If anyone benefitted from the events of the past week, it was Manchester City, who were at the Club World Cup and able to sit out the chaos as seemingly the entire top of the table dropped points.
This week, we’ll see if a bit more normalcy is restored, so with that in mind, let’s get into some Matchweek 20 best bets for the Premier League, including a parlay of a few favorites.
William Schwartz’s 2023-24 EPL Betting Record: 23-33-0 (-4.18 units)
Premier League Matchweek 20 Predictions
The Premier League odds used below are current as of Thursday, Dec. 28, at 6 p.m. ET, at the specified sportsbook.
West Ham Moneyline (+140) vs Brighton
DraftKings Sportsbook • WAGER: 1 Unit
Last week, we hesitantly backed West Ham as an underdog when we picked them to draw with Manchester United. As it turned out, our only mistake is that we weren’t even more confident in the Hammers, as they picked up a nice 2-0 win against the Red Devils.
They’ll be dealing with Arsenal midweek in what should be another tough test and will be ecstatic to come back home to face a Brighton team that has slowed down a ton.
The Seagulls started the year hot but have slowed down a ton and haven’t won any of their past three league matches. Jarrod Bowen’s good form has shown no signs of stopping anytime soon, while Roberto De Zerbi’s team desperately needs a breather, which they aren’t getting during the jam-packed holiday season, making this our EPL Bet of the Day.
Wolves vs Everton: Both Teams to Score (-135)
DraftKings Sportsbook • WAGER: 1 Unit
We’ll go in a slightly different direction than usual for our next bet, as we’re backing both teams to score in an interesting clash between Wolves and Everton.
The Toffees have actually found some solid form, perhaps reinvigorated by the financial fair play points deduction, and they’ve scored in eight of their past nine EPL Matches, including each of their last five. Abdoulaye Doucouré has been the main culprit, but the whole attack is coming along nicely.
Meanwhile, Wolves are around the middle of the table right now and have been scoring rather consistently. Remarkably enough, they’ve scored in 14 of their past 15 league matches, and defensively, they’ve kept just two clean sheets in league play.
Hwang Hee-Chan has led the scoring effort with a solid eight goals, while Pedro Neto’s seven assists lead the team as the two have formed quite the dynamic duo.
Crystal Palace vs Brentford: Both Teams to Score (-120)
DraftKings Sportsbook • WAGER: 1 Unit
Once again, we’ll take a different tack from what we see most weeks and invest in both Palace and Brentford to score. Palace and Brentford are right next to one another on the table, so this should be an evenly-fought, very competitive match. Brentford have conceded in seven consecutive league matches, and outside of a two-match clean-sheet streak in October, they’ve done so in every single Prem fixture so far.
On the other side of the ball, it’s been a similar story for Crystal Palace. They’ve also conceded in each of their last seven matches, and they’ve found the net themselves in six of those contests. Roy Hodgson’s squad is only a few ticks above relegation, so they’ll be firing on all cylinders to get on the scoresheet in this one; hopefully, they’ll succeed, while their eagerness also opens things up for Brentford on the other end.
Premier League Matchweek 20 Parlay
EPL Matchweek 20 Parlay (+233)
DraftKings Sportsbook • WAGER: 1 Unit
- Aston Villa ML (-285) vs Burnley
- Nottingham Forest or Tie (-175) vs Manchester United
- Arsenal ML (-175) at Fulham
We’re going to simultaneously buy low and sell high on both participants of one of the most thrilling midweek domestic fixtures in recent memory. Aston Villa built an impressive 2-0 lead at Old Trafford before Manchester United came roaring back to win 3-2 in the late stages of the game.
By most metrics, Villa should have won that match, and we’ll back them to get back on track at home, where they’ve been so strong, against a Burnley side that seems doomed to relegation.
Meanwhile, we’ll fade United as they go on the road to face a Nottingham Forest side that just took down Newcastle United by way of a Chris Wood hat trick.
The Red Devils haven’t won a road match since November 26th at Everton, putting them in a run of two losses and a draw away from home since then. Nottingham’s results have consistently been better at home over the past couple of seasons, so we’ll bet on them to at least hold United to a draw.
Lastly, we’ll back Arsenal after a good result at Anfield and a midweek test against West Ham. The Gunners can’t afford to drop any more points, and even on the road at Craven Cottage, they won’t.
Fulham is spiraling after dreadful losses to Bournemouth and Burnley; they haven’t scored in any of their past three Prem matches and should not break that streak against a good Arsenal backline.
