EPL Betting: Man City, Liverpool Favored Over South Hampton, Aston Villa

• Two of the top teams in England have separate matches today against two lower table teams.
• Liverpool is a -300 favorite against Aston Villa in Premier League action.
• Their chief rivals this season, Manchester City, have -315 odds against Southampton.

LAS VEGAS - Today is a beautiful Sunday for soccer bettors and that means that there is ample action coming from the Premier League in England.

Today, this column will take a look at two matches that might not matter in terms of the Premier League table, but could matter to the pocketbooks of those betting on soccer everywhere.

First, the champions of England, Liverpool, are set to take on Aston Villa. After that, their chief challengers this season, Manchester City, face off against Southampton.

Given how Liverpool has already won the league title, it may affect how all teams play this weekend. This is something they will have to take into account when looking at the odds.

Liverpool vs. Aston Villa Betting

By this point in the season (and, indeed, by several months ago), everyone knows how good Liverpool is and has been. Their season is the stuff of legend and they are still chasing the all-time Premier League points record.

However, today, they have to worry about Aston Villa.

Villa are not exactly what anyone would describe as a threat to Liverpool, but neither were Watford when they ended Liverpool’s unbeaten streak.

In fact, Villa are in a battle with Watford and Bournemouth to escape from relegation. This sense of desperation should be examined closely when looking at the whopping payout that lies if they win.

Liverpool are, of course, serious favorites in this match. This should come as no surprise to anyone who has even heard of their season this year.

That said, they have locked up the league at this point. It remains unclear how dedicated they will be to this game. Villa, meanwhile, are trying their best to keep their head above water in the relegation zone.

The spread for this match is 1.5 goals in Liverpool’s favor (obviously). This spread actually puts a bit of shading towards Aston Villa +1.5.

The match kicks off at 11:30 a.m. EST on July 5, 2020.

Manchester City vs. Southampton

Manchester City have spent much of the season futilely looking upward at Liverpool, as the Reds streaked to an early lead that they never relinquished. This, despite the fact that City is by any measure one of the best teams in Europe, let alone England.

Today, City face off against Southampton, in a match that carries very few implications beyond honor for both sides.

City are looking to remain clear of Leicester City and Chelsea, but have a significant advantage in doing so. Southampton, on the other hand, are solidly towards the bottom of the league, but above the relegation zone.

Perhaps the limited attention and stakes will allow gamblers to take advantage of potentially softer lines at the major online sportsbooks.

Manchester City are -315 favorites on the moneyline, while Southampton trail them significantly with +850 odds. A draw has +400 odds of winning, notably far more likely than a Southampton victory.

A spread of +/- 1.5 goals is needed to even the odds in this match. Manchester City -1.5 has odds of -105. Southampton +1.5 has odds of -115.
This reflects the big advantage that City has in this match, although it is interesting that both this match and Liverpool’s match have a similar spread, despite Southampton’s moneyline being more generous than Aston Villa’s.

Overall, there’s a lot to look at in both of the matches discussed today, and a lot to bet on as well.

Happy Betting!