SATURDAY:
WOLVES V WEST BROM
Wolves are probably in their worst run of form since they got promoted with just 1 win in 6 games. They're missing some key players due to injury and especially in attacking areas. Raul Jimenez and Daniel Podence are currently out along with Adama Traore who could or not be available having missed their defeat to Everton in midweek. That leaves Pedro Neto and Fabio Silva as their only recognised attackers along with Patrick Cutrone who has just come back from a loan spell at Fiorentina. Those three are still very young and with the form Wolves are currently in, they can't rely on a young forward line to get them out of the slumber they're in. Wolves need to buy players and fast if they're to finish higher up the table because they don't have a big squad and they're missing their attacking players a lot due to the form they're in.
This is probably the toughest job that Sam Allardyce has been given in his whole career because West Brom don't have a lot of Premier League experience in their side and that is something you need in order to stay up. Robert Snodgrass is a good signing for them because he's experienced at this level and is also a goal threat which is what the Baggies as they're the second lowest goal scorers in the league. Allardyce will be hoping that more players come in and they need to because this current West Brom team isn't good enough to stay in the Premier League. In order for them to survive, they need to bring in more players with Premier League experience. I was surprised they let Charlie Austin leave on loan. But that departure could pave way for another striker to come into the club as they need a centre forward.
With Wolves missing key players in attack and West Brom not firing at all, I'm going for a draw. This is because they're both not scoring enough goals at the moment and I can see that being brought into this game due to the form they're both in.
PREDICTION: 1-1
LEEDS V BRIGHTON
Leeds don't have anything to play for this season after their FA Cup exit at the hands of Crawley on Sunday. They played a fairly weakened side and I thought that they would take the competition a bit more seriously as they're unlikely to be involved in a relegation battle or push for a Europa League spot. They picked up a hard thought win the last time they were at home against Burnley with Patrick Bamford's early penalty enough to secure the three points before some late Burnley pressure. They'll be without Kalvin Phillips for this one as he is suspended after picking up five yellow cards already. He's been a miss for Leeds when he's been out of the side and was a miss in midfield against Crawley as he was used at centre back during their FA Cup defeat. They'll have the likes of Harrison and Bamford available, but Phillips absence is a big blow for Leeds.
Brighton put in a solid display against Man City in midweek by keeping them at bay for most of the game despite losing the match 1-0. Their winless run extended to nine games with defeat which is a very worrying stat for the Seagulls as they find themselves just two points above the relegation zone. They need to be more ruthless in front of goal which has been a struggle for them all season by not killing teams off. This had lead to a lot of draws for them with 8 which is the highest in the Premier League this season and that is keeping them out of the relegation zone. They need to start turning those draws into wins if they're to stay up because winning games keep you in the league. If they don't start doing this, they could find themselves in the bottom three within the next few weeks.
I think this one will be a Leeds win because they look more likely to score than Brighton. They've been an entertaining team to watch this season and with the quality they have in forward areas, they should win this game without any problems.
PREDICTION: 2-0
WEST HAM V BURNLEY
West Ham got their place booked in the FA Cup 4th Round with their 1-0 win over Stockport on Monday night. They'll be looking to register another win in this one after that result and a win in their last league fixture at Everton. They've made great progress under David Moyes because they were hovering above the relegation zone this time last year and this year they find themselves in 10th place. It's been a good season for the Hammers so far and they'll be looking to keep it up as they head into the second half of the season. They may still bring in some players in the transfer window because David Moyes will want his side to stay in the top 10 and bringing in more players could help them do that. He'll probably look for a striker with Sebatian Haller sold to Ajax which leaves Michail Antonio as the only recognised striker in their squad. If he gets injured again, West Ham could find goals hard to come by unless they sign another centre forward.
Burnley have won their last three games against West Ham including a 1-0 win at the London Stadium towards the end of last season. That record will give them confidence going into this one because they'll believe that they can beat them again having done it before. A win in this one will see the Clarets pull themselves further away from the relegation zone and if they win at least two or three more within the next month, they should be okay because they have a good enough manager and squad to keep them in the Premier League. If they can add some players in the transfer window as well, they'll surely be safe for another season. They may have lost to Man United in midweek, but they're still in decent form and they'll to look to improve on that by winning this game.
I think this game will be close because both teams play a similar way and they both have a good set of players. Because of this I think it will be a draw and a score draw as both teams have players who can find the back of the net.
PREDICTION: 1-1
FULHAM V CHELSEA
Fulham put in a good display as they got a point against Spurs in midweek. Some say that they're going in the right direction because of the point they earned and they're unbeaten in their last 5 games. But their last five games all ended in draws. To stay in the Premier League you need to win games and Fulham haven't had the cutting edge to do that this season. They have improved a lot since the opening weeks of the season by being more solid and taking points off of Leicester, Liverpool and Spurs, but they need to start winning games on a regular basis if they're to stay up. They've played some decent football as they enter the final third of the pitch, but they haven't had the killer instinct in front of goal which you need at this level. Scott Parker needs to buy a striker in January because their current strikers haven't scored many goals between them this season.
Chelsea got a confidence boost last weekend by beating Morecambe in the FA Cup with three of his summer signings delivering. Hakim Ziyech set up Callum Hudson Odoi's goal whilst Kai Havertz and Timo Werner ended their goal droughts by scoring with Havertz assisting Werner for his goal. That will give them the confidence they've lacked all season because we're yet to see the best of them in a Chelsea shirt. Werner has missed a lot of good chances whereas Havertz you could say hasn't been used in his best position. If those two play like they did against Morecambe on a more consistent basis, Chelsea could well be back in the title race because of what both Havertz and Werner can offer the team.
I' m going for a Chelsea win in this one because they have enough in them to win the game. They may be without N'Golo Kante and Fulham will make will it difficult for them, but they should still have enough to win the game.
PREDICTION: 1-2
LEICESTER V SOUTHAMPTON
Leicester got their place booked in the FA Cup 4th Round with the win over Stoke last Saturday and if they can go far in that and continue to do well in the Europa League and Premier League, it could be a good season for them. Brendan Rodgers has built a good side this season to compete on three fronts and I can see them have a good crack in at least two of them because of the squad they have at their disposal. In terms of this fixture, Jamie Vardy and James Maddison will be back after missing the cup win over Stoke which will be good news for the Foxes because of how important they both are to the team. Vardy turned 34 this week which is hard to believe when you see how quick he is and the amount of goals he's scoring. He's getting better with age. Maddison was looking like the player we know he is last month by scoring and creating goals for the team. Gareth Southgate better be watching him soon because Maddison's performances are telling Southgate to put him back in the England squad.
Southampton got a very good result last time out as they beat Liverpool thanks to Danny Ings early goal. Southampton will be without their talisman for this one after being tested positive for COVID which will be a big blow for the Saints as they've already had him ruled out twice this season due to injury. The Saints will also be without Yannick Vestergaard which is another big blow to them because he's been excellent in their defence all season. He's been the big strong centre half they've lacked since Virgil Van Dijk left and he's proving to be a very good replacement for him. Fraser Forster impressed in place of Alex McCarthy against Liverpool by making lots of good saves to keep them in the game. He'll need to do the same in this one because Leicester have some very good attacking players who are all capable of scoring goals.
I think Leicester will win this one because Southampton are missing some key players through injury. Because of that and the quality Leicester have in forward areas, the Foxes should win this game comfortably.
PREDICTION: 3-0
SHEFFIELD UNITED V TOTTENHAM
Sheffield United finally got that first in midweek by beating Newcastle 1-0 on Tuesday night. They committed men forward whenever they went on the attack which is what they did last season and it's what they haven't done enough of this season. The FA Cup win over Bristol Rovers last Saturday gave them the confidence going into that one but the win over Newcastle will give the team more confidence because it was their first league win of the season and it hopefully inspire the team to win more games between now and the end of the season. That is something they need to do if they're to have any chance of staying up because winning games keeps you in a league and with the position they're in, they need to start doing that now. They may look doomed, but that first win will give them some hope.
Spurs looked flat in the second half of their 1-1 draw with Fulham despite a strong start. They had a lot of chances to kill the game off throughout the contest but couldn't thanks to Alphonse Areola's superb saves throughout the match. Not finishing teams off has been a problem for Spurs recently and if they're to mount a serious title challenge they need to win those kind of games and they haven't done that in the last few games. They've often started well before sitting back inside their own half and letting the opposition come at them instead of going at the opposition themselves. This could be the reason why they've dropped a lot of points recently because they're playing more defensively instead of on the front foot which is what we used to see of them under Pochettino.
I think this one will be a Spurs win because they should have enough in them to win the game. Sheffield United may have got their first win of the season in midweek, but Spurs are a stronger team and will have enough to win the game without any problems.
PREDICTION: 0-2
LIVERPOOL V MAN UNITED
The biggest game of the weekend between the two biggest clubs in the country. Liverpool will want to return to winning ways after dropping points in their last three games against West Brom, Newcastle and Southampton. They weren't as clinical in those games by not taking the chances they had and they looked flat as team which is very unlike Liverpool. Jurgen Klopp will want his side focused on this one because its a game that his players want to win as it's against one of their biggest rivals in Man United. With United top of the league ahead of them going into this one, the reds will want to reclaim top spot from them by winning this game and that will give them a desire to win because they want to be top of the league instead of United. They'll be up for this without a doubt.
United being top going into this game will give them confidence because they're above one of their biggest rivals and they'll want to show why they deserve to be top of the league. Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer deserves a lot of credit because it wasn't that long ago that fans were wanting him out and he has made them change their mind by putting together a run of results which has seen them turn their season around. They've looked reasonably solid defensively and free flowing going forward which what Man United used to be all those years ago. Harry Maguire has put his episode in Mykonos behind him by putting in some solid displays and has formed a good partnership with Eric Bailly in recent weeks with Victor Lindelof currently side-lined. Bruno Fernandes has been key to their improvement by scoring and creating goals as has Marcus Rashford who has got better as the season has progressed. If United keep that up, they could well be in the reckoing come the end of the season.
It will be a close game and they'll definitely be goals because of the quality both sides have going forward. But in the end I'm going with a draw because Liverpool don't lose at home and United don't lose away. Because of that I can see them cancel each other out.
PREDICTION: 2-2
MAN CITY V CRYSTAL PALACE
Man City's good run of form you could say has put them in the title race. They're unbeaten in their last eight games in the league and are looking more like the City we know over the last two or three seasons. One player hoping for another start is Phil Foden because he's been in great form recently with 3 goals in his last 4 games and is beginning to turn into the player we all expect him to be. He definitely deserves to start more because he's City's top goal scorer in all competitions this season and he is one of the best young players around. I thought he would play more than he has done because he has been labelled as the heir to David Silva and after Silva left last summer, I thought he would be straight into the team. He simply has to start this one because of the form he's in and the talented player he is and has been for a few years. He continues to impress, he's a shout for the Euro's.
Palace picked up a deserved point last night as they drew with Arsenal and kept a clean sheet. They've kept back to back clean sheets for the first time this season having kept one in their 2-0 win over Sheffield United a fortnight ago. They've looked more like themselves defensively recently by being organised and rigid which is what Palace have been since Roy Hodgson has been in charge. Against Arsenal they had chances themselves to score with Christian Benteke's header saved brilliantly by Bernd Leno and James Tomkins' header going against the crossbar from Eberechi Eze's free kick. You could say that they were unlucky not to win the game itself because of the chances they had in the game. In terms of the season, Palace have nothing to play for because they were knocked out of the FA Cup by Wolves a week ago and are comfortably in 13th place in the Premier League. They only have pride to play for.
I think City will win this one because they have more quality than Palace. The Eagles will make it difficult for for them, but City should still have enough to win the game without any problems.
PREDICTION: 2-0
MONDAY:
ARSENAL V NEWCASTLE
Arsenal's three game winning streak was halted last night as they were held to a goalless draw by Crystal Palace. Their struggles in front of goal returned as they only managed 4 shots on target throughout the 90 minutes. They were up against a stubborn Crystal Palace side, but they still could've scored at least once with the amount of chances they had in the game. Scoring goals has been a problem for Arsenal for most of the season and Mikel Arteta will want to see his side improve in front of goal by taking their chances on a consistent basis. They needed extra time to beat Newcastle in the FA Cup last weekend and with a stronger team this time round, Mikel Arteta will hope his team can win this game in 90 minutes. They will be wihout Kieran Tierney who will be a blow, but they do have Thomas Partey back from injury which is a boost because he hasn't played many games and will be a key player for the Gunners once he gets himself going.
Newcastle are in a rotten run of form. They haven't won their last six games and the fans are turning on Steve Bruce because of his style of play. I can understand why the Newcastle fans are not happy because they want to see attacking football and a team that is competitive for 90 minutes. Well they haven't been competitive for sure because the performances over the last six games have been abject and flat. When they start counter attacks, there are no players supporting the strikers because they're closer to their own six yard box than they are to the centre circle. They have been without Allan Saint Maximin who has been a big miss for them, but the other midfielders and wide men should still support the strikers because that is their job.
I'm going with an Arsenal win in this one because of the form Newcastle are in. I can see another abject display from the Magpies and with the young talent Arsenal have, I can see them hurt the Newcastle backline.
PREDICTION: 2-0
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