
If it was not already clear, the midweek round of Premier League fixtures underlined that this season’s title race is between two teams: Arsenal and Manchester City.
The Gunners produced a routine 2-0 win over Brentford, while City came through a thriller at Craven Cottage with a 5-4 victory.
Dropped points for Liverpool and Chelsea leave them too far back to play a meaningful part in the title picture this season.
Premier League tipster Ben Smith has put together a five-leg accumulator for the fixtures running from Saturday 6 December to Monday 8 December. All selections are with BetMGM, who offer a wide range of Premier League odds.
The Premier League’s top side meets the league’s form side in Saturday’s early kick-off, providing another measure of Arsenal’s ability to sustain a title challenge.
Some viewed their point at Chelsea as underwhelming, mainly because they played against 10 men for much of the match, but that should not distract from a wider run that is outstanding.
Arsenal have won 15 and drawn three of their last 18 matches, which is strong enough form to trust them at 10/11 in this fixture.
Villa are performing very well, yet their comeback at Brighton on Wednesday was physically demanding, while Arsenal had a far smoother evening at the Emirates.
This is not straightforward, but Arsenal have a greater chance than the odds imply in my view.
Sunderland continue to impress on their return to the top flight, and their point at Anfield on Wednesday could easily have been three.
They have won at Chelsea and held Arsenal at home in recent weeks, and they look capable of taking something from another major side this weekend.
Manchester City needed a stoppage-time winner against Leeds United on Saturday and were dragged into a wild match at Fulham on Tuesday. They have conceded 10 in four matches in all competitions since the international break, which is not ideal for a side asked to cover a 1.75 goal handicap.
City’s forward line, led by Erling Haaland, can score freely, but defensive issues, plus Sunderland’s belief and threat on the break, make the Black Cats appeal here.
Tottenham and Brentford sit level on points, yet the mood around each club is completely different. Spurs manager Thomas Frank is under scrutiny for a five-match losing run and for how his side have approached major fixtures, particularly the North London derby where they offered little against the league leaders.
Keith Andrews has made Brentford difficult to play against, and while their away record needs improvement, this looks a good opportunity to address that, given Spurs have not won at home since the opening weekend.
Tottenham are still missing important players and appear short on belief, which makes them hard to support in the match odds.
Liverpool’s home wins over Aston Villa and Real Madrid proved to be false dawns, and the victory at West Ham on Sunday appears to fall into the same category.
Their display against Sunderland on Wednesday was arguably their poorest of the season. They were second best across the pitch and fully deserved to fall behind in the second half.
Alexander Isak looked lost again, Cody Gakpo was withdrawn at half-time after another ineffective showing, and the midfield lacked any form of composure. The ease with which Sunderland were able to play their way into the Reds’ territory was surely a red flag for Arne Slot.
Even Virgil van Dijk, usually reliable when Liverpool struggle, contributed to the issues.
Why Liverpool are priced shorter to win at Elland Road than Chelsea were makes little sense. Leeds have performed very well at home and have a clear chance to heap further misery on the champions.
It is not the most appealing Super Sunday on paper, with Fulham and Crystal Palace taking the 4:30pm slot.
Fewer than half of Fulham’s home matches have gone over 2.5 goals, and the same applies to Palace on their travels.
Fulham’s 5-4 match on Tuesday was a rare outlier rather than a reflection of their usual pattern. When facing sides closer to Palace’s level, their games have been far more measured.
The defensively sound Eagles are comfortable keeping matches controlled. They will look to approach this in the same way they did at Burnley in midweek, which makes a lower-goals angle the clear starting point for this fixture.
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