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The EPL season rolls on and we're bringing you our weekly article looking at betting picks and predictions for all games. Matchday 15 kicks off on Saturday, December 7, with Liverpool visiting Everton. It culminates on Monday, December 9, when West Ham United hosts Wolves.
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.
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Matchday 14 Recap
As we intimated would be the case in the Matchday 14 article, there were some eye-catching results in midweek. Unfortunately, that meant a bit of a dud for us. We went 0-for-3 on the parlays and didn't even hit 50% of our picks. Hopefully going back to a normal weekend set of fixtures helps us recover.
Saturday, December 7, 2024
Everton (+600) vs. Liverpool (-215) - 7:30 a.m. EST
Score prediction: Everton 0 – 2 Liverpool
Everton ended a four-game streak without a goal. But it came against the league's leakiest defense and they needed the help of two own goals. The last Merseyside Derby at Goodison Park might give the hosts an extra boost in what is normally an intense game. But a Liverpool win is still on the cards.
With this being the first game of the weekend, I'll be keeping it simple and playing just one pick. But given the recent history of this fixture, I'd be willing to go with it being a low-scoring game with only one team finding a route to goal.
Aston Villa (-265) vs. Southampton (+650) - 10:00 a.m. EST
Score prediction: Aston Villa 3 – 1 Southampton
Villa ended their eight-game winless run in all competitions. They have the ideal chance to build some momentum with another home win. Southampton comes into this game on the back of a chastening loss and having conceded 11 goals in their last four games. Expect a home win with a few goals.
Brentford (+185) vs. Newcastle United (+135) - 10:00 a.m. EST
Score prediction: Brentford 3 – 2 Newcastle United
Brentford's last two games continued their trend on the season; a big home win and a disappointing away defeat. No team has taken more points at home (19) or scored more goals at home (22) than Brentford. The Bees have played six of the current bottom seven so it's difficult to back them fully.
Six of Newcastle's seven away games have seen both teams score. Given Brentford's home matches have averaged 4.86 goals, we'll be playing both teams scoring and over 2.5 goals rather than the moneyline.
No side has a better record at home this season than Brentford 🐝
Despite going a goal down against Leicester today they rallied to win 4-1! pic.twitter.com/X2VsOzSMcp
— Premier League (@premierleague) November 30, 2024
Crystal Palace (+425) vs. Manchester City (-165) - 10:00 a.m. EST
Score prediction: Crystal Palace 1 – 3 Manchester City
Palace moved out of the relegation zone with their midweek win. They've only lost once in their last six EPL games. While I don't expect this to be a cakewalk, City returned to winning ways on Wednesday and are too well-priced to not back. An away win looks like the most favorable play.
Manchester United (-155) vs. Nottingham Forest (+425) - 12:30 p.m. EST
Score prediction: Manchester United 2 – 0 Nottingham Forest
United's new style of play looks to be formulating. However, they struggled to create much against Arsenal. They should be more of an attacking threat here. Forest have lost back-to-back away games 3-0. While United aren't as good as Forest's previous opponents, I expect the same result.
Although it doesn't really relate to this weekend's fixture, Forest did provide one of the feel-good moments of last week. A sweet reminder of the joy this game can bring.
Taku, our fan from Tokyo, made an emotional first visit to The City Ground for our win against Ipswich Town. 🇯🇵
After following Forest for over 10 years, we invited him pitchside to experience Mull of Kintyre for the very first time. ❤️#ForestAllOverTheWorld pic.twitter.com/EAuSXSgMll
— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) December 5, 2024
Sunday, December 8, 2024
Fulham (+425) vs. Arsenal (-165) - 9:00 a.m. EST
Score prediction: Fulham 1 – 2 Arsenal
Fulham's impressive win at Brighton moved them into the top six. Both teams have scored in all seven of their home games, with six of them seeing at least three total goals. Arsenal has not kept a clean sheet in their last five away EPL games and with some defensive injuries, I'm taking both teams to score.
Ipswich Town (+255) vs. Bournemouth (+100) - 9:00 a.m. EST
Score prediction: Ipswich Town 1 – 1 Bournemouth
Ipswich remains the only team yet to win at home. Despite being 18th, they haven't been overawed in recent games. None of their last six games have been decided by more than one goal. Bournemouth have yet to keep a clean sheet on their travels so we'll be backing both teams to score in this one.
With the fixtures piling up and Ipswich's training methods coming under scrutiny, the coming weeks may be a struggle for the Tractor Boys.
'We knew that we probably would have more injuries this season'
Has Kieran McKenna's notoriously intense training schedule led to an influx of muscle injuries for #itfc in the Premier League?
Here's what he had to say 👇https://t.co/6bnRpEHhfa
— Stuart Watson (@Stuart_Watson) December 6, 2024
Leicester City (+350) vs. Brighton (-135) - 9:00 a.m. EST
Score prediction: Leicester City 2 – 2 Brighton
Leicester's first game under Ruud van Nistelrooy's management got off to a dream start, but this will be a much tougher assignment. Eight of Brighton's last 10 games have seen at least three goals and that is what we'll be playing here.
Tottenham Hotspur (+210) vs. Chelsea (+110) - 11:30 a.m. EST
Score prediction: Tottenham Hotspur 2 – 3 Chelsea
I'm getting sick of trying to predict Tottenham's games. They continue to dumbfound everyone with their performances and it's just as likely they win this 4-0 as they lose by the same scoreline. Chelsea's attack makes this look like being a high-scoring game so that is what we will be playing.
Chelsea have scored at least two more goals than any other team in the Premier League this season (31). ⚽️#TOTCHE https://t.co/3BqvP085Er pic.twitter.com/ZkAk11VoVO
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) December 6, 2024
Monday, December 9, 2024
West Ham United (-115) vs. Wolves (+290) - 3:00 p.m. EST
Score prediction: West Ham United 1 – 2 Wolves
Two teams under pressure to get a result clash to end Matchday 15. Just as Wolves looked like finding some form after a difficult start to the season, they conceded four goals in back-to-back games. West Ham's also conceded eight goals in their last two games so we'll be playing over 2.5 total goals.
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).
| Game | Moneyline | Over/Under 2.5 goals | BTTS |
| Everton 0 – 2 Liverpool | Liverpool -215 | Under 2.5 +115 | No -105 |
| A. Villa 3 – 1 Southampton | A. Villa -265 | Over 2.5 -225 | Yes -145 |
| Brentford 3 – 2 Newcastle | Brentford +185 | Over 2.5 -180 | Yes -210 |
| C. Palace 1 – 3 Man City | Man City -165 | Over 2.5 -165 | Yes -150 |
| Man United 2 – 0 N. Forest | Man United -155 | Under 2.5 +105 | No +105 |
| Fulham 1 – 2 Arsenal | Arsenal +165 | Over 2.5 -130 | Yes -130 |
| Ipswich 1 – 1 Bournemouth | Draw +265 | Under 2.5 +115 | Yes -170 |
| Leicester 2 – 2 Brighton | Draw +295 | Over 2.5 -175 | Yes -175 |
| Tottenham 2 – 3 Chelsea | Chelsea +110 | Over 2.5 -290 | Yes -300 |
| West Ham 1 – 2 Wolves | Wolves +290 | Over 2.5 -170 | Yes -185 |
| Season totals | 64/140 | 62/140 | 77/140 |
| Season parlays | 1/14 (-2.53u) | 0/14 (-14.00u) | 5/14 (+24.52u) |
Good luck with those FPL teams and EPL bets. Remember to bet responsibly!
