All 20 Premier League clubs are in action on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. We look at how the fixtures could work for or against each team.
Midweek Premier League bets
Odds
Arsenal to beat Nottingham Forest
Tottenham or draw v Manchester City
Chelsea to beat Southampton and under 3.5 goals
Odds courtesy of 1xBet. Correct at time of publishing and subject to change.
Most of the teams in the Premier League will have two or three full days between their game this weekend and the next fixture. Many of them are in line with each other, as they go head-to-head with the same amount of rest time – but not everyone has that advantage. One extra day might not sound like a lot, but in football terms, it can give a handy advantage to the team enjoying the additional rest.
One such match-up this week is the meeting between Arsenal and Nottingham Forest at the City Ground. Forest have home advantage, but Mikel Arteta’s side played on Saturday rather than Sunday, and they need to bounce back after a shock defeat. Nuno Espírito Santo’s men are having a superb campaign, but their midweek results have been inconsistent.
The Gunners have won all three of their midweek games so far. Forest, meanwhile, have won only one of theirs and may lack the squad depth to cope with games in such quick succession. On top of that, Arsenal have scored 2+ goals in all their midweek league games in 2024/25, while their opponents have kept just one clean sheet.
Another imbalance in the fixture schedule sees Tottenham Hotspur take on Manchester City. Spurs thumped Ipswich Town on Saturday, while City were up against Liverpool just days after facing Real Madrid – that’s bound to take its toll. In this case, the extra day that Ange Postecoglou has over Pep Guardiola could present a big opportunity on home soil.
Four teams in the English top-flight have used 24 or fewer players this season – only one isn’t in the current top three. Forest (23), Arsenal (24) and Liverpool (24) have all made good use of the players up to now, but the division can be demanding, especially with other commitments.
Arne Slot’s Reds, for instance, sit atop the Premier League, are in the Carabao Cup final and are juggling UEFA Champions League duties. Consequently, they have only won one of their four midweek league games, so their tie against Newcastle United on Wednesday might be worth watching.
All three clubs currently in the relegation zone are in the top five when it comes to most players used, which proves bigger doesn’t always mean better. However, when a squad has depth and quality, it can be a big advantage during those Tuesday or Wednesday night trips away. For that reason, the favourites continue to hold their status.
There are six English clubs left in European competitions, all of whom are in midweek action next week. How will they manage the workload? It wouldn’t be a surprise to see some squad rotation, especially for those still in the Champions League, and that could affect things.
All this considered, you might think goals could be harder to come by on midweek matchdays, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. The last full round of midweekers in mid-January saw over 2.5 goals scored in six of the 10 fixtures and under 1.5 just once. In a midweek round in December, the 10 matches averaged 3.5 goals per game.
Chelsea are an interesting one to watch, with the Conference League now their only feasible chance of silverware. Their current form is terrible, and injuries have left them struggling for goals, but a win over Southampton is still expected. While they may be focused on their upcoming FC Copenhagen game, they have a full week between matches with no FA Cup obligations.
Enzo Maresca’s men will just be happy to get a win given how bad things are going, so under 3.5 goals is worth a look. Both sides are fighting for form, but the visitors are obviously in a substantially worse position.