FRIDAY:
LEEDS V WEST HAM
Leeds have a good record against West Ham when they've faced each other in the Premier League with the home losing only twice. They made a good start in their last game against Chelsea but in the end were beaten by a very good side. Patrick Bamford scored in that game and is having a very good season with 8 goals in 11 games which is a good return and especially for a player whom many thought would not crack it at this level. He's gone and done that this season and has proved many people wrong by scoring those goals. If he can continue doing what he's doing, he's in with a shout of getting an England call up because of the form he's been in.
West Ham were unlucky in their last game against Man United because the ball that lead to Paul Pogba's brilliant goal appeared to be out of play from Dean Henderson's goal kick. They were good in the first half of that game with Jarrod Bowen constantly causing problems down the right hand side and even had a goal disallowed by VAR. The Hammers are having a good season with the club in 8th place and David Moyes deserves a lot of credit for the job he's done with his team this season. If West Ham win this one, they could be on course for a top half finish if they can keep up their good form because of the position they're currently in.
I think this one will be a Leeds win because they don't have any key players out injured and I think they'll have enough to win the game. West Ham will stay compact like they have done for most of this season, but I can see Leeds just nick it her.
PREDICTION: 2-1
SATURDAY:
WOLVES V ASTON VILLA
Wolves didn't turn up in their last game against Liverpool as they were heavily beaten 4-0. They were not the same defensively and were not their usual selves as they were outplayed by the champions. They did miss Raul Jimenez in that game because they lacked a focal point at the top end of the pitch and I see them struggle without him because of how important he is to them. They still have other good players in their attack like Neto, Podence and Traore, but without Jimenez they're not the same and Nuno Espirito Santo will hopefully be looking to sign a striker in the January transfer window because of the lack of options in that area.
Villa would have had a week to think about this game with their game against Newcastle called off due to the amount positive COVID tests at Newcastle's training ground. They put in a decent performance in their last game against West Ham and were a bit unlucky with Ollie Watkins missing a penalty and having a goal disallowed by VAR because of him being offside. Jack Grealish scored a brilliant goal in that game and is arguably having the season of his life due to the way he's been playing this season. That result was Villa's first defeat away from home this season and they'll be looking to get back to winning ways after back to back defeats with the first one coming at home against Brighton. They won all their away games prior to the West Ham match and this one is a big game for them as it is a derby.
I'm going for an Aston Villa win here because Wolves are without Jimenez and Villa have been strong away from home this season. They have a player in Jack Grealish who can win them a game because of how influential he is on the pitch. I can see him having a good game in this one and I think he'll score at least one.
PREDICTION: 0-2
NEWCASTLE V WEST BROM
Newcastle will be glad that this game is going ahead after their game with Aston Villa was called off due to the amount of positive COVID tests at their training ground. They picked up a good result before their training ground closed when they won 2-0 at Crystal Palace with Callum Wilson and Joelinton impressing as a pair up front. Both of them scored and it was a confidence boost for Joelinton in particular because of the struggles he's had since he's been at Newcastle. The Magpies' story so far this season has been good one week and average the next week. They will not want that to repeat itself in this one and it could be tough because they have a number of players missing due to COVID and injuries. Allan Saint Maximin is one of those players who will be missing in this one and that is bad news for Newcastle because of important he's become for them since he's been at St James' Park. His pace will be a miss for sure.
West Brom you could say were a bit unfortunate last week against Crystal Palace because they had Matheus Pereira sent off when he shouldn't have been. His challenge did look dangerous but it wasn't dangerous enough to be a red card offence. That sending off changed the game and they ended up getting thrashed. Pereira's absence from this one will be a huge blow for the Baggies because he's their talisman and was an important player for them in the Championship last season as they got promoted. He gives the Baggies goals and creativity which makes him a very important player for them and with him suspended, West Brom could struggle to find a goal.
Despite the amount of players absent, I think Newcastle will this one because Steve Bruce managed to win games when he had most of his players out injured at stages of last season. It probably won't be a good performance, but I think they'll just edge it.
PREDICTION: 1-0
MAN UNITED V MAN CITY
Man United will look to bounce back in this one after being knocked out of the Champions League in mid-week following their defeat by RB Leipzig on Tuesday. The defending for the goals they conceded was shambolic and its put the pressure back on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer because of his tactics. United played a back three against Leipzig and it didn't work as they were once again exposed defensively and they gave themselves too much to do as they went 3-0 down before scoring their late goals. Paul Pogba made a difference when he came off the bench against Leipzig and he's been one of the main talking points of the week because of the comments made about him by agent Mino Raiola. It will be interesting to see how he plays in this one because this kind of game is one where he needs to turn up due to his talent and heavy price tag. His performance in this game could determine whether he still wants to be at Man United.
City are looking more like themselves after two dominant displays against Burnley and Fulham in the Premier League as well as against Marseille in the Champions League in mid-week. Sergio Aguero cam off the bench to score against Marseille which is good news for City because he's been a miss for City since he's bee out injured. He probably won't start this one having been out for a number of weeks but its good that City have their star striker back from injury because of how important he is to them. With their Champions League campaign out of the way, City can turn their focus towards the Premier League because they won't need to think about Europe until February. Their last two results have put them in touching distance of the top four and if they can win this one, they could move into the top four if the teams above them drop points in their respective games.
I'm going for a City win here because United haven't been great at home this season and City are beginning to look like their normal selves. The players that City have in forward areas can cause United all kinds of problems and I can see them doing that in this one.
PREDICTION: 1-3
EVERTON V CHELSEA
After a great start, Everton appear to have hit a wall with just one win in their last six games. They have had injuries to key players but after their good start and their ambitions for this season, their form is a worry for manager Carlo Ancelotti who will be up against his former club where he spent two seasons. Dominic Calvert Lewin is still scoring goals like he was in the opening four games but players like James Rodriguez haven't been the same since those opening games. They've looked fragile defensively in recent weeks and that has been clear during their disappointing run of form. Lucas Digne and Seamus Coleman have both been missed and will once again be out for this one with Digne out for a lengthy spell. If the Toffess are to finish in or near the top six come the end of the season, they need to start getting results on a regular basis again like they were back in September.
Chelsea's recent record against Goodison Park does not look good reading. They've lost 3 of their last 5 visits and haven't there since 2017 which was the year they last won the title. They were no themselves against Krasnodar in mid-week but still got the job done in finishing top of their group ahead of Sevilla. Hakim Ziyech will be out for this one and that is a big blow for them because of how influential he's been for them this season. He's made their attack sparkle since his arrival from Ajax by scoring and creating goals which have helped Chelsea's attack become more cohesive. They'll probably start with Pulisic on the right in Ziyech's place because he's back from injury and Callum Hudson Odoi is also out leaving Pulisic as Chelsea's only fit winger as well as Timo Werner who can also play out wide like he has done at times this season.
I think this one will be a close game because both teams play a similar way. They both have key players out injured and because of that I think it will be a draw. The players absent will have an effect on both sides' performance in this game.
PREDICTION: 1-1
SUNDAY:
SOUTHAMPTON V SHEFFIELD UNITED
Southampton will be glad that they have Danny Ings back after returning to action and scoring a penalty against Brighton on Monday night. The Saints coped fairly well without him as they picked up four points from three games during his absence with Che Adams and Theo Walcott stepping up in the absence of their star man. The Saints were in or around the relegation zone this time last season and one year later they find themselves 5th. This is all down to the manager and the job he has done ever since because it looked like they were going to be in a relegation battle and Hasenhuttl rallied his troops and he dragged them away from trouble to finish mid-table. He's continued to work his magic this season as the saints are in a very strong position.
I can't see Sheffield United win a game at the minute. They are really lacking confidence and you can see it in the players when they're out on the pitch. They contained Leicester pretty well last week until Jamie Vardy went away and scored the winner with people saying that John Egan should've taken one for the team and brought him down. This would've seen him sent off and it might've given the blades a point which they can't seem to get at the minute. The Blades have some tough games coming up with Man United and Everton before the end of the month as well as some winnable games against Brighton and Burnley. If they lose this one Chris Wilder will be under a lot of pressure because they've lost their last six and only have a single point after 11 games.
I think this one will be a Southampton win because they look a lot stronger than Sheffield United at the moment. The Saints have Danny Ings back and I'm backing him to score in this one and make Sheffield United wait longer for their first win of the season.
PREDICTION: 2-0
CRYSTAL PALACE V TOTTENHAM
What a result Crystal Palace picked up against West Brom last week. Having Zaha back made a huge difference because he scored twice but Christian Benteke of all people scored twice. That is something that has become very rare over the last few seasons because the Belgian has suffered a lot because of not scoring goals and not playing well. He'll be looking to impress again and build up his confidence which he has been lacking over the last few seasons. Eberechi Eze also impressed in that game and his performance suggested that he could ease the burden off of Wilfried Zaha who has carried this Crystal Palace team for a few seasons and they have heavily relied on him a lot during that time. With those two in the side Palace look more dangerous in attack which was shown in their 5-1 win at West Brom last Sunday.
Spurs are really looking title contenders at the moment. They're solid in defence, well balanced in midfield and they're deadly up top. Heung Min Son has arguably been the player of the season so far because of the amount of goals he's scored and the amount of times he's linked up with Harry Kane. Those two were at it again against Arsenal last weekend and they look unstoppable at the moment because of the form they're both in. Jose Mourinho deserves a lot of credit for the job he's done because many people thought he was finished after his time at Man United and since he's been at Spurs he's proven that he's still one of the best managers in the world. With the way Spurs are playing and the squad depth they have, I think they could win something this season.
I'm going for a Spurs win here because they're flying high at the top of the table and are looking strong in every position. Both teams will try and play on the counter, but I think Spurs will come out on top.
PREDICTION: 0-2
FULHAM V LIVERPOOL
Fulham have some fairly winnable games after this one with Brighton and Newcastle before tough games against Southampton and Spurs before the end of the month. They'll see this one as a free hit with it being against against a side who'll be up there challenging come the end of the season. I'm surprised that Aleksandar Mitrovic hasn't been starting in recent games because he was crucial to them getting promoted with the amount of goals he scored and he's the one player that I thought Fulham would rely upon to get them out of trouble. Scott Parker has ended up starting Ivan Cavaleiro or Bobby Decordova Reid up top in recent weeks and those two are not out and out strikers. If Fulham are to stay up this season, they need to start Mitrovic more because he's more of a goal scorer unlike the other forwards Fulham have in their squad.
Liverpool have coped pretty well with all the injuries they've picked up this season as they find themselves joint top with Spurs. Trent Alexander Arnold is back after returning in the win over Wolves which is good news for the reds because of how important he's been in the last two seasons. The reds had a lot of chances against Midtjylland in mid-week and only took one which was Mohamed Salah's goal in the first minute. Some of the youngsters got a chance in that game with Caoimhin Kelleher once again impressing and Rhys Williams putting in another solid performance alongside Fabinho at centre back. Kelleher may probably start again with Alisson still out and the young Irish keeper has looked like a very good back up keeper in the games he's played in recently. His performances have kept Adrian on the bench.
I think this one will be a Liverpool win because they're looking really strong at the moment despite the injuries and I think they'll be too strong for Fulham. Fulham have looked resolute in recent games, but the reds have enough quality to make this a straight forward win.
PREDICTION: 0-3
ARSENAL V BURNLEY
I can't see where Arsenal's goals are going to come from. Aubameyang's confidence has completely shot since signing that new contract and the midfield simply has no creativity. The midfielders in Arsenal's squad are all players that work hard for the team and they're all defence minded. They never pick out a pass for the forward players whenever they're in space waiting for the ball to be played to them. Mikel Arteta has to call Mesut Ozil back into the squad at some point because he's the most creative player that Arsenal have and he's not in their squad. If not, he's got to get one in January or Arsenal could well be in a relegation scrap if their current form doesn't improve.
Burnley have a terrible record in this fixture. They've lost pretty much every game they've played at the Emirates and with the current form Arsenal are in, they might fancy their chances. The Clarets have some tough games coming up after this one with Aston Villa, Wolves and Leeds before a winnable fixture against Sheffield United at the end of the month. They'll want to at least get three points from one those games so they can have something to build on to push themselves out of the relegation zone and further up the table. They'll have enough to stay up because of their manager, but they need to pick up more points if they're to do that come the end of the season.
I don't think there will be anything in this game. The only way Arsenal create chances is by getting balls into the box and Burnley will be okay with that because they're solid defensively and their centre backs are good in the air. I can see that happening in this game.
PREDICTION: 0-0
LEICESTER V BRIGHTON
Not many people were expecting Leicester to be in the top four at this stage of the season with the Europa League being thrown into the mix. Well, they're there and they're managing the European distraction really well as they're doing well in the league at the same time as doing well in Europe by qualifying for the last 32. Jamie Vardy is still showing no signs of slowing down and he showed that against Sheffield United by running in behind their defence to score the winning goal as well as cause them all kinds of problems throughout the match. He'll be turning 34 next month and if we're still talking about him and his electric pace, I will be amazed because most players going into their mid-30s begin to slow down and are not the same player they were when they were 26 or 27. That's the case with most players unless you're Cristiano Ronaldo or Zlatan Ibrahimovic who are still delivering the goods at their respective ages.
Both games that Brighton have won this season have come away from home. They used to be strong at home and especially in their early Premier League days where their home form was vital to them staying up. This game will suit them because Leicester like to attack and Brighton can then hit them on the counter where they can use the pace of Welbeck and Maupay which was so effective in their win over Aston Villa a few weeks ago. Both of them will be fit going into this one and if they play like they did at Villa, the Seagulls could cause Leicester some problems with their movement and link up play. The Seagulls were unlucky against Southampton on Monday night because the penalty awarded to Southampton was not a penalty. It was a free kick because the foul took place just outside the box and the referee awarded a penalty which changed the game.
I'm going for a Leicester win in this one because I think they have more quality than Brighton. The Seagulls will make it a close game because of the way they play, but the Foxes will have just enough to take the three points.
PREDICTION: 2-1
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