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Up to date:
Feb 21, 2023
This week we have a look at a few of this weekend’s Premier League fixtures, together with a key sport for Liverpool as they journey to Crystal Palace, and an enormous 6-pointer on the backside of the desk when Leeds faces Southampton.
This Week’s Premier League Fixtures
Fulham v Wolves
Everton v Aston Villa
Leeds v Southampton
Leicester v Arsenal
West Ham v Nottingham Forest
Bournemouth v Man Metropolis
Crystal Palace v Liverpool
Tottenham Hotspur v Chelsea
Leeds v Southampton
This can be a huge sport. The underside 2 face one another with only a level separating them. A win for both facet may transfer them out of the underside 3 relying on different outcomes, a draw advantages neither facet.
Leeds is basically struggling. They nonetheless haven’t been capable of carry a supervisor in and so Michael Skubala will take cost once more. The longer Leeds doesn’t carry a supervisor in, the extra bother they may discover themselves in, however they should make the appropriate appointment to assist them within the brief time period.
Final day trip, Leeds suffered a horrendous 1-0 loss towards relegation-threatened rivals Everton, permitting them to leap exterior of the relegation zone, while Leeds dropped to nineteenth. Essentially the most worrying half about this sport for Leeds is the truth that they didn’t handle a single shot on track. It’s inexcusable for a facet preventing relegation to go to a different workforce within the backside 3 and never even check the goalkeeper.
Leeds has an opportunity to place issues proper towards Southampton, by any means needed. On present kind, Leeds are in all probability the worst workforce within the league, and it exhibits. They should begin selecting up factors towards the groups round them, as Southampton, Everton and Bournemouth all picked up wins final weekend.
Who would have anticipated Southampton to go to Chelsea final week and choose up a win? For this reason the Premier League is the most effective league on the planet. Anybody can beat anybody on their day, and Southampton deserved their win.
Title a greater duo than James Ward-Prowse and free kicks. This man is an unbelievable expertise when standing over a lifeless ball. He scored yet one more free kick towards Chelsea, taking his objectives tally to six for the season. A free kick for Ward-Prowse is actually a penalty for Southampton, and the longer he can maintain this up, the extra likelihood Southampton have of staying up.
Southampton is one other facet with no supervisor for the time being. Ruben Selles took cost of their win over Chelsea, and if he picks up one other win right here, he may discover himself with the job completely. Like Leeds, Southampton must appoint the appropriate supervisor for the brief time period, to assist them choose up factors immediately.
This sport is totally essential to either side possibilities of staying up this season. I’m anticipating an end-to-end sport with each groups going all out for the win. A raucous house crowd may assist push Leeds over the road right here, and if both facet is to win, will probably be by a slender margin. A draw right here for me.
Prediction: Leeds 1 – 1 Southampton.
West Ham v Nottingham Forest
That is one other massive sport on the backside finish of the desk. West Ham has fallen into the underside 3 by a single level, and Forest have climbed out of the relegation zone however remains to be inside touching distance.
West Ham adopted up their spectacular attracts towards Newcastle and Chelsea with a disappointing 2-0 loss towards Tottenham Hotspur. Regardless of taking 56 minutes to concede the primary objective, West Ham was by no means actually within the sport. They managed only one shot on track, while solely making an attempt 6 pictures in whole.
This sport may have been seen as a free hit for Moyes and West Ham. It might have been troublesome for them to show up and win, however the efficiency may have been a lot better. A couple of weeks in the past issues appeared higher for West Ham after they beat Everton, however quick ahead 3 video games and they’re again in bother.
David Moyes has a knack for holding groups up, and West Ham is just too robust of a workforce to go down this season, however on the finish of the day it’s a outcomes enterprise, and they’re struggling to beat groups today.
So as to add to West Ham’s distress, the European competitions have been beginning once more, that means they are going to be enjoying on Thursday nights within the Europa Convention League. Will their gamers have the health to play on Thursday nights in Europe after which again within the Premier League on a Sunday? Solely time will inform.
Forest however has been sensible these days. At one level they appeared like a workforce that will 100% be getting relegated. But they’ve reworked their fortunes. They appear to be a really troublesome workforce to beat at house and have even held among the larger golf equipment to attract at their floor.
Regardless of a turnaround in kind after the World Cup break for Forest, they solely sit 5 factors above the relegation zone, so they can’t afford to let this way slip. If they might flip their horrendous away kind round, they might discover themselves secure inside a couple of matches.
Final day trip Forest earned a 1-1 draw at house towards Man Metropolis, with Chris Wooden scoring his first objective for the membership, with Forests’ solely shot on track within the sport. While some would say they had been fortunate to get some extent, they held on towards a Metropolis workforce filled with attacking stars. Sure, Metropolis deserved to win the sport, however Forest dug in defensively and stored themselves within the sport, and received their reward on the finish.
This can be a troublesome sport to name. West Ham is struggling to win video games, but Forest is so poor away from house. Will West Ham lastly have the ability to get a much-needed win on board or will Forest begin to choose up away from house? It’s laborious to inform, and this might go both approach. I’m going to stay my neck out and predict a slender Forest win right here.
Prediction: West Ham 0 – 1 Nottingham Forest.
Crystal Palace v Liverpool
Crystal Palace stay to be one workforce I simply can’t predict week in and week out. Of their final 6 video games, they’ve managed 4 attracts and a couple of losses. Every time I believe they may get beat, they pull out a shock draw.
I believed Palace would get turned over at Brentford, with a straightforward house win for The Bees. But ultimately, Palace was unfortunate to not come away with all 3 factors. Olise assisted Eze, and never for the primary time this season, with round 20 minutes to go.
Vitaly Janelt had different concepts, as his 96th-minute equaliser denied Palace a win, and stored up Brentford’s spectacular kind. It’s this type of lapse in focus that’s holding Palace again.
Palace is slowly getting dragged into the relegation struggle. A couple of weeks in the past, they had been properly clear, but now they sit 6 factors above the drop zone, and with no win in 7 video games, it’s beginning to look worrying. There are groups beneath them which are higher within the kind desk than them for the time being, and the longer this unbeaten run continues, the smaller that 6-point hole will change into.
Is Liverpool again on monitor and have they got an outdoor, and the stunning, likelihood of a high 4 end? Liverpool have be written off with reference to a Champions League end this season, spending latest weeks lingering across the center of the desk. 2 wins later they usually appear to be the workforce which may safe that 4th spot.
Final day trip Liverpool actually impressed. They got here up towards a Newcastle facet who, particularly at house, hardly ever concede and at all times look defensively stable. But 17 minutes in, Darwin Nunez and Coady Gakpo had each scored to make it 2-0 to Liverpool. 5 minutes later, Nick Pope rushed out of his field and by accident handballed, leading to him being despatched off and lacking the Carabao Cup remaining.
Liverpool dominated the ball after this, however unusually Newcastle was the higher workforce as soon as they went right down to 10 males. Liverpool couldn’t make their numerical benefit work, and Newcastle appeared an increasing number of more likely to get again into the sport.
Finally, Liverpool received, they usually now solely sit 6 factors behind Newcastle in fifth, and seven factors behind Spurs in 4th. With Newcastle and Spurs each faulting now and again, if Liverpool can proceed their present kind, they may shortly shut that hole and put some huge stress on the opposite golf equipment.
As talked about beforehand I completely hate predicting a Crystal Palace outcome. Their kind screams that they may battle on this sport, towards a revived and spirited Liverpool, however one thing is telling me they may rise to the event right here and pull off yet one more draw.
I’m going to stay with my head fairly than my intestine right here, and predict Liverpool to proceed their good kind.
Prediction: Crystal Palace 1 – 3 Liverpool.
Tottenham Hotspur v Chelsea
Spurs are an actual combined bag for the time being. Since dropping 4-2 towards Man Metropolis, they picked up back-to-back 1-0 wins towards Fulham and Man Metropolis, earlier than occurring to lose towards Leicester 4-1. Final week they beat struggling West Ham 2-0, proscribing them to only one shot on track.
Spurs discover themselves in an odd place for the time being. When Conte manages the workforce, they battle to attain and look incapable of defending, conceding for enjoyable. However when Cristian Stellini takes cost, when Conte is ailing, Spurs look a unique facet. They give the impression of being thrilling going ahead and they don’t concede. This begs the query, do you do away with Conte and provides Stellini the job completely? Or keep on with Conte?
Spurs are underneath stress now. They leapfrogged Newcastle into 4th with their win towards West Ham, and have an opportunity to place far between themselves and Newcastle with this sport towards Chelsea, resulting from Newcastle’s participation within the Carabao Cup remaining. They should regulate the groups beneath them additionally.
Fulham, Brighton and now Liverpool are all ready for Spurs, and Newcastle, to slide up. Liverpool particularly will likely be eager to capitalise on any dropped factors from Spurs. They can’t afford to slide up right here, or in latest weeks.
It’s laborious to look at and perceive what’s going on at Chelsea for the time being. They spend a lot cash, in each the summer time and January switch window, and usher in one of the crucial thrilling, younger coaches in, from a Premier League rival, but one thing is simply not clicking.
The followers are rising stressed with Graham Potter, with some calling for him to be sacked, however the board appear reluctant. They belief Potter, and see him as the appropriate individual to take the membership ahead, however how lengthy are they going to provide him?
Essentially the most complicated factor about Chelsea is why did they not purchase an out-and-out striker within the switch window. Sure, they introduced Joao Felix in on mortgage, with a view to a everlasting switch, however they wanted somebody to return in, hit the bottom working, and rating objectives. They spent a lot cash on vast gamers and playmakers, however do not need anybody to complete all the possibilities they will create.
Chelsea is now 4 with no win and suffered a humiliating loss at house towards Southampton of their final sport. They sit tenth within the league, 10 factors behind Newcastle in fifth. They give the impression of being extra more likely to end within the backside half of the desk than the highest half primarily based on present kind. There are massive points at Chelsea, they usually want sorting as quickly as doable.
With Stellini taking cost right here once more for Spurs, I see them profitable this sport comfortably. Chelsea simply can’t get the ball within the web, and Spurs are trying far more assured every week underneath their assistant supervisor. A snug house win right here.
Prediction: Tottenham Hotspur 2 – 0 Chelsea
Different Predictions
- Fulham 2 – 1 Wolves
- Everton 1 – 1 Aston Villa
- Leicester 1 – 2 Arsenal
- Bournemouth 0 – 3 Man Metropolis
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