Football betting tips: Premier League
2pts Brentford to beat Wolves at 19/20 (General)
1pt Christopher Nkunku to score anytime in Chelsea v Palace 9/4 (Sky Bet)
0.5pt Nkunku to score 2+ goals at 16/1 (Sky Bet)
Chelsea v Palace
- Kick-off time: 19:30 GMT, Wednesday
- TV channel: Amazon Prime Video
- Home 4/6 | Draw 14/5 | Away 4/1
Even before he scored a late consolation goal at Wolves on Christmas Eve, the introduction of fit-again CHRISTOPHER NKUNKU from the bench twice in a week will have given Chelsea hope that he could be the man to ignite what has so far been a bitterly disappointing campaign; the Blues have been waiting an age for their £52m signing to recover from his pre-season knee injury.
While a period of transition was to be expected following a mad £1bn spending spree during Todd Boehly's short chairmanship, to be sitting 10th in the table on Christmas Day, 12 points adrift of the top five, was certainly not what Mauricio Pochettino would have been hoping for after 18 league matches as Chelsea boss.
While it may seem on the face of it to be knee jerk to back Nkunku following his goal from the bench at Molineux, this was a selection that had piqued my interest long prior to the ball hitting the back of the net.
The France international, who arrived from RB Leipzig in the summer, scored 58 goals for club and country across the previous two campaigns, and Chelsea have been in dire need of him all season.
Their chief problem has been in the final third of the pitch, with the Blues finding the net just 29 times from an expected goals total of 37.66 this term, making them the fourth-most productive team in the division on that metric.
NKUNKU will get plenty of chances against a Crystal Palace side whose only clean sheet in their past 10 fixtures came against Burnley, with the opposition scoring at least twice in seven of those matches and 19 goals conceded in total.
Brentford v Wolves
- Kick-off time: 19:30 GMT, Wednesday
- TV channel: Amazon Prime Video
- Home 19/20 | Draw 5/2 | Away 29/10
Courtesy of Manchester City’s participation in the Club World Cup, BRENTFORD head into this contest after 10 days’ rest, a sizeable advantage during a frantic Christmas period for the remainder of top-flight clubs.
Wolves, meanwhile, were involved in the Premier League’s first Christmas Eve match for 28 years as they saw off Chelsea 2-1 to continue the trend of picking off the traditional ‘big six’ at Molineux this season.
On the road it’s been a very different story. Gary O’Neill’s side have collected just four points from their past seven away games, losing their last four and conceding 10 goals in the process.
Brentford have consistently made their home ground a tough place to visit since entering the Premier League in 2021 and at a shade shorter than even money Thomas Frank’s men should be backed to make it four wins from the six on their own turf.
Odds correct 2200 GMT (24/12/23)
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