Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all of you reading this wherever you are in the world.
And if you took my advice this week and followed my plays, this might be an even better week: I was 8-0 with my England Carabao Cup quarterfinal plays Tuesday and Wednesday, which should have won you some serious cash.
If you would like to send me some presents as a thank you, get in touch on my Twitter (@TheProdigalSean) or Insta (@the_prodigal_sean) 😂.
Boxing Day football is a huge tradition in England, but this year will be slightly different: three matches have been postponed due to COVID-19, and we are probably going to see some more canceled. The plus is, with so many games off, there are going to be more weeks in 2022 with added games (18 so far need to be rescheduled).
As always, I would like to say that I am a huge fan of this great sport, and I watch A LOT of matches; I probably watch more European football than some scouts.
Because of that, I like to think I know the game pretty well. So I will say this: the current situation, with Omicron ripping through not just this sport, but almost every one playing right now, has made it very difficult at times to make picks.
The Wednesday Chelsea game was a great example. Thomas Tuchel was right when he ripped the people making decisions, because the Blues were in bad shape heading into their game with Brentford. But Tuchel held his starts out until the second half, and we got a ML win, and the over 1.5 goals.
I say this all the time on my NFL show, but YOU HAVE to check the lineups an hour before the game, because players are going to be in and out over the coming weeks. For teams like Manchester United, which had 20 players test positive, the next few weeks might be much better, because everyone should be getting back to full strength.
I have put all seven games on the slate up here, and like some more than others: I would say Arsenal and Manchester United would be my two go-to plays.
Sunday should be a fun day for bettors.
Check Fubo.TV, Paramount+, Peacock, and ESPN+ for TV schedules
ENGLAND PREMIER LEAGUE BOXING DAY MATCH WEEK 19 FIXTURES
Sunday
Manchester City (-625) v Leicester City (+1400), draw (+700), 10 a.m. EDT (Peacock)
Norwich City (+650) v Arsenal (-250), draw (+375), 10 a.m. EDT (Peacock)
Tottenham (-143) v Crystal Palace (+390), draw (+285), 10 a.m. EDT (USA and Fubo.TV)
West Ham (-115) Southampton (+320), draw (+270), 10 a.m. EDT (Peacock)
Aston Villa (+425) v Chelsea (-140), draw (+285), 12:30 p.m EDT (NBC and Fubo.TV)
Brighton (+100) v Brentford (+320), draw (+235), 3 p.m. EDT (NBCSN and Fubo.TV)
Monday
Newcastle United (+575) v Manchester United (-220), draw (+350), 3 p.m. EDT (USA and Fubo.TV)
GAME PICKS:
Manchester City -2 AH (-115)
Manchester City -1 first half AH (+110)
Arsenal -1.25 AH (-105)
Arsenal -0.5 first half (-108)
West Ham ML (-115)
Chelsea -0.75 (-110)
Manchester United -1.25 AH (+110)
PROP BET BONUS PLAYS:
Chelsea over 1.5 goals (-110)
Brighton Brentford both teams to score yes (-105)
Manchester United over 2.5 goals (+170)
New/Man over 3 goals AH (+105)
United half time full time (+115)
Mason Greenwood to score (+165)