Premier League best bets: The second act begins as the festive season ends

Welcome to Matchday 20 of the Premier League, the last weekend of the festive season. We’ve officially made it halfway through the season, and our collective reward is on its way: a glorious two-week break to recover from the madness of our Premier League December. We’ll have 11 days of quiet between the final whistle of West Ham vs. Brighton on Tuesday and the kickoff of Chelsea vs. Fulham for Matchday 21.

But before all that rest and relaxation, let’s talk about what we’ve learned from the Premier League this December. We’ve learned that Arsenal and Liverpool are legitimate title challengers, and that Manchester City — currently — are not quite on their level. We’ve learned that Aston Villa is the real deal, and while it might not continue its ‘why not us’ title run of the past few weeks, it will certainly upset the traditional Top 6 of the league. We’ve learned that Newcastle has a long way to go before it’s ready to compete on so many fronts, that we doubt West Ham at our own peril, that Chelsea’s amortization game looks to be a bust, and that Iraola’s Bournemouth has a little something special.

(We’ve learned absolutely nothing about Wolves, of course, who remain a wild, head-scratching aberration, and what a treat it is to have a team like theirs around.)

Will those lessons last into Act II of this Premier League Season? Or will they all be undone once Manchester City starts its inevitable 12-game unbeaten run and storms back to the top of the league? Only time will tell … but here’s what we’re keeping an eye out for this weekend:

Aston Villa vs. Burnley — This game will take place at Villa Park, the Premier League’s strongest fortress, so it’s hard to see Villa losing it. But Villa’s performances this season throw up something interesting: a tendency to concede lots of goals, particularly against lower-table opponents, and win anyway. Villa has kept just three clean sheets in the league, against Chelsea, Arsenal and Man City. Every other team has found a way through the Villa defense.