The Premier League returns with a bang after the festive celebrations.
Manchester United and Newcastle lock horns on Boxing Day evening, before packed schedules on the 27th and 28th.
As always, expect drama and goals in the world’s biggest league, and here are our sports betting picks for Matchday 18, all of them based on NetBet’s latest offering of football betting odds.
*All odds are subject to change
Manchester United vs Newcastle: Player to score or assist – Mason Mount @ 2.82
With Bruno Fernandes picking up an injury in the 2-1 loss at Aston Villa and Bryan Mbeumo at AFCON, Mount’s role at United has suddenly grown in importance. The Englishman is already enjoying his best campaign with the Red Devils, and his injury troubles appear to be a thing of the past. So this game looks tailor-made for a Mount masterclass, with Newcastle really struggling away from home in 2025-26 (just one win in eight). Mount has three goals in Premier League action this term, and the visitors have not kept a clean sheet since November 5.
Liverpool to score over 2.5 goals vs Wolves @ 1.85
Even without Alexander Isak and Mohamed Salah, as well as Dominik Szoboszlai due to suspension, Liverpool should win this game at a canter. Wolves are yet to emerge victorious from a top-flight match this season, conceding 37 goals in 17 matches. And Liverpool have one of the Premier League’s in-form players in Hugo Ekitike, who scored again in last weekend’s 2-1 win at Tottenham to take his overally tally to eight. If the Reds strike early at Anfield, as Ekitike did in the recent 2-0 victory over Brighton, you really do fear for the visitors here.
Burnley vs Everton: Draw @ 3.35
Burnley are fighting hard in the relegation zone, securing a 1-1 draw at Bournemouth last weekend thanks to a late goal from Armando Broja. That result ended a run of seven consecutive top-flight losses, but four of those defeats were by just one goal. So it seems clear that Scott Parker’s side are certainly nowhere close to being whipping boys, and we expect them to put up a real fight against an understrength Everton outfit. Iliman Ndiaye and Idrissa Gueye are at AFCON, while Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall is nursing a hamstring injury. The Toffees have won two of the last three on the road, but we still fancy Burnley to get pick up a first positive result at Turf Moor since the 2-0 win over Leeds on October 18.
Chelsea vs Aston Villa: Anytime goalscorer – Morgan Rogers @ 4.00
After back-to-back braces against West Ham and Manchester United, we are struggling to understand why Rogers’ odds are so good in the Anytime Goalscorer market! Yes, Stamford Bridge is a hard place to go, but Aston Villa are the Premier League’s form team, and Rogers looks a million dollars right now. Furthermore, Chelsea have only kept two clean sheets in the last six, so it is not like they are a defensive behemoth akin to the early Jose Mourinho days. So we are backing Rogers to continue boosting his claim to be England’s starting No10 at the World Cup!
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