It’s Lucas here, your Chief Predictions Officer at What Are the Odds?

You’ve seen Idrissa Gueye’s weird red card by now. If you missed it, he slapped his own teammate, Michael Keane. Result — instant red card.

[PS: For the curious, here’s a whole list of bizarre red cards, including Gueye’s.]

But here’s where it gets more bizarre. Afterwards, Everton boss David Moyes said he was happy to see it. Apparently, “it showed they cared.”

Here’s what else we’ve got for you in this week’s What Are the Odds?

• The best EPL odds roundup and score predictions for this weekend. 🦵⚽

• Thought Gueye’s red card was weird? You ain’t seen nothing yet. 🏟️✨

• David Moyes’ wise words about burning passion. 🔥

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⚽ Aston Villa vs Arsenal
🏟️ English Premier League
Saturday 06 Dec; 13:30 (Europe/Paris)

• Why we’re watching: Arsenal’s on fire this season. What more do you need?

• CXSports says: If you look at the last five head-to-heads in this fixture and see the perfectly even split of results (2 victories for each side and a draw), you might be tempted to think “oh, looks like Arsenal’s finally got a real challenger”. But don’t forget, Villa’s 2 victories in this fixture were way back in the 2023-24 season — things were a little bit different back then. In particular, Arsenal’s defense has tightened even further since then to the point that it’s absolutely suffocating for most opponents (they’re barely conceding half a goal per game). And it’s not like Vila has a particularly strong offense this season (1.23 goals per game). That’s probably enough to tilt this game in Arsenal’s favor, even if they are playing this one on the road.

• Score prediction: 2-1 for Arsenal

Option #1

• Bet: Arsenal Victory

• Odds Range: 1.73-1.92

Option #2

• Bet: Over/Under (Over 2.5)

• Odds Range: 1.90-2.10

⚽ Bournemouth vs Chelsea
🏟️ English Premier League
Saturday 06 Dec; 16:00 (Europe/Paris)

• Why we’re watching: Chelsea’s got enough of an edge here to make this one a much stronger play than the odds suggest.

• CXSports says: If you ignore their loss to Sunderland, Chelsea has really tightened up their game recently. Their concession rate has been absolutely minimal — even including the Sunderland loss, they’re conceding at an average of 0.6 in their last 5, all while averaging 1.6 scored per game. That’s going to make things difficult for Bournemouth in this game, particularly given the fact that their defense is leaking at a faster rate than any of their mid-table peers (about 1.8 goals per game conceded for the season, but that’s ticked up closer to 2.2 in their last five games). Of course, Bournemouth is the one with the home advantage here and, given their offense isn’t all that bad, they might create a few “complications” along the way. Nothing Chelsea won’t be able to handle, of course. Just don’t expect Chelsea to clean sheet in this one, even if they will likely take it with a decent margin given Bournemouth’s tendency to leak goals.

• Score prediction: 1-3 for Chelsea

Option #1

• Bet: Chelsea Victory

• Odds Range: 1.94-2.29

Option #2

• Bet: Over/Under (Over 3.5)

• Odds Range: 2.34-2.63

⚽ Everton vs Nottingham Forest
🏟️ English Premier League
Saturday 06 Dec; 16:00 (Europe/Paris)

• Why we’re watching: Nice clean edge for Everton in this one, coupled with some solid value in the odds.

• CXSports says: Forest is in a bit of a pickle right now with just one point separating them from the drop zone after a disastrous 3W, 3D, 6L performance this season. Of course, Everton aren’t exactly the sort of squad that you’d count amongst the elite this season, although they have shown they can continue to grind out results under pressure — kinda like they did last time they played Forest back in April, where they managed a 0-1 clean sheet on the road. That, and the fact they’re playing at home, should be enough to give them a solid psychological edge coming into this. Their generally superior football should take care of the rest.

• Score prediction: 1-0 for Everton

Option #1

• Bet: Everton Victory

• Odds Range: 2.04-2.25

Option #2

• Bet: Over/Under (Under 1.5)

• Odds Range: 1.12-1.22

⚽ Man City vs Sunderland
🏟️ English Premier League
Saturday 06 Dec; 16:00 (Europe/Paris)

• Why we’re watching: A nice one-sided game. Just how we like ‘em.

• CXSports says: Man City’s on fire right now, especially when they’re playing at home, where their scoring rate’s currently sitting at a more-than-respectable 2.42 goals per match. That’s going to make it hard for Sunderland to keep a handle on them, even if Sunderland does have a perfectly capable defense. What will really make matters worse, however, is Sunderland’s undercooked offense, which is only scoring at a rate of 1.3 goals per game. That’s not going to be enough for them to keep pace with the likely City onslaught, so expect this one to play out in a very one-sided way.

• Score prediction: 3-1 for Man City

Option #1

• Bet: Man City Victory

• Odds Range: 1.13-1.26

Option #2

• Bet: Over/Under (Over 2.5)

• Odds Range: 1.34-1.53

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If you think David Moyes actively supporting his players fighting on the field was a “weird” moment in Everton’s history, then we’ve got news for you. Everton’s got heaps of weird stuff buried in their past.

Here’s proof, with a little trivia question from our friends at Masters of Trivia.

Question: What exactly is the strange little building on Everton’s club crest?

• A: An 18th-century lock-up for local drunks

• B: A pepper grinder designed by a Victorian chef

• C: A wizard’s observation tower

• D: A proto-spaceship docking silo

Think you know the answer?

Read to the end to see if you were right.

⚽ Newcastle vs Burnley
🏟️ English Premier League
Saturday 06 Dec; 16:00 (Europe/Paris)

• Why we’re watching: The odds aren’t exactly great, but this is still a nice high-probability outcome here if you’re looking for something safe.

• CXSports says: The last five meetings between these two have all ended in a Newcastle victory. And most of those have been pretty convincing, too, including the most recent game between these two from back in May, where Newcastle, while playing on the road, thrashed Burnley 1-4. Of course, Newcastle has declined somewhat in performance since then. At the time, Newcastle was a serious top-of-the-table contender with some wicked offensive stats — 1.8 goals per match on average at the time. Now compare that with their current form — mid-table, 1.3 goals scored per game with a barely positive goal difference. Of course, it’s not like Burnley’s suddenly improved — we don’t need to look any further than their results this season to know that. As such, this still leans heavily in Newcastle’s favor, but probably won’t be quite the same blowout that it was last time these two met, even if Newcastle’s playing this at home.

• Score prediction: 2-0 for Newcastle

Option #1

• Bet: Newcastle Victory

• Odds Range: 1.16-1.31

Option #2

• Bet: Both Teams to Score (No)

• Odds Range: 1.47-1.85

⚽ Tottenham vs Brentford
🏟️ English Premier League
Saturday 06 Dec; 16:00 (Europe/Paris)

• Why we’re watching: It’s a slight long shot, but the odds on a draw here make the punt worth it.

• CXSports says: If there’s one thing to know about Tottenham, it’s that their home record is terrible. In fact, they haven’t managed a home victory in the EPL since way back in August (their first match of the season). Since then, the best they’ve managed is a couple of draws (including a 1-1 against the Wolves of all sides…). Of course, that could just be a statistical anomaly, so we can’t count on that as our only indicator, but it’s still a pretty good sign that Brentford, despite playing this one on the road, is still in with a chance, especially given their comparable performance this season that, in theory, should put them on a pretty equal footing here. As for how that means this one plays out, we’re tempted to say this one’s too close to call. But, given the odds of a draw are decently high, we’re leaning towards tipping this one as a draw, simply as the slightly more probable outcome out of three almost equal probabilities.

• Score prediction: 1-1 Draw

Option #1

• Bet: Draw

• Odds Range: 3.10-3.60

Option #2

• Bet: Both Teams to Score (Yes)

• Odds Range: 1.38-1.66

⚽ Leeds vs Liverpool
🏟️ English Premier League
Saturday 06 Dec; 18:30 (Europe/Paris)

• Why we’re watching: “Sure thing with great odds” alert! The double chance play here is ridiculously solid value!

• CXSports says: Right now, Leeds are on a five-game losing streak, and that’s not likely to change any time soon. Particularly given their opponent in this game, Liverpool. That’s not to say Liverpool’s putting up the performances of a lifetime this season. Far from it. But they have been consistent enough, both against weaker competitors and in past head-to-heads (in the last 2 decades, Leeds has only managed a single victory in this fixture). In short, Liverpool is the favorite here, and not by a small margin. Of course, we can’t entirely eliminate the possibility that Leeds will somehow draw — that’s still a possibility, even if it’s a remote one.

• Score prediction: 1-2 for Liverpool

Option #1

• Bet: Liverpool Victory

• Odds Range: 1.63-1.80

Option #2

• Bet: Double Chance (Draw / Liverpool)

• Odds Range: 1.14-1.25

⚽ Brighton vs West Ham
🏟️ English Premier League
Sunday 07 Dec; 15:00 (Europe/Paris)

• Why we’re watching: Very nice odds on a high probability outcome.

• CXSports says: If we were to sum up West Ham’s season so far, we’d probably say it’s “nothing to be proud of.” They’re currently (technically) in the relegation zone with a massively negative goal difference (-12) and very few positive results. Brighton, on the other hand, can hold its head up high — they’re still in the race for the top four, winning at about twice the rate they’re losing, and just have decent stats all around, even if they don’t particularly stand out on any front. And while we don’t need to twist the knife in ever further for West Ham, we’re going to do it anyway — with Brighton playing this one at home, there’s really only one rational outcome we can predict here.

• Score prediction: 2-1 for Brighton

Option #1

• Bet: Brighton Victory

• Odds Range: 1.43-1.60

Option #2

• Bet: Both Teams to Score (Yes)

• Odds Range: 1.51-1.72

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This week, we’re closing on the same point we opened with.

Here’s Moyes, again.

So, what’s the moral of the story here?

You’ve got to be passionate about something — so passionate that it occasionally bubbles over into something uncontrollable.

Sure, you don’t necessarily want to go punching up your own teammate over it.

But you do want the sheer resilience and unstoppable motivation that comes with it.

Want to learn more about David Moyes and Everton?

Masters of Trivia is the only trivia app where every player is rewarded. Play all the trivia quizzes you can handle and earn real rewards simply for participating.

Take Masters of Trivia for a spin with the Everton F.C. Trivia Quiz today.

PS: The answer to this week’s question was [A] — Everton’s club crest is based on an 18th-century lock-up where local drunks were once held overnight. Discover more trivia like this with the Everton F.C. Trivia Quiz.