The festive period has always been a busy one for English football, and this year is no different. The upcoming week will see the Premier League play on Boxing Day, then again over the weekend, and then once again on New Year’s Day – three rounds of fixtures condensed into one action-packed week. This is, of course, a long-standing tradition – Christmas and the New Year just do not feel the same without football. Of course, jam-packed weeks like this one bring the opportunity to ‘earn’ some extra Christmas cheer, if you will. I am, of course, talking about the chance to add to the festive football experience through betting and mobile betting, and one can install bet365 android app (step by step) to do this.
Chelsea have suffered a torrid run of form in recent weeks, having won just one of their last five league games coming into the derby against Tottenham. This saw them slip to fourth place and allow the likes of Sheffield United, Tottenham and Manchester United come within touching distance of a Champions League place, in complete contrast to their high-flying exploits earlier in the season. Thus, a win over Spurs was almost essential, and the Blues obliged, with a superb 2-0 win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium restoring the fans’ belief in Frank Lampard’s project. The Chelsea legend made a tactical tweak for this match, going with three at the back, which worked a treat. Spurs had no answers for Chelsea’s attacking play, and struggled to break down the visitors’ defensive structure as well. Credit must be given to Lampard for changing things up in order to get a result here, as he has copped a lot of the blame for Chelsea’s winless run as well. Nevertheless, it remains to be seen how Chelsea perform over the festive period, where the hectic nature of the fixture schedule could take a toll. Chelsea’s squad is young and not too deep, which may pose problems in terms of squad rotation for Lampard. However, the dismissal of Chelsea’s transfer ban means the club are now free to sign players in January, and with reports of a £150 million transfer budget, Lampard must make his choices carefully to avoid upsetting the balance of the squad.
In terms of betting picks, there are some value picks for fans. Chelsea are favourites for their next league game, where they host Southampton, which is reflected in the price of 1.30. However, they are also seen as slight favourites for the trip to the Emirates to face Arsenal, at a price of 2.30. Their prospects in the Champions League seem dim, given that they face Bayern Munich in the round of 16. Accordingly, they are at 41.00 to win the competition, and at 6.00 to reach the semi-final. In terms of the league, Chelsea are priced at 1.50 to finish in the top four, with bookmakers believing that the chasing pack will not be able to overhaul them. Thus, fans looking to back the Blues can do so in the league; Europe seems like a bridge too far at the moment.
