SATURDAY:
WEST HAM V CHELSEA
West Ham are beginning to turn a corner in their season after collecting four points from their last two league games. The performances in both games were much improved and they head into this London Derby with confidence and something to build on.
The Hammers have a good record in this fixture of late winning three of their last five meeting against Chelsea at home. With both results and performances improving and Chelsea not exactly firing at the moment, David Moyes' side will fancy themselves to pick up another home win against the blues.
Chelsea may have been the big spenders during the January transfer window but their old problems are still there. None of the money they spent wasn't used to buy a clinical striker and their poor finishing against Fulham showed they should've got one in.
The blues will have Joao Felix back for this one after serving his three match suspension from his red card against Fulham. He'll want to prove a point after missing those three games and show the Chelsea fans what he's made of and how effective he can be.
PREDICTION: 1-0
I'm going for a West Ham win here as I think they'll carry the momentum gained from their recent results into this one. With Chelsea not exactly firing at the moment and the Hammers having a good record against at home in recent season, I think they'll edge this one.
ARSENAL V BRENTFORD
Arsenal's defeat to Everton last weekend was arguably their worst performance of the season so far and some of their fans are starting to believe hat they're blowing it. This is the stage of the season where they have slipped up in the past but the fans shouldn't dismiss their chances after their first blip of the season.
They're still five points clear after City's defeat to Spurs and have made so much progress over the course of the season. They'll obviously need to show a reaction in this one but the fans need to remind themselves how far their team has come this season.
Brentford have taken points off Man City, Spurs and Liverpool during their nine game unbeaten run and they also took points off both Man United and Chelsea earlier in the season. This along with their recent form will give them confidence going into this game and they'll certainly believe that they can get a result here.
PREDICTION: 2-1
I'm backing Arsenal to bounce back here because they're strong at home where they have not not lost once this season. Brentford will make it a tough game for them but the Gunners should still have enough quality to win the game.
CRYSTAL PALACE V BRIGHTON
Crystal Palace are a side that Brighton have been for the last two or three seasons. Good to watch but can't take their chances. That has very much been the case for them this season as there have been many games where they've played well but haven't had the results to match the performances.
The Eagles have been in poor form since the turn of the year and they could do with a win here to instil some confidence within the team. They should still have enough to be safe but Patrick Vieira's side need to start winning games to keep themselves a good distance away from the bottom three.
Brighton are a more clinical side under Roberto De Zerbi than they were under Graham Potter and their games since the World Cup can back that up. They're finally getting the results their performances deserve and are scoring goals for fun.
One player who has caught the eye for the Seagulls recently is Kauro Mitoma who has stepped up as their go to attacker since the departure of Leandro Trossard.
PREDICTION: 1-1
There have been a fair few draws between these two sides in the Premier League and I can see this one ending in the same way. Brighton may be in better form and Palace may be without Zaha, but I still think the Eagles will respond and grab a point.
FULHAM V NOTTINGHAM FOREST
Fulham were given a good game by Sunderland in the FA Cup in midweek and particularly in the second half. But Marco Silva's side did just enough to see themselves through to the next round of the competition.
The Cottagers have had a smoother campaign than Forest in their first season back in the Premier League as they didn't have to usher in a whole load of new signings. But both sides are in much better positions than most people thought they would be at this stage at the start of the season.
Nottingham Forest have picked up more points than any other side since the turn of the year where they have pulled clear of the relegation zone. They're looking more like a team than they were earlier in the season and Steve Cooper deserves a lot of credit for that. Especially as he was close to the sack earlier in the season.
Forest have scored just three goals away from home this season which is lowest in the league this season. They have improved a lot since the turn of the year but their away form still needs to improve if they're to pull themselves further away from the drop zone.
PREDICTION: 2-0
I'm backing Fulham to win this one because because they have more goals in them at home than Forest do away. Both sides have been in good form since the turn of the year but but with Forest struggling to score goals away from home, the Cottagers should have enough to win this game as they have more goals in them.
LEICESTER V TOTTENHAM
Leicester picked up a crucial win last weekend against Aston Villa which will no doubt give them the confidence to push up the league. Their performance will certainly give them something to build on as will the character they showed to come form behind.
The Foxes' 6-2 defeat in the reverse fixture back in September was a turning point in their season as they later tightened up defensively and started getting results after a poor start to the season. I thought Brendan Rodgers would be sacked after that game but the owners stuck with him and it turned out to be the right decision.
Spurs played well in their win over Man City last weekend and it was arguably their best performance of the season so far. It was good to see Harry Kane break Jimmy Greaves' goal record in that one and I'm sure that he'll have Alan Shearer's Premier League record in his sights now.
They'll most likely have Fraser Forster in goal for this one with Hugo Lloris out for the next 6-8 weeks with a knee injury. They'll also be without Christian Romero through suspension following his sending off against Man City. Both absences shouldn't affect the team in any way really as they have player who can cover for them.
PREDICTION: 1-3
I'm going for a Spurs win here because I think they'll have enough going forward to win the game. Leicester will score but I think Spurs will be the more clinical side with the forward players they have.
SOUTHAMPTON V WOLVES
I was surprised with what Nathan Jones said after Southampton's defeat to Brentford where he said that he let his players down. I get the feeling that he was doubting his own ability as a manager when he said those things and for a manager to say that publically was something unexpected.
Wolves have had more of a bounce under Julen Lopetegui than Southampton have had under Nathan Jones and they'll probably be favourites to win this game for that very reason. They might still be struggling for goals but their performances under the former Sevilla boss have been much improved.
They were excellent from start to finish against Liverpool last weekend and both the result and performance will give them a lot of confidence moving forward. I was amazed with the amount of goals they scored on the day given that they've struggled to score goals for much of the season.
PREDICTION: 0-2
I'm backing Wolves to win this one because Southampton have the worst home record in the league this season. With Julen Lopetegui's side having more confidence on board after their win over Liverpool, this should be a straight forward win for them.
BOURNEMOUTH V NEWCASTLE
Bournemouth were wasteful against Brighton last weekend with the chances they had and some of them were poorly taken. Their performance was much improved as they created a number of good opportunities but they couldn't direct their shots towards the goal.
They need to start picking up points and quickly because at the moment they're only heading one way which is down. They're not scoring enough goals and they have the worst defence in the league. This leads to relegation most seasons.
Eddie Howe returns to Bournemouth for the first time since he left them three seasons ago and he returns a better manager due to how well he's done at Newcastle. The Bournemouth fans will surely give him a good reception because of the job he did there and the Cherries wouldn't be the club they are today without him.
Newcastle missed Bruno Guimaraes in their draw with West Ham as they lacked that player who could dictate play in midfield and create chances. They did have their chances on the day and a lot of them but Guimaraes' presence in midfield was still a big miss and could be for the next couple of games.
PREDICTION: 0-2
Newcastle may be missing Guimaraes in their midfield but I still think they'll win this game. They've got more goals in them than Bournemouth and because of that I they should win this one.
SUNDAY:
LEEDS V MAN UNITED
Leeds responded well to the sacking of Jesse Marsch in the game between the two sides on Wednesday but they'll feel disappointed that they weren't able to hold on to a two goal lead. Their performance will give them something to build on given how encouraging it was but it was another game without a win.
Man United missed Casemiro for the game in midweek as they missed that calm presence in the middle of the park who would stop opposition attacks and dictate play in midfield. Their midfield was broken through quite easily by Leeds at times and it could be again as United don't have any available defensive midfielders.
I'm not really surprised that they dropped points in midweek as they have a busy schedule for the rest of this month. They were obviously missing Casemiro and Eriksen but due to their lack of strength in depth, seeing them drop points wasn't as surprising as you would think.
PREDICTION: 1-1
I can see Leeds repeat their performance from midweek here but I don't see them coming away with a win. They have mistakes in their backline and they can also miss a load of chances. United will again be without Casemiro but I think their forward players will come to the rescue again like they did in midweek.
MAN CITY V ASTON VILLA
This fixture was the one that sealed the title for Man City last season where they completely an incredible comeback from 2-0 down to win 3-2 and seal the title.
Something isn't right about Man City at the moment and it's not just off the pitch. On the pitch their performances haven't been at all convincing since the World Cup and not like a Pep Guardiola side. Defensively they haven't been exactly watertight whilst in possession they're not passing the ball as crisply as they noramlly do.
Some are saying that Haaland is the problem but I find that absolute rubbish. He had a quiet game against Spurs because he didn't get enough service and all strikers need service to score goals. His presence in the team may affect how the team plays but you cannot say that he's the problem when he's scored the amount of goals he's scored.
Aston Villa have won every away game under Unai Emery and they might fancy themselves here with City not exactly firing on all fronts. They don't have a great record at City but their away form since Emery came in should give them some belief that they could pull it off here.
They'll need to be on their game if they are to get something here after what happened against Leicester last weekend. They caught out whilst playing out from the back a number of times during that game and if they're like that against City they could get punished.
PREDICTION: 2-1
I'm going for a Man City win here because I think they'll have enough quality to win this game. It won't be a pretty performance as Villa will make it a difficult game for them but they should still get the job done.
MONDAY:
LIVERPOOL V EVERTON
Liverpool may have fancied their chances to win this game a couple of weeks ago due to the messi Everton were in. But with Sean Dyche making an immediate impact at Everton and the reds' current league form being as poor as it has been, they won't be feeling as confident.
They looked all over the place against Wolves last weekend both in defence and in midfield. The intensity has obviously dropped off because of the team ageing and there is simply no organisation in the defence. A summer clear-out is needed whether that is under Klopp or someone else.
Everton will certainly be heading into this game with confidence after their result and performance against Arsenal in Sean Dyche's first game in charge. They looked like a side who were committed and up for the fight last weekend and they'll need to show it more if they're to stay up.
What could stop them carrying that momentum into this game is their poor record at Anfield where they've won just once in a number of meetings. With Calvert Lewin potentially out of this game as well, they might struggle to get something here once again despite being the more confident team.
PREDICTION: 0-0
Liverpool rarely lose at Anfield but I don't see them winning this game as their attack isn't clicking at all. But with Everton having a poor record in this fixture and possibly being without Calvert Lewin, I can see this one being a draw. But I don't see either side scoring.
Comments