Premier League Tips: Three bets to welcome in the new year

For the first Premier League action of the year I have penned two selections from the player card markets at odds of; 10/3 and 7/2. I also like the look of a booking treble available at 60/1 with William Hill. 

My first pick comes via Croydon as Crystal Palace welcome Sheffield United to Selhurst Park. The Blades head to London still on the hunt for their first win of the season as they currently prop up the table with just two points. If that did not make Wilder's job hard enough, there was also a COVID outbreak amongst the Blades ranks on the eve of their game vs Burnley. This left an already depleted side down to its bare bones, key men O'Connell and Berge remain absent with long-term injuries and Lundstrum serves the last game of his suspension. 

Hosts Palace are winless in five but did manage to a point to Leicester on Monday. Hodgson may reinstate the likes of Ward, Eze and van Aanholt - who were all unused substitutes earlier this week - as he looks to beat a side that bested them twice last campaign. 

Saturday's following game takes place on the South Coast as Brighton face Wolves. Brighton will be hoping they end their winless streak as the drop zone looms. March, Maupay and White will likely all return. Visitors Wolves have only won one of their last six, however, and that was against Chelsea. They also salvaged a point late vs Spurs and were woefully unlucky to lose to Man Utd who snatched all three points in stoppage time courtesy of a deflected shot last time out.

• Stevens Booking at Odds 10/3 of with bet365
• Stevens, Egan and McArthur Booking Treble at Odds of 60/1 with William Hill
• Burn Booking at Odds of 7/2 with William Hill

Crystal Palace vs Sheffield United 

• Stevens Booking at Odds 10/3 of with bet365

With Stewart Attwell overseeing this one you would be daft not to get cards onside, averaging 4.88Y he has being the biggest Premier League referee this season. 

Blades defender Enda Stevens has had his name taken three times this season. Apart from a handball vs Southampton, both of those have come when playing as a left sided centre back. Usually Stevens starts at LWB but following a sub par performance in their last game Robinson will likely be dropped. Therefore, I think Max Lowe will come in a LWB and Stevens will drop back into the left side of the back three. 

Longshot 

• Stevens, Egan and McArthur Booking Treble at Odds of 60/1 with William Hill

Given the referee appointment and the importance of the the clash, I think cards will be rife at Selhurst Park. John Egan has being carded four times this season in 15 appearances. Tomorrow he will be opposing the physical Benteke and Zaha, Palace's most fouled player. Zaha has been fouled an average of three times pG this season and suffered eight in his penultimate start vs Villa. 

James McAurthur tops Palace's charts for fouls per game averaging 1.8 per game. The Scotsman also has the second most yellows with three in 13 starts.

Brighton vs Wolves

• Dan Burn Booking at Odds of 7/2 with William Hill

40% of Dan Burn's booking's came against Wolves last season. During the previous campaign he only managed to get his name taken five times, however, this season he is well on his way to beating that total as he has received two cards in seven starts. 

If deployed at LCB or left back, as Graham Potter often does, it could pit Burn against Adama Traore. The Spanish winger is one of the finest athletes in the game and his blistering pace makes him a hazardous opponent. At 6ft 5, the cumbersome defender will have his work cut out trying to contain Traore, he has averaged 1.3 fouls per start this season. 

The referee for this one is Chris Kavanagh. He has averaged 3Y pG this season which is a slight decrease on his lifetime average. The last time he took charge of a game to feature the Seagulls Burn did not play but Kavanagh booked two of their three centre backs. 

Due to the congestion of fixtures and uncertainty around the line ups, I also want to doff my cap to Davy Propper's price of 13/2 with bet365. The Dutch midfielder has only featured once this season but last season was carded in 12.5% of his appearances. 

More importantly, at least one opposition centre midfielder has gone into the book in five of six of Wolves' most recent EPL games; Winks (Spurs), Westwood (Burnley), Kante and Mount (Chelsea), Douglas Luiz and McGinn (Aston Villa). It is no wonder that so many do though given Wolves attacking options. Traore, Neto and Podence have all drawn over a foul pG on average this season. Therefore, I think Propper's price represents value. Hopefully, at least one of these selections start.