EPL Betting Picks and Game Previews for Matchday 18: English Premier League

December 23, 2024

Jamie Steed previews EPL Matchday 18 of the 2024-25 season, starting on 12/26/2024. He previews each game from the English Premier League; picking bets and providing predictions for each game.

The EPL season rolls on, and we're bringing you our weekly article, which looks at betting picks and predictions for all games. Matchday 18 kicks off on Thursday, December 26, with Everton visiting Manchester City. It culminates on Friday, December 27, when Arsenal hosts Ipswich Town.

Every week, we'll offer a preview of all the games. We'll predict the outcome, give a score prediction, and pick our favorite play for all fixtures. Before you read on, remember these essential things: betting on sports should be fun. If you aren't having fun with it, stop. And never bet what you can't afford to lose.

We're bringing you more soccer content than ever before at RotoBaller. There are FPL, UCL, and DFS articles every week, along with our weekly betting picks and game previews article, all of which can be found here. Follow the team on X (@EuanFPL, @TheFPLManual, @df_solutions, @BellRoto, and yours truly @Baseball_Jimbo), and reach out to any of us if you ever have any soccer questions.

Matchday 17 Recap

We failed to bag a winner before Christmas. Despite some nice picks (like Aston Villa beating Manchester City 2-1), we couldn't hit a winning parlay. Brentford losing and failing to score at home for the first time this season did most of the damage on Saturday.

Fulham's inability to break down a resolute Southampton side was the other big disappointment of the weekend. This week is a little more abbreviated, given the quick turnaround and the time of year. So, Merry Christmas to you all, and I hope Santa brings us a few wins this holiday season.

Thursday, December 26, 2024

Manchester City (-290) vs. Everton (+700) - 7:30 a.m. EST

Score prediction: Manchester City 2 – 0 Everton

City has just one win in 12 games (all competitions). Everton has failed to score in six of their last seven games. A home win is still the most likely outcome. Even with their leaky defense, it's difficult to see Everton breaching City's backline. Our play is a home win to nil.

“We don’t have a defense for the results.”

Manchester City’s 2-1 loss to Aston Villa on Saturday means the club is now mired in its worst-ever run of form for 18 years.https://t.co/TRfddc2ZrT

— CNN Sports (@cnnsport) December 23, 2024

Bournemouth (-105) vs. Crystal Palace (+270) - 10:00 a.m. EST

Score prediction: Bournemouth 2 – 1 Crystal Palace

Bournemouth's win at Old Trafford moved them into fifth place in the league. Their impressive form this season is enough to warrant making them a strong play to win this one, given they are barely odds on. Palace were brought back down to Earth with a bump on Saturday and another loss is on the cards.

Chelsea (-225) vs. Fulham (+500) - 10:00 a.m. EST

Score prediction: Chelsea 3 – 1 Fulham

Both teams suffered disappointing goalless draws on Sunday. Both teams had scored in 10 of Chelsea's previous 11 EPL games. Both teams had scored in nine of Fulham's previous 10 EPL games. I expect normality to be restored with a goal at each end in this one.

FT: Everton 0-0 Chelsea.

Chelsea have failed to score for the first time in 26 matches under Enzo Maresca. #CFC pic.twitter.com/fKbznEXsvJ

— Pys (@CFCPys) December 22, 2024

Newcastle United (-110) vs. Aston Villa (+260) - 10:00 a.m. EST

Score prediction: Newcastle United 2 – 2 Aston Villa

Newcastle's won 4-0 in back-to-back league games. Villa's won three of their last four EPL games. Two teams in good recent form make picking a winner tough. But we should see goals, so we'll take over 2.5 total goals and both teams to find the net.

Nottingham Forest (+135) vs. Tottenham Hotspur (+175) - 10:00 a.m. EST

Score prediction: Nottingham Forest 2 – 3 Tottenham Hotspur

The only thing we know about predicting the outcome of a Tottenham game is that there will be goals. There have been 28 goals in their last four matches in all competitions. Forest's season has been excellent so far, and I'm not ruling them out of winning this game. We'll just play the goal markets, though.

Southampton (+215) vs. West Ham United (+115) - 10:00 a.m. EST

Score prediction: Southampton 1 – 1 West Ham United

"Strangely enough, a 6-3 scoreline is not a surprise!"

Jon Champion, Robbie Earle and Tim Howard break down a wild nine-goal battle between Liverpool and Tottenham. pic.twitter.com/VsaYnomjxm

— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) December 22, 2024

Wolves (+275) vs. Manchester United (-105) - 12:30 p.m. EST

Score prediction: Wolves 2 – 1 Manchester United

Wolves' "new manager bounce" kicked into play immediately. Meanwhile, United's new manager is fully aware of the size of the task he faces turning around their form. There have been at least three goals in each of Wolves' last six games and each of United's last five games.

Wolves are too high-priced given United's form. However, the hosts have hardly been impressive. Beating Leicester has given them a confidence boost, something that United are sorely lacking. We'll play it safe and return the 'over 2.5 total goals streak' for both teams to continue.

🎙️ | Rúben Amorim asked about a disconnect in #mufc players:

"You can feel not just the players, also the fans, you can feel it in the first goal-kick from Andre Onana, he’s thinking what to do, trying to push the other guys and everybody’s so anxious. So I think in this moment…

— UtdDistrict (@UtdDistrict) December 23, 2024

Liverpool (-1100) vs. Leicester City (+1900) - 3:00 p.m. EST

Score prediction: Liverpool 3 – 0 Leicester City

This is a home-win banker. With such short odds, we'll play that both teams do not score. Liverpool's kept four clean sheets in eight games at Anfield. Leicester's failed to score in back-to-back games. A home win to nil is the likeliest result.

Friday, December 27, 2024

Brighton (-140) vs. Brentford (+330) - 2:30 p.m. EST

Score prediction: Brighton 2 – 1 Brentford

Brighton's gone five games without a win. That will surely change against a side that's taken just one point on their travels (eight games). Seven of Brighton's eight home games have seen at least three goals, so we'll also take over 2.5 total goals along with a home win.

Arsenal (-700) vs. Ipswich Town (+1500) - 3:15 p.m. EST

Score prediction: Arsenal 3 – 0 Ipswich Town

Arsenal's 5-1 win at Palace came at a cost, as Bukayo Saka is set to miss multiple weeks due to a hamstring injury. They should still have more than enough to win this game comfortably. Arsenal scored five goals in two of their last five EPL games. At these odds, we'll take over 2.5 total goals.

The update Bukayo Saka owners didn't want to see 🤕

Mikel Arteta has confirmed that the Arsenal midfielder will miss "many weeks" with a hamstring injury 🚨#FPL pic.twitter.com/xRB0MD9Q9W

— Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) December 23, 2024

Betting Picks

The table below gives the odds for each game's three main plays (moneyline, total goals, and both teams to score). My favorite pick from each game is highlighted if you are looking to build a parlay (which I will be playing and tracking).

Good luck with those FPL teams and EPL bets. Remember to bet responsibly!

More Betting and DFS Picks