It’s Match Day 31 of the Barclays Premier League and the title race could not be more hotly contested than at this point in time in the fixture list. A key match Saturday morning between Chelsea and Arsenal set’s the tone for the remaining weekend fixtures in what could make or break either west or north London. Here are the matches for this weekend and as usual our predictions for the results.
Chelsea (1) v Arsenal (3)
Without question the most important fixture for both clubs of the entire season. Arsene Wenger will set up on the touchline for his 1,000th match in charge at Arsenal and he will be hoping his Gunners will do a job for him come the end of 90minutes. Wenger will no doubt have in the back of his mind that he has yet to defeat Jose Mourinho in his career, but there will be no time better than the present to break that duck. Chelsea currently sit atop the table but only four points clear of the Gunners, who have a match in hand over their west London rivals. Arsenal will still be without the services of Aaron Ramsey, Mesut Ozil and of course Theo Walcott. The good news for the Gunners is that Chelsea will not be able to call on the Brazilian duo of Willian and Ramires, while Mourinho himself will also miss the match because of his conduct in their match against Villa last weekend. No doubt this will be an advance to Wenger as surely Chelsea will begin the match with Mourinho’s laid out plans, but how well will assistant Steve Holland be able to adjust during proceedings. A Chelsea win, despite their on-going European commitments, will surely end Arsenal’s title run in earnest. An Arsenal win see’s them only a single point behind and with that vital match in hand.
Prediction: Stamford Bridge is a fortress and despite Mourinho not being on the touchline, he will know how to handle Wenger’s tactics on the day. Chelsea’s depth will be able to cope with the absentees while Arsenal may still struggle without key players out. 2-0 Chelsea seems like a fair result.
Cardiff City (19) v Liverpool (2)
Brendan Rodgers will lead SS&S and the rest of his Liverpool side into a match that could see them easily keep pace with Chelsea and potentially take back sole possession of second place in the table when they visit the south of Wales. Cardiff are a half-way decent side when on their home ground, but they still possess the leagues second worst defense and they really do not have much in the tank to threaten a strong Liverpool side. Cardiff may hope to catch Liverpool on the break but that is their only realistic chance of threatening the Merseyside club on the day.
Prediction: Cardiff just do not have any chance of taking something away from this. Liverpool have zero European commitments and are fully prepared each match through arguably the leagues best manager currently. The scoreline could very well get out of hand but on record I will say 3-0 Liverpool.
Everton (6) v Swansea City (14)
On paper most people would automatically gift the Toffees the full three points in what appears to be a lop sided match. Everton however are 3-0-3 in their last six matches and relied on a last-gasp winner from Seamus Coleman to take all three points in a match at Goodison Park against Cardiff City. Their recent form has been very up and down and on their day, Swansea can certainly threaten as they do have quality about themselves. The good news for Everton supporters is that the match will take place at fortress Goodison and Everton truly can beat anyone in front of their home support.
Prediction: Everton’s strength at home will edge them over the line in this match. 10-3-1 at home is quite formidable and even though they at times struggle to score (Seamus Coleman has 6 goals on the campaign, which is good for second in the side) Swansea are not strong away from home. Everton to win, but the scoreline will not be flattering. 2-1 to the Toffees.
Hull City (13) v West Bromwich Albion (16)
Bottom half of the table clashes are always entertaining – at this juncture of the season, they are more often than not a 6-point match that can either help a side distance themselves from the drop zone, or put the club in a tailspin towards the inevitable drop. Hull have done decently enough to put themselves in a higher place of the bottom half of the table this campaign and with Nikica Jelavic and former West Brom striker Shane Long coming in, it gives them solid attacking options. West Brom have been underwhelming all season long but perhaps have turned a page under new manager Pepe Mel. Hull have the ability to be resolute and decent enough at home, while Brum struggle on their travels. It should be a decent lower-tier match none the less, despite the numbers.
Prediction: I see this ending in a draw. Hull have enough about themselves to not go down without a proper fight in front of the home support. West Brom are probably the better attacking side of the two, but they struggle away from The Hawthorns. Hull’s poor recent poor form means that they will not earn all three points at the KC Stadium. For me, this will end in a 2-2 draw.
Manchester City (4) v Fulham (20)
Manchester City are certainly back in the title race with a shout after Chelsea lost at Villa Park last weekend. Their match against visiting bottom-dwelling Fulham gives them the perfect opportunity to capitalize in a straight forward fixture. City will be without the services of Sergio Aguero for the next few fixtures, but the Argentine’s services will not be needed against the London club. Other than Stamford Bridge, The Etihad is the hardest ground to gain a result at, and I cannot see Fulham getting anything in this match. City will be ready to push for the title after being eliminated from Champions League and this match should see them edge that much closer to pushing for the top spot in the table.
Prediction: This could be a match where City display their attacking credentials again against a Fulham side that do not have many pieces that can threaten on the day. Like the Pool match, I will go with 3-0 to the title contender but City certainly have the quality to bang in 4 or 5 if they are in the mood.
Newcastle United (9) v Crystal Palace (17)
No truer words have been uttered this campaign than “Newcastle either win or they lose – make me jump for joy or leave me pissed off for the next week.” Credit goes to my best friend for that quote, but he hit’s the nail on the head. Newcastle have been woefully inconsistent this campaign and in a match against visiting Palace that they should win in front of their supporters at St. James’ Park against one of the leagues worst traveling sides, Newcastle are equally as inconsistent at home as they are on their travels. If they turn up they could hit Palace for three or more, but if they don’t turn up, Palace could earn a vital point or worse.
Prediction: The Magpies cannot finish in the top six realistically but they will still want to place strongly come the seasons end. Such is the woeful nature of Palace away from London that I will put my weight behind Newcastle on the day. 2-0 to the Magpies.
Norwich City (15) v Sunderland (18)
A key match for two clubs that are either flirting with or are inside the drop-zone see’s the Black Cats travel to Norwich. Sunderland are enjoying matches in hand over all the clubs around them, and have three in hand over Norwich – make no mistake, this match is a crucial test for both sides. Despite their struggles in front of goal, Sunderland do have quality in forward areas that can threaten. Norwich struggle the same when it comes to finding the net, but they are quite sound defensively at home – they have only allowed 12 goals in 15 contests at their home ground. Each side would probably be happy with a share of the spoils, but three points for either side will be massive at the end of the day.
Prediction: I will go with a 1-1 draw, but it will not be a match that lacks goal scoring chances. Both sides should have a go at one another but their inability to find their touch in front of goal will come to haunt the pair of them.
West Ham United (12) v Manchester United (7)
United will be on a high after their inspired performance at Old Trafford to reverse their first-leg loss to Olympiakos and win 3-0 at home to progress to the quarterfinals of the Champions League. To continue further, United are one of the best traveling sides in the league this term, while West Ham have been up and down at Upton Park and despite their poor showing last weekend, they are in decent form however. Robin van Persie will be missing for the Red Devils, so how manager David Moyes chooses to deploy his troops on the day could decide the entire afternoon by itself.
Prediction: I will go with the conservative prediction of 2-0 United, simply because without RvP in the lineup, no one has much of a clue how Moyes will decide to deploy. An aggressive XI could see United hit more than two but something more reserves may see them struggle to convert.
Tottenham Hotspur (5) v Southampton (8)
Spurs should be quite happy with their display after their spirited 2-2 draw away at Benfica despite being drastically understrength. Tim Sherwood will have a tough time selecting his XI for their match against visiting Southampton again, and the fact that Spurs continue to be only average at White Hart Lane, could mean that Soton could well come to the capital and steal a point or three. Soton are not particularly pleasing on the road but they are decent enough to get a result. Can Spurs push through their selection issues to continue to put their stamp on fifth place?
Prediction: I really think Spurs are on a high after they played so well in Lisbon and I think that will be enough to see them through on the day. Southampton are a quality side but strong results are coming at an inconsistent rate and they do not have nearly as much to fight for as Spurs do currently. 1-0 Spurs on the day.
Aston Villa (10) v Stoke City (11)
The battle for the last top of the table spot is up for grabs in this intriguing match. Both Villa and Stoke are on the back of very credible wins last weekend, where Villa took all three points of visiting Chelsea and Stoke earned a credible win against in-form West Ham. Apart from their excellent performance last weekend, Villa Park has seen happier days as the Villans are not nearly as strong at their home ground as they should be. That could become a moot point as Stoke are quite poor away from the Britannia Stadium, only managing one win in 15 away matches. Villa will be looking to build on their result last weekend, and that could see them do another job to please the home crowd.
Prediction: Villa struggle to score goals this season, especially at home. Stoke to do much in front of goal on the road and this could easily end up in a bore draw. However I do feel that Villa will push on and get the full three points as they look to build momentum after last weekend. 1-0 to Villa on the day.
Saturday and Sunday we will have separate reviews rather than a joint one on Sunday. Everyone enjoy a fun-filled weekend of EPL football, and do not forget to follow us!
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