While January is packed full of cup games, this weekend is dominated by the Premier League, with some pretty huge matches coming up. The title race sees three teams separated by just a point, while the sides at the bottom are just starting to hit form. We’ve seen twists and turns each week at the bottom and the top, so surely this weekend will be no different.
The live games across Saturday and Sunday feature teams from throughout the table, relegation-threatened sides, top four hopefuls and title contenders. The weekend ends with league leaders Arsenal taking on champions Chelsea at the Emirates. On top of that we have City looking to keep up their great form, and Swansea desperate to get themselves out of trouble. Here is our preview to the weekend’s live games, with a betting tip for each.
Saturday 23rd January 2016
Norwich v Liverpool (12:45) – Draw (12/5 with Betfair)
Liverpool lost at home to rivals Manchester United on Sunday, leaving their hopes of making the top four lying in tatters. They’re now ninth in the table, eight points off the top four, and there are a lot of hopeful sides in between them and the Champions League spots. Norwich are struggling near the foot of the table, and their defeat at Bournemouth last week has only heightened their relegation fears. They really need to add some quality in the January window, or risk being dragged into the bottom three.
Liverpool’s problems are mounting this month, as they’ve got a fixture pile up alongside a mounting injury crisis. With cup games either side of this game, you have to wonder just how ready they’ll be for what could be a very tricky encounter. They play Exeter on Wednesday, before League Cup action next week, so they have plenty of distractions, and that could well suit Norwich. With Jurgen Klopp’s men having to spread themselves over three competitions in the next week, with their squad already thin as it is, we see the Canaries stealing a point here.
West Ham v Manchester City (17:30) – West Ham or draw (5/4 with Bet365)
The late game sees Manchester City traveling to West Ham looking to get revenge for their defeat at the Etihad earlier in the season. West Ham ended a great run for City, ruining their 100% record, and things never quite picked up again for the Citizens. At least, they didn’t until recently. Manuel Pellegrini has seen his side finally start to get back to their best, and now they’re only a point off the leaders. Will this be their chance to take control in the title race?
The problem for City is their awful away record, which has seen them win only one league away game since mid-September. The Hammers have hit some form at Upton Park, putting together a nine game unbeaten run there in recent weeks. That makes this trip a very tough one for City, especially as the Hammers have quite a lot of talent amongst their ranks. They’re in the top four discussion right now, and they deserve to be after their great displays so far. With City in awful form away from the Etihad, we’re backing West Ham to pick up at least a draw here.
Sunday 24th January 2016
Everton v Swansea (13:30) – Everton to win and both teams to score (13/5 with Coral)
Everton have been the focus of attention in recent weeks, as they linger in the bottom half of the table despite possessing the league’s top scorer, a £40 million rated defender and one of England’s brightest prospects. Going forwards they’ve been great to watch, but at the back they’ve run into a few problems. Their collapse against Chelsea last weekend spoke volumes about their troubles, losing a 2-0 lead and then a 3-2 lead late on. They have so much talent in their side, but they just can’t hold on to leads, which means that pressure will be mounting on boss Roberto Martinez.
They take on a struggling Swansea side on Sunday, one who have dropped like a stone in recent weeks. Right now they seem on course to go down, purely because there doesn’t seem to be any confidence within the team. Selling Jonjo Shelvey was an odd move, weakening their squad when the team is at its lowest ebb. It’s tough to see the Swans being able to get a result at Goodison, even with Everton’s defensive problems. We see Martinez getting a much needed win here, but they won’t have it all their own way. It’s hard to see the Toffees keeping a clean sheet, so we’re backing a home win and both teams to score.
Arsenal v Chelsea (16:00) – Arsenal to win (21/20 with Betfair)
The big game of the weekend sees the league leaders hosting 14th placed Chelsea. The Blues revival just hasn’t got going once again, and it’s hard to pinpoint exactly what is wrong with this squad. Their stuttering displays continued in the past week as they drew at home to West Brom and Everton, games they struggled to get any foothold in. Guus Hiddink’s priority will be the cup competitions, but could that be impacting on their league form? It’s hard to see just what the Dutchman could do to get the Blues back on track.
Arsenal know all too well how good the champions can be on their day, but the disparity between the two makes the Gunners firm favourites. The Blues won the last meeting between these two at Stamford Bridge, which at the time was built up as the start of a revival. It’s hard to see a similar result coming at the Emirates, as the Gunners look to push for the title. You could maybe see Chelsea stealing a draw, but their defence isn’t good enough to grind out a point anymore. That’s why we’re backing the Gunners to take the points here.