Premier League Preview GW 9
The international break came at a good time for some and a terrible time for others. The good news for fans of Premier League sides is that there will now be wall to wall football up until the next international break in March. There are some spectacular fixtures to start this run of games too, including league leaders Leicester travelling to champions Liverpool and Spurs hosting Man City. We’ll be taking a look at all the latest Premier League tips and UK sports betting odds.
Newcastle United vs Chelsea - 12:30pm 21st November
Newcastle were pitiful in their last game against Southampton and have to be better here if they’re to even compete. Their chances are likely to hinge on whether star striker Callum Wilson recovers from injury or not. Chelsea go into this game with a few doubts too. Kai Havertz is back training with the team and could play, while Ben Chilwell’s injury scare doesn’t look like it will keep him out. American winger Christian Pulisic, however, will miss out with a recurring hamstring injury. In the last few games, Hakim Ziyech has been the man to watch for the Blues, and his creativity will be crucial against a Newcastle side that like to defend in numbers.
Aston Villa vs Brighton & Hove Albion - 3:00pm 21st November
A lot of talk about the form of Jack Grealish has dominated the international break and the Villa captain looks to be in the form of his life. Their performance against Arsenal two weeks ago was top drawer, and they were actually unlucky not to win by more. Ollie Watkins was also impressive at The Emirates, grabbing two goals. Brighton look good on the eye, but just haven’t been able to turn that into positive results. They haven’t won in the Premier League since 20th September and are looking over their shoulder at the bottom. We’re backing Villa to take the points here due to their superb start to the season.
Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester City - 5:30pm 21st November
Spurs have started the season brilliantly, and the most impressive thing is that they have shown two sides to their game. Early on they played flowing football to destroy Southampton 1-5 and Man United 1-6, but then managed to grind out 1-0 wins against Burnley and West Brom. Man City have to be disappointed with their start, as they’ve just been lacking the firepower that they’re known for. A big part of this has been the respective absences of Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus, but both could be available here. Since he’s in unbelievable form and does well in the big games, we’re backing Kane to score anytime.
Manchester United vs West Bromwich Albion- 8:00pm 21st November
Saturday evening’s game looks like a bit of a mismatch on paper, but Man United and West Brom are only separated by four places in the Premier League table. The Red Devils have been poor at Old Trafford in the league too, not winning any of their home games so far. That being said, they will surely be expecting three points against the newly-promoted side. Bruno Fernandes was on top form in their last outing and has plenty of firepower surrounding him. It would be a major shock if the Baggies came out of the game with anything.
Fulham vs Everton - 12:00pm 22nd November
Fulham had the perfect opportunity to grab a point at West Ham, in a game where they played superbly well. However, Ademola Lookman tried to dink his 95th-minute penalty and got it horribly wrong. Mistakes like this are something you can’t afford when you’re fighting relegation. Everton have lost their last three in a row, and it sums up how important having your strongest 11 on the pitch is. Richarlison missed all three games, while James Rodriguez was also in and out of the side. They seem to have their best players back for this game, which is perfect timing for a game that they’re expected to win.
Sheffield United vs West Ham United - 2:00pm 22nd November
Sheffield United must be starting to get worried at this point, as they’ve only claimed one point from their opening eight games. Things just have not clicked, and you can see that they’re struggling to get going in every game. West Ham have started well considering their tough run of fixtures, and have to go into this clash pretty confident. These two sides have some significant recent history, with the infamous Carlos Tevez situation. However, it’s not traditionally a high scoring contest, and neither side is known for their free-flowing attacking football. We’re going for Under 2.5 Goals in this one.
Leeds United vs Arsenal - 4:30pm 22nd November
Leeds had started well, but two 4-1 defeats in a row have left them languishing in 15th position. Arsenal aren’t doing that much better, as their dismal 3-0 defeat to Aston Villa sees them sat in 11th. There are no real patterns in form for either side, which makes it a challenging game to predict. This does seem to be a good match-up for Arsenal in terms of styles, as they can absorb pressure and attack Leeds on the break. We’re going for an away win, but it really could go either way.
Liverpool vs Leicester City - 7:15pm 22nd November
Liverpool have done pretty well to be one point off the top with all of the injuries that they’ve racked up. Mo Salah will also be missing from this game due to illness, which will be a big blow for Jurgen Klopp. Leicester are currently a point clear at the top, starting the season well, as they did last season. The Reds are without Alexander-Arnold, van Dijk and Gomez at the back, meaning Jamie Vardy is likely to fancy his chances of getting on the scoresheet. We think he will, whether it’s from open play or the penalty spot.
Burnley vs Crystal Palace - 5:30pm 23rd November
It feels like every week we describe Burnley as tough to watch, with their fixture being the least exciting of the weekend. It’s true yet again though and is mainly to do with their tough to enjoy style of play. The results aren’t following either, and similar to Sheffield United, it looks like they may be in a fight at the bottom this year. Crystal Palace on the other hand are in the top half, and have a favourable run of fixtures coming up. Their colossal win over Leeds was a confidence builder and showed that they can take teams apart. We’re predicting another win for the Eagles.
Wolves vs Southampton - 8:00pm 23rd November
Wolves are always very good at home, keeping things tight in the first half before trying to attack a bit more in the second. Southampton are without Danny Ings, but it didn’t stop them beating Newcastle very easily before the break. These are two excellent sides that have started the season well, and thus are very difficult to separate. We think it’s going to be extremely close, so a draw may offer good value.