Premier League predictions, football betting tips and free bets for Saturday's 3pm kick-offs

This week's Premier League fixtures & TV details

Saturday, December 20

Newcastle vs Chelsea
TNT Sports 1, 12.30pm

Bournemouth vs Burnley
Brighton vs Sunderland
Manchester City vs West Ham
Wolves vs Brentford
All 3pm

Tottenham vs Liverpool
Sky Sports Premier League, 5.30pm

Everton vs Arsenal
Sky Sports Main Event, 8pm

Leeds vs Crystal Palace
Sky Sports Premier League, 8pm

Sunday, December 21

Aston Villa vs Manchester United
Sky Sports Premier League, 8pm

Monday, December 22

Fulham vs Nottingham Forest
Sky Sports Premier League, 8pm

Best bets

Bournemouth to win & both teams to score
1pt 21-10 bet365, Coral & Ladbrokes

Brighton
2pts 4-6 bet365

Phil Foden anytime goalscorer vs West Ham
1pt 5-4 bet365

Draw in Wolves vs Brentford
1pt 13-5 bet365

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Saturday's Premier League 3pm predictions

Bournemouth vs Burnley predictions

Bournemouth’s thrilling 4-4 draw away at Manchester United on Monday evening was an early contender for game of the season in the Premier League and defending may not be chief priority in the Cherries’ meeting with struggling Burnley.

No win in seven will be of some concern to Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola but a repeat performance from the eight-goal classic at Old Trafford should see them readily outclass the Clarets, who are on a run of seven straight defeats.

Scott Parker’s visitors created plenty of chances in their recent 3-2 loss at home to Fulham, winning the shot count 16-7, and being six points adrift of safety should ensure that they drop the calculated approach.

For all their struggles, Burnley have scored in their last seven away games but six of those fixtures have ended in defeat, the only exception being a 3-2 success at Wolves.

An open, free-flowing affair would favour Bournemouth with the added quality of Antoine Semenyo, Marcus Tavernier and Evanilson, but a tally of just two clean sheets in their last 11 shows that they can’t be trusted to grind it out stress-free.

Bournemouth vs Burnley team news & predicted line-ups

Bournemouth

Tyler Adams is set for a spell on the sidelines alongside Ben Gannon-Doak, Matai Akinmboni and Veljko Milosavljevic. Ryan Christie could feature and Lewis Cook is back from suspension. 

Predicted line-up (4-2-3-1): Petrovic; Smith, Diakite, Senesi, Truffert; Cook, Scott; Tavernier, Kluivert, Semenyo; Evanilson.

Burnley

Axel Tuanzebe, Lyle Foster and Hannibal Mejbri have all been called up for the Africa Cup of Nations. Zeki Amdouni, Jordan Beyer, Connor Roberts and Bashir Humphreys are all missing through injury.

Predicted line-up (4-3-3): Dubravka; Walker, Ekdal, Esteve, Hartman; Ugochukwu, Cullen, Florentino; Bruun Larsen, Flemming, Anthony.

Bournemouth vs Burnley key stat

Both teams have scored in Burnley’s last seven away games.

Best bet for Bournemouth vs Burnley 

Bournemouth to win & both teams to score
1pt 21-10 bet365, Coral & Ladbrokes

Verdict by Aaron Ashley

Brighton vs Sunderland predictions

Sunderland have been hit harder than most by the Africa Cup of Nations, with four of the starting line-up that helped them secure derby delight against Newcastle last weekend now on international duty, and the need to shuffle the pack could leave them vulnerable at the Amex Stadium.

The Black Cats have had a fine return to the top flight but they have picked up 18 of their 26 points at the Stadium of Light, with their eight away games featuring defeats at Burnley, Manchester United, Fulham and Manchester City.

Absences aside, that shows that Sunderland are much happier when armed with home advantage and, as a result, Brighton should be confident of capitalising.

The Seagulls have lost only one of their eight league home games, which came via the topsy-turvy 4-3 defeat to Aston Villa, and they have toppled Manchester City and Newcastle on the south coast.

Albion manager Fabian Hurzeler will want to see more consistency from his side moving forwards but they have had no problem locating the goal at home, having netted 16 times and been on target in all eight games.

Brighton vs Sunderland team news & predicted line-ups

Brighton

Stefanos Tzimas, Solly March and Adam Webster are long-term absentees. Captain Lewis Dunk and Diego Gomez are suspended and Carlos Baleba is away on Africa Cup of Nations duty. Danny Welbeck is a doubt. 

Predicted line-up (4-2-3-1): Verbruggen; Wieffer, Van Hecke, Boscagli, Kadioglu; Hinshelwood, Ayari; Minteh, Rutter, De Cuyper; Welbeck.

Sunderland

Noah Sadiki, Chemsdine Talbi, Reinildo Mandava, Bertrand Traore and Arthur Masuaku are all away on Africa Cup of Nations duty, while Luke O'Nien is suspended and Aji Alese is unavailable for selection. Habib Diarra could be involved before he too heads off to Afcon.

Predicted line-up (5-3-2): Roefs; Hume, Mukiele, Ballard, Alderete, Geertruida; Rigg, Xhaka, Le Fee; Isidor, Brobbey.

Brighton vs Sunderland key stat

Sunderland have won only one of their last five Premier League away games, firing three blanks.

Best bet for Brighton vs Sunderland

Brighton
2pts 4-6 bet365

Verdict by Aaron Ashley

Manchester City vs West Ham predictions

Rumours that this will be Pep Guardiola’s last season as Manchester City manager are beginning to circulate – Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca is reportedly being lined up as his successor – and he is making great strides towards going out on a high if that is the case.

City have won their last four Premier League games to shoot up the table and Guardiola can motivate his players by reminding them that a win would move them to the summit, if only for a brief time.

A Champions League victory at Real Madrid and a 2-0 success in Wednesday’s EFL Cup quarter-final against Brentford means it’s an even more impressive six wins in a row in all competitions, a run which has coincided with a return to form for Phil Foden.

The City star was in danger of missing out on England’s World Cup squad but has quickly silenced his doubters, scoring six goals in his last six appearances.

Foden should get plenty of chances to add to his growing tally against a West Ham side who have gone 13 games without a clean sheet, making him the standout anytime-goalscorer pick at the Etihad Stadium.

Manchester City vs West Ham team news & predicted line-ups

Manchester City

Oscar Bobb and Jeremy Doku have joined John Stones, Mateo Kovacic and Rodri on the sidelines. Rayan Ait-Nouri and Omar Marmoush are on international duty. 

Predicted line-up (4-1-4-1): Donnarumma; Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, O'Reilly; Gonzalez; Cherki, Silva, Reijnders, Foden; Haaland. 

West Ham

First-choice full-backs Aaron Wan-Bissaka and El Hadji Malick Diouf are at the Africa Cup of Nations. Nuno may switch to a back five in their absence. 

Predicted line-up (5-3-2): Areola; Walker-Peters, Todibo, Mavropanos, Kilman, Scarles; Magassa, Potts, Fernandes; Bowen, Summerville. 

Manchester City vs West Ham key stat

Phil Foden has scored five goals in his last seven Premier League appearances against West Ham. 

Best bet for Manchester City vs West Ham

Phil Foden anytime goalscorer vs West Ham
1pt 5-4 bet365

Verdict by Jamie Griffith

Wolves vs Brentford predictions

There were positives for Wolves to take from their performance in the 2-1 loss at Arsenal, but Rob Edwards’ side are in a whole heap of trouble and their winless run is set to extend to 21 Premier League games with a home draw against Brentford.

While Wolves would have been delighted to pick up a point at the Emirates Stadium, they will only have eyes for three against Brentford, one of the teams they need to focus on catching if they are serious about top-tier survival.

Top-flight fixtures don’t get much more attractive than a home game against the Bees, who have been beaten on seven of their eight Premier League road trips.

However, the Wolves defence that looked so sturdy for long periods in north London will have to be rejigged because two of the back three, Yerson Mosquera and Emmanuel Agbadou, are unavailable due to suspension and international duty.

Brentford are entitled to fancy their chances against a side devoid of confidence and missing key players. But they are tough to trust on their travels, so the sensible call is to side with the stalemate.

Wolves vs Brentford team news & predicted line-ups

Wolves

Rodrigo Gomes, Hugo Buneo, Marshall Munetsi, Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, Leon Chiwome and Daniel Bentley are injured. Yerson Mosquera serves a one-match suspension while Emmanuel Agbadou and Tawanda Chirewa are on Afcon duty.

Predicted line-up (3-4-1-2): Johnstone; S Bueno, Krejci, Toti; Doherty, Gomes, Andre, Wolfe; F Lopez; Hwang, Strand Larsen.

Brentford

Dango Ouattara and Frank Onyeka are on Afcon duty with Burkina Faso and Nigeria and Josh Dasilva, Antoni Milambo, Fabio Carvalho and Reiss Nelson are ruled out. Jordan Henderson and Igor Thiago face late checks.

Predicted line-up (4-2-3-1): Kelleher; Kayode, Collins, Van den Berg, Hickey; Henderson, Yarmoliuk; Schade, Damsgaard, Lewis-Potter; Thiago.

Wolves vs Brentford key stat

Wolves have not won in 20 Premier League games.

Best bet for Wolves vs Brentford

Draw
1pt 13-5 bet365

Verdict by Dan Childs

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Everton vs Arsenal predictions, team news, betting tips, odds and Bet Builder 

Leeds vs Crystal Palace predictions, team news, betting tips, odds and Bet Builder 

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