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Weekend all leagues Exclusive Previews and Bet tips

As 2022 ticks over into the New Year, Europe’s biggest leagues are ramping up action following the World Cup break. Here is a selection of interesting matches worth staking on BetKing.

Wolves v Manchester United

The Julen Lopetegui era at Wolves kicked off in the most dramatic of fashions with a late win at Goodison Park. Wolves responded exceptionally to falling behind and, with new signing Matheus Cunha still to be incorporated into the starting XI, will be confident of escaping the lower reaches of the Premier League table.

The true test of the Spanish manager’s impact, however, will come with the visit of Manchester United. The Red Devils looked strong in their handling of Nottingham Forest, with the performances of Marcus Rashford and Casemiro in particular earning a lot of plaudits. The form of Erik ten Hag’s side is to be respected and feared.

Wolves have tended to provide stiff opposition to Manchester United at Molineux, but ultimately the Red Devils have tended to do just enough to get the win. This is likely to follow the same pattern.

Over 1.5 total goals at 1.34 odds
Both teams to score (No) at 1.96 odds
Under 4.5 total bookings at 1.62 odds
Manchester United to win at 1.94 odds

Manchester City v Everton

If it was not already clear, Everton’s defeat at the hands of Wolves made the reality of the season stark: the Toffees are in trouble this season. Frank Lampard’s side have one win in seven, and have only scored 12 goals in 16 league matches all season. Grim reading all around. Who better to rebound against than Manchester City then? As the saying goes, when it rains, it pours.

City looked ominous against Leeds in midweek, winning comfortably despite missing a ton of chances. Pep Guardiola’s side find themselves among the chasing pack in the Premier League, knowing they have to win every game in order to keep pace with leaders Arsenal. That eliminates any potential for complacency on their part, consequently blocking Everton’s one potential avenue for success here.

The Citizens have won their last 10 meetings with Everton, and this is unlikely to go a different way, all things considered.

Manchester City to win at 1.14 odds
Over 1.5 total first half goals at 1.96 odds
Both teams to score (No) at 1.60 odds
Over 3.5 total bookings at 2.72 odds

Brighton v Arsenal

Despite the loss of Gabriel Jesus, at the Emirates on Boxing Day, it was like Arsenal never left. A stirring comeback in the second half crowned an overall fantastic performance, keeping daylight between the Gunners and their title adversaries. It was a particularly important result, considering the difficulty of the run of fixtures Arsenal are set to get into.

Brighton are first up, and will pose a major challenge. The Seagulls are playing some of the finest possession-based football in the Premier League under Roberto De Zerbi, and are placed comfortably inside the top half. The ease with which they dispatched Southampton on the road last time out speaks volumes: they will not be pushovers on their own patch.

A further wrinkle is that Brighton have not lost in the last three meetings with the Gunners, as well as the fact that Arsenal have only won once at the Amex Stadium since the Seagulls were promoted in 2017. This will be a huge test of Arsenal’s title credentials.

Over 1.5 total goals at 1,28 odds
Both teams to score (Yes) at 1.68 odds
Draw (1X2) at 3.50 odds
Under 4.5 total bookings at 1.40 odds

Tottenham v Aston Villa

While Tottenham gained a point and Aston Villa gained none, the sense is that it is the Villans who would have been more enthused by their performance during the Boxing Day round of fixtures. Villa gave a creditable performance in defeat to Liverpool, their profligacy ultimately costing them in a seesaw encounter that saw the Reds claim a 3-1 win. Despite the defeat, small shoots of promise were evident.

For Spurs, however, it was more of the same against Brentford: a sluggish first half, followed by a rousing comeback in the second. It is hard to say how long they can keep getting away with that approach, but they at least managed to avoid defeat: with Harry Kane upfront, they will always have a chance.

Villa will take heart from Brentford’s performance, however, and fancy their chances. Their record on the road is poor though, and not only are Spurs strong on home turf, but they have only lost one of their last eight matches against Aston Villa.

Tottenham to win at 1.69 odds
Both teams to score (Yes) at 1.71 odds
Over 1.5 total goals at 1.26 odds
Under 4.5 total bookings at 1.86 odds

Nottingham Forest v Chelsea

Chelsea looked a lot more comfortable with Graham Potter’s tactics in defeating Bournemouth, even though there were some hair-raising moments. In their movements and use of the ball, there was plenty of room for optimism, especially allied with the recent transfer speculation linking them to big money signings such as Enzo Fernandez.

Nottingham Forest know all about signings, of course; it is in terms of integration that they have fallen down so far. Steve Cooper’s men were toothless against Manchester United, failing to lay a glove on them, and questions remain not only over the quality and quantity of their recruitment, but also over the manager’s ability to make it all come together.

At home this season, Forest have been a tough nut to crack, however. They have already beaten Liverpool and taken points off Brighton and Brentford, two teams in and around Chelsea. You fancy the Blues’ quality will be too much on the night, however.

Chelsea to win at 1.68 odds
Both teams to score (Yes) at 1.92 odds
Over 1.5 total goals at 1.34 odds
Under 4.5 total bookings at 1.40 odds

Barcelona v Espanyol

There’s no better way to welcome back LaLiga action than a Catalan derby. Barcelona have the lead in the Spanish top flight; despite their glut of attacking talent, it is their defensive solidity that has them flying high. Even more remarkably, the Blaugrana have yet to concede a goal at Camp Nou this season.

All that is to say that Espanyol have their work cut out for them, but they have almost certainly bitten off more than they can chew. They are almost the reverse Barca, in that they have only kept one clean sheet away from home all season, and their disciplinary record leaves a lot to be desired. They are also winless in five matches.

All of this points to a pretty straightforward win for the hosts. This may be a derby in name, but it has been far from competitive recently: Barcelona are without defeat in their last nine meetings with Espanyol.

Both teams to score (No) at 1.83 odds
Barcelona to score over 1.5 goals at 1.23 odds
Barcelona to win at 1.21 odds
Over 5.5 total bookings at 1.45 odds

Lens v PSG

PSG made hard work of beating Strasbourg last time out, but just about managed it in the end thanks to Kylian Mbappe’s late penalty. The sending off of Neymar put a slight dampener on the result and threatened to see them drop points, but ultimately they pulled through. The Parisians will have to do without the talismanic Brazilian for the trip to second-place Lens, but at least they have Lionel Messi returning for this one.

Lens dropped points last time out for the first time in six matches, but in fairness Nice is a difficult place to go for any team, and there is still a four-point buffer between them and Marseille in third. Lens have been fantastic in Ligue 1 this term, especially at home where they have been perfect and have only conceded six goals in total all season.

That makes this a tricky proposition for PSG, even with Messi back. Lens are organised and tenacious while carrying a threat going the other way. While the fact that they have not lost any of their last three meeting with Lens is in PSG’s favour, they have also found clean sheets difficult to come by against this opponent. A stutter here is not beyond the realm of possibility.