Liverpool’s trip to the Etihad Stadium this Sunday is this upcoming weekend’s marquee fixture. Pep Guardiola will be aiming to put his earliest Champions League exit behind him and resume Manchester City’s unlikely title bid. Liverpool are unbeaten in nine fixtures against the glorified Top 6 and topped City 1-0 at Anfield in December. Led by stellar wing performances from Sterling and Sane, City have improved greatly since the turn of the year and will fancy their chances in what is to be a tightly contested affair. Both teams have poor defences and average goalkeepers, so I expect a 3-2 victory for Man City.
West Ham will welcome champions Leicester City to London this Saturday. The champions have enjoyed a turnaround in form since the dismissal of the tinkerman Claudio Ranieri. The expectation is that the team will be on a high from their Champions League triumph over Spanish contingent Sevilla. West Ham’s defence has been very shaky lately so this encounter will most likely end 2-1 to Leicester.
League leaders Chelsea recently dispatched of former manager Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United in the FA Cup and will look to solidify their position at the top of the table. Stoke City surprisingly held Manchester City to a goalless draw last time out and Mark Hughes will try to replicate the result. However, Chelsea are a well-oiled machine at the moment and will edge this game 3-1.
Arsene Wenger and the Arsenal squad put some of the ghosts of their Champions League humbling at the hands of Bayern Munich to rest after a fine showing against Lincoln City. Nevertheless, the 5-0 victory over minnows did little to alleviate media and fan pressure. It will be very important to get the win against overachieving West Bromwich Albion and move closer to familiar top 4 territory. Tony Pulis’ side has reached the coveted 40-point mark and may take its foot off the gas slightly. However, they will be no pushovers and may snatch a 1-0 victory.
A ten point gap is not insurmountable and Tottenham Hotspur will be hot on the trail of the leaders till it is mathematically out of their hands. They will face Southampton this Sunday without talismanic forward and league top scorer Harry Kane. Pochettino will be hopeful that either Vincent Janssen or Son Heung-Min provides a goalscoring spark. Manolo Gabbiadinni has been revelation for the Saints since his arrival in the January transfer window and can be backed to be among the goals. Southampton’s poor defence will leave Spurs with a lot of chances so this may be a high scoring affair.
Crystal Palace vs Watford and Bournemouth vs Swansea are two fixtures this weekend that will be a huge determinant of the relegation places as the season draws to an end. Sam Allardyce has charged his team to top this end of season ‘minileague’ and will expect strong performances from Benteke and Zaha. Watford’s league form has soured of late and they will be wary of falling into the drop zone. Crystal Palace and their well experienced manager are accustomed to relegation scrambles and I expect another positive result from them this Saturday. Bournemouth managed to secure a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford last time around despite playing 45 minutes with 10 men. Eddie Howe and his team need to continue showing spirited performances to ensure safety as soon as possible. Swansea may feel hard done by their defeat to Hull City and will be desperate to keep up their climb to safety. I am favoring a 2-1 Swansea victory.
Sunderland’s fate seems pretty much sealed at the moment and an escape out of the relegation zone will be nothing short of a miracle. With nothing to play for though, the Black Cats may just surprise everyone yet again. Burnley’s sour away form has been dire for most of the season and as such, a Sunderland victory may be on the cards here.
Romelu Lukaku gave an interview this past week condemning Everton’s trophy aspirations and his manager Ronald Koeman replied asking him to concentrate on scoring goals. The blue half of Merseyside will carry this tension into the home game against relegation battlers Hull City this Saturday. Lukaku will look to back up his bold claims of being superior to Harry Kane and will score a couple of goals in the process. Hull have improved since Marco Silva’s appointment and will give a good fight and maybe even steal a draw.
Middlesbrough welcome Manchester United to the Riverside without recently dismissed manager Aitor Karanka. The team’s inability to score goals has led to its slow fall into the relegation places. The last encounter between the two sides was an enthralling experience with United grabbing the victory with two late goals. Revenge for the sacking of his former assistant will be on Jose Mourinho’s mind but United will still be leggy from their Europa League fixture. Expect a 2-1 victory for the Red Devils.