24/25 Match Week 18 Recap & 19 Preview

Hope everyone had a great Christmas! Does seem like many of you were able to gather with some clean sheeters over the last couple weeks!

In Today’s CleanSheet:

• Headlines 📌

• Current Situation📈📉

• Hot Topic 🔥🔥🔥- Sleeping Giant’s

• Off Island 🏝️ - Earliest Winners

• Best Bets 💰

Headlines 📌

Let’s call it what it is - some really good matches on Boxing Day - but honestly NOTHING GREAT. So, we are going with a match that has some interesting storylines.

But first - JUST 17 goals scored across the 10 matches, by far the fewest this season.

• CS Match of the Week. Wolves 2-0 Man United. (Since we have to choose one).

  • Vitor Periera took over wolves and has 2 wins in his first 2 matches, Wolves had 2 wins in 16 matches prior to him taking over for Gary O’Neil.

  • Ruben Amorim has not been as fortunate with United, that is just 7 points in 6 league matches and 5 losses in 7 games in all competitions. This is one messed up Man United side.

  • United Captain Brumo Fernandes was sent off for the third time this season and will miss United next match home to Newcastle and United had to play with 10 men for the 2H.

  • Fernandes with Yellow Card #2, you just can’t do this on a yellow.

  • 1-0 Wolves off a Cunha Corner - directly - to give the home side the lead at 58’. This goal is on United keeper Onana.

  • 2-0 Wolves on a Hwang tap in.

  • Cunha (Wolves) has more NON-PENALTY goals than any other EPL player if you include last season and the current season - 21. Foden (City) and Son (Spurs) each have 20.

  • The Two Robbie’s give their opinion - “unprofessional” from Bruno Fernandes.

• England’s Keeper. Jordan Pickford just keeps coming up with the saves. What a great season the England National is having with Everton. Here he saved Erling Haaland’s PK to save a point. Man City 1-1 Everton.

• King of West London - Harry Wilson. Chelsea 1-2 Fulham. FFC are 2-0 against their West London rivals so far this season beating both Brentford and Chelsea - BOTH TIMES - it’s been Harry Wilson OFF THE BENCH late to secure points. In early March Wilson scored at 90+2’ and 90+7’ to compete the comeback. This time, Wilson started the scoring to even things up and it was Muniz (also off the bench) with the winner.

  • Wilson off the bench, again, for another late goal to change an outcome, this time at 82’.

  • Muniz with the winner 90+5’.

Current Situation 📈📉

• And just like that - Liverpool are 6 points up with a match in hand.

• And just like that - Leicester City are in Relegation after back-to-back wins by Wolves.

• Forest are the real deal, sitting in a Europe spot, 2 points off second and the only side to beat Liverpool in the first half of the season. All with just a 5-goal difference.

• Difference between 5th and 10th - 3 points, one win.

• All three promoted teams from last season sit in the bottom 3 and deserve to be there.

• TRANSFER WINDOW - the window opens January 1 and closes February 3. Expect a lot of movement this year as many teams have a lot to play for.

What 2 Look 4 👀- Match Week 19

• No matches Saturday.

• 6.3.0.1 Match Week. 6 Sunday, 3 Monday, 0 Tuesday, 1 Wednesday.

Match of the Week 🅰️

• Brentford +525 v Arsenal -210 WED 1130a - London Derby (West v North) -Really interested in this matchup. The Bee’s can beat anyone at home, yet Forest went in last week and shut them out 0-2. The Gunners have been solid, doing enough to win, but scoring has been difficult at time. Gtech stadium continues to average the most goals in their matches, over 5, but last time out Bees and Trees got just 2.

Home Relegation Sides 🍗🍗

• Leicester City +750 v Man City -300 SUN 830a - The Foxes are just trying to get to the transfer window for reinforcements, City are just trying to figure things out. On paper this should be all City.

• Ipswich Town +600 v Chelsea -240 MON 145p - The Blues are blue after falling apart in the final minutes to lose all three points in the West London Derby last weekend. Ipswich continues to be in games but never really challenging.

Lot’s of Draws ✏️✏️✏️✏️

• Everton +160 v Forest +180 SUN 9a - 1W 5 Draws in Everton’s last 7, 4W in Forest last 4. Tricky game for Forest as both sides prefer to sit back, play defense and counter.

• Palace -170 v Southampton +450 SUN 9a - 4 Draws 2W in Palace’s last 7. This should be all Eagles, but the Saints can hang around and make things interesting late in matches.

• Fulham +135 v Bournemouth +190 SUN 9a - 4 Draws 2 W in FFC’s last 6. 4W, 2 Draws in the Cherrie’s last 6. Will be tough sledding at Craven Cottage, can the Cherrie’s pull their late match heroics again.

• Aston Villa -105 v BHA +260 MON 145p - 3W for Villa in 5, with 2 tough road losses in there. BHA hasn’t won in 7 matches including 4 Draws.

Used to be a BIG Ticket🎟️🎟️🎟️

• Tottenham -165 v Wolves +360 SUN 9a - Wolves 2W. Can Wolves make it three wins in a row under new manager Periera? Can Ange find any defenders as Spurs injuries continue to expand? This is a big line for two sides heading in opposite directions.

• West Ham +650 v Liverpool -260 SUN 1115a - Hammers 2W 2D, Liverpool just 1L all season. The Red’s just seem to find a way to handle whatever their competition throws at them, and Salah continues to find the net. The Hammers stretch has saved Postecoglou for now.

• Man United +165 v Newcastle +145 MON 2p - This would normally be a major match up but Man U are struggling and will be missing key pieces. Newcastle have won 3 in a row and look like they are settling in for a European run.

CleanSheets Counter & Goal Tracker

Hot Topic 🔥🔥🔥

Nottingham Forest - The Sleeping Giant’s

The Tree’s are the surprise team of the first half of the season sitting solidly 4 in the table and, with a little more scoring punch, have a chance to contend the rest of the season. So, decided it was time to learn a little more about this HISTORIC club.

The next time a “non big club” contends for Europe we will highlight their club.

Off Island 🏝️

We are staying On Island for this topic….

The question was asked - Can Liverpool set the record for winning the EPL title earlier than any other club?

Here is some data -

• Man United secured the title the earliest - April 14, 2001 - with 5 matches to spare.

• Man City secured the title on April 15, 2018 - ALSO with 5 matches to spare - so in a way, tied United. This City side also set the record for most points in a season, 100. This season also saw the biggest point difference to win a title. United was 19 points behind City on the final day, 100 to 81.

• Man United secured the title on April 22 in 2000 with 4 matches to spare, then a record. They did that again in 2013.

• In 2004 Arsenal went unbeaten - The Invincibles - and clinched their title on the road at their North London Rivals (Spurs) with 4 matches to spare.

• A perfect season would be 114 points - 38 matches at 3 points per match.

It’s clear Liverpool has jumped out to be favorites to win the league, but to be up 16 points with 5 matches to play is going to be a tough ask.

Best Bets 💰

Match Week 18 Results

Match Week 19 - Quick Turn Around

Looking to make a big 1H run, 3 bets, all big.

Everton Forest both sides with a CS +748. $100

Can we see another 0-0 draw? Taking a big swing on a big number or will need to buy back in and start the second half fresh.

Newcastle to Win at Man United +145. $100

Newcastle is peaking, United is not, does not matter where this one is played.