The race for the top four is really hotting up this season and we may well have yet more twists and turns in the story this weekend. Third place Liverpool are the first in action as they take on Swansea at Anfield. Liverpool cannot afford to drop any points in a match like this, anything but three points would be a disaster for them. Later in the day there’s a huge clash between Manchester City and Tottenham. Three points separate them in the table and this could reach six if Spurs can do the double against Pep Guardiola’s faltering side.
The remaining two top four sides are involved the following day. The Gunners are the first of the pair to kick off and Wenger’s men have a match against Burnley to look forward to. Arsenal are the overwhelming favourites for the win and the home crowd will be expecting a comfortable afternoon in north London. The same can be said for Chelsea fans who will watch their team face Hull in Sunday’s final contest. The Blues are sitting pretty at the top of the table and it looks like it’ll take something special from Hull to get anything from this match.
Saturday 21st January 2017
Liverpool v Swansea (12:30) – Liverpool to win with a -1 handicap (8/13 with Coral)
Swansea come into this game having conceded three or more goals in seven of their last nine league matches. A worrying statistic coming up against the league’s top goalscorers and there’s not a great reason to think this will rapidly improve even with Paul Clement now in charge of the Swans. The Welsh side look bereft of confidence at the moment and look like needing some transfer activity this month to keep them up. For now though, fully expect them to continue to struggle in what could well be their seventh loss in eight games.
The real question in this game looks like being by how many goals the Reds will win by. With Phillipe Coutinho back in action for Liverpool, it may well be quite a few. He had a significant impact when coming on against Man United last week and will add plenty more to the Liverpool attack if starting this week. With Klopp’s side also looking fairly robust at the back, the risk of leaking a few goals against a struggling Swansea attack looks slim. Liverpool should ease to a win here in front of the home crowd and they are well worth backing with a -1 handicap.
Manchester City v Tottenham (17:30) – Tottenham to win or draw (3/4 with Bet365)
It’s rather surprising to see Manchester City as the strongly favoured team by the bookies for this match given the contrasting form of the sides. The Citizens have lost half of their last eight league fixtures whereas Spurs come into the game having won their last six. City’s attack could have one of their good days and give Tottenham plenty to think about but their defensive woes are likely to haunt them again. Especially against a side that has scored 14 goals in their last four Premier League matches. With Fernandinho still out suspended, that missing layer of protection for the back four could well be problematic for Guardiola.
The Brazilian isn’t the only notable absentee however as Jan Vertonghen has been ruled out with an ankle injury. The Belgian has been a key part of the league’s strongest defence but with capable replacements, Tottenham may be able to cope with his loss. It certainly doesn’t seem enough to strike a confidence blow into a Tottenham side playing with real swagger at the moment. They relished coming to the Etihad last season in a decisive match and given the form they are in, they are good value to avoid defeat here.
Sunday 22nd January 2017
Arsenal v Burnley (14:15) – Arsenal to win to nil (20/23 at BetVictor)
Despite not performing as well as they can for large periods this season, the Gunners find themselves well in the mix for a top four finish and even a title challenge. They’ve only dropped points at home to one side lower than them in the table (Middlesbrough) and it seems unlikely they will slip up here. Clean sheets haven’t come all that often for them but they’ve managed three in their last four league games so improvements are being made. Additionally, they may well have a full strength defence available if Hector Bellerin recovers from his minor injury in time.
Burnley jumped into the top half of the table with their win over Southampton last weekend so it’s fair to say Sean Dyche’s men are enjoying themselves at the moment. It’s their strong home form which is responsible for their rise up the table though, away from home they’ve collected just one point from a possible 27. With such an abysmal away record, it’s hard to see them putting up much of a fight and even scoring a goal looks like a big ask. They’ve manged to net just three times in their nine away matches so Arsenal to win this to nil at odds of 20/23 is an incredibly well-priced bet.
Chelsea v Hull City (16:30) – Chelsea to win to nil (5/6 at Coral)
Whether Diego Costa features this weekend remains in doubt after an apparent falling out with Antonio Conte. The Spaniard’s absence wasn’t particular felt during Chelsea’s recent 3-0 win over Leicester however and it’s unlikely to cause the Blues too many problems here either. The Chelsea midfield has been happy to contribute goals this season and they should have a good amount of joy against a side who has the second worst away defensive record in the league.
It’s not just goals conceded that have been an issue for Hull on the road this season though as they have also struggled to put the ball in the back of the net at the other end. The Tigers have managed just one goal in their last seven away matches in all competitions and are up against the second best defence in the league. Abel Hernandez scored twice on his return to the starting XI last week against Bournemouth but this won’t be real cause for concern for Chelsea. The Blues look set for yet another win at Stamford Bridge while claiming a sixth clean sheet in eight league matches.