EPL Matchday 20 Odds & Picks: Southampton Look to Continue Impressive Form as -106 Favorites Against Palace

• Southampton looks to continue their great form as they host Crystal Palace
• Chelsea and Arsenal will clash for the first time this season at the Emirates
• Get the odds and picks for this weekend’s matches below

There will be a total of ten fixtures taking place on Matchday 20, with seven on Saturday and the other three matches set for Sunday. All sides will be on short rest as they all played on Boxing Day, with the exception of Manchester City and Wolves, who play on Friday.

Some of the notable matches this weekend will feature a struggling Arsenal squad taking on Frank Lampard’s Blues, who lost 2-0 to Southampton on Thursday after beating Spurs convincingly last weekend. Both sides have been up and down this season, particularly the Gunners, so this should be an interesting fixture.

Elsewhere, Southampton will look to climb further out of the relegation zone as they face the Eagles of Crystal Palace. The Saints have been playing wonderful football as of late. According to the sportsbooks, they’re currently favorites as they welcome Wilfried Zaha and co. to St. Mary’s.

Premier League Matchday 20 Odds

All odds taken Dec 26

EPL Pick 1: Arsenal vs Chelsea

Fresh off a 1-1 draw against Bournemouth in Mikel Arteta’s debut as the new boss of Arsenal, The Gunners will now host fourth-place Chelsea, who were upset by in-form Southampton on Boxing Day. Arteta has taken over in North London after a very dismal season to this point and his first result against the Cherries wasn’t necessarily considered a success.

They were down 1-0 until Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang bagged a goal in the 63rd minute, but weren’t able to score a winner, settling for the lone point. The Gunners now sit 11th in the Premier League table with 24 points. They’re also winless in their last three fixtures.

The points are shared on the south coast#BOUARS

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) December 26, 2019

Chelsea looked outstanding last weekend against Tottenham, with Willian scoring a brace for a 2-0 victory. But their form has been very inconsistent this term, evident by their disappointing defeat to Southampton on Thursday. Frank Lampard’s side has won just two of their last five fixtures, with all three defeats coming from teams in the bottom ten of England’s top flight.

Despite Chelsea’s struggles as of late, it’s going to take some time for Arteta to really turn things around at the Emirates. With that in mind, the Blues should be able to get the full three points on the road.

Pick: Chelsea 1-0

EPL Pick 2: Southampton vs Crystal Palace

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side has been playing great football as of late, winning their last three of five fixtures. They’re slowly creeping out of the relegation zone, sitting in 14th spot currently. They shocked the entire Premier League world on Thursday, marching into Stamford Bridge and defeating Chelsea 2-0. Danny Ings has been on fire this year, netting a career-high 11 goals already. The impressive part is they didn’t even have him on the pitch in the Chelsea game until late in the second half.

Back-to-back #PL wins ✅
Clean sheet ✅

The key stats, presented by @eToro, as #SaintsFC stunned #CFC: pic.twitter.com/Kout0gqcYt

— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) December 26, 2019

Crystal Palace has also been solid this term, but have won just two of their last five matches. They were just able to sneak out a victory against West Ham on Boxing Day, with Jordan Ayew scoring a winner in the 90th minute. They currently sit in ninth place in the Premier League, which is quite respectable considering they ended up in 12th spot last season.

Southampton is the slight favorites in this fixture at -106, and even though the Saints have been slightly better in their last handful of matches, I expect this clash at St. Mary’s to end in a draw, with both teams scoring a goal apiece.

Pick: Draw +231

EPL Pick 3: Newcastle vs Everton

Steve Bruce’s Magpies are currently sitting in tenth spot, despite a 4-1 defeat to Manchester United on Thursday. But they have been winning relatively often lately, losing just three of their last nine fixtures, with five of them being victories. They will have a tough task this weekend though as they face a rejuvenated Everton side, who now has a new manager in Carlo Ancelotti.

💥 | Every outfield player in the starting XI had at least one shot at goal today.

Perseverance. #EVEBUR pic.twitter.com/FG9qM7BTfo

— Everton (@Everton) December 26, 2019

The Toffees enjoyed a positive start under their new boss, beating Burnley 1-0 on Thursday. This team has a lot of quality, from the likes of Richarlison, Moise Kean,  Dominic Calvert-Lewin, among others. It’s just a matter of the right coach getting the most out of his players. Everton is now in 12th place and a win this weekend is definitely in the cards with a very experienced coach in Ancelotti at the helm.

Pick: Everton 2-1