English Premier League Picks and Predictions (1/3): Saturday EPL Bets

Nate Hornung

Written by: Nate Hornung

Published: Fri Jan 02, 2026, 4:10 pm ET

Read Time: 5 minutes

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EPL

We were blessed with some midweek EPL the past few days, as nearly every team was in action on Tuesday and Thursday. That leaves us with just a four match slate on Saturday, kicking off early at 7:30 a.m. eastern. There isn't too much to choose from, but we still had to dive in and see if we could find any winners to kick off our weekend. Let's get in to our EPL expert picks.

Saturday's EPL best bets are below. Keep reading for the analysis.

Head over to our EPL Picks Page for our expert's soccer analysis, or read my best bets below.

English Premier League: Saturday's Predictions January 3

Aston Villa vs. Nottingham Forest EPL Picks

Ollie Watkins and Aston Villa are in a prime bounce back spot at home following their loss to Arsenal - EPL Picks

Ollie Watkins and Aston Villa are in a prime bounce back spot at home following their loss to Arsenal

Best Bet: Aston Villa ML (-122) Lucky Rebel Sportsbook

I think these odds are far too low for this Villa team at home against a much inferior opponent. For +212, you can back Aston Villa to record a shutout win, which I also endorse and have a half unit sprinkled on. They had won 11 straight matches in all competitions before losing 4-1 to Arsenal at the Emirates on Tuesday. I've got to think the back line will come extremely focused back at home against Forest.

Villa sit just two points behind Manchester City, and are six ahead of Liverpool, putting them in third place on the EPL table. They cannot let three points slip away at home, so I expect them to do whatever it takes to win. That means being aggressive offensively, and very sound on the back end. As for Nottingham Forest, they are four points safe from relegation as things currently stand, yet they are second worst in terms of goals scored this season, netting just 18 in their 19 matches. Only Wolverhampton have not netted as many.

Defensively, Forest is No. 14 in goals allowed, but again, the hosts will be as aggressive as they need to be in order to secure three points. Look for them to force their visitors to defend the entire match, giving them no time to find a the back of the net.

Prediction: Aston Villa Wins 2-0 (+800)

AFC Bournemouth vs. Arsenal EPL Picks

William Saliba and Arsenal take on AFC Bournemouth as they try to retain their lead on the EPL table - EPL Picks

William Saliba and Arsenal take on AFC Bournemouth as they try to retain their lead on the EPL table

Best Bet: Arsenal ML/Over 1.5 Goals (-128) Lucky Rebel Sportsbook

I'm paying a bit of juice here and switching things up. Typically we take Arsenal on the moneyline and pair it with the total bumped up a goal or two for some plus money. Here, we are taking it down a notch, going the other direction. Now, this parlay and over 2.5 is +121 if you want more bang for your buck and trust some fireworks, but a 2-0 Arsenal win is very likely in my eyes.

Worth noting, this is the full game over 1.5, not just Arsenal's team total, however we do need them to score twice in order to cash (but that's priced at -190). This is my way of getting a better price for their TT, as I don't see Bournemouth netting two. Arsenal have only allowed two goals from an opponent once this year.

You know how good the Gunners' back line is. I've talked about that plenty. But on the road against AFC Bournemouth, they may be in for some trouble. Clearly, I still trust them to get the win. Bournemouth started really strong, but have slowly slipped down to No. 15 on the EPL table, mainly because of their lack of defense.

The hosts have scored 29 goals this year, putting them No. 7 in the league in goals scored, but they've allowed 35, which is fourth worst. They've seen at least two total goals in four straight matches, while Arsenal have done so in three straight and in 14 of their last 15 overall. While I don't think they get the shutout, the offense is clearly clicking, which scared me off of their ML and under 3.5 for +147, which has burned me the past couple of times I've bet it. Time to switch up the process.

Prediction: Arsenal Wins 2-1 (+700)

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Nate Hornung
Nate Hornung

Nate has been a recreational sports bettor for about 5 years. In that time, he has grown to love the pursuit of winners and sticking it to The Man. Nate loves data and uses his understanding of numbers to help him be a more profitable sports gambler, however he will be the first to tell you this game is about more than just stats.

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