Premier League: Boxing Day Treble

Having devoured more turkey, pigs in blankets, and Christmas pudding than could be recommended from a health perspective, sports fans find another feast hurtling at them on Boxing Day. Happily, for those feeling the effects of the previous day, this sporting bonanza can be savoured with the eyes.

The King George VI Chase takes centre stage on the racing front, and, as ever, the Premier League chips in with a full slate of fixtures over the 26th and 27th December. Here, we pick out our top three punts from the eight Boxing Day clashes.

Newcastle United vs Aston Villa: Boxing Day 3:00 pm

We kick things off in the northeast in what looks like the pick of the Boxing Day games. Sitting eighth and sixth, respectively, heading into the game, the Magpies will hope to leapfrog Villa with a win in this one. Newcastle dominated this fixture last season, winning 5-1 in this game and 3-1 at Villa Park.

The hosts are playing their best football of the season at present and arrive on a three-match winning streak, which has seen them hit four past Leicester and Ipswich and three against Brentford. With four wins in their last five, Villa are also going well and impressed when becoming the latest side to master beleaguered Manchester City at the weekend.

With only four wins in eight Premier League home fixtures, Eddie Howe’s men have been a little below their usual high standards at St. James’ Park. That said, they have been largely excellent against top-half clubs – beating Spurs and Arsenal and picking up a point against Liverpool and Manchester City.

Villa arrive seeking to end a four-game losing streak on the road, having lost at Spurs, Liverpool, Chelsea, and Forest. That’s a tough sequence of games, but Unai Emery will be disappointed that his side conceded 11 times and scored only twice.

Villas's recent results on the road suggest they struggle against a higher calibre of opposition. In their current form, Newcastle falls firmly into that category. Sandro Tonali has excelled in a deeper position of late, with his ball-winning and smart passing allowing Bruno Guimaraes to thrive in a more advanced role. Throw in the fact that Alexander Isak has rediscovered his devastating best, and Newcastle are a tough side to keep quiet – particularly on their own patch. We like the hosts here and wouldn’t rule out a similar scoreline to the games between the sides last season.

• Recommended Bet - Handicap Betting: Newcastle -1 @ 12/5 with Betfred

Nottingham Forest vs Tottenham Hotspur: Boxing Day 3:00 pm

Fourth plays eleventh in this clash at the City Ground. When the season began, few would have predicted that the Tricky Trees would be riding high in the Champions League positions whilst Ange Postecoglou’s men languish in mid-table. Having won 2-0 in this game and 3-1 in the reverse fixture last season, Spurs may view this as an ideal opportunity to get their season back on track.

Forest arrive in flying form, with impressive wins on the road at Manchester United and Brentford sandwiching a solid home success over Aston Villa. Nuno Espirito Santo’s men have won four of their last five at home in the league, keeping three clean sheets.

Spurs, in contrast, are licking their wounds following a 6-3 home battering at the hands of Liverpool – a game in which the inexperienced central defensive partnership of Archie Gray and Radu Dragusin was ruthlessly exposed. The North Londoners have won three of eight on their travels, including a 4-0 success at Manchester City and a 5-0 trouncing of Southampton.

Given Tottenham’s continuing defensive issues and Forest’s excellent current form, it is tempting to side with the hosts at a general price of 7/5. However, attempting to predict the results of Spurs games this season has proven all but impossible. Instead, we will side with goals. Spurs away fixtures have averaged an incredible 3.91 expected goals this season, whilst Forest shipped three against Newcastle, who play a less exaggerated high-press style. Throw in the injury-ravaged defence of the visitors, and this should be an entertaining affair.

• Recommended Bet - Over 4.5 Goals @ 11/4 with Betfred

Bournemouth vs Crystal Palace: Boxing Day 3:00 pm

Bournemouth haven’t attracted too many headlines this season but sit pretty in fifth as they continue to progress under Andoni Iraola. Next up for the south coast club is this home clash with a Crystal Palace side whose inconsistent form sees them only four points above the drop zone in 16th. The Cherries edged this matchup last season, winning 1-0 in this game and 2-0 in the reverse fixture.

Bournemouth arrive on a high, having joined the lengthening list of clubs to embarrass Manchester United with a 3-0 triumph at Old Trafford. That success extended their unbeaten run in the league to five games. They have won four of eight at home, including impressive victories over Arsenal, Manchester City, and Spurs – conceding more than once in only one of eight.

Crystal Palace posted their best performance of the season on their most recent away league outing when registering a 3-1 success at the Amex against bitter rivals Brighton. However, they have since been dumped out of the Carabao Cup by Arsenal and suffered a 5-1 home league hammering at the hands of the Gunners.

So far at home, Bournemouth are averaging 2.17xG for and 1.29xG against. Palace’s respective figures on the road sit at 1.56 for and 1.73 against.

We favour the hosts in this one but we don’t see them blowing away a Palace side who are yet to concede more than twice on their travels in the league. The Eagles always possess a threat on the break and can do enough to get on the scoresheet.

• Recommended Bet - Bournemouth to win and Both Teams to Score @ 5/2 with Betfred

A £10 bet on the above treble returns £446.25 with Betfred.