EPL betting preview: Man City, Liverpool and Chelsea battle atop the table

We've got a heck of a title battle brewing in the English Premier League.

Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea are separated by two points atop the table through the first 15 matches of the season. City leads with 35 points and is a point ahead of Liverpool. The Reds are a point ahead of Chelsea.

West Ham sits six points back of Chelsea in third and likely won't challenge for the title. Neither will anyone below the Hammers. That means the title-contending field has probably been narrowed to three less than halfway through the season.

It should be a heck of a battle too. City and Chelsea met in the Champions League final in May and Liverpool won the title two years ago and his finished no lower than third in the standings in each of the last three seasons.

Here's what you need to know to bet round 16 of the EPL season this weekend. All games are on Saturday unless noted and odds are from BetMGM.

Brentford vs. Watford (over/under 2.5 goals) [Friday]

• Brentford (+105)

• Watford (+250)

• Tie (+250)

Brentford tied Leeds last weekend while Watford lost to Man City. Watford is on a three-game losing streak since beating Manchester United 4-1 in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s last game in charge of the Red Devils. We like a Brentford win and the under.

Manchester City vs. Wolves (3.5)

• Man City (-600)

• Wolves (+1500)

• Tie (+675)

City took over first place with that win over Watford while Wolves are three points back of sixth after a 1-0 loss to Liverpool. The under feels like the smart play here despite the low odds at -185. There haven’t been more than three goals in any of the last seven Wolves games.

Arsenal vs. Southampton (2.5)

• Arsenal (-155)

• Southampton (+400)

• Tie (+300)

Arsenal looked terrible in a 2-1 loss to Everton on Monday. Southampton is very meh. Arsenal is the smart bet, but we don’t have much confidence with any outcome.

Chelsea vs. Leeds (2.5)

• Chelsea (-350)

• Leeds (-900)

• Tie (+450)

Chelsea dropped points at West Ham last weekend and is now third in the table while Leeds tied with Brentford. Leeds is languishing in a three-way tie for 14th on 16 points. Chelsea is the pick.

Liverpool vs. Aston Villa (3.5)

• Liverpool (-400)

• Aston Villa (+950)

• Tie (+525)

Each of the last three Aston Villa games have ended 2-1 and Villa has gotten wins in two of them. Liverpool has six straight wins in all competitions and that should stretch to seven here.

Norwich City vs. Manchester United (2.5)

• Norwich City (+550)

• Man United (-225)

• Tie (+360)

United coach Ralf Rangnick rotated the squad on Wednesday night in the Champions League, so this should be a full-strength unit for the Red Devils. We’re back to betting United again.

Brighton & Hove Albion vs. Tottenham (2.5) [Sunday]

• Brighton & Hove (+105) [Sunday]

• Tottenham (+275)

• Tie (+225)

Stay away from this game. Tottenham has over a dozen players in quarantine due to COVID-19 and its Europa Conference League game on Thursday was postponed.

Burnley vs. West Ham (2.5) [Sunday]

• Burnley (+260)

• West Ham (+100)

• Tie (+260)

West Ham at even odds to win feels like great value, especially after Burnley lost to Newcastle last weekend.

Leicester City vs. Newcastle (2.5) [Sunday]

• Leicester City (-145)

• Newcastle (+375)

• Tie (+300)

Leicester City has underachieved this season but should get a win on Sunday.

Crystal Palace vs. Everton (2.5) [Sunday]

• Crystal Palace (+125)

• Everton (+220)

• Tie (+225)

This may be the most even game of the weekend. Everton is just two points ahead of Palace in the standings and was in the midst of a poor run of form before beating Arsenal. Palace has lost three straight since tying 3-3 with Burnley. Everton is our reluctant pick.