TUESDAY:
SHEFFIELD UNITED V NEWCASTLE
Sheffield United got a big win in the FA Cup at the weekend by beating Bristol Rovers to progress to the 4th Round. It was a big result for them because it was their first win in all competitions this season and they were relieved to finally get that first win under the their belts. This result should hopefully give them the confidence they've lacked all season because winning games gives a team confidence and if they can get their first league win in this one, it will hopefully kick-start their season. The win in the cup was Chris Wilder's 100th win as Blades boss which he was after for a long time going back to the end of last season when they beat Chelsea. Now he's finally got that 100th win as Blades boss, he'll be looking to add more so his side have a fighting chance of staying up which at the moment looks unlikely. But if his side can win more games, they may be in a better position. You never know.
Newcastle have been an inconsistent side for most of this season and now they're winless in their last five games. The performances in those games haven't been promising and have lead to fans criticizing the manager and his tactics. They've been negative in some of the games they've played this season and were exactly that in the first half against Arsenal in the FA Cup at the weekend. They did however have some good chances in that game with Andy Carroll going close a few times. His was brilliant at both ends of the pitch in that game and he'll be hoping for a start in this one because of the performance he put in on Saturday. If he can stay fit for most of this season, he'll could have a huge part to play for Newcastle this season because he is an effective player on the pitch when he's at it.
I think this one will be a Newcastle win because they did the double over Sheffield United last season and I can see them doing it again. They might have Callum Wilson back for this one and if he's available, I can see him getting on the score sheet.
PREDICTION: 0-2
BURNLEY V MAN UNITED
Burnley avoided a cup upset at the weekend as they came from behind to draw with MK Dons before beating them on penalties. They had a lot of chances in that game but only took one which was the one Matej Vydra converted in added time. They should've won that game in 90 minutes because of the amount of chances they had during that game and if they lost it, they would've been kicking themselves for sure. The Clarets are in decent form in the Premier League with three wins from their last five which has give them a 5 point cushion above the relegation zone. It might've been more if their game against Fulham a couple of weekends ago wasn't suspended but other than that they're still in decent form going into this one. They have some tough games to follow this one with West Ham, Liverpool, Aston Villa and Chelsea to follow after this tricky one against one of the inform sides in the league.
Man United could go top going into their clash at Liverpool at the weekend which hasn't happened for a few seasons. They've turned their season around in the last month by putting in good performances and getting good results which have taken the ongoing pressure off of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. He deserves a lot of credit for the recent results United have had he'll be hoping that his side win this one so they have a cushion between themselves and Liverpool going into their big match against the champions this weekend. But if they're to do that, they need to win this one first so they can go into that game top of the league. They will be without Pogba for this one, but they'll still have their other big hitters in Rashford and Fernandes plus Edinson Cavani is back from his suspension which will be huge for them.
I'm going for a United win in this one because they have enough talent going forward to win this game. They're one of the in form sides in the league and with a good away record, I can see them come away with the three points yet again.
PREDICTION: 0-2
WOLVES V EVERTON
Wolves booked their place in the next round of the FA Cup with a win over Crystal Palace in the 3rd Round with a brilliant goal from Adam Traore. That win will hopefully give the team some confidence as they look to end the winless run they're currently on. They're without a win in five games and they also have some key players out injured which is a big blow for them. Raul Jimenez has without a doubt been a massive miss because they're scoring as many goals plus they're also without Daniel Podence and Willy Boly who are both important players at both ends of the pitch. Podence has scored some big goals for Wolves this season whilst Boly has been a key part of their defence alongside Conor Coady ever since they got promoted back in 2018. Nuno Espirito Santo will hopefully be going into the transfer window to bring some players in to fill in for his current absentees because they need some to help his side push themselves up the table with the club in 13th place. They have recalled Patrick Cutrone and Morgan Gibbs White from loan spells, but he should still bring some players in to help his side finish in the top half.
Everton like Wolves will be without their main striker in Dominic Calvert Lewin. His absence will be a big blow to Everton because of the amount of goals he's scored this season which have increased his importance to this Everton team. Cenk Tosun came in and scored during their FA Cup win over Rotherham at the weekend, but he's not as effective as Calvert Lewin in terms of scoring goals and holding the ball up which Calvert Lewin is very good at. James Rodriguez and Lucas Digne are both back from their injuries which is big news for Everton because they've both been important players for the toffees this season whenever they've been on the pitch. They're both creative players with Digne providing from wide areas and from set pieces whereas James offers it in the final third of the pitch which he always does. With those two back in the side, Everton have a great chance of having a successful season.
With both teams missing their star strikers, I think this one will be a draw. This is because they're not the same without their respective centre forwards and with that I can see a host of good chances not being taken.
PREDICTION: 1-1
WEDNESDAY:
MAN CITY V BRIGHTON
City have looked more like themselves in recent weeks and they showed that in their FA Cup win over Birmingham on Sunday. They were 3-0 in side the first half and were always looking to add more whenever they broke into Birmingham's half by committing men forward which is what they do when they're at their best. Bernardo Silva netted twice in that game with his first one being the best of the two hitting it first time from a Birmingham clearance. He's in good form at the moment after an impressive display at Chelsea a couple of weekends ago followed by another impressive display in the cup. He's surely got to start in this one due to the form he's in along with Phil Foden who also scored and impressed in the cup win over Birmingham on Sunday. With those two in form along with Kevin De Bruyne, City are a handful for anyone on their day.
Brighton are one of the out of form teams in the league with no win in their last eight league games. They've picked up five draws during that barren spell and that is something they need to address. The Seagulls have drawn more games than any other team this season with 8 and that has mostly been down to not finishing their chances in order to kill teams off. That's been their problem all season. They've played some good football at times, but they haven't had the cutting edge you need in this league. They remind me of Southampton under Mauricio Pellegrino in the 2017-18 season. They were a decent team to watch, but missed a lot of chances which lead to a lot of draws and some heavy defeats which lead to Pellegrino getting the sack. Graham Potter needs results fast or he may go in a similar direction.
I think this one will be a Man City win because they have more quality than Brighton. They may be without the likes of Aguero and Sterling, but they still have other players in their team who can make this a comfortable win for them like De Bruyne, Jesus and Bernardo Silva.
PREDICTION: 3-0
TOTTENHAM V FULHAM
It's been a good week for Spurs with Jose Mourinho's men reaching the Carabao Cup final by beating Brentford before winning against Marine in the FA Cup on Sunday. They fielded a strong team against the minnows and it was a pretty solid performance from them with Carlos Vinicius getting a hat trick in Harry Kane's absence and Dele Alli impressing in midfield. Alli has been out of favour for most of the season and his performance may convince Jose Mourinho to start him for this one. It was arguably his best performance in a long time as he assisted Carlos Vinicius' first goal and constantly drove into the box looking as he caused Marine problems thorughout. It was more like the Dele Alli that burst onto the scene in terms of driving forward and creating chances for his teammates. If Mourinho picks him for this one and if he impresses again, there is a possibility that he could return to the England fold with the Euro's coming up.
Fulham were supposed to play Spurs at the end of last month but it got postponed due to a COVID outbreak at the club. Their game with Burnley a few days later also got postponed for the same reason. But their FA Cup game with QPR did go ahead and they won 2-0 after extra time. Some of the players may feel a bit tired or rusty going into this one because they haven't played a league game for a couple of weeks and the players who played the full game against QPR may not be at their best because of how long the game lasted for. Other than that, Fulham have no injury concerns to worry about which will be good news for Scott Parker as he looks to steer his side out of the relegation zone. In order for that to happen, they need to turn their draws into wins because they've drawn their last four and they haven't killed teams off by taking their chances.
I went 2-0 to Spurs when they were both due to play each other last month. I'm going for a similar score line because Fulham may be feeling a bit rusty having not played in the league for a couple of weeks and their cup game on Saturday going into extra time. With that, I can see Spurs use that to their advantage and win this game comfortably.
PREDICTION: 3-0
THURSDAY:
ARSENAL V CRYSTAL PALACE
Arsenal 's first half performance in the FA Cup against Newcastle was a bit like the performances they put in during their rotten run of form by not creating many chances and passing the ball backwards and sideways for most of the half. They did however change that in the second half by bringing on Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe who changed the game with Smith Rowe scoring the first and Saka setting up Aubameyang for the winner. The two youngsters have been instrumental in Arsenal's return to form by giving Arsenal the creativity they've lacked for most of the season. Smith Rowe has made the no.10 position his own since he's been in the side and he might as well keep it with Mesut Ozil on his way out. Some Arsenal fans are calling for him not to be dropped because of the form he's in and if he can keep it up, he's could be one of the first names on Mikel Arteta's team sheet.
Crystal Palace have taken five points off of Arsenal in their last two visits at the Emirates combined and Roy Hodgson will be hoping to add to that. They may have gone out of the FA Cup to Wolves on Friday night, but Palace won't worry about that too much because their main focus will be to stay out of a relegation battle which is always the case for them. They're comfortable in 14th place and a win in this one will see them overtake Arsenal in 11th which would be incredible if it was to happen. They have two talented attacking players in Wilfried Zaha and Eberechi Eze who are a danger for any Premier League defence due to their pace and direct runs forward. If those two are at it, they will cause Arsenal all sorts of problems because they both score goals and are difficult to deal with because of how quick they are.
I'm going for an Arsenal win here because of the form they're in. They've played some good football in recent weeks and with Saka and Smith Rowe impressing, the Gu7nners should have enough to claim the three points.
PREDICTION: 3-1
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