SOCCER

FanDuel Premier League Trends to Know for Matchweek 19

Burnley are back to their winning ways and have relied on defense as expected, but are they the king of Boxing Day? Let's see what the trends say ahead of matchweek 19.

The next Premier League main slate hits FanDuel at 10:00 a.m. EST on Thursday with eight games as a part of the Boxing Day celebrations in England. The only teams not in action on Thursday are Manchester City and Wolverhampton, with Tottenham and Brighton playing the early game. The highlight of the day is first-place Liverpool versus second-place Leicester.

Matchweek 19
Thursday, December 26
Arsenal at Bournemouth
Norwich at Aston Villa
Southampton at Chelsea
West Ham at Crystal Palace
Burnley at Everton
Watford at Sheffield
Newcastle at Manchester United
Liverpool at Leicester

Let's look at the teams and players that are rising and falling this week.

Hot

Team: Burnley

Burnley has won the last two games and, to no one's surprise, they've done it through defense. Both games have ended in 1-0 score lines as they've moved nine points clear of the relegation zone. Last week against Bournemouth, Burnley conceded over 65% of possession and did not allow a shot on target. The possession was not as lopsided in the previous matchweek against Newcastle, but they were unable to put a shot on target either. Burnley won the October match with Everton 1-0 to continue the theme. Everton just made a switch at manager, so it is unclear how they will trot out against Burnley. Regardless, Burnley will be content to play defense and find something on the counter.

Player: Willian, Chelsea

Willian had two goals in the first half to see off Tottenham on Sunday. One was a penalty, which he slotted home without any trouble. He now has four goals in the Premier League, which is one more than all of last season. In the past five games across all competitions, Willian has 39 crosses, which includes two matches of 11 crosses. Chelsea gets a good matchup with Southampton on Thursday. Chelsea have won four of the last five against Southampton, with the October match ending in a 4-1 win for the Blues. Willian picked up an assist in that match up.

Boxing Day History: Manchester United

An interesting note for this Boxing Day is that Manchester United average the most points per game on the holiday of any team.They are comfortably at number one and have lost just twice since the 1992/93 season. They beat Huddersfield 3-1 last season. They are heavy favorites against Newcastle with 2-0 as the top scoreline according to the FanDuel sportsbook.

Cold

Team: Crystal Palace

Speaking specifically to Palace's recent home record ahead of hosting West Ham, it may not be a happy Boxing day. They have lost three of their last five at Selhurst Park. Palace have a -5 goal differential at home, which matches the latest results. Of course it isn't just the recent home form. The last two matches hosted by Palace between Palace and West Ham have ended in a draw. Palace should also have a bad taste in their mouth after a poor showing against Newcastle. They could not finish on their opportunities despite 16 total shots. Only four were on target and none found the back of the net. Palace had more possession as well.

Player: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Arsenal

Aubameyang is going through a cold spell as he has not scored or provided an assist in three appearances. It does not help that Arsenal's offense has been very stagnant over the past two matches. Aubmeyang has failed to register a shot on target in three of the last five matches. He has also failed to draw a foul in five of his last seven across all competitions. Aubameyang has pitched in virtually nothing defensively. The match against Bournemouth may be a good cure for the slump, but they have allowed one goal or less in three of the last four games.


Doug Smith is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Doug Smith also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username aquemini03. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he/she may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his/her personal account. The views expressed in his/her articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.