GOLDEN GOALS MD19: MAN UTD VS NEWCASTLE SHOWDOWN TOPS BILL
The festive period is unrelenting and our next set of Golden Goals fixtures come quickly off the back of some shocking and surprising Boxing Day results.
One of those clubs at the sore end of a scoreline was Manchester United, who find themselves just eight points above the relegation zone. They face an in-form Newcastle in desperate need of three points to ease the pressure on a beleaguered squad.
Can Nottingham Forest continue their remarkable tilt at European football with a win away at Everton? Will Tottenham bounce back at home to Wolves after a 1-0 defeat at Forest last time out?
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To help you make your selections, this is how we see it going on Golden Goals Matchday 19…
Everton 1-1 Nottingham Forest
Draw specialists Everton have lost just one – but also won just one – of their last seven league games. Five clean sheets in those seven matches mean Sean Dyche has finally shored up a side that was shipping goals for fun at the start of the season.
The Toffees’ strong run of form has included impressive draws with Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City, as well as a thumping win over Wolves, but their opponents here may provide the sternest test yet.
Nottingham Forest are thriving under Nuno Espirito Santo and four straight wins have propelled them to third place in the table – in-form Anthony Elanga scored the only goal in the win over Spurs to make it three in three for him. He’s 19/5 to get his name on the scoresheet again here.
Forest have lost just two games away from home so far and inflicted the only defeat on runaway leaders Liverpool with a 1-0 win at Anfield.
Goals are at a premium for both sides this season although, with 24, Forest look positively free scoring compared to Everton’s 15 goals. Defensive foundations have been the source of success with only Arsenal and Liverpool conceding less than the Tricky Trees’ 19 while Everton themselves have shipped only four more.
Everton have won the last two meetings but we don’t see it being three on the bounce. The Toffees are solid – a draw is the safest pick for this one.
Tottenham 2-3 Wolves
Ange Postecoglou’s increasingly unpredictable Spurs side find themselves in 11th place, with performances ranging from the sublime to the ridiculous.
As good as they were in dismantling Manchester City 4-0 at the Etihad, a 6-3 home defeat to Liverpool was chaotic to say the least, while the 4-3 loss to Chelsea having been two goals up was hard to fathom.
Add to this 5-0 win at Southampton and a barbaric 4-3 EFL Cup win over Manchester United, and you have possibly the most unpredictable club in the league.
Postecoglou’s attacking tendencies are entertaining, for sure, but for all their goalscoring exploits Spurs have shipped 26 goals and lost nine games.
They face a Wolves side here who are on the up under new boss Vitor Perreira. Back–to–back wins and clean sheets over Leicester and Manchester United have sent the Old Gold out of the bottom three. It would have been hard to imagine that reality after the last-gasp defeat to Ipswich just two weeks ago.
We are expecting goals here. Wolves have scored 29 and conceded a mammoth 40, and the last two league games at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium have seen 16 goals.
Wolves have won the last three meetings and, with the way things are going, you can’t rule out them winning this one either. The 19/5 for an away win here seems good value. Spurs can’t really afford another defeat on home soil – but we fear they might suffer one.
Fulham 1-1 Bournemouth
A first win at Stamford Bridge for 45 years means Fulham will head into this game against Bournemouth brimming with confidence.
A dramatic 96th-minute winner from Rodrgio Muniz sent Cottagers fans into dreamland as Marco Silva continues to do a fantastic job in west London.
When it comes to jobs well done, however, Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola might just be pipping Silva at this stage – the Cherries sit sixth in the table, are six games unbeaten and just five points of the top four in an astonishing season on the south coast.
A draw against Crystal Palace on Matchday 18 might have been slightly disappointing but few would have had Bournemouth sitting comfortably above Manchester City as we approach 2025.
A 3-0 win at Old Trafford for the second season in a row shows exactly how dangerous Bournemouth can be on the road and, in Antoine Semenyo, they have a player who is capable of causing worlds of problems for any opposition.
The forward scored in the win over Manchester United and 23/2 for both him and Fulham’s derby hero Muniz to score here looks decent value.
As for the game itself, the form of both sides makes it exceedingly difficult to pick a winner. Both are in the midst of unbeaten runs and it would not be surprising to see that continue.
Crystal Palace 2-0 Southampton
After a slow start to the campaign, the Eagles are starting to spread their wings.
A point away to a dangerous and capable Bournemouth side last time out means they are putting some distance between themselves and the bottom three.
Oliver Glasner’s side has a good recent record at home against their south coast opponents, winning two and drawing one of their last three Premier League meetings at Selhurst Park.
The Saints, meanwhile, need a miracle to avoid an immediate return to the Championship. The new era under Ivan Juric got off to a losing start at home to West Ham on Boxing Day but they at least look more solid than under the freewheeling stewardship of Russell Martin.
Typically, games between these two teams at Selhurst Park are low-scoring, with just one of the last six spawning more than 2.5 goals. Under 2.5 match goals at 6/5 could be a decent addition to any Sunday afternoon Bet Builders.
A tight match in store, then, but one that Palace are better equipped to win.
West Ham 1-3 Liverpool
The Hammers are undoubtedly improving.
A goal from captain Jarrod Bowen – who scored his 48th Premier League goal to take him outright second in West Ham's leading Premier League scorer behind Michail Antonio (68) – helped his team to three points against a struggling Saints outfit that lifted them above Manchester United and into 13th place.
Liverpool’s win over Leicester was hard-fought, but deserved, and they sit pretty at the top of the pile after Chelsea’s defeat at home to Fulham. Mohamed Salah scored his 19th goal of the season to continue his march towards a potential Ballon d’Or.
The Egyptian has been involved in 27 goals in 17 Premier League games this season (16 goals, 11 assists) which is just one fewer than he managed in 32 appearances last term (18 goals, 10 assists). Salah and Bowen both to score anytime at the London Stadium is an intriguing 17/2.
This fixture typically has plenty of goals, with the last four showdowns between these two on West Ham’s home turf spawning 16 strikes.
Another high-scoring affair is in store – one that will be won by the title challengers.
Manchester United 1-1 Newcastle
No Manchester United manager has lost four Premier League games faster than Ruben Amorim, with the new Portuguese boss pipping Erik ten Hag (13) to the unwanted record.
Make no bones about it – the Red Devils remain in a crisis and another loss against an in-form Newcastle will mean self-deprecating jokes about a relegation battle might become louder in a fan base that is fed up.
However, it’s been more than 10 years since the Red Devils lost a Premier League home match against the Magpies.
Newcastle have hit their straps in recent weeks, scoring 19 in six Premier League games in December – that’s averaging more than three per game meaning there could be value in the 8/5 odds for over 3.5 goals in the match.
Indeed, their 3-0 win over Aston Villa on Boxing Day was the first time in the club’s history that they have won three games in a row by three goals or more.
They are capable of ending their Old Trafford hoodoo but, with the weight of recent history against the Magpies and the need for some sort of result becoming palpable, the hosts will hold on for a point.
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Odds correct at time of publication but subject to change. Please note: This week's Golden Goals deadline is Sunday 29th December 15:00. Opt-in is required and you can find out more here.
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