Boxing Day Brings some of the most Exciting Premier League Derbies
Published December 26, 2020 by Florin P
Manchester City welcomes Newcastle on Saturday, while their city rivals play on the road at Leicester, hoping to extend winning runs.
The Premier League is once again the flagship European competition that brings quality football to fans and punters alike. Some of the best English teams are scheduled to play on Boxing Day, with the outcome of the matches to impact the race for the trophy. Manchester United have a far more difficult missions than their city rivals, but the Derby of the day will pit Chelsea against Arsenal in London.
Leicester and Manchester United Play for Second Place
Leicester will have home pitch advantage against Manchester United and both teams are in stellar form, so this match is quite difficult to call. Except for the shocking defeat against Everton, Leicester have performed above expectations and have only two players missing ahead of this game. Even so, bet365 Sports regards them as underdogs with odds of 2/1, as opposed to 13/10 for Manchester United.
The Red Devils are on a three-game winning streak during which they have scored a combined seven goals. Keeping clean sheets has been difficult for Manchester United, as they conceded twice against lowly Leeds and Sheffield United. This game has the potential of turning into a goalscoring festival, so punters should also consider the possibility of betting on more than 2.5 goals to be scored.
London Comes to Life for Arsenal vs Chelsea Derby
A highly anticipated match is the one between Arsenal and Chelsea meet in London. Both teams are struggling to win back-to-back games, but the Gunners have had a far worse season so far. They haven’t won the Premier League match in more than a month and struggle in the second half of the standings. Home pitch advantage is important but apparently not enough to give them favorite status.
888 Sport expects Arsenal’s losing streak to continue, as reflected by the odds of 3/1 currently on display. Chelsea won the most recent Derby of London against West Ham after losing the previous two games by the narrowest of margins. They can field a very competitive starting formation, as opposed to the hosts who will likely start with their top scorer on the bench, hence the odds of 9/10 on Chelsea to win.
Manchester City Play Must-Win Match against Newcastle
Compared to the other two games of the day, Manchester City only has to complete a formality against Newcastle. At least on paper, the former champions are favorites to win, and punters shouldn’t expect odds higher than 1/10 at 888 Sport. The Citizens have struggled early on but they are currently on a nine-game invincible run and this is only likely to expand after this fixture. Punters who are bold enough as to back the underdogs on the road will be paid at 18/10 if Newcastle cause an upset on Sunday afternoon.
Disclaimer:
The odds mentioned here were accurate at the featured bookmakers at the hour the article was written, respectively on Thursday, December 24 at 1 pm UK time.
