Don’t miss our EPL Matchday 21 Top Picks! If you’re wondering what on earth Nottingham Forest are doing in third place in the English Premier League table this late in the season, their rise has everything to do with the work of new manager Nuno Espirito Santo.
Right now, this season feels like 2015-16, when Leicester City came out of nowhere to take the season title.
Nuno is all about hard work, prone to stay up all night watching film, and his dedication has led to a six-match winning streak in the first division, which ties a club record that dates back to the 1960s.
They prepare to welcome Liverpool, pitting themselves against the first-place Reds, and there are media requests from as far away as Brazil and China.
The Opta Supercomputer remains unimpressed, only giving Forest a 0.01% chance of winning the EPL title.
That’s twice as long as the odds the machine gave Leicester City nine seasons ago at this point, even though both sides had 40 points after 20 matches.
How far can Forest go? We’ll know more after this week’s showdown. Read on to get this week’s top sports betting picks from the Premier League, as well as some futures and props suggestions.
Soccer Betting: EPL Matchday 21 Top Picks, Futures and Props
Chelsea -177 vs Bournemouth +390 (Draw +340)
EPL Spread: O/U 3.5 goals (Over +110 / Under -146)
When: Tuesday, January 14, 2:30 pm ET
Chelsea
Fourth-place welcome seventh-place Bournemouth in this Tuesday night showdown (nighttime in England, that is). The Blues are 10-6-4, good for 36 points and fourth place, but they are only one point ahead of Newcastle United for that final slot into next year’s UEFA Champions League. They have a four-match winless streak going in EPL play, with two losses and two draws.
Their last two games have included a loss to 18th-place Ipswich Town (in danger of relegation) and a 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace. Chelsea rolls with Cole Palmer (13 goals, six assists). Nicolas Jackson (nine goals, three assists), Noni Madueke (five goals, three assists), and Enzo Fernández (three goals, four assists) have also contributed to the scoring. On defense, the Blues have only allowed 1.2 goals per game in EPL action; net minder Robert Sanchez should start and has stopped 62 of 84 shots this season, posting four clean sheets.
Bournemouth
The Cherries (9-6-5) have 33 points, three slots behind Chelsea but only three points out of fourth. They are unbeaten in their last eight EPL contest (five wins, three draws). Their last match was a 1-0 win over an Everton team desperately fighting off relegation; that match was their third clean sheet in the last four matches. Since the beginning of the 2015-16 campaign, the sides have met 18 times, with 12 wins going to Chelsea, four to Bournemouth and a pair of draws. Chelsea won at Bournemouth earlier this season, 1-0.
On the road, Bournemouth has scored in eight of ten matches, averaging 1.8 goals per match. Justin Kluivert is the top scorer (six goals, two assists), but five of his goals have come from the spot. Antoine Semenyo has five goals (all from play rather than the spot) and two assists. Evanilson also has five goals. The Cherries have allowed 1.80 goals per game on the road, but Kepa Arrizabalaga should start in net and has four clean sheets and 50 saves on 68 shots. Chelsea to win.
^EPL Matchday 21 Top Picks provided by Xbet
Nottingham Forest +390 vs Liverpool -160 (Draw +300)
EPL Spread: O/U 2.5 goals (Over -158 / Under +118)
When: Tuesday, January 14, 3:00 pm ET
Liverpool
They head into the perilous woods with a 14-4-1 record, good for 46 points out of 19 matches. The Reds have not lost an EPL match since September, but in their last six games they have just three wins and three draws. Their last action came in the Carabao Cup, where they fell to Tottenham, 1-0. They have scored in every EPL game except their home loss to this same Nottingham Forest side. On the road, though, they have averaged three goals per game. Their attacking style can stack up goals in a hurry, and Nottingham will have to play that same hermetically tight defense this time around to get the win. Mohamed Salah leads Liverpool with 18 goals and 13 assists. Luis Diaz (eight goals, two assists) and Cody Gakpo (six goals, two assists) have also tallied frequently – Gakpo has specialized in coming off the bench to get late goals. The team has only permitted 19 goals in 19 EPL matches (11 goals in nine road fixtures).
Nottingham Forest
The team have a 12-4-4 record and 40 points, tied with Arsenal but 11 back in goal differential. Nottingham stopped Wolves 3-0 in their last match to get their sixth straight win and their fourth straight clean sheet. They have already beaten Liverpool on the road this year, taking a 1-0 decision.They have just 29 goals in 20 EPL games; at home, they have scored in eight of their nine contests. Chris Wood has been the top scorer, with 12 goals and an assist this season. Morgan Gibbs-White (four goals, three assists), Anthony Elanga (three goals, four assists), Callum Hudson-Odoi (two goals and an assist) and Nikola Milenkovic (two goals, one assist) have contributed as well. The defense has stood tall with just 19 goals conceded (0.95 per game). At home, they have only permitted 0.78 goals per match, with four clean sheets. Liverpool looked slow against Tottenham in their last action, failing to find the back of the net even with most of their top players on the pitch. Take the draw and the under.
^Odds to Win the 2024-25 EPL Title (Top 10 Teams)
- Liverpool -526
- Arsenal +350
- Manchester City +1725
- Nottingham Forest +3100
- Chelsea +3900
- Newcastle United +10000
- Aston Villa +38000
- Bournemouth +75000
- Manchester United +100000
- Tottenham +100000
Arsenal
The Club came through the holidays with a 12-match unbeaten streak, stopping Ipswich Town and Brentford in consecutive fixtures to get into second place. They are six points back of Liverpool (and the Reds have a match in hand), so they have some work to do. They’re definitely showing the form they need to zip into the UEFA Champions League as a top-four finisher, but they’ll definitely be watching the Nottingham Forest-Liverpool matchup with interest.
Liverpool
They have admittedly slipped in the past couple of weeks, but they also stomped Leicester City on the day after Christmas and then routed West Ham, 5-0. So this is definitely a team that can turn the offense back on at any moment.
^Will anyone catch Mo Salah in the race for the Golden Boot? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/cZFjUyEqv0
— Premier League (@premierleague) January 13, 2025
EPL Matchday 21 Top Picks: Who will be relegated?
Right now, Ipswich Town, Leicester City and Southampton hold slots 18-20 in the EPL table – the three slots that would head down to the second division if the season ended today. They were the three to gain promotion into the first division after last season, and they entered 2024-25 as the favorites to drop back down. However, Wolves sit in 17th even with Ipswich Town on points and just a one-goal advantage in differential. Everton are just one point clear of relegation but have a match in hand.
There are a total of five teams within seven points of the relegation zone – including blue-blood Manchester United. Everton have dropped two in a row after three straight draws, and they have the greatest danger of falling into the bottom three of the safe teams for now. With Leicester City on an extended losing streak and with Southampton having dropped four of five and just posting one win and three draws along with 16 losses on the season, though, only Ipswich Town really seem to show signs of life.
^These assists 🤤 pic.twitter.com/E3GNZWD9r8
— Premier League (@premierleague) January 13, 2025
Premier League lines to Win Today
Bet Soccer Lines
EPL Matchday 21 Top Picks, 2025 Season
Love betting Soccer? | Xbet Sportsbook offer up-to-date Soccer News, Analysis and Trends
