'Tis the season for winter and holiday breaks, unless you play your football in the UK.
In that case, it's complete chaos! There are some genuinely tantalizing matches on the slate, which we'll take a look at in this latest addition of the Weekend 5.
See what's piquing my interest and get my top soccer predictions across a handful of games.
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Aston Villa is the best-kept secret in football, riding a nine-match winning streak.
Victors in 10 of its past 11, Unai Emery’s side is up to third place in the Premier League, three points behind leaders Arsenal. A win against Manchester United on Sunday would mean that throughout 2025, Villa has only lost once at home. Remarkable.
Trouble is, if any team has Villa’s number, it's Man Utd.
The Red Devils have only lost five times in Premier League history to Villa, and only three times at Villa Park!
The record isn’t quite as damning if you dismiss the notion that soccer was invented in 1991 with the advent of the Premier League. But regardless, Villa traditionally has a torrid time against Utd.
Coming off that astonishing 4-4 draw with Bournemouth on Monday, United seems to be heating up. And given Villa’s unlikely recent dominance in the league, I'm taking United to shock Villa.
Best bet: United to win (+240)
New crisis club?
On the other end of the scale, a Tottenham loss to Liverpool this week would be the Spurs' 11th home defeat of the year, a club record.
Indeed, things are going pear-shaped for Thomas Frank at Tottenham. In fact, he has just assumed the role of “crisis manager,” previously held by his counterpart this weekend, Arne Slot at Liverpool.
-> Bet on Liverpool vs. Tottenham at NorthStar Bets!
-> Bet on Liverpool vs. Tottenham at NorthStar Bets!
The Spurs are languishing mid-table in 11th spot, just four points back of Liverpool in seventh. The League is so tight this season, however, that a win for any team between fourth and 15th can change things dramatically.
With Mo Salah off to AFCON, that's one headache gone for Slot, while the Spurs have lost midfielders Pape Sarr and Yves Bissouma to the tournament.
With Liverpool suddenly unbeaten in five and coming off an impressive win over Brighton, taking the Reds at plus money on the road makes sense. Add in a goal for the on-fire Hugo Ekitike, and suddenly there's some genuine value.
Best bet: Liverpool to win & Ekitike to score (+335)
David making news
The trouble with football, and in this case Italian football, is the rumour mill. It's at times out of control, and with the January transfer window days away, it hits top gear.
Jonathan David has found himself in just such a rumour mill this week, and considering his slow start to life at Juventus, it's to be expected. According to some Turin-based tabloids known for speculation and sensationalism, David is unpopular and has been frozen out at Juve.
Rumour had it that he was potentially on his way to Arsenal in a swap deal for Gabriel Jesus until Juve pulled the plug! Suffice to say, certain elements of the Italian media are getting their pound of flesh.
-> See Jonathan David props at NorthStar Bets
-> See Jonathan David props at NorthStar Bets
It's tough to imagine David being unpopular at his new club. An Instagram post this week featuring a smiling David among his teammates poured more cold water on the report.
As for the link to Arsenal? It's likely that several top clubs would be looking at a prolific goalscorer potentially available on the cheap this winter. But it doesn’t mean he's leaving. In fact, if not for a few combined inches on the offside line in recent weeks, we could be talking about David bossing play at Juve of late.
His club seems to be playing better and is coming off a win against Bologna in a match David started.
Roma is visiting Juve this weekend, and is a dynamic defensive force. But David is on the brink of his breakout, making him among my top soccer predictions for the weekend.
Best bet: David to score (+170). Another play, if you think this will be a low-scoring affair, is David to score the first goal (+400).
Top soccer predictions: Promise of things to come
Promise David’s name has been mentioned in much transfer scuttlebutt. But having just signed a new contract in the offseason at Union Saint-Gilloise, and once again leading the charge both domestically and in the Champions League, he looks to be in a great situation.
Any links to bigger clubs should probably wait until the summer.
David has seven goals on the season and is coming off a strike vs. Charleroi on the weekend. This weekend, the top-ranked Union meet midtable Zulte Waregem in Belgium. All eyes will be on the big man up front.
Best bet: Union to win & David to score (+128)
-> Get in on the action — bet on Promise David to score!
-> Get in on the action — bet on Promise David to score!
Yellow Submarine ascending
Something special is happening for a team that two Canadians — Tajon Buchanan and Tani Oluwaseyi — call home.
Villarreal sits third in Spain, but has two matches in hand on both Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Win them both, AND beat Barcelona at home this weekend, and Villarreal is in first place. Easy, right?
Sure, the Yellow Submarine has been far from good in the Champions League, sitting in a lowly 35th position. And, yes, it lost in the Copa del Rey midweek to Racing Santander of the second division, but the focus is clearly on La Liga.
Barcelona is still Barca, though, and off the back of seven straight wins, it would be a statement for Lamine Yamal’s team.
The prodigious teenager was named in FIFA’s best XI earlier this week. With six goals and seven assists on the season, he continues to be almost impossible to contain.
Best bet: Barcelona win & Yamal score or assist (+143)
-> Bet on all of this weekend's soccer action at NorthStar Bets
-> Bet on all of this weekend's soccer action at NorthStar Bets
