The Fantasy Flutter: Betting odds on the weekend’s Premier League action

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Combining our love of Fantasy Football and a festive flutter, we’re once again taking a few modest punts on the weekend’s Premier League fixtures.

All the odds featured in this piece are provided by our official sportsbook partner, bet365.

As ever, we urge you to gamble responsibly and always remember: when the fun stops, stop.

The full-time result odds for the Gameweek 15 matches are:

ON THE ROPES

With this being the Boxing Day set of fixtures, sub-editors up and down the country will have their pens sharpened for the usual pugilist puns.

The bookies certainly fancy two sides to be punch-drunk in Gameweek 15, with Newcastle United and West Bromwich Albion very long odds to beat Manchester City and Liverpool respectively.

Where best to get value in these two games, then, considering the hosts are such red-hot favourites?

Liverpool to score over 2.5 goals at 4/7 certainly looks like a gimmie, with the Reds averaging almost three goals a game on Merseyside this season and fresh off the back of a 7-0 win over Crystal Palace.

Roberto Firmino was on the scoresheet again in that match and now has three goals in the last two Gameweeks, continuing a yearly trend that has seen him deliver the goods over the festive period.

The Brazilian, who has had more big chances than Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah combined over the last six Gameweeks, is 9/2 to score first at Anfield this weekend.

And in case you’re still high on Bailey’s and curious about lightning striking twice: the Reds to beat Albion by a 7-0 margin is 40/1.

As for City, who haven’t conceded a goal to an opposition player since Gameweek 9, a win to nil against a dismal Newcastle at 4/6 catches the eye.

Usually we bleat on about Kevin De Bruyne, his advanced role and his high shot count in this feature, although the fact that he has only scored two goals all season perhaps explains why his first goalscorer price of 5/1 is so attractive on paper.

Backing the first goalscorer each way, incidentally, is also an option with bet365 – as the section below explains.

With this being the season of goodwill to all squad members and rotation rife, there could be a degree of minute management from Pep Guardiola with a trip to Everton scheduled for 48 hours after the Newcastle game.

‘Get the game won quickly and hook De Bruyne at a reasonably early time’ would be the obvious ploy and it’s partly for that reason why the Belgian to register under 61.5 passes at 5/6 appeals.

It’s not just for pitch-time purposes that we highlight this bet: seeing less of the ball in his advanced role than when he was creating from deep, De Bruyne’s average number of passes per game has dropped from 54.5 to 49.3 this season.

Each Way First Goalscorers

Place an Each Way First Goalscorer bet on any Soccer match.

If your player scores at any time during the game in 90 minutes play, we will pay you out at 1/3 odds for unlimited places.

BERT AND EARNERS

Here’s what else has taken our fancy in the bet365 markets ahead of Gameweek 15.

• Raphinha first goalscorer in Leeds v Burnley (8/1): Raphinha is joint-third among all FPL assets, regardless of position, for attempts on goal over the last four Gameweeks.
• Harry Kane to score any time v Wolves (6/5): Spurs next face a Wolves side striving to rediscover their identity amid system and personnel changes. A dip in form from Willy Boly and the flip-flopping between formations has resulted in the Wolves backline looking uncharacteristically suspect of late and they are without a clean sheet in seven. Kane has racked up more shots than any other forward over the last four Gameweeks, too.
• Bertrand Traore over 0.5 assists in Aston Villa v Crystal Palace (4/1): Up against the suspect Patrick van Aanholt, who opposition teams are clearly targeting of late, Traore comes into Gameweek 15 off the back of perhaps his best display of the season. He’s on a share of corners, to boot.

Bore Draw Money Back

Refund for any Soccer game that finishes 0-0 at bet365.

Applies to losing pre-match bets on any Correct Score, Half-Time/Full-Time or Scorecast markets. Bet restrictions and T&Cs apply. New and eligible customers only.

For all the latest Premier League odds, visit bet365 and build your personalised football bet.