December 30 Premier League Tips

The busy festive period continues as two Premier League games are scheduled for the penultimate day of the year on Friday, so who better than Greg Lea to preview both matches?

West Ham United v Brentford

Kick-off: 7.45pm Friday

West Ham started brightly against Arsenal on Boxing Day and took the lead through a Said Benrahma penalty to take them into the interval 1-0 up. But their opponents’ superior quality made the difference after the break, and David Moyes’ men headed home empty-handed following a 3-1 defeat.

Worryingly for Moyes, it was his team’s 10th defeat of their 16-match campaign - an unwanted milestone the Hammers did not reach until gameweek 30 last term. That loss at the Emirates Stadium left West Ham just one point above the relegation zone and their European hopes are all but over before the turn of the year.

Moyes has plenty of credit in the bank at the London Stadium but another defeat on Friday could see the pressure build on the experienced Scot. Indeed, it is matches like this that will define West Ham’s season, not trips to the home of the league leaders.

Brentford drew 2-2 with Tottenham Hotspur last time out. It was a result they certainly would have taken before the game, but Thomas Frank was disappointed that his team only picked up a point after leading 2-0. Nevertheless, the Bees remain in the top half of the table having lost just one of their last seven outings in the Premier League.

This match is more important to West Ham than it is to Brentford, who have a bit of breathing space above the bottom three. Frank’s team have only won once away from home this term, so I’m backing West Ham to eke out a vital victory in front of their own fans.

Prediction: West Ham to win @ 2.14

Liverpool v Leicester City

Kick-off: 8pm Friday

It has been a good few days for Liverpool. A 3-1 victory over Aston Villa on Boxing Day saw them close the gap to the Champions League spots to five points, while the Reds still have a game in hand on fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur. Off the pitch, they completed a deal to sign Cody Gakpo, who is expected to arrive at Anfield from PSV early next week.

Optimism is in shorter supply in the Leicester camp following their 3-0 defeat by Newcastle United on Monday. There is no shame in going down to Eddie Howe’s high-flying team this term, but the manner of the defeat was cause for concern for the Foxes. Leicester barely laid a glove on their opponents and never looked like scoring, let alone winning.

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Brendan Rodgers’ side has been defensively porous all season long, and that was again their undoing against Newcastle. Only Bournemouth, Nottingham Forest and Southampton – two of whom are in the bottom three – have conceded more goals than Leicester so far.

Liverpool look well placed to take advantage. Manchester City and Arsenal are the only teams in the division averaging more goals per game than Jurgen Klopp’s side, who have scored the bulk of their goals on home turf.

Over 3.5 goals is the way to go here. It is a wager which applies to both teams, so it would not necessarily fail if Leicester were to outperform expectations. Given the two sides’ respective strengths and weaknesses, it is hard to see this being a low-scoring affair.

Prediction: Over 3.5 goals @ 2.22