Premier League Matchday 16 Odds & Picks: Man City vs Wolves, Liverpool vs Aston Villa & Arsenal vs Southampton

• Matchday 16 in the Premier League features nine matches, starting with Brentford versus Watford on Friday afternoon
• The weekend is loaded with a brilliant set of matches, but Steven Gerrard’s return to Anfield sticks out as the highlight of the weekend
• Get the odds, our analysis and betting prediction below

The Premier League’s festive fixtures are in full swing as most teams are playing every three to four days. Man City have a slender one-point lead on rivals Liverpool after 15 games heading into Premier League Matchday 16. Meanwhile, Chelsea sit two points off the top after their shocking loss away to West Ham last weekend.

In fourth place sit David Moyes’ West Ham side on 27 points, just two points above Tottenham who have a game in hand. Tottenham will watch the Premier League from home this weekend as the squad faces a massive COVID-19 outbreak.

Premier League Matchday 16 Odds

Odds as of Dec 9th at DraftKings

Furthermore, Man United and Arsenal will try to climb the table this weekend in their respective matches against Norwich and Southampton. Expect a lot of movement in the middle of the table considering Wolves, Brighton, Aston Villa, Leicester and Everton are all within three points of one another.

Man City vs Wolves Prediction

The first highlight game of the Premier League Matchday 16 weekend is between Man City and Wolves, kicking off at 7:30 am ET on Saturday.

On paper, this match obviously favors Man City given their wicked form in the Premier League. However, the Citizens are coming off a sluggish 2-0 defeat in the Champions League to RB Leipzig. Previously, Man City had won seven in a row in all competitions. Despite the pressure being off in Europe, most still expected three points against a dismal RB Leipzig side.

Additionally, the play of Bernardo Silva must be mentioned. With Phil Foden as a scratch for this game, expect Silva to dominate the left-hand side, as he has done all season in the Premier League. The Portuguese midfielder has 3.37 shot-creating actions per game and gets 5.08 touches in the opposition penalty box per 90 minutes, per fbref.com. He is a handful to say the least, and frankly, Nelson Semedo will struggle with that assignment.

Rayan Aït Nouri vs Liverpool

32 passes
66% pass accuracy
1 shot
2/2 successful dribbles
8 tackles won
2 clearances
11/12 duels won

No points for Wolves but it was a fantastic performance against Mohamed Salah! 🐺 pic.twitter.com/bfyud3L0vK

— Football Talent Scout – Jacek Kulig (@FTalentScout) December 4, 2021

However, it must also be pointed out that Wolves handled Liverpool quite well last weekend. It took a glorious, late stunner from Divock Origi to see the Reds home with three points. Rayan Aït-Nouri played extremely well against Mo Salah on the right, which is just another reason I think Silva could have a field day on the left.

Pick: Bernardo Silva to score (+115)

Liverpool vs Aston Villa Prediction

Next, Liverpool takes on Aston Villa at 10:00 am ET on Saturday in Premier League Matchday 16, in what should be a Premier League classic.

Of course, this game is Steven Gerrard’s long-awaited return to the hallowed ground of Anfield, this time as a manager. The Kop will be buzzing and flags will be waving in what is sure to be a can’t-miss Premier League environment.

Steven Gerrard on the Liverpool game: “I’ve got no sentimental thoughts. I want to go there and win. I want to come away with something. We will go there with fight and confidence.” pic.twitter.com/aPUrSVDioA

— Anfield Edition (@AnfieldEdition) December 5, 2021

As of late, Liverpool have just been absolutely impeccable, winning six in a row since their humbling at the London Stadium. Jurgen Klopp’s defense has only allowed two goals in those six games, but their attack has arguably been more impressive. The Reds had an expected goal tally of 2.22 per match in those same six games, a metric they outpaced by nearly four goals.

Another landmark @MoSalah strike 😍⚽

Becoming just the fourth player in our history to score 20+ goals for five consecutive seasons 😮 pic.twitter.com/WcipiqJVkh

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) December 9, 2021

This is all largely a result of the play of the Egyptian King, Mo Salah. With 29 goal contributions to his name already in December, he faces a tough test against Ashley Young. Note, that Young is a player he struggled to score against in recent duels versus Manchester United.

Regardless, both of these sides have loads of goals in them so I expect an easy Liverpool win and at least four goals.

Pick: Over 3.5 total goals (+100)

Arsenal vs Southampton Prediction

Finally, the last Premier League Matchday 16 match to cover is between Arsenal and Southampton, also at 10:00 am ET on Saturday.

This is an interesting affair because every time Arsenal look like taking off, they crumble back into mediocrity. In fact, after their 4-0 drubbing at the hands of Liverpool, they responded well against Newcastle.

Even in their 3-2 loss to Man United, Mikel Arteta’s men showed signs of life. But, their most recent 2-1 defeat at Goodison Road to Everton is simply not up to Arsenal standards.

Getting set for Southampton 💪

📍 Arsenal Training Centre

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) December 9, 2021

The good news for Arsenal is that this match is at the Emirates Stadium. In the Premier League this year they are 5-1-1 at home, which is a positive sign. Martin Ødegaard has shown flashes of brilliance lately, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang could be motivated after being dropped in the last match.

While it might seem a little crazy, I expect Arsenal to respond well in this match against a struggling Southampton.

Pick: Arsenal -1 (+120)