour mark to give both teams a point apiece.
Brighton sit in 14th place with 25 points at the halfway point of the season.
Burnley suffered a home defeat against Newcastle on Tuesday, the Clarets’ 8th loss in the last 10 Premier League games, with the other 2 being drawn.
Josh Laurent did score for Burnley in the 23rd minute after Newcastle had already scored twice.
Burnley then conceded a 3rd in the 94th minute to ultimately suffer the defeat against Newcastle from a 3-1 scoreline.
That leaves Scott Parker’s Clarets in 19th place with 12 points from 19 games completed.
Both teams shared the points from a draw by a 1-1 score back in December 2023, when Burnley last visited the Amex to take on Brighton in the Premier League.
Wilson Odobert scored the Burnley goal to give Vincent Kompany’s Clarets a lead at the break.
Simon Adingra replied for Roberto De Zerbi’s Seagulls in the 2nd-half and with no further goals, both teams gained a point apiece.
The scoreline of 1-1 was the same when the two met at Turf Moor later on in the 2023/24 campaign.
Betfred offer Brighton at Odds On 4/9, the Draw at 16/5 and 11/2 for Burnley to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 7/2 that Danny Welbeck Scores First and 23/20 that Brighton 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.)
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WOLVES v WEST HAM
15.00 in England
Wolves gained their 3rd point of the season and their first point since the 5th of October, following a draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Tuesday.
After conceding a goal in the 27th minute, Ladislav Krejci scored an equaliser for Wolves on the stroke of half-time to take both teams in level at the break.
With no further goals in the 2nd-half, Rob Edwards gained his first point since taking over in November and overseeing 7 straight defeats.
Whilst it was a great result for all connected with Wolves, there should be a cautionary note added, that being the fact that Manchester United were absolutely rubbish and a better team than Wolves would have probably scored 5 or more against Ruben Amorim’s Very Sorry Set of Red Devils.
Wolves remain at the bottom of the table, now with 3 points at the halfway stage.
West Ham also drew their post-Christmas/pre-New Year fixture, gaining a point from a draw by a 2-2 score against Brighton at the London Stadium.
Jarrod Bowen scored first which was equalised by Brighton after the Hammers conceded a penalty in the 32nd minute.
The Hammers then conceded another penalty 4 minutes later, however, this time, the Seagulls missed.
West Ham were then awarded their own penalty, which was the 3rd awarded in a bizarre 1st-half.
Lucas Paqueta converted to give the Hammers a lead at the break.
Unfortunately for the Bubbles in attendance, Brighton scored a 2nd midway through the 2nd-half and with no further goals, both teams gained a point apiece.
West Ham have 4 draws and 4 losses from the previous 8 games which is a return of just 4 points from a possible 24 on offer.
That set of results leaves Nuno’s Hammers in 18th place with 14 points at the halfway point.
Nuno’s old team Nottingham Forest sit a place above with 18 points, which should give the West Ham Boss motivation to get his team back on track and back to winning ways.
Jorgen Strand-Larsen scored the only goal of the game to give Wolves the victory over West Ham by a 1-0 score, in last season’s encounter between the two at Molineux.
Jorgen is a wanted man in this January Transfer Window with West Ham one of the possible suitors, so if Jorgen plays, the lad will want to put on a show for his potential new employers.
Both teams are now under the guidance of different Managers with Vitor Pereira and Graham Potter getting sacked and replaced by Rob Edwards and Nuno Espírito Santo respectively.
Betfred offer Wolves at 7/5, the Draw at 11/5 and 9/5 for West Ham to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 9/2 that Jorgen Strand-Larsen Scores First and 15/8 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.)
Draw 1-1- Get 11/2 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
BOURNEMOUTH v ARSENAL
17.30 in England
Sky Sports
Bournemouth have now drawn 5 and lost 5 of the last 10 Premier League games, following Tuesday’s stalemate with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Goals from David Brooks and Justin Kluivert earned the Cherries a point from a draw by a 2-2 score.
Chelsea scored their 2 goals after David’s opener but before Justin’s equaliser, with all 4 goals going in before the half-time cup of tea.
The draw leaves Bournemouth in 15th place with 23 points from the 19 fixtures completed.
Arsenal smashed Aston Villa at the Emirates on Tuesday, gaining a home win from a 4-1 scoreline.
The surprise from that score was that all 5 goals came in the 2nd-half, following a goalless 1st.
Gabriel, Martin Zubimendi, Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Jesus all scored before Villa got a consolation in the 94th minute.
Declan Rice and Riccardo Calafiori were missing due to injury so it could have been classed as a tricky tie against the 4th placed team but Mikel’s Young Guns blew Unai’s Clarets away to hang on to top spot going into 2026.
Arsenal have 45 points from 19 games, leaving the Gunners at the Summit, now 4 points ahead of Man City following City’s drawn game against Sunderland on New Year’s Day.
That said and as mentioned in last week’s column, Arsenal don’t have a good record of winning the league whilst being at the top at the turn of the year.
Bournemouth gained the home victory over Arsenal when the Gunners travelled South to the Vitality last season.
Goals from Ryan Christie and Justin Kluivert (penalty) gave Andoni Iraola’s Cherries the win over Mikel Arteta’s Young Guns by a 2-0 scoreline.
William Saliba was shown a straight Red Card in the 30th minute for hauling down Evanilson, leaving Arsenal a man down for the remaining hour of the game, which Bournemouth certainly took advantage of, scoring both goals in the 2nd-half.
Betfred offer Bournemouth at 5/1, the Draw at 10/3 and Odds On 4/9 for Arsenal to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 9/2 that Bukayo Saka Scores First and 13/8 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.)
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Sunday 04th
LEEDS UNITED v MANCHESTER UNITED
12.30 in England
TNT Sports
Leeds United put in a dominant defensive performance against Liverpool at Anfield on New Year’s Day, shutting out Arne’s New Slots and gaining a point from a draw by a 0-0 score.
Daniel Farke decided to leave Dominic Calvert-Lewin on the bench after the Sheffield lad had scored 7 in the previous 6 games.
Probably the reason for that was to make sure the defence was solid, which it was and probably to save DCL for today’s game against United.
Leeds sit in 16th place with 21 points from 19 games completed.
Manchester United must be the laughing stock of the Premier League at the moment.
The Red Devils Manager Ruben Amorim doesn’t know what he’s doing, he doesn’t know his best players and when he does pick them, he doesn’t know what formation to play.
Most of the faithful want the boy to play a 4/4/2 as in the game against Newcastle, however, that particular game, although it produced a victory, wasn’t necessarily a 4/4/2 or 4/3/3 or even a 4/2/3/1, it was more a 7/2/1 with most of the United players defending for the majority of the game.
Ruben then changed back to a 3/4/3 (or supposedly as there was still 4 at the back) against Wolves (the worst team in the Premier League for some time, having just 2 points prior to the trip to Old Trafford) and saw his United players be outplayed by said worst team!
After Joshua Zirkzee had scored in the 27th minute, it was assumed that United would push on and score a boatload more, however, the Defence (Lisandro Martinez, Luke Shaw, Diogo Dalot and Ayden Heaven) were shocking and allowed Wolves to score an equaliser on the stroke of half-time.
Although it appeared like a Back-Four, Diogo was pushed forward (supposedly) making a 3/4/2/1.
The fact that one is just putting numbers into this preview, basically shows that Ruben Amorim, the players and the Red Devils faithful, haven’t a clue what is going on.
Against Wolves, there were no further goals after the break giving both teams a point apiece from a 1-1 scoreline.
Against any of the top teams such as Arsenal, Man City, Aston Villa, Liverpool and Chelsea, or even today’s hosts, United would have conceded a lot more goals.
Not to dig out the players individually (one will) Benjamin Sesko looks like a fish out of water, Ayden Heaven is not good enough to be a United Centre-Back, Luke Shaw and Diogo Dalot look to be just going through the motions.
Casemiro is past his sell-by, Manuel Ugarte isn’t good enough and is certainly no Roy Keane.
Joshua Zirkzee and Patrick Dorgu have scored recently but again look like fish out of water.
Are these players simply not good enough or is it because of Ruben Amorim’s tactical ineptness?
One suggests it’s probably 70/30 in favour of Ruben’s ineptitude, meaning the lad’s tactics are not coming across to the players who in turn are not good enough.
Manchester United sit in 6th place with the same 30 points as Chelsea at the halfway stage of the season.
It was the Great-Man Sir Alex Ferguson’s 84th Birthday on New Year’s Eve.
Happy Birthday Mr Ferguson.
It’s fair to say that these two teams and their respective fans, hate each other, so as the two Uniteds haven’t met in a competitive game since February 2023, this should be an electric affair in the midday West Yorkshire Sunshine.
That fixture back in 2023 saw Manchester United gain the away-day victory over Leeds United at Elland Rd by a 2-0 scoreline.
Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho scored the goals for Erik Ten Hag’s Red Devils.
Michael Skubala was in charge of Leeds United following the sacking of Jesse Marsch.
The game at Elland Rd came just 4 days after the two sides met at Old Trafford in the rearranged Game Week-8 affair, where that fixture finished in a draw by a 2-2 score.
The game was originally postponed due to the passing of Queen Elizabeth.
Leeds took the opportunity to sack Jesse Marsch before the fixture at Old Trafford, leaving Michael Skubala to oversee a brilliant draw in United’s backyard, before the defeat at Elland Rd 4 days later.
Betfred offer Leeds United at 8/5, the Draw at 11/5 and 8/5 for Manchester United to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 9/2 that Dominic Calvert-Lewin Scores First and 2/1 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.)
Home Win 3-1- Get 20/1 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
***Premier League Team of the Week***
GOALKEEPER- Gianluigi Donnarumma- Man City
RIGHT-BACK- Sebastiaan Bornauw- Leeds United
CENTRE-BACK- Gabriel- Arsenal
CENTRE-BACK- Yerson Mosquera- Wolves
LEFT-BACK- Ladislav Krejci- Wolves
MIDFIELDER- James Garner- Everton
MIDFIELDER- Granit Xhaka- Sunderland
MIDFIELDER- Joelinton- Newcastle
FORWARD- Yoane Wissa- Newcastle
FORWARD- Jean-Philippe Mateta- Crystal Palace
FORWARD- Cole Palmer- Chelsea
STAR MAN- Granit Xhaka- Sunderland
***Last Week’s Winning Tips-
Newcastle To Win- 4/6
West Ham v Brighton To Draw- 13/5
Crystal Palace v Fulham To Draw- 12/5
Correct Scores-
Crystal Palace v Fulham 1-1- 11/2
Correct Tips-
West Ham v Brighton-
Jarrod Bowen To Score First- 6/1
Danny Welbeck To Score Anytime- 7/5
Arsenal v Aston Villa-
Both Teams To Score- Evens 1/1
Crystal Palace v Fulham-
Jean-Philippe Mateta To Score First- 7/2
EVERTON v BRENTFORD
15.00 in England
Sky Sports
Everton gained the victory over Nottingham Forest in the ‘Sean Dyche Derby’ at the City Ground on Tuesday.
James Garner was superb throughout, against the club he was on loan at a couple of seasons ago, scoring the opener before assisting Thierno Barry’s goal to give Everton the away-day win from a 2-0 scoreline.
Everton sit in 8th place with 28 points at the halfway point of the season.
Brentford played out one of the three goalless draws on New Year’s Day against Tottenham at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
There’s not much else to say about that one.
The Bees sit in 9th place with the same 27 points as Crystal Palace and Fulham at the halfway point.
Both teams shared the points from a draw by a 0-0 score, when these two teams met at Goodison Park last season.
Sean Dyche was in charge of the Toffees with Thomas Frank still at the Bees helm, who did play all of the 2nd-half with 10 men following the sending off of Christian Norgaard in the 41st minute.
Betfred offer Everton at 11/8, the Draw at 21/10 and 2/1 for Brentford to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 11/2 that Thierno Barry Scores First and 11/4 that Kevin Schade 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 1-1- Get 5/1 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
FULHAM v LIVERPOOL
15.00 in England
Sky Sports
Fulham gained a point from a draw by a 1-1 score against Crystal Palace on Thursday, as predicted in this EveryTip column last week.
After conceding a Palace goal and trailing at the break, Tom Cairney came off the bench and scored the equaliser in the 80th minute to give both Londoners a point apiece.
The point gained leaves Fulham in 11th place with the same 27 points as Crystal Palace and Brentford.
Liverpool also drew their New Year’s Day fixture with Arne’s Slot Machines gaining a point from a draw by a 0-0 score against Leeds United at Anfield.
In truth, Leeds just came to frustrate Liverpool, keeping 11 men behind the ball and hardly venturing forward.
That said, it’s Liverpool’s job then to try and break Leeds down which they failed to do leaving most in attendance wishing they had stayed at home and watched Call the Midwife.
Liverpool stay in 4th place with 33 points from the opening 19 games played.
Fulham surprisingly gained the home win over Liverpool by a 3-2 scoreline in last season’s affair at Craven Cottage, which took place in April 2025.
One says surprisingly, due to Arne’s Slot Machines going on to win the Premier League a few weeks later.
Alexis Mac Allister scored first to give Liverpool an early lead, however, 3 quick-fire goals from Ryan Sessegnon, Alex Iwobi and Rodrigo Muniz gave Fulham a lead at the break.
Luis Diaz did score a 2nd for Liverpool after the interval, however, Fulham held on for the victory.
Betfred offer Fulham at 11/4, the Draw at 5/2 and slight Odds On 10/11 for Liverpool to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 15/2 that Harry Wilson Scores First and 6/5 that Hugo Ekitike 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 11/1 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
NEWCASTLE v CRYSTAL PALACE
15.00 in England
Sky Sports
Newcastle gained the away-night win over Burnley at Turf Moor on Tuesday.
First-half goals from Joelinton and Yoane Wissa gave the Magpies a lead at the break.
Burnley did score to halve the deficit at half-time.
Bruno Guimaraes then scored in the 93rd minute to give Newcastle the victory over Burnley by a 3-1 scoreline.
That was Newcastle’s first Premier League win out of the last 4 games, with 2 losses and a draw from the others.
The win leaves Newcastle in 13th place with the same 26 points as Tottenham both having completed the 19 games on offer.
Crystal Palace gained a point from a draw by a 1-1 score against Fulham at Selhurst Park on Thursday.
Jean-Philippe Mateta scored the Palace goal in the 1st-half which was equalised by Fulham with 10 minutes remaining to give both teams a point apiece.
The point gained leaves Crystal Palace in 10th place with the same 27 points as Fulham and Brentford, all having completed 19 fixtures.
Newcastle smashed Crystal Palace in last season’s affair between the two at St James Park.
Goals from Jacob Murphy, Marc Guehi (OG), Harvey Barnes, Fabian Schar, and Alexander Isak gave Eddie Howe’s Magpies the victory over Oliver Glasner’s Eagles from a 5-0 scoreline.
Palace did have the Semi-Final of the FA Cup 10 days later so that maybe, could have had a bearing on the performance at St James Park that particular day.
Betfred offer Newcastle at Odds On 7/10, the Draw at 11/4 and 7/2 for Crystal Palace to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 9/2 that Yoane Wissa Scores First and 15/8 that Newcastle 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.)
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TOTTENHAM v SUNDERLAND
15.00 in England
Sky Sports
Both Tottenham and Sunderland played on New Year’s Day and both came away with a point from a draw by a 0-0 score.
Tottenham against Brentford and Sunderland against Man City, with both teams playing in front of their own fans at the New Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and the Stadium of Light respectively.
Tottenham sit in 12th place with the same 26 points as Newcastle from the opening 19 games.
Sunderland sit in 7th with 29 points at the halfway point in the season.
It was September 2016 when David Moyes took his Sunderland team down to White Hart Lane to face Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham side.
That was the last time that Sunderland faced Tottenham which didn’t end well, with the Black Cats suffering an away-day defeat against the LilyWhites by a 1-0 score.
Harry Kane with the solitary winning goal.
Betfred offer Tottenham at Odds On 8/11, the Draw at 5/2 and 7/2 for Sunderland to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 7/2 that Richarlison Scores First and slight Odds On 5/6 that Both Teams Score.
(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 1-1- Get 6/1 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
MAN CITY v CHELSEA
17.30 in England
Sky Sports
Man City, a bit like the Big Bad Wolf in the Three Little Pigs story, huffed and puffed at the Stadium of Light on New Year’s Day but couldn’t blow Sunderland’s house down with the game finishing in a draw by a 0-0 score.
Remarkably, that was the 3rd game out of the four played on New Year’s Day that didn’t produce a goal, with the other also ending in a draw, however, that game ended 1-1.
It was frustrating for City but that’s football and whilst Man City didn’t get the 3 points, if one remembers, neither did Arsenal when the Gunners visited the Stadium of Light.
The point gained, as it’s always a point gained, leaves Man City in 2nd place with 41 points at the halfway stage, now 4 points adrift of Arsenal at the summit.
All to play for!
Chelsea are now winless in the last 3 Premier League games following Tuesday’s draw against Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge.
Cole Palmer and Enzo Fernandez scored in the 1st-half, with Cole’s converted penalty coming after Bournemouth’s opener and Enzo’s goal scored before the Cherries equaliser to take both teams in level at the break.
With no further goals in the 2nd-half both teams shared the points from a draw by a 2-2 score.
There is only one victory from the last 7, leaving Chelsea in 5th place with the same 30 points as Manchester United from the 19 games played.
A slight negative for the Blues going into this tough game at the Etihad is that Moises Caicedo will be missing due to picking up his 5th Yellow Card in the Premier League.
Enzo Maresca has been under pressure at Stamford Bridge for quite a few weeks now and finally, on New Year’s Day, it was confirmed that Enzo and Chelsea had parted company.
There’s usually a ‘New Manager Bounce’ when one leaves and another comes in so this could be a tricky game for Man City, however, that New Manager could be the current Strasbourg Boss and ex-Hull City Gaffer Liam Rosenior who is the favourite to come in.
If one is wondering why Chelsea would go for the boss of a team who are currently 7th in the French Ligue Un, then it’s because Strasbourg are part of the same company (BlueCo) that own Chelsea.
The hierarchy are looking for a Head Coach not necessarily a Manager, someone who will come in and follow the BlueCo protocol which is what Enzo Maresca and Mauricio Pochettino couldn’t do.
Man City gained the home victory over Chelsea in last season’s encounter between the two at the Etihad.
Goals from Josko Gvardiol, Erling Haaland and Phil Foden gave Pep’s High Flying Blues the win over Enzo’s Blues by a 3-1 scoreline.
Noni Madueke did score for Chelsea in the 3rd minute to give the away team an early lead, however, City were just too strong and eventually gained the comfortable win.
Betfred offer Man City at Odds On 3/5, the Draw at 16/5 and 18/5 for Chelsea to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 9/4 that Erling Haaland Scores First and 11/10 that Man City 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.)
Home Win 3-1- Get 10/1 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
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