There are some important matches once again to look forward to this weekend in the Premier League as we approach the busy festive period. We’ll get to see if Chelsea can maintain their excellent form when they host West Brom. It’s a game the Blues are expected to win but they are up against a Baggies side in good form themselves. Manchester City currently trial Chelsea by four points but they can cut this gap, if only overnight, when they face Leicester City on Saturday evening. The current champions are finding things tough this season but they don’t often lose on home soil.
Manchester United’s woes in the league continued last time out when dropping two points late on to Everton. Jose Mourinho is a manager desperately in need of a victory but a game against Tottenham isn’t the easiest fixture to get one in as Spurs have only lost one league game all season. Much like United, Liverpool also suffered at the hands of a late goal last week but they have a great chance to put things right against West Ham. The Hammers are desperately out of form at the moment and will surely not be relishing the trip to Anfield on Sunday.
Saturday 10th December 2016
Leicester City v Manchester City (17:30) – Draw (3/1 with BetVictor)
Leicester’s defeat to Sunderland last week condemned them to the worst start to a season of any reigning champion in Premier League history. Where it has all gone wrong for Claudio Ranieri’s side is still up for debate but whatever the causes, there doesn’t look like being an easy fix for the Tinkerman. While things are looking bad for them now though, it’s important to remember they are a very tough side to beat at home. They’ve suffered just the one defeat at the King Power Stadium in the league since September last year so don’t expect them to be pushed aside here.
While the Foxes clearly prefer playing at home, City have enjoyed more success on the road lately, winning their last three away league matches. They were made to work very hard in two of these victories though and it’s fair to say they aren’t playing to their full potential.
Defensive lapses continue to plague them and they have mustered just two clean sheets in all domestic matches this season. To make matters worse, Sergio Aguero, Nicolas Otamendi and Fernandinho are all out suspended and their absences will be sorely missed. Both sides have plenty to be concerned about so it’s not hard to see this ending as a scrappy draw.
Sunday 11th December 2016
Chelsea v West Brom (12:00) – Chelsea to win to nil (evens at BetVictor)
Chelsea’s hugely impressive run continued into December with their most important win of the lot against Manchester City. It could have been a different story had Kevin de Bruyne converted an easy chance at 1-0 but Antonio Conte was of course delighted with how his team fought back from behind. The high flying Chelsea are now looking rather unstoppable, claiming eight wins from eight league matches, with just two goals conceded in this time. With performances at home even stronger than those away, it’s hard to see them slipping up here.
Having picked up 10 points from a possible 12, there aren’t many sides performing better than West Brom lately. Despite their good patch of form though, they haven’t showed enough to make you think they can beat a formidable Chelsea outfit. Recent wins have all come against lower half opposition and they have tended to struggle against teams of greater quality. They have managed to score in their last five away matches and often look dangerous at set pieces but expect this threat to be largely nullified on Sunday.
Manchester United v Tottenham (14:15) – Both teams to score (3/4 with Bet365)
Manchester United return to Old Trafford looking for their first league victory there since September when they beat Leicester 4-1. It’s been poor finishing more than anything else which has contributed to the winless run and this is something which must change soon given the talent they have. Even with their wastefulness though, they have scored in every home game this season bar one and last failed to do so against Tottenham in a 2009 League Cup tie. Tottenham’s defence is a strong one but United should be able to fire past them here.
Tottenham’s problems scoring goals in open play look to be behind them following their 5-0 drubbing of Swansea last weekend. The Tottenham attack, which had for some time looked short on ideas, looked far more penetrative and dangerous against the Swans. While the thrashing of a strong relegation candidate usually can’t count for too much, the confidence it will give the Tottenham players could be critical as they look to put a bad patch behind them. Spurs have put in decent performances against the bigger teams under Mauricio Pochettino and look set to find the back of the net against a less than commanding United defence.
Liverpool v West Ham (16:30) – Liverpool to win with a -1 handicap (5/6 with Coral)
Liverpool’s wonderful winning streak in the league came to an emphatic end at the hands of Bournemouth last weekend. It was a match which revealed plenty of flaws in Jurgen Klopp’s side and the absence of Joel Matip played a big part in this. If the Cameroonian is missing once again then even the struggling Hammers attack can perhaps find a little joy against them. Don’t think they’ll have too much success against Liverpool’s defence though, as none of Slaven Bilic’s recognised striking options have managed more than one goal this season.
The only reassuring thing that the Reds will take from the 4-3 defeat to Bournemouth is that they can still score without Philippe Coutinho. The Brazilian’s absence is a tough one to deal with but if the likes of Sadio Mane and Divock Origi can maintain some good form in his absence then Klopp’s side should get by without him. Only Swansea have conceded more than West Ham this season so it’s fair to think Liverpool can create a lot of openings for themselves and win this game by at least a two goal margin.