We are now well into December and the busy festive period is fast approaching.
All 20 top flight clubs will play at least six top flight fixtures between December 15th and January 3rd – it is a fantastic time of year to be a football fan.
Manchester City and Everton will get Saturday’s Premier League games underway in the lunchtime kick-off.
Pep Guardiola’s side fell short at Stamford Bridge last weekend and punters will be expecting a backlash from the defending champions.
Meanwhile, Fulham and West Ham will do battle in the evening fixture.
Our tip selection for this game has landed in each of the last five games and an exciting contest awaits at Craven Cottage. But we’ll get onto that encounter later…
For now, let’s start with Manchester City vs Everton. The Blues will look to get our tasty 7/2 double off to the perfect start in front of an expectant Etihad Stadium crowd.
Check out the latest Premier League betting odds with 888sport here ahead of the weekend!
MANCHESTER CITY vs Everton
Tipped to emulate Arsenal’s “Invincibles” and avoid defeat for the whole 2018/19 campaign, City came crashing down to earth last weekend.
Guardiola was full of praise for his side after the defeat but the defending champions must bounce back at the first time of asking.
The Blues have scored 30 goals in nine home games so far this season and the 3/4 on offer for City to notch over 2.5 here is a solid price.
Pep’s side put three past Everton at Goodison Park in their previous encounter and another comfortable win could be on the cards.
Good news for Everton: they’ve lost just one of their last six fixtures. Bad news for Everton: they’ve won just two of those – one against Brighton & Hove Albion and the other against Cardiff City.
The visitors will be looking to send out a statement with a positive result here. As of December 12th, the Toffees are out at 18/5 to win OR draw this weekend.
Everton have claimed a point from this fixture in each of the last two campaigns and Marco Silva will be hoping for a third successive draw on Saturday afternoon.
The Toffees have struggled on the road against England’s biggest clubs this campaign and this could get ugly for the visitors.
I fancy the Toffees to score but Manchester City will be too strong on home turf. The 31/20 for a home win with both teams scoring is the way to go.
TIP: Man City to win and both teams to score @ 31/20
PREDICTED SCORE: Man City 3-1 Everton (Priced at 17/2 with 888sport)
FULHAM vs WEST HAM UNITED
Fulham found themselves up against it at Old Trafford last weekend; the Red Devils scored four goals in a Premier League game for the first time since November 2017.
However, the Cottagers will fancy their chances against a hit-and-miss West Ham outfit on Saturday night.
Claudio Ranieri’s men are unbeaten in two home games since his appointment and plenty of punters will fancy the 9/5 available for a Fulham victory.
Aleksandar Mitrovic has been solid enough in attack, scoring seven goals in 16 league fixtures. He could be Fulham’s difference maker this weekend.
West Ham have won three on the spin but Marko Arnatovic’s injury will be a huge blow to Manuel Pellegrini’s side ahead of the busy festive spell.
Expected to be side-lined until early 2019, Arnautovic will be sorely missed – though West Ham do have enough quality to cause problems for this struggling Fulham defence.
Felipe Anderson has started to come into his own in recent weeks, notching five goals in his last six Premier League outings.
The onus will be on him to create chances for the Hammers in Arnautovic’s absence and he is a decent bet at 23/10 to get his name on the scoreboard.
The best bet here though is for over 2.5 goals. As mentioned earlier, this has landed in each of the last five meetings between the two teams and 4/6 is an excellent price.
Viewers may be treated to an early Christmas cracker at Craven Cottage here.
TIP: Over 2.5 goals @ 4/6
PREDICTED SCORE: Fulham 2-2 West Ham (Priced at 10/1 with 888sport)
*Odds subject to change - correct at time of writing*
