Photo Credit: Orlando Ramirez, USA TODAY

A second straight winning session in Week 12 was made even sweeter by its perfection. Liverpool’s 3-1 win over Manchester City not only sent the Reds eight clear of Leicester City and Chelsea (and nine clear of City), it paid off at +150. And just when we were getting ready to turn some of these green chips in for blacks, well…

Indeed it does, Josh. The good news is that it’s over. The better news is that the next international break will not come around until March 23, 2020. If we can keep the winning ways going, by that time we might even have Josh Hart money to throw around.

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The lines this week are brought to us by Unibet, an official Eagles partner that has officially launched its sports betting app in Pennsylvania, making it the seventh online sports book in the state. A popular and well-known European brand, Unibet has been setting lines and taking wagers on Premier League football for (most likely) a lot longer than you have been betting it.

Onto this week’s winners.

WEST HAM UNITED (+333) v. TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR (-130) — DRAW (+330)

It pains me to admit it, but I really missed having Jose Mourinho in the Premier League. It’s those little things like dragging both his new players and their old manager at an introductory press conference while taking the reins at a club that he once said he would never manage due to his fealty to Chelsea. This sort of hubris is in such short supply in professional sports, especially in management positions where saying nothing in as many words as possible is an art form.

Spurs was -110 before the managerial switch, and I was going to enthusiastically recommend Spurs at that price even though Mauricio Pochettino was still their manager and even though Spurs was still in a funk. Price is everything, though, and there is no value in Spurs at -130, on the road, with a new lightning rod of a manager, in a derby. It’s too easy to look at this match and say “Spurs with Mourinho will instantly be better and they’re much more talented than West Ham, take my money.”

Here are the facts that matter: 1. Neither of these teams has won a Premier League match since late September. 2. Spurs is 14th in the league table and West Ham is 16th. 3. West Ham’s last five results against Chelsea in all competitions at home are: DWLWW. So the pick here is West Ham Double Chance at +110. 

MANCHESTER CITY (-230) v. CHELSEA (+570) — DRAW (+410)

As it is with West Ham United/Tottenham Hotspur, this match between Manchester City and Chelsea has a serious price problem.

Manchester City actually trails Chelsea by a point in the league table. Many of City’s players spent the international break exerting themselves on national team duty and trying to forget about the loss to Liverpool. Fewer of the Chelsea players were called on by their national teams, and two of Chelsea’s young stars (Tammy Abraham and Mason Mount) weren’t exactly overtaxed in England’s 7-0 win over Montenegro and the 4-0 beating of Kosovo that followed.

Chelsea is on a terrific roll in the league, winners of six straight. Manchester City has only won three of its last five league matches, and those wins came against poor competition (Southampton, Aston Villa, Crystal Palace.) Chelsea split the league matches between these sides last season and held City scoreless in open play in the League Cup final in February, only losing the match on penalties. Should City win this match? Probably, but this price is entirely out of line. The pick here is Chelsea Double Chance at +185.

BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION (+275) v. LEICESTER CITY (+108) — DRAW (+260)

You didn’t really think I’d forget about Leicester City, did you? They have won us money in Weeks 11 and 12. They have the second-best goal difference in the league, better than Liverpool’s and trailing only that of Manchester City. Granted, when Leicester City beat Southampton 0-9 a few weeks back, it sort of skewed that statistic. But City has an 0-5 over West Ham and an 8-0 over Watford propping up its goal difference, so it’s not like the Foxes are the only one flattered by outlier results.

Leicester has won four league matches in a row since losing narrowly to Liverpool on October 5. Brighton has won three straight at home, which would be impressive except that the wins came over relegation-threatened Norwich City, wildly underachieving Everton and free-falling Tottenham.

Leicester has won three of the last four league matches between these sides, with a draw thrown in. There aren’t many Premier League clubs you’d expect to beat Leicester City these days, and the Seagulls definitely do not fit that profile. Take Leicester City to win at +108.

Good luck this weekend.