Here are the Balls.ie Bets of the Week in association with Ladbrokes to get your excitement levels back to speed after a week of hangovers and with the Premier League on this weekend.
Welcome back! At this time of the year, pockets tend to be fairly empty. And there's still New Year's to come. So with that in mind, here are a few tasty wee bets to get a bit of change back in the purse before blowing it all in the pub.
The Balls.ie Football Show Ladbrokes Bets Of The Week:
Liverpool and Man City to draw 0-0 @12/1
Yes, Liverpool have been playing some mesmerising football this season. As have Manchester City. Liverpool have the most goals in the Premier League and are six goals ahead of Arsenal and City (their next best challengers). What's more, both are far from infallible defensively and their respective goals conceded per game ratios (1.17 for Liverpool, 1.11 for Man City) would perhaps suggest that there is a likelihood of goals in this game. But...what a big game this is. So much riding on it at the top of the table. If City lose, they go ten points behind Chelsea if the Blues beat Stoke. So don't expect them to come to Anfield ready to leave themselves open. We've all seen it, countless times. A big, exciting game neutralised by its importance. At least make a few bob off it if it turns out to be a bore.
Benteke to score and Crystal Palace to win vs Arsenal @ 14/1
So this one is a bit left-field and probably best left to last and that couple of quid you've got lying in the back pocket. Still, we're a sucker for the Big Sam Allardyce factor. Before not finding the net in his last three outings Benteke looked absolutely lit, scoring five goals in five games. Big Sam loves a scalp against a big team and nothing would give him more pleasure after his recent return to the league than to get one over on Arsene Wenger, a man with whom he has never seen eye-to-eye. A draw going into the second half, a nervous Emirates, a ball into the box from Cabaye...
Man United to beat Middlesbrough 3-0 @ 11/2
This has 3-0 written all over it. United have won eight and drawn three of their last eleven and are in great form, with Zlatan appearing to have re-found his scoring boots in recent times, scoring eleven goals in ten games. Boro are on a -4 goal difference and are fifteenth in the league. United to go two goals up and suck the intensity out of the game before bagging a third and cruising home.
Both teams to score and West Brom to beat Southampton @10/1
Two evenly matched teams, eighth and ninth in the league respectively. A high proportion of goals scored being set pieces (Southampton a third, West Brom nearly half), so expect one or two balls to be thrown into the box. Either way, the Baggies have looked very good under Tony Pulis this season, only really losing twice - and at the start of the season - to teams that might be considered their level (Everton and Bournemouth). It's not too outrageous to suggest they might win this and 10/1 seems like a great price for suggesting they'll do so despite conceding to the Saints.
Bournemouth to lead at half-time and beat Swansea @ 16/5
Swansea are having an absolute nightmare of a season. Bournemouth are a revelation under Eddie Howe. It would be a huge shock if Swansea, with their 41 goals conceded and (at the time of writing) no manager managed to get one over on The Cherries. While Bournemouth haven't had a phenomenal record of late - losing six of their last nine - they have chalked up big wins against Liverpool and Leicester and will surely be too organised to fall to Swansea, whose former manager Bob Bradley was given a ridiculously short period (85 days) in which to prove himself and who are now desperately trying to rescue themselves from a relegation battle.
