Premier League Gameweek 18: The best player prop bets for Sterling, Salah, and Mount

Covid-19 is causing a little bit of chaos in the Premier League in the run-up to Christmas, with a number of games called off this week. Fortunately, though, we get to see all three title contenders on the road on Sunday as they try to pick up another crucial three points.

Here are the best player props for Sunday’s slate.

Newcastle vs. Manchester City: Raheem Sterling to score a goal (+117)

Manchester City are fresh off the back of putting seven goals past Leeds during the week and now they get to set their sights on Newcastle, a team which has the worst defensive record in the league. Oh dear…

The only clean sheet Newcastle have kept all season was against 18th-place Burnley, and in the Magpies' nine games this year against top-half teams, they’ve lost all nine and conceded an average of three goals a game.

Not only are Pep Guardiola’s men in flying form going forward, they historically find goals against Newcastle easy to come by. In the last 12 fixtures with Newcastle, Man City have scored a whopping 34 goals (2.8 per game on average).

Raheem Sterling has five goals in his last eight games in all competitions and was given a well-earned rest in midweek, so he should be fresh and ready to go on Sunday. He has five goals in his last nine games against Newcastle and is no stranger to finding the back of the net in the North East.

Wolves vs. Chelsea: Mason Mount to score a goal (+275)

Wolves have scored just once in the last five league games, while Chelsea have only failed to score once in 17 matches — all the way back on September 25 — so when looking for a player prop, there’s only one team we’re really interested in.

Mason Mount got off to a slow start this season, as he didn’t find the back of the net until October 23, when he bagged a hat-trick in Chelsea’s 7-0 hammering of Norwich. Now he’s on a real hot streak, scoring in each of Chelsea’s last four league games against Watford, West Ham, Leeds, and Everton.

He’s a value bet at the odds, and I’m never shy in backing the hot hand. Mount also has two goals in his last three games against Wolves and can keep that run going.

Tottenham vs. Liverpool: Mo Salah to score a goal (-104)

Liverpool suffered a shock 3-2 defeat to West Ham on November 7 but have since bounced back in style, winning eight games on the spin in all competitions. Jurgen Klopp’s men have scored 21 goals in that run (2.6 a game on average) and have looked back to their unstoppable best.

One of the key players in that run, and arguably the greatest player in the world this season, is Mo Salah. He has seven goals in that eight-game run and now has 15 league goals in 17 games — six goals clear of any other player in the race for the Premier League Golden Boot.

Salah’s record this season speaks for itself. He has averaged a goal every 101 minutes this year in the league, and nobody has as many shots as the Egyptian, who averages more than four attempts on goal per game. Salah isn’t just hitting and hoping either. His conversion rate sits at 21.7% in the league this season, and he’s looked deadly when given a sniff of an opportunity.  

Tottenham have looked good under Antonio Conte’s leadership and are unbeaten in four league games, keeping three clean sheets along the way. But against top-six sides, Spurs have struggled this season, losing four of five games and conceding 10 goals at an average of two per game.

Back Salah to fire Liverpool to their ninth win on the spin.