Top Soccer Betting Picks of the Week - January 16th

Top Soccer Betting Picks of the Week – January 16th

Written by on January 16, 2018

We had Manchester City and Liverpool drawing in our predictions last week, but Liverpool pulled off the huge upset, knocking off City 4-3 after jumping out to a big lead and then holding off the comeback. City still lead the second-place team in the English Premier League, Manchester United, by a dozen points after Man U took down Stoke City 3-0. Now Liverpool are back into the top three and head to Swansea City on Monday. Manchester United head to Burnley on Saturday and look to knock away at that gap between them and City. Let’s look at your best soccer betting picks for the weekend’s action.

Top Soccer Betting Picks of the Week – January 16th

Saturday, January 20

Manchester United at Burnley (10:00am ET) This is the reverse fixture of a match back in December that saw Burnley roar out to a 2-0 lead at halftime. It took Jesse Lingard coming off the bench aod scoring a pair of goals after the intermission that helped the Red Devils pull off a draw and get a single point. Ashley Barnes nailed a goal in the fourth minute from close range, and Steven Defour converted a terrific free kick to push the advantage to two. After Man U took that win from Stoke City and feel themselves just twelve points back in the table, they have all the motivation they need — the redemption from the home draw against Burnley and the opportunity to catch a City team that may be reeling after taking their first loss in 30 EPL matches. Soccer Betting Prediction: Manchester United 2, Burnley 1 Newcastle United at Manchester City (12:30pm ET) Newcastle United sit in 15th place in the EPL table, 39 points behind Manchester City. City is coming off their first loss in 30 EPL fixtures, a 4-3 setback at Liverpool. Given that City have no major injuries in their lineup, I’m looking at this as an example of my Angry Contender Theory — in which a top team loses a game and then faces a weak opponent in their next campaign. The frustration that they built up in that loss becomes a major chip on their shoulder for the next match, which bodes trouble for the team ahead. When the two teams squared off at Newcastle United back in December, City held on for a tough 1-0 win. Raheem Sterling provided the only goal that City would need, putting a terrific pass from Kevin De Bruyne into the back of the Magpies’ net. While that was the only goal, City maintained possession for more than 80 percent of the contest. Several shots caromed off the woodwork to keep the scoring from getting more out of hand. I see a similar approach coming from City this week as they keep the ball away from the Magpies. Soccer Betting Prediction: Manchester City 4, Newcastle United 1

Monday, January 22

Liverpool at Swansea City (3:00pm ET)

When the two sides tangled in their first fixture of the season over at Merseyside, Swansea City took a 5-0 beating from the Reds. At the time, the Swans were viewed as the worst team in the EPL. Things have not improved since then, as the Swans appear ripe for relegation, having won just four times in 23 matches and put up a paltry 17 points. They prepare to host Liverpool, hot off that big win over Manchester City. In that first matchup, Roberto Firmino scored a brace, while Philippe Coutinho, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Trent Alexander-Arnold also found the back of the net one time each, sending the Reds to a huge win. There’s nothing to suggest that a similar result won’t come back from Wales this week. I expect all three of the top teams in the EPL to pick up their three points this week, leaving the drama at the top of the table to roil on for another week. Soccer Betting Prediction: Liverpool 4, Swansea City 1