Week 17 Premier League Picks: Man City, Chelsea, Liverpool 2 pts. apart, Man United, West Ham battle for 4th

We are almost in 2022, and yet COVID-19 is still wreaking havoc with athletics all around the world.

The Premier League, with its festive fixture schedule putting teams on the field every three or four days until the middle of January, has not been immune to the newest variation (Omicron). Tottenham has bollocksed up the UEFA Europa Conference League draw with nearly its entire first squad unable to play last Thursday, and then again had its match postponed Sunday in the Premier League. Spurs are scheduled to play Leicester City on Thursday, and it could be a huge advantage to the Foxes if the match is played.

There are now some issues in the Manchester United squad, as well as potentially in and around the Aston Villa team. Both of them are scheduled to play Tuesday, so there will have to be a decision made relatively quickly on those games, with the Red Devils visiting Brentford and Villa hitting the road to take on Norwich City.

The big London derby for Match Week 17 comes at the Emirates, as Arsenal hosts West Ham United. The two teams are now just two points apart in the table, as the Hammers rise has slowed of late.

Thursday sees two of the teams fighting at the top of the table against two of the worst teams in the league. Chelsea will host Everton, with the Toffees coming in off another loss (one win in nine) in London Sunday (3-1 to Palace), while Liverpool will host Newcastle United (you're going down with a trillion in the bank), which just got beat 4-0 by a Leicester City team that has been poor for months and just got knocked out of the UEFA Europa League into a competition manager Brendan Rodgers did not know existed.

There is the potential for those final two games of the match week to be team total overs for the big teams.

Here are the picks for Match Day 17 of the Premier League, but make sure you check with my Twitter for any updates on the changing COVID-19 situation: it is going to start changing odds pretty quickly.

Check Fubo.TV, Paramount+, and ESPN+ for TV schedules

ENGLAND PREMIER LEAGUE

Tuesday

Brentford (+285) v Manchester United (-105), draw (+275), 2:30 p.m. EDT (Peacock)

Norwich City (+220) v Aston Villa (+130), draw (+230), 2:45 p.m. EDT (Peacock)

Wednesday

Brighton (+106) v Wolves (+290), draw (+225), 2:30 p.m. EDT (Peacock)

Arsenal (+112) v West Ham (+230), draw (+260), 3 p.m. EDT (NBCSN and Fubo.TV)

Thursday

Leicester City (+105) v Tottenham (+245), draw (+265), 2:30 p.m. EDT (Peacock)

Chelsea (-455) v Everton (+1200), draw (+525), 2:45 p.m. EDT (NBCSN and Fubo.TV)

Liverpool (-910) v Newcastle United (+2000), draw (+850), 3 p.m. EDT (Peacock)

GAME PICKS:

Manchester United ML IF MOST STARTERS PLAY (-105)

Aston Villa ML (+130)

Double chance Wolves or draw (-122)

Double chance West Ham or draw (-130)

Leicester City ML (+105)

Chelsea -0.75 first half (-105)

Chelsea -1.75 (-105)

Liverpool -1 AH first half (-115)

Liverpool -2.25 AH (-125)

PROP BET PICKS:

Cristiano Ronaldo to score IF HE STARTS (+115)

Aston Ville over 1.5 goals (+130)

West Ham -0.75 (+330)

Chelsea over 2.5 goals (+125)

Kai Havertz to score (+150)

Liverpool over 3.5 goals (+145)

Diogo Jota to score IF HE STARTS (-115)