England Premier League, 22-24. February

spkutano

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Chelsea vs Tottenham Preview:

Possible starting lineups:

Chelsea:
Arrizabalaga; Zouma, Rudiger, Tomori; James, Jorginho, Kovacic, Alonso; Willian, Mount, Abraham

Tottenham:
Lloris; Aurier, Alderweireld, Sanchez, Tanganga; Dier, Ndombele; Fernandes, Lo Celso, Bergwijn; Dele Alli

Chelsea are looking to record a league double over Tottenham for the first time in 14 years following the 2:0 win at 'new' White Hart Lane back in December. One thing is clear, this will be another interesting London derby. The Blues are currently on the fourth place, with one-point advantage to the fifth-placed Tottenham. Having on mind that Manchester City received a two-year ban from UEFA for breaking Financial Fair Play rules, the fifth place will also lead to the Champions League. At least five teams are in contention: Tottenham (40 Points), Sheffield United (39), Manchester United (38), Wolverhampton (36) and Everton (36). Even Arsenal, who have 34 points, will not give up with three months left in the season.

As I wrote above, Chelsea sit on the fourth place with 41 points. Frank Lampard is doing a solid job and I believe the fans are satisfied. The results are not bad and it will be a great success if the Blues secure the Champions League participation for the next season. The actual form isn't at desired level, they have two draws and one defeat on the last three matches in the Premier League. They shared the points with Arsenal and Leicester City, but were unlucky to lose from Manchester United last weekend. I used the word 'unlucky' as the VAR system was completely against them. At the end I will mention the injury situation. N’Golo Kante picked up a groin injury in the match against the Red Devils and won't play here. His absence is a huge handicap. Christian Pulisic, Tammy Abraham and Callum Hudson-Odoi are all struggling with injuries.

Tottenham lost 1:0 to Leipzig in the first-leg match played on Wednesday. I believe the fans are disappointed as the Blues were outplayed. However, there is no time for tears, Jose Mourinho must find a way to restore the players confidence. The domestic form is good, Tottenham are in series of three victories in the Premier League. First they beat Norwich City with 2:1, then Manchester City with 2:0 and finally, beat Aston Villa with 3:2 thanks to Son's injury time goal. Son found the back of the net four times in the last three matches in the Premier League. But the Korean international will miss the match after he suffered a fracture to his arm in the game against Villa. Key striker Harry Kane remain sidelined due to a hamstring injury. The guests are very handicapped as both players are irreplaceable. Moussa Sissoko is also a long-term absentee.

Chelsea vs Tottenham Preview:

Chelsea are big favorites in this match. The key reason for my pick is connect with Tottenham. The guests are very handicapped as Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son are sidelined with injuries. It is impossible for Mourinho to find adequate replacements.

Chelsea vs Tottenham Pick: Chelsea to win @ 1.75 with Unibet
 
Leicester City vs Manchester City Preview:

Possible starting lineups:

Leicester City:
Schmeichel; Ricardo, Evans, Soyuncu, Chilwell; Perez, Tielemans, Praet, Maddison, Barnes; Vardy

Manchester City:
Ederson; Cancelo, Otamendi, Fernandinho, Zinchenko; Gundogan, De Bruyne, Rodri; Mahrez, Aguero, Bernardo Silva

Third-placed Leicester City will welcome the second Manchester City in what should be an interesting contest. The Foxes are nine points ahead of fourth-placed Chelsea and it is clear they will play in the Champions League next season. Brendon Rodgers is doing an excellent job and Leicester are the most pleasant surprise of the season. However, the actual form isn't at desired level, they have only won two of their last eight games in all competitions. The last two matches in the Premier League ended with draw. First they played a 2:2 draw with Chelsea at King Power. Harvey Barnes and Ben Chilwell scored against the Blues. In the last round Rodgers' men played a goalless draw with Wolverhampton. Vardy remain the leading scorer in the Premier League with 17 goals, but it seems he lost the scoring spark. Rodgers has four injury worries ahead of this match. Matty James, Nampalys Mendy and Daniel Amartey are definitely sidelined, while Wilfred Ndidi is rated as doubtful. He missed the last two matches against Chelsea and Wolverhampton due to a knee issue. His possible absence is a big handicap for Rodgers. That's not all as Hamza Choudhury must serve an one-match ban for the red card he saw last weekend.

Manchester City received a two-year ban from European competitions. They were punished by European football's governing body for "serious breaches" of club licensing and financial fair play regulations and, as a result, will not be permitted to play on international stage for the next two seasons. The club officials instantly denied any wrongdoing and will appeal against UEFA decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Manager Pep Guardiola said he hopes the "truth will prevail" and promised fans that his players will keep fighting until the end of the season. However, this situation will definitely affect the atmosphere in the squad. According to some experts, the best players could leave the club next summer. It will be very hard for the players to stay fully concentrated. To be worse, Manchester City are inconsistent in the last period. They lost 2:0 to Mourinho's Tottenham before the international break, but managed to beat West Ham with 2:0 on Wednesday. It was a comfortable victory, with Rodri and Kevin De Bruyne finding the back of the net. Guardiola has three injury issues ahead of this match. Raheem Sterling remains out injured, while this match is coming too soon for Leroy Sane. The German international is closing in on a first-team action after returning to full training in recent weeks. David Silva picked up a knock against West Ham and he is rated as doubtful. Most probably he won't be risked here. Oleksandr Zinchenko is back from suspension.

Leicester City vs Manchester City Prediction:

I expect both teams to score at King Power. The reason is quite simple, both teams are offensive minded. Leicester City have kept just one clean sheet in the last five league matches. At the same time, Manchester City have registered just five clean sheets in 25 fixtures. It should be an open and efficient match.

Leicester City vs Manchester City Pick
: Both teams to score - Yes @ 1.57 with Pinnacle
 
Liverpool vs West Ham Preview:

Possible starting lineups:

Liverpool:
Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson; Wijnaldum, Fabinho, Naby Keita; Salah, Firmino, Mane

West Ham:
Fabianski; Zabaleta, Diop, Ogbonna, Cresswell, Masuaku; Rice, Soucek, Noble; Antonio, Haller

Liverpool played two matches in the last seven days, but failed to impress. First they obtained a tough victory against bottom-placed Huddersfield in the last round. Sadio Mane came off the bench to score the winner in the 78th minute, expertly taking down skipper Henderson's raking pass and smashing in at the near post. The Reds now have collect 76 from the possible 78 points. Yesterday Manchester City won 1:0 against Leicester, so Liverpool have 19-point advantage at the top of Premier League table. The Reds will try to win here in order to restore their 22-point advantage. The fans are dreaming about the title, first in 30 years. Jurgen Klopp's men were the most consistent team so far in the Premier League and only a miracle could prevent them to lift the trophy. Liverpool need just five more wins from their remaining 12 games to guarantee the title. However, the midweek defeat from Atletico Madrid in the Champions League could affect the players confidence. The Reds played poor at Wanda Metropolitano and failed to register a single shot on target. To be worse, captain Henderson limped off after 80 minutes due to a hamstring injury. According to the latest news, he will be out for at least three weeks. His absence is a big handicap. Naby Keita is being tipped to replace Hendo, but the likes of James Milner, Adam Lallana, Takumi Minamino and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are also in contention. Xherdan Shaqiri remain unavailable for selection due to a calf injury, while Nathaniel Clyne is long-term victim.

West Ham are in the drop zone and they are deeply involved into the relegation battle. The Hammers have 24 points, one less than 17th Aston Villa. They are in the relegation zone after 26 rounds for the first time since 11 February 2011, when they finished bottom of the league that season. The situation is very complicated and manager David Moyes feels enormous pressure. West Ham are also in bad form, losing three of the last four matches in the Premier League. The opponents were the three best placed teams on the table, but this fact should not be an excuse. They lost 2:0 to Liverpool, lost 4:1 to Leicester City, while only shared the points with Brighton. On Wednesday the Hammers played the postponed game with Manchester City. According to the expectations, they lost 2:0 to the reigning champions. The atmosphere in the squad isn't good. Hundreds of West Ham supporters staged a protest against the club's co-owners David Sullivan and David Gold before the match with Everton in January. To be worse, Moyes has some injury worries. Ryan Fredericks left the match against the Citizens due to a shoulder injury. He is out of this match and Pablo Zabaleta could replace him at right-back. Andriy Yarmolenko and Jack Wilshere are also unavailable for selection. Felipe Anderson, who hasn't featured since the start of January, was back on the bench against City and could be involved here. New signing Jarrod Bowen is also in contention, as well as Manuel Lanzini and Sebastien Haller.

Liverpool vs West Ham Prediction:

Liverpool are far from their best at the moment. The Reds have scored just one goal against bottom-placed Huddersfield last weekend, while failed to register a single shot on target against Atletico Madrid during the midweek. West Ham, meanwhile, are in poor form. They have suffered three defeats on the last four matches and the players confidence is low. I expect a less than four goals at Anfield.

Liverpool vs West Ham Pick
: Under 3.5 goals @ 1.91 with SBOBET
 
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