England Round 13, December 15-17

spkutano

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Wolverhampton vs Chelsea Preview:

Possible starting lineups:

Wolverhampton:
Patricio; Semedo, Coady, Saiss, Marcal; Neves, Dendoncker; Traore, Podence, Neto; Silva

Chelsea:
Mendy; James, Zouma, Silva, Chilwell; Kante, Jorginho, Mount; Havertz, Giroud, Werner

Wolverhampton host Chelsea at Molineux as both teams will try to bounce back from painful weekend defeats. Wolves are sharing the 11th place with Crystal Palace and Newcastle. All three teams have 17 points. The actual form isn't good, they have two defeats on the last two matches. First they lost to Liverpool at Anfield. Losing from the reigning champions isn't a catastrophe, but the result (0:4) and the way they did it certainly is. It was a poor display and they suffered the joint-heaviest margin of defeat in a Premier League match since their return to the division in 2018. What is worse, they suffered another defeat during the weekend. Wolverhampton lost 1:0 to Aston Villa in the West Midlands derby. The match was decided after El Ghazi converted a stoppage-time penalty. It is clear the absence of Raul Jimenez is a huge handicap for manager Nuno Espirito Santo. As You probably know, the Jimenez suffered a severe head injury against Arsenal two weeks ago. He will be out for a longer period and it seems there's no adequate replacement. Nuno gave a first Premier League start to 18-year-old striker Silva, their club record £35.6m summer signing from Porto, but he failed to make an impact. To be worse, midfielder Joao Moutinho was sent off in the finish and he won't play in this match due to suspension. Wolverhampton will also be without Jonny Otto. Changes are possible as some of the players need to be rested.

Chelsea are currently on the fifth position with 22 points. Nevertheless, they are just three points away from the top and remain genuine title pretenders. The Blues were unbeaten on nine Premier League fixtures prior to the weekend, winning five of them. They were also successful in the Champions League where secured the knock-out stage. They finished as first in the group that also contains Rennes, FK Krasnodar and Sevilla. Manager Frank Lampard is doing a great job and I believe the fans are pleased. The club owner Roman Abramovich, who spent more than 250m Eur for new players this summer, should also be satisfied with the results. However, the unbeaten series came to their end for the weekend. Chelsea suffered a narrow 1:0 defeat to Everton at Goodison Park, though they weren't bad. The Blues had 72% possession, but three brilliant saves from Jordan Pickford prevented them from scoring. In addition, Mason Mount was unlucky to hit the woodwork in the 81st minute. It was Chelsea's first Premier League away defeat of the season. Lampard has additional worries ahead of this match as three players are unavailable. He is without Christian Pulisic after the American suffered a setback in his recovery from a hamstring injury. In addition, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Hakim Ziyech are also sidelined. Kai Havertz, who was tested positive on Coronavirus in November, played 68 minutes against Everton on Saturday. Speaking to Football Focus last week, Haverts said that contracting Covid-19 had hit him "very hard" but he is now "very fit again".

Wolverhampton vs Chelsea Prediction:


Chelsea should win this match. They suffered a narrow defeat at Goodison Park during the weekend and I am sure Lampard and his players learn the lesson. But the key reason for my pick is connect with the actual situation in Wolves squad. Nuno will be missing two important players as Joao Moutinho is suspended, while Raul Jimenez is injured. The quality is on Chelsea side, no doubt about that. I expect the Blues to win here.

Wolverhampton vs Chelsea Pick
: Chelsea @ 1.74 with 1xBet
 
English Premier League - Leeds United VS Newcastle United

Kick off: 16-12-2020 19:00 Wednesday

Livescore | Betting Tips| 1x2 Odds| H2H Stats

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Leeds United

It has been a long time they come back to the League. They have the quality, but they do not play steadily, which focus more on offensive. Now they are the fourteenth in the table of the League.



Newcastle United

They have been winless until they win over Crystal Palace. Surprisingly they defeat WBA continuously, leading to a two-match winning streak. It is believed that they will take points from Leeds United with high morale.



Verdict:

There is no big gap between Leeds United and Newcastle United. Newcastle Utd are in high morale with a two-match winning streak. The Asian handicap first odd is Leeds United rovers -0.75. Newcastle United are going to win.



Leeds United VS Newcastle United

Pick: Newcastle United +0.75
 
Liverpool vs Tottenham Preview:

Possible starting lineups:

Liverpool:
Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Fabinho, Robertson; Henderson, Wijnaldum, Jones; Salah, Firmino, Mane

Tottenham:
Lloris; Aurier, Alderweireld, Dier, Reguilon; Sissoko, Hojbjerg; Bergwijn, Ndombele, Son; Harry Kane

This is a big derby in the Premier League, first-placed Tottenham will visit the second-placed Liverpool. Both teams have 25 points and identical record of 7 victories, 4 draws and one defeat, but the Spurs have better goal-difference. However, the Reds missed out on the chance to go top of the table and were somewhat fortunate to avoid the defeat against Fulham on Sunday. The reigning champions were one goal down for most of the time, but managed to equalize after Mohamed Salah converted a penalty in the 79th minute. However, it is clear Liverpool are not dominant like the previous season. The injury situation is probably the main reason. The first-choice centre-back pairing Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez are long-term injury victims, while Thiago Alcantara, James Milner, Naby Keita, Xherdan Shaqiri and Diogo Jota are also sidelined. Goalkeeper Alisson Becker and full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold missed the last few games and have just recovered, but Joel Matip is the last victim. Manager Jurgen Klopp has enormous injury issues, but he don't give up. Fabinho and Jordan Henderson were in the heart of the defense during the second half at Craven Cottage and they were not bad at all. It is hard to guess who will start as central defender against Tottenham, but that also means the midfield options are limited. However, the Reds have perfect home record winning all six league matches. They were also successful in the Champions League finishing top of their group ahead of Ajax, Atalanta and Midtjylland.. The Reds have been drawn against German side Leipzig in the last 16 of the competition. Liverpool, who have never faced Leipzig so far, will be guests in the first match, while the decider will be played at Anfield.

Tottenham started the new season with a disappointing home defeat to Everton. Not only they lost, but were completely outplayed. The fans were afraid of another poor season, but that was the first and only defeat in the Premier League. From that moment, the Spurs have obtain seven victories and four draws on the remaining 11 fixtures and occupied the top of the table. Jose Mourinho is doing a fantastic job and the fans are pleased. Most of them believe that this could be the season that will end a 60-year wait to be crowned champions. Tottenham were also good in UEFA Europe League where qualified for the last 32 by winning Group J. They are big favorites after have been drawn against Austrian side Wolfsberger. But lets go back to the Premier League. Tottenham had an extremely tough schedule in the last four rounds, facing three of Big-6 opponents. The Spurs beat Manchester City and Arsenal with 2:0, while shared the points with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. A 1:1 draw at Crystal Palace on Sunday was a disappointing result, but their opponents also dropped points during the weekend. Mourinho has some injury issues, but nowhere near to the opponents. Erik Lamela is the only missing player, while one more are rated as doubtful. Gareth Bale missed the game at Crystal Palace due to illness, but should recover in time for the trip to Anfield. Harry Kane, who's expect to lead the line, is in fantastic series. He has been directly involved in 19 goals from his 12 Premier League games this season and I am almost sure Liverpool defense will have an enormous problem to stop him setting a new record for reaching a quickest double figures in both goals and assists in a season. The actual record is held by Fabregas, who managed it in 17 matches.

Liverpool vs Tottenham Prediction:


Liverpool have enormous injury issues this season. Klopp is virtually without recognized central defenders at the moment. He was forced to play the second half against Fulham with a centre-back partnership of Henderson and Fabinho. Tottenham have excellent strikers in Kane and Son and I don't see a way how they could be stopped.

Liverpool vs Tottenham Pick
: Tottenham +0.5 @ 2.19 with 188bet
 
Sheffield United vs Manchester United Preview:

Possible starting lineups:

Sheffield United:
Ramsdale; Basham, Egan, Stevens; Baldock, Berge, Ampadu, Fleck, Lowe; Mousset, Burke

Manchester United:
De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Telles; McTominay, Fred; Mata, Fernandes, Rashford; Martial

Sheffield United welcome Manchester United at Bramall Lane, looking for the first season's victory. The Blades are rock bottom with just one point from the first 12 matches. Manager Chris Wilder was against five substitutes rule, but it seems his selfish behavior resulted only with growing number of injured players and nothing else. It is not coincidence that the rest of European top leagues permitted the clubs to use two extra subs to deal with the hectic scheduling caused by coronavirus. However, Wilder's team haven't benefited from his decision so far and they are main relegation candidates. So far Sheffield have registered just one 'positive' result, an 1:1 draw with Fulham in mid-October. Even that point was somehow 'lucky', after Billy Sharp scored a late penalty. In the next seven matches they suffered seven defeats and the gap to safety is now eight points. Counting the previous and current season, Sheffield United have lost 14 and won none of their last 15 Premier League games. Another defeat here would see them lose four home matches on the bounce for the first time since April 1965. The poor attack is perhaps the main reason for such bad results as they have scored a league-low five goals. Wilder has three injury worries ahead of this match. Oli McBurnie is rated as doubtful after suffered a shoulder injury against Southampton. Kean Bryan is also struggling with injury, while Jack O'Connell is long-term absentee.

Manchester United sit in the middle of the table with 20 points. They are in nice form, winning four of the last five league matches. The Red Devils managed to beat Everton, West Bromwich, Southampton and West Ham, drawing only in the derby against Manchester City during the weekend. The derby ended with a goalless draw, but manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said United displayed the "best performance we have had" in a derby during his tenure. After long time, the Norvegian coach mentioned the title. Indeed, his team are just five points away from the top of the table, with a match in hand. But not everything was bright in the last period. Manchester United suffered defeats to PSG and Leipzig and were knocked out of the Champions League. They failed to pass the group stage for the first time since 2015/16 under Louis van Gaal. The Red Devils will continue in UEFA Europa League where they will face Spanish leaders Real Sociedad. But the damage is big, not only from sport's aspect, but also financial. Had Manchester United reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League, they would have earned themselves an additional 21m euros in prize money alone. Reaching the same phase of the Europa League will get them only 3.1m euros. These sums will actually be much higher because of the distribution of the central market pool but that only serves to widen the gap. Having on mind United are also suffering from the continued absence of fans since the pandemic began, the consequences of the elimination will be felt very soon. It could be almost impossible to sign new players. For this match Solskjaer has almost all players available, only Edinson Cavani is rated as doubtful.

Sheffield United vs Manchester United Prediction:


Sheffield United have scored a league-low five goals so far. But it is interesting, they managed to find the back of the net against the favorites. The Blades scored against Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and Leicester City. I think they could upset De Gea too. On other side Manchester United have scored three (or more) goals on every league match away from home. That is why I think there will be at least three goals here.

Sheffield United vs Manchester United Pick
: Over 2.5 goals @ 1.88 with SBOBet
 
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