Only two teams in Premier League history have been top at Boxing Day and not gone on to win the title, and that honour goes to one club – Liverpool. They have a chance to change history this season though, heading into today’s Boxing Day action with a four-point advantage over closest challengers Manchester City.
Our football expert previews all of the best Premier League odds for today’s fixture
Liverpool v Newcastle
If there’s one player who incites the most fear into Liverpool’s opponents on current form, it must be Virgil van Dijk. Not only has the Dutchman brought steel and stability to the Reds’ often leaky defence, he scored the second goal against Wolves last Friday to put the tie to bed, showing his quality at both ends of the pitch.
Liverpool’s resilient defensive line will worry Newcastle just as much as their forward line, with Rafa Benitez’s side having scored just three goals in their last five Premier League fixtures.
There is a slight silver lining – the Toon have won two of their last three Premier League matches away from home, and Benitez will surely be hoping that he can leave his former stomping ground with his head held high, and not on the end of a battering.
It’ll be an electric atmosphere at Anfield on Boxing Day and the home fans will not settle for anything less than a victory now that they have put themselves into a commanding lead in the domestic title race. You can get Liverpool to win with Mo Salah to score anytime at 3/5 with Grosvenorsport.com.
Leicester v Manchester City
Pep Guardiola will hope to see an immediate response from his team after his side fell to a damning defeat to Crystal Palace last weekend. After leading the way at the top of the table for the majority of the season, defeat to Chelsea and Palace in recent weeks has left the champions playing catch up to Liverpool, and today’s test is not going to be a straightforward one.
Leicester head into today’s match on the back of a huge result at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, where Jamie Vardy’s goal proved enough to grab all three points for the Foxes. They’ll be buoyed by that performance and hoping to make their own Boxing Day headlines, and the Citizens will have to be at their best to collect maximum points from the King Power Stadium.
Kevin De Bruyne has been introduced back into the fold after his time out with injury, and he’s barely put a foot wrong since, emulating his sparkling form shown at the beginning of the season. You can get Manchester City to win and with De Bruyne to score anytime here at 7/2.
Tottenham v Bournemouth
Though it is thought this year’s domestic title race is between just two clubs, Tottenham have kept their momentum quietly, and find themselves just two points off Manchester City ahead of the Boxing Day fixtures.
Liverpool will host Arsenal and travel to Manchester City after their home tie against Newcastle, whilst Tottenham have Wolves at home and Cardiff away over the coming weeks. If things go Mauricio Pochettino’s way, Spurs could find themselves well in the mix heading into the new year.
The manner of their victory at Goodison Park on Sunday was impressive, and they are starting to produce goals from all over the pitch, as Heung-Min Son, Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen continue to perform week in, week out.
Bournemouth are a tough side to beat and are well on track to finish within the top-10 this season, but on current form, this one could be another eyebrow-raising scoreline. You can get Tottenham -3 goals Asian Handicap at 9/2.
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