Premier League betting odds & goalscorer tips – Matchweek 12

AFTER yet another of FIFA’s meddlesome international breaks, we’re back on the good stuff with week 12 of the 2016-17 English Premier League season.

Everyone is chasing Liverpool, who hit Watford for six last time out to go top of the table.

Chelsea were also in ominous form before the break, thrashing Everton 5-0 to leapfrog Manchester City and Arsenal into second place.

The Gunners, fresh off a derby draw with Tottenham, face another tough test this weekend as they take on a Manchester United side rejuvenated by a comfortable win over Swansea City.

If the first half of that game was anything to go by, the Swans will be plying their trade in the Championship next season.

So too may Crystal Palace, who have now lost four on the bounce after coming out on the wrong side of a five-goal thriller with Burnley.

But there were rare wins for Sunderland – their first of the season – and for Hull City, who are now just one point shy of the safety zone.

Let’s see what the upcoming week of Premier League football holds as we check out the match odds, value bets and first goalscorer specials on offer at Australia’s best soccer betting sites.

Matchweek 12 Premier League odds

Odds provided by Sportsbet.com.au

Man United $2.62 – Draw $3.40 – Arsenal $2.70

Crystal Palace $6.50 – Draw $4.10 – Man City $1.53

Everton $1.57 – Draw $4 – Swansea City $6

Southampton $3.60 – Draw $3.40 – Liverpool $2.10

Stoke City $2.30 – Draw $3.30 – Bournemouth $3.20

Sunderland $2.10 – Draw $3.30 – Hull City $3.75

Watford $2.80 – Draw $3.25 – Leicester City $2.62

Tottenham $1.53 – Draw $4.10 – West Ham $6.50

Middlesbrough $7 – Draw $4.20 – Chelsea $1.50

West Brom $1.91 – Draw $3.40 – Burnley $4.33

Manchester United vs. Arsenal

11:30pm AEDT on Saturday, November 19, 2016 at Old Trafford

• Half-time draw/full-time draw – $5 at Sportsbet
• Alexis Sanchez first goalscorer – $7

The Red Devils cruised to victory in week 11, putting three well-taken goals past what can only be described as an insipid Swansea side.

This week they will have to tackle much tougher opposition without star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who is suspended after collecting five yellow cards.

They will also miss the injured pair of Chris Smalling (broken toe) and Eric Bailly (knee), neither of whom are expected back until the second week of December.

Wayne Rooney and Luke Shaw are nursing knocks as well, but both are tipped to be available.

Arsenal have their own problems with Hector Bellerin, Santi Cazorla and Lucas Perez all sidelined for the trip to Old Trafford.

While Bellerin’s absence could mean a very rare start for Mathieu Debuchy or Carl Jenkinson at right back, there is plenty of seasoned cover for Cazorla and Perez in the midfield and forward thirds.

The Gunners are unbeaten in 10 games – seven of those victories – since losing to Liverpool in round one, but their recent record at the Theatre of Dreams is the stuff of nightmares.

Arsene Wenger’s men have not won at United in league play since 2006, in which time they have lost six out of eight clashes in Manchester.

Southampton vs. Liverpool

2am AEDT on Sunday, November 20, 2016 at St. Mary’s Stadium

• Liverpool win/both teams to score – $4 at Bet365
• Philippe Coutinho first goalscorer – $7

The Saints were marching up the table until they ran into an improving Chelsea side in the last week of October.

That loss was followed by a shock 2-1 defeat to Hull City, who hadn’t won a game since the second round of fixtures back in August.

A lack of finesse in the final third is beginning to cause issues for Claude Puel and his charges, who have fallen behind the likes of Burnley and Watford into 10th place.

Yet Southampton have enjoyed some success against Liverpool since returning to the top flight in 2012, not least when they came from two goals down to steal victory at St. Mary’s last term.

Sadio Mane was the difference that day with a brace from the bench, but the Senegalese forward returns to St. Mary’s this weekend as a member of the invading party.

It looks like there won’t be a homecoming for Adam Lallana, however, after the former Southampton skipper suffered a groin strain on England duty.

That means a probable start for Georginio Wijnaldum as the midfield conduit in what has become the most feared attack in the Premier League.

Even with the dangerous Lallana missing, the Saints will have a hard time keeping out a side that has already notched 30 goals for EPL 2016-17.

Sunderland vs. Hull City

2am AEDT on Sunday, November 20, 2016 at the Stadium of Light

• Sunderland 2-1 correct score – $10 at Bet365
• Jermain Defoe first goalscorer – $5 at Sportsbet

It took 11 weeks, but Sunderland showed up at long bloody last to claim their first win of the season at Bournemouth.

The decision to shake things up and start Victor Anichebe up top paid immediate dividends for David Moyes as his former Everton charge scored one himself and drew a penalty for Jermain Defoe to seal it.

That performance was made all the more impressive after it was revealed that Anichebe had played through a broken rib sustained early in the game.

The Nigerian forward is rated a decent chance to suit up for the weekend, however, as are Paddy McNair and Jack Rodwell.

Whomever is available, the Mackems must consider themselves a very good shout to make it two wins in a row.

Hull also won last time out, netting two goals in as many minutes in the second half to stun Southampton at the KCOM Stadium.

The Tigers have looked a much better side since the return of captain and defensive lynchpin Michael Dawson, who missed the first eight weeks of the season through injury.

Their biggest problems now are at the other end of the park, where Robert Snodgrass is just about the last man standing after Will Keane wrecked his ACL.

But the head-to-heads are firmly in Hull’s favour, as they have won four and drawn the other of their last five meetings with Sunderland in all competitions.

Tottenham Hotspur vs. West Ham United

4:30pm AEDT on Sunday, November 20, 2016 at White Hart Lane

• Both teams to score second half – $3.25 at CrownBet
• Harry Kane first goalscorer – $4.50 at William Hill

It’s rare that a team goes 11 games into an English Premier League season without losing a single fixture.

What’s even rarer is when a team does just that and yet can’t hold a spot in the top four, which is precisely the situation Spurs find themselves in.

A solid draw with Arsenal left Mauricio Pochettino’s men in fifth place, five points behind the leaders and a full game short of their North London rivals in fourth.

That result made it four consecutive stalemate in a frustrating little stretch that has seen the Lilywhites struggle to put the ball in the auld onion bag.

But Harry Kane returned from injury to face the Gunners and will lead the line again as Spurs tackle a second straight London derby date.

West Ham are a bit of a mess this season despite so many pundits and punters tipping them to push for a spot in the top five.

Their defence has come in for special criticism, and it’s not hard to see why when you look at the types of goals they’ve been letting through.

But they have class and creativity going forward in the likes of Dimitri Payet, while Michail Antonio continues to pop up as the Hammers’ saviour no matter where he lines up.

With doubts lingering over the fitness of Spurs stars Toby Alderweireld, Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen, Mousa Dembele and Erik Lamela, the Irons could hardly ask for a better chance to knock off their crosstown nemeses.

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