There's been changes at the top of the Premier League! It's the real business-part of the season now. A BIG weekend in the league - and Andrew Corns has his predictions ready.
Watford v. Everton
The teams enter the weekend separated by only a point, but with Watford having a game in hand after Everton’s match on Wednesday.
The two sides are very even on talent which is to be expected with Marco Silva’s fingerprints all over the pitch.
I give the edge to Watford who have had the luxury of a full week of training and preparation compared to Everton who have a rapid turnaround following their 1-0 loss against Manchester City on Wednesday.
The game will be close and as Everton’s legs tire after the hour mark, Watford will find space and the winner.
Prediction: 2-1 Watford
Image via 90Min
Huddersfield Town v. Arsenal
At this point in the season, Huddersfield are a distant 13 points from safety and have almost no chance of survival.
Their primary focus for the remainder of the season should be determining which players will warrant keeping in the squad as they return to the gruelling Championship and try to earn their way back into the English top flight.
Arsenal fell flat in their visit to the Etihad on Sunday and it was a stark reminder how much more Unai Emery and the club need to add over the coming 12-24 months in order to compete with the elite Premier League sides.
The Gunners will be fortunate to get an opponent as weak as Huddersfield in order to find their form again and return to winning ways.
Prediction: 2-0 Arsenal
Fulham v. Manchester United
Fulham’s prospect of surviving their first year back in the Premier League is getting bleaker by the week.
They lost a huge swing game over the weekend to Crystal Palace and need to make up a 7-point gap over their final 13 games.
They host Manchester United this weekend who only sit two points behind Chelsea for the fourth and final Champions League place.
United’s run of fixtures is about to get extremely challenging over the next month and it’s important that they pick up as many points as possible from games like this where they’re heavy favourites.
Fulham’s defence has been exposed time and time again this season and the speed of Marcus Rashford will leave them vulnerable to embarrassment.
This game is over within the first thirty minutes and could get out of hand if United don’t ease off with bigger fixtures on the horizon.
Prediction: 3-1 United
Wolverhampton v. Newcastle United
Wolves continue exceeding all expectations even the most ardent of supporters would have put on the club coming into the season.
They’ve won three in a row over quality sides, Leicester City, West Ham United & Everton.
They’re favourites to finish 7th and finish as arguably the best club ever in a Premier League first season following promotion.
They host Newcastle United who sit two points out of the relegation zone and have been in strong form after their shock victory against Manchester City and narrow defeat to Tottenham over the weekend.
Wolves should win here based on total body of work, but Rafa Benitez will have his side highly motivated to put in a hard shift and walk away with another upset.
Newcastle will slow the game down and force Wolves to break them down while looking for opportunities to spring to life in the counter.
This has the look of a tight game with chances at a premium. I’m going with a draw and a point that’ll mean more to Newcastle at this point than their hosts.
Prediction: 1-1 Draw
Southampton v. Cardiff City
Cardiff produced one of the most memorable moments of the season in their home victory over Bournemouth.
Their stadium was full of emotion following the tragic news of Emiliano Sala and their supporters and players should be proud of the way they honoured Sala’s memory.
They’ll travel to Southampton and look to dig their way out of the drop zone in a game that has a six-point swing at stake.
Southampton sit just two points above Cardiff and sputtered with consecutive draws against Crystal Palace and Burnley.
Neither side would be categorised as an offensive dynamo, but I think this game will be played with such intensity due to the points at stake that things might get a little chaotic.
It’ll be back and forth with each team finding themselves in front at some point, but an equaliser will be found around the 70-minute mark (not confident who will be playing from behind last) and the game will end level.
Prediction: 2-2 Draw
Manchester City v. Chelsea
Chelsea’s trip to Manchester on Sunday is hands down the most intriguing fixture of the weekend.
Both sides have crucial points at stake, Manchester City looking to keep the pressure on Liverpool in the title race and Chelsea desperately trying to keep Manchester United and Arsenal at bay in the battle for the fourth and final Champions League spot.
Manchester City have the edge in the majority of positions on the field but could show signs of fatigue with a tougher than expected midweek match at Goodison Park.
They didn’t look as electric as we’ve come to expect and there are vulnerabilities in defence when teams are brave enough to attack.
Chelsea bounced back last weekend with a demonstrative 5-0 destruction of lowly Huddersfield following their most embarrassing loss of the season the week prior at Bournemouth.
The addition of Gonzalo Higuain could be the move that propels them now that they finally have a poacher at the point of attack and can move Eden Hazard back to his natural position out wide.
There’s no doubt this game will produce fireworks thanks to both managers favouring offence instead of defence.
Chances will be aplenty and while a 3-3 type score line wouldn’t be shocking, I think the two goalkeepers will come up with large saves.
City’s lack of preparation and Chelsea’s rejuvenated energy keeps this game close and has supporters for both clubs as well as fans of Liverpool, United and Arsenal on the edge of their seat until the final whistle.
Prediction: 1-1 Draw
Crystal Palace v. West Ham United
West Ham United are playing on a shortened week having hosted Liverpool on Monday, but I don’t expect the lack preparation time to affect them.
If anything, they should be highly encouraged by their play against the league leaders and if they would have capitalised on clear cut chances with more ruthlessness, they played well enough to walk away victorious.
They travel to one of the most notoriously difficult grounds as they play Crystal Palace in what will be a typically rocking Selhurst Park.
Palace looked good against Fulham last weekend, but to be fair most teams have. While I think the game will be physical and scrappy, I’m finding myself more and more impressed by the way the Hammers play each week and Felipe Anderson is developing into one of the best players outside a top six club.
West Ham have the edge on the touchline and the better players in key areas. Palace makes it tough, but I see West Ham earning the win.
Prediction: 2-1 West Ham
Liverpool v. Bournemouth
Can you feel that? If you’re unsure, it’s the collective anxiety around Liverpool supporters that seems to be creeping into the atmosphere around the club and bleeding into the team’s performances on the field.
They’ve dropped four massive points in their last two matches with games they should have won against Leicester City and West Ham.
They host an inconsistent Bournemouth team who followed up their 4-0 battering of Chelsea with a lacklustre 2-0 defeat at Cardiff.
Eddie Howe will relish the chance to play giant killer again and have his team constructed to sit in deep during the initial quarter of an hour to weather Liverpool’s early onslaught before starting to push out and expose Liverpool’s defensive vulnerabilities.
The Anfield faithful will be in full throat to encourage their team at the start but watch out for things to get tense if they don’t get out in front early or fall behind and risk losing more points that must be claimed with the title at stake.
I don’t love the form Liverpool’s attacking three have been in but do see them doing just enough to grind out a victory and shift focus to Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
Prediction: 2-0 Liverpool
Image via Liverpool FC
Tottenham v. Leicester City
Spurs continue living on the edge with close, one-goal games, but did get a major boost with the return of Heung-Min Son providing the spark they need until Harry Kane returns in March.
They’ll be hosts to Leicester City who were rather lifeless in a 1-0 defeat at home to Manchester United.
This game should be comfortable for Tottenham, but their squad depth and inability to do things the easy way will make this another nail-biter for their supporters.
Yet another in a string of games won at the death, this time the winner coming from Lucas Moura.
Prediction: 2-1 Spurs
Brighton v. Burnley
No offence to either set of supporters, but this match is earmarked as the least interesting in a weekend full of intriguing storylines.
Both clubs took part in boring draws last weekend and even though the threat of relegation is on both team’s minds, I think they’re each good enough to stay up.
It’s nice to see that Sean Dyche has once again instilled the defensive discipline his side sorely lacked in the opening half of the season even if it’s at the detriment of entertainment for neutrals.
His counterpart here, Chris Hughton, is one of the more underrated and under-appreciated managers in England and deserves tremendous credit for keeping Brighton relevant given the pieces he’s had to work with.
This is one of those coin flip games that’s impossible to put any conviction in with a pick. I’ll favour the home side narrowly in a drab 90 minute display.
Prediction: 1-0 Brighton