The last Saturday of 2023 features six Premier League matches, including Manchester City’s clash with basement boys Sheffield United and the London derby between strugglers Crystal Palace and Brentford.
City to win to nil against the Blades can be backed as part of our four-fold, while Nottingham Forest’s home match with Manchester United rounds off the day’s action.
Saturday’s fixtures also feature a key clash from the lower half of the table, with fourth-bottom Everton aiming to end a two-game losing sequence when they travel to the west midlands to take on 11th-placed Wolves.
Recommended four-fold: Crystal Palace to beat Brentford, Manchester City win to nil v Sheffield United, Wolves to beat Everton, Nottingham Forest v Manchester United under 2.5 goals.
- Crystal Palace to beat Brentford
- Manchester City win to nil v Sheffield United
- Wolves to beat Everton
- Nottingham Forest v Manchester United under 2.5 goals
Crystal Palace vs Brentford
Roy Hodgson could not hide his disappointment after a late Noni Madueke penalty condemned Crystal Palace to a 2-1 loss at Chelsea on Wednesday. Still, he should be happier as the Eagles prepare to take on injury-ravaged Brentford at Selhurst Park.
Palace have had to negotiate large chunks of the season without influential attackers Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise, but both started at Stamford Bridge, and they could be vital to securing a positive result against the Bees.
Brentford have overcome a lot of challenges since achieving top-flight status in 2021, but they are on a four-game losing sequence and may continue to struggle until a few of their key players are ready to come out of the treatment room.
Man City vs Sheffield United
Manchester City followed up their success at the Club World Cup with a hard-fought 3-1 victory away to Everton, and they can round off a fruitful festive period with a comfortable win against basement boys Sheffield United.
The Citizens suffered a few setbacks earlier in the month, but they have returned from Saudi Arabia with a spring in their step and should register a victory and a clean sheet against the Blades, who have failed to score on three of their last five road trips.
Wolves vs Everton
Everton have responded impressively since their ten-point deduction, but losses away to Tottenham (1-2) and Manchester City (1-3) have dragged them back into the relegation scrap, and another setback looks likely against Wolves at Molineux.
Wolves have risen to 11th after back-to-back victories, and their recent resurgence looks bad news for the Toffees, who look a bit light in midfield without injured pair Abdoulaye Doucoure and Idrissa Gueye.
Nottingham Forest vs Man United
Manchester United produced three second-half goals to complete a superb 3-2 success at home to Aston Villa on Boxing Day, but they had failed to notch in the four previous matches, and their fixture at Nottingham Forest could be a tight, low-scoring affair.
Forest were 3-1 winners at Newcastle on Tuesday, but they have lost their last four home games and may be satisfied with a low-scoring stalemate as they strive to edge a little further away from the bottom three.
