There aren’t too many better ways to resume the Premier League after an international break than a match between Manchester United and Arsenal. It’s a game with added spice as it sees old enemies, Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho, face each other once again. The Portuguese boss has definitely fared better from the longstanding feud but will that change now he’s changed clubs? Later in the day there’s another big rivalry to look forward to, this time between Tottenham and West Ham. The Hammers may be struggling in the league but often the form book can be dismissed in a derby match like this.
On Sunday we see if Chelsea can keep their excellent winning streak in the league intact when they travel north to face Middlesbrough. The Blues are the favourites to triumph but Aitor Karanka’s men will be looking to spoil the party just like they did when snatching a point against Manchester City at the Etihad a fortnight ago. To finish this week’s action, we travel to the Hawthorns to see West Brom take on Burnley. The Clarets come into the match with a three game unbeaten streak but are up against a West Brom side who inflicted a very rare home defeat on Leicester last time out.
Saturday 19th November 2016
Manchester United v Arsenal (12:30) – Draw (23/10 with BetVictor)
Wenger’s record against Mourinho is an awful one, his sole victory over the now United manager coming during a Community Shield tie last year. With the Red Devils struggling to get going this season though, the Frenchman won’t get too many better chances to best Mourinho in the league for the first time. His Arsenal side haven’t lost a single match in all competitions since their opening day defeat to Liverpool and have won their last five matches on the road. They are a very tough side to beat but the absence of both Hector Bellerin and Santi Cazorla will be a big loss in a match like this.
United have some key injuries of their own to deal with too. The central defensive pairing of Chris Smalling and Eric Bailly are both missing along with right back Antonio Valencia. With Jose’s defensive options limited, he may struggle to keep out at Arsenal attack who has scored so freely this season. Goals haven’t come too easily for the Red Devils at Old Trafford this term but the amount of chances they created in their last two home games suggests this will change soon. Overall, the Gunners look the stronger of the two sides but home advantage and Mourinho’s impressive record against Wenger should be enough to help cancel out the difference.
Tottenham v West Ham (17:30) – Under 2.5 goals (23/20 with Coral)
Tottenham have now gone six matches without scoring a goal from open play and their reliance on penalties lately has seen them not win a single game in this time. While Mauricio Pochttino’s side look very good defensively, huge problems lie for them going forward. The good news for the Argentinian is that Harry Kane should be close to full fitness for this match. Whether the return of the 23 year old is enough to change Tottenham’s fortunes in front of goal however is far from clear. Spurs often struggle when teams sit deep and defend in numbers at White Hart Lane so they may be frustrated once again here.
Seeing how West Ham have struggled this season you’d fancy they would be quite content not taking too many risks in an effort to stifle the Spurs attack. The Hammers have won just three league games this season, all against lower half opposition, but they are expected to welcome back Arthur Masuaku, Diafra Sakho and Andy Carroll. The latter two names are a big boost for Slaven Bilic’s struggling attack but don’t expect them to have too much success against the toughest defence in the league. With both sides looking stronger at the back than up front, back few goals for this one.
Sunday 20th November 2016
Middlesbrough v Chelsea (16:00) – Chelsea to win by one goal (5/2 at Betfair)
Boro may only have won two games this season but draws against City and Arsenal show they shouldn’t be taken lightly by the bigger teams. Even in the four league games they have lost this season, on only one occasion have they lost by more than a goal so their matches are usually fairly close affairs. There seems to be little reason why this should not hold true here either. Karana’s side have the best defensive record in the bottom half of the table and shouldn’t allow Chelsea anywhere near the same freedom as other sides have done lately.
A League Cup defeat to West Ham last month is the only mark on Chelsea’s otherwise unblemished recent record. They have won their last five league games, scoring 16 goals in this time without response. Conte is getting the best out of his men at the moment and while Middlesbrough don’t look like easy opposition, it’s hard to back against the Blues winning this. Eden Hazard and Diego Costa are expected to recover from minor knocks and with Chelsea’s two star men fit, the away side should have enough quality to edge past Middlesbrough here.
Monday 21st November 2016
West Brom v Burnley (20:00) – West Brom to win (19/20 with Betfred)
West Brom ended a five match unbeaten run with a great victory at Leicester two weeks ago in a game which signalled the end of a tough patch of fixtures. With easier fixtures coming up, Tony Pulis’ men should fancy themselves to pick up some more points over the coming weeks. Nacer Chadli and Salomon Rondon, who together have scored seven of Albion’s 12 goals this season, both missed international duty with injury but are expected to feature on Monday.
With West Brom’s most dangerous attacking duo back in action for this one, the home side may have too much for Burnley, who are known to struggle on the road in the Premier League. Burnley’s strength at home has carried them into the top half of the table but they can’t seem to perform anywhere near as well away from Turf Moor. Their only point away from home this season came thanks to an unbelievable performance by keeper Tom Heaton at Old Trafford. With this in mind, West Brom are great value for the win here as they search for back to back victories.