
Arsenal’s lead at the top of the Premier League has become far less secure, with their advantage cut from five points to two following defeat at Aston Villa and Manchester City’s routine win over Sunderland.
Aston Villa are now third-favourites for the title, while Chelsea and Liverpool continue to drop points and lose ground in the race.
Premier League tipster Ben Smith has put together a five-leg accumulator covering the round of fixtures taking place from Saturday, 13 December, through to Monday, 15 December. All five picks are priced with QuickBet, who provide a broad selection of competitive Premier League odds across the full match schedule.
With six consecutive defeats leaving Burnley five points from safety, Scott Parker’s side are in urgent need of a response. A home meeting with Fulham, one of Parker’s former clubs, could offer a timely chance to start correcting their course.
Turf Moor has not yet become the fortress Burnley hoped for, but the context of their home losses matters. Defeats have come against Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and most recently fourth-placed Crystal Palace, a match in which Burnley actually edged the xG.
There were also positives in the 2-1 loss at Newcastle, where a red card left them with 10 men before the break, yet they still controlled much of the second half and pulled a goal back.
Burnley collected seven points across their other home fixtures against Sunderland, Nottingham Forest and Leeds United. Facing a Fulham side with five away defeats in seven, another return looks achievable.
Arsenal have won both halves in all five of their home matches against bottom-half opposition this season, making that angle an obvious starting point against a Wolverhampton Wanderers side rooted to the foot of the table.
The Gunners may have lost their recent top-of-the-table meeting with Aston Villa, but there were no signs of any wider issues as they brushed aside Club Brugge in Belgium on Wednesday, once again winning both halves.
Wolves, meanwhile, continue to slide. The managerial change has failed to arrest the decline, with nine defeats in succession, eight of them in the league, leaving relegation looking inevitable. Some observers have already labelled them among the weakest Premier League sides seen in years.
Their display against Manchester United was especially poor, repeatedly opened up with minimal resistance. If Arsenal impose themselves early, the gap between the sides could become clear very quickly.
Goals may have eased slightly for Erling Haaland, but that has simply nudged his anytime goalscorer price back into more appealing territory.
The Norwegian still has 15 goals from 15 Premier League appearances and was on the scoresheet again in midweek, converting a penalty as Manchester City won away at Real Madrid.
Even when he does not score, Haaland rarely drifts out of games. That is particularly true away from home this season, where matches without a goal have still seen him record at least three shots and remain a constant threat.
This is also a fixture in which he has scored every time he has played in the Premier League, making it difficult to ignore.
What a difference three months can make. In mid-September, Aston Villa were still without a goal after their first four Premier League matches, and even when they eventually found the net at Sunderland, it was not enough to secure a win. Their first league victory came against Fulham at the end of September, and from that point on, the turnaround has been clear. Villa have won all but one league game since, while Unai Emery’s side have also carried that form into the Europa League.
West Ham United, by contrast, are odds on with most firms for relegation. Back-to-back wins over Newcastle and Burnley in early November briefly eased the pressure on Nuno Espirito Santo, but the overall position remains fragile. That sense was reinforced by the late equaliser conceded at Brighton on Sunday. Villa look comfortably the better team here, which makes even money feel generous.
Bournemouth have won 3-0 on each of their last two visits to Old Trafford. While Manchester United may be in a slightly better place than they were going into those fixtures, there is still a feeling they could be vulnerable here.
There have been signs of progress for the Red Devils, but any step forward has tended to be followed by one back. Three successive wins were followed by a three-match run without success, and although the victory at Crystal Palace was encouraging, it was then backed up by a flat home draw with West Ham. Consistency remains elusive.
The recent win over Wolves should be kept in perspective, as the opposition offered very little, and it is unlikely to be a reliable guide against a more organised side. Bournemouth may have only one away win this season, but they have scored 11 goals across seven road games and will pose a genuine threat under Andoni Iraola.
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Man United vs Bournemouth betting preview
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Arsenal vs Wolves betting preview

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