England Round 21

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Newcastle United vs Manchester City Preview:

Possible starting lineups:

Newcastle United:
Dúbravka, Trippier, Schar, Botman, Burn, Longstaff, Bruno Guimaraes, Miley, Almiron, Isak, Gordon

Manchester City:
Ederson, Walker, Dias, Ake, Gvardiol, Rodri, Kovacic, Silva, Foden, Doku, Alvarez

Newcastle United will host Manchester City at St James Park in a derby match on Saturday. The Magpies are still in the middle of the table with 29 points, massive 16 points behind the leaders Liverpool. The fans are disappointed, even more as their club were eliminated from the Champions League. Manager Eddie Howe is under big pressure, as well as the players. It is always hard to play under such circumstances. Newcastle have suffered five defeats on the last six league matches, losing to Everton, Tottenham, Luton Town, Notingham and Liverpool. But it is important to be mentioned that just one of these five defeats came at home. Howe will try to use the home advantage here, although it won't be easy against the reigning champions. Worst of all, Howe will miss number of players due to injuries. Nick Pope, Jacob Murphy, Harvey Barnes, Jamaal Lascelles, Elliot Anderson, Javi Manquillo, Joe Willock and Matt Targett are all still sidelined. That's not all as Sandro Toneli is suspended due to illegal gambling activities, while Joelinton is rated as doubtful.

Manchester City are five points behind the leaders Liverpool, but have a match in hand. A victory here could see them just two points away from the first place. The Citizens will try to secure the third consecutive league victory. They are in mini-series of two wins in the Premier League. The truth is they had easy opponents in relegation-candidates Everton and Sheffield United, but every success have a positive impact to the players confidence. Man City have found form at just the right time - they've won seven of their last eight matches across all competitions.. Guardiola will ask the maximum from his players, he is well aware of the importance of this match. The absence of Kevin de Bruyne and Erling Haaland was also a problem. According to me, the absence of the mentioned duo is the main reason for the poor results in the first part of the season. The injury situation is much better now, though some players are still struggling. John Stones remain sidelined for at least two weeks, while three players are rated as doubtful - Manuel Akanji, Bernardo Silva and Kalvin Phillips. Haaland should return to the squad and that's a boost for the Citizens.

Newcastle United vs Manchester City Prediction:

Newcastle United have lot of problems in the new season. The current form is awful, five defeats on the last six matches in the Premier League. To be worse, they are out of the Champions League and Edie Howe is under huge pressure. Both teams are missing some important players, however Newcastle will hardly find a replacements. On contrary, Guardiola has two quality players for each position, only Rodri is exception. Nevertheless, Rodri will play here and I expect City to win.

Newcastle United vs Manchester City Pick: Manchester City to win @ 1.57 with Pinnacle

 

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Manchester United vs Tottenham Preview:

Possible starting lineups:

Manchester United:
Onana; Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Evans, Dalot; McTominay, Mainoo; Garnacho, Fernandes, Rashford; Hojlund

Tottenham:
Vicario; Porro, Emerson, Van de Ven, Udogie; Skipp, Bentancur; Johnson, Kulusevski, Werner; Richarlison

Manchester United will welcome Tottenham Hotspur to Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon. The Red Devils kicked off 2024 by advancing to the fourth round of the FA Cup, after they sunk Wigan Athletic 2:0 as guests. The FA Cup is their only remaining chance for silverware this season. However, securing the Champions League spot is even more important. At the moment United are big nine points behind fourth-placed Arsenal. Manager Erik ten Hag is under constant pressure, but so far managed to survive. However, the arrival of Sir Jim Ratcliffe as a minority shareholder could trigger some changes, possibly between the coaching staff. At the moment the hosts have lot of injury issues. Mason Mount, Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof, Tyrell Malacia and Anthony Martial remain out injured, but there are good news too. Luke Shaw, Casemiro and Lisandro Martinez had resumed training and should be in contention for a match. Furthermore, Illness victims Christian Eriksen and Amad Diallo have also fully recovered, as well as has Antony. Sofyan Amrabat is on international duty with Morocco, while goalkeeper Onana decided to travel to Africa after this game.

Tottenham are sitting fifth on the table with 39 points and a victory here could see them entering the Top Four zone. They are in solid form at the moment, winning the last two matches. First they beat 3:1 Bournemouth in the Premier League, while last weekend secured the fourth round of the FA Cup thanks to a narrow 1:0 win over Burnley. The atmosphere in the squad is good, but manager Ange Postecoglou has lot of unavailable players. Yves Bissouma is still serving his four-match suspension, but he couldn't play anyway. He is one of the three players on international duty. The other two are Son Heung-min and Pape Sarr. Their absence is a big handicap. Eric Dier left the club after nine years and decided to join German champions Bayern Munich. Ben Davies and Giovani Lo Celso suffered injuries against Burnley last week and won't play here. Five more players remain sidelined - James Maddison, Dane Scarlett, Manor Solomon, Ivan Perisic and Alejo Veliz. The Spurs were active on the transfer market and brought two new players - defender Radu Dragusin from Genoa and striker Timo Werner from Red Bull Leipzig. The later become famous with his big missing chances while played for Chelsea.

Manchester United vs Tottenham Prediction:

Tottenham are seeking their first top-flight double over Manchester United in the Premier League era. They won 2:0 the reverse fixture played in August, but I think they can't win again. The key reason is they will miss some important players, like Son, Pape Sarr and Yves Bissouma, all of them on international duty in Asia and Africa. Man United are far from their best, but had some positive results in derby matches, like the victories over Aston Villa and Chelsea in December. Supported by their fans, they are able to beat Tottenham.

Manchester United vs Tottenham Pick: Manchester United to win @ 2.16 with Pinnacle

 

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Arsenal vs Crystal Palace Preview:

Possible starting lineups:

Arsenal:
Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Odegaard, Rice, Havertz; Saka, Jesus, Martinelli

Crystal Palace:
Henderson; Clyne, Andersen, Guehi, Mitchell; Eze, Richards, Lerma, Schlupp; Edouard, Mateta

Arsenal will welcome Crystal Palace to the Emirats on Saturday lunchtime. The Gunners are in big crisis at the moment, they suffered two defeats on the last two matches in the Premier League. Arteta's men first lost 2:0 to West Ham and then lost 2:1 to Fulham. Arsenal squandered the chance to end a second successive calendar year at the top of the table and now share the fourth position with Tottenham. Nevertheless, a victory here could see them just two points behind the leaders Liverpool, at least for one day. Liverpool travel to Bournemouth on Sunday and I believe they could have big problem without key player Mohamed Salah. As You probably know, Salah is away at the Africa Cup of Nations with Egypt. Arteta also has players on international duty - Takehiro Tomiyasu is on Asian Cup duty with Japan, while Mohamed Elneny is together with Salah representing Egypt. Four players are struggling with injuries. Jurrien Timber, Thomas Partey and Fabio Vieira are definitely sidelined, while Oleksandr Zinchenko is rated as doubtful with a calf injury.

Crystal Palace are still in the middle of the table with 21 points, only 5 points away from the relegation zone. The fans are disappointed, even more as their club were eliminated from the FA Cup. They lost 1:0 to Everton at Goodison Park, after a goalless draw in the first match played at Selhurst Park. Andre Gomes was the Everton hero after scoring the lone goal in the 42nd minute. Manager Roy Hodgson came under big pressure for his decision to substitute Eberechi Eze early in the second half. There was a furious reaction from the traveling fans, although the veteran coach stated that such a change was a necessity to keep Eze fresh for this match against Arsenal. Hodgson is without several players as Michael Olise is out with a thigh injury, while Cheick Doucoure and Joel Ward are also confined to the treatment room. In addition, Jesurun Rak-Sakyi is doubtful with a thigh injury. The former Arsenal defender Rob Holding will miss out on a reunion with his former club due to an ankle injury, while Jordan Ayew is on international duty with Ghana.

Arsenal vs Crystal Palace Prediction:

I think both teams could score here. The Gunners play at home and they will strongly attack from the first whistle. With Gabriel Jesus back, I believe they will find the back of the net. So, the question is about Crystal Palace, are the able to score at the Emirats. Well, I think so. Palace managed to score on each of the last five matches in the Premier League. That includes two difficult opponents as the Eagles scored at Stamford Bridge and Etihad. They lost 2:1 to Chelsea and played 2:2 with Manchester City.

Arsenal vs Crystal Palace Pick: Both teams to score - Yes @ 2.28 with Pinnacle

 

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Newcastle so unlucky to lose

 

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Bournemouth vs Liverpool Preview:

Possible starting lineups:

Bournemouth:
Neto; Aarons, Zabarnyi, Mepham, Kerkez; Christie, Cook; Tavernier, Billing, Kluivert; Solanke

Liverpool:
Alisson; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Gomez; Mac Allister, Gravenberch, Jones; Jota, Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz

Bournemouth will welcome Liverpool to the Vitality Stadium on Sunday afternoon. The Cherries are in the middle of the table with 25 points. I believe the fans are satisfied with the fact their club are 9 points away from the relegation zone. The actual form is very good, Bournemouth have just one defeat on the last nine matches in the Premier League., winning six of them. The Cherries also produced a stellar fightback to sink Queens Park Rangers 3:2 in FA Cup last weekend. QPR had 2:0 after the first half, but Andoni Iraola's team halved the deficit through Marcus Tavernier's deflected effort in the 48th minute. Kieffer Moore's towering header restored parity 10 minutes later, while half-time substitute Justin Kluivert completed the fightback, converting from point-blank range after Philip Billing had regained possession deep inside the QPR half. Iraola is surely satisfied with the result, but has some worries too. Centre-back Marcos Senesi is out through suspension, while Tyler Adams, Adam Smith, Milos Kerkez, Ryan Fredericks and Darren Randolph are all sidelined due to injuries. Dango Ouattara and Antoine Semenyo are on international duty. Defender Lloyd Kelly and the former Reds striker Dominik Solanke are expected to recover in time for this match. Finally, Joe Rothwell and Hamed Traore have departed on loan for Southampton and Napoli respectively.

Liverpool are first on the table with 45 points, two more than Manchester City, Arsenal and Aston Villa. Liverpool are in solid form at the moment, though they dropped four points on the last four matches. The Reds failed to register victory against Manchester United and Arsenal. However, Jurgen Klopp's men managed to beat Burnley and Newcastle in the last two matches in the Premier League. They were also successful in the domestic cups. Liverpool won 2:1 against Fulham in Carabao Cup first-leg semifinal and won 2:0 against Arsenal in the FA Cup. According to me, Arsenal were much better on that match and Liverpool were extremely lucky not to concede. The absence of best scorer Mo Salah and key creative Trent Alexander-Arnold is a huge handicap. That's not all as Andy Robertson, Dominik Szoboszlai, Thiago Alcantara, Stefan Bajcetic, Ben Doak, Joel Matip and Kostas Tsimikas have all been sidelined and Klopp is not anticipating any returns at Vitality Stadium. Wataru Endo and Mohamed Salah, who suffered a muscle strain this week, are also away at the Asian Cup and Africa Cup of Nations respectively.

Bournemouth vs Liverpool Prediction:

Bournemouth know how to upset Liverpool. Klopp surely remember December 2016 when his team had 3:1 until the 75th minute. But Edie Howe's men produced a stunning comeback, with Ryan Fraser and Steve Cook scoring twice in two minutes before Nathan Ake bundled home the winner in the third minute of injury time. Last season Liverpool suffered another defeat. Mohamed Salah's penalty miss and Philip Billing's goal were enough the Cherries to shock the favorites registering a narrow 1:0 win. Having on mind that Klopp is missing lot of important players, I think Bournemouth could upset the Reds again. Your stake is back if Liverpool win narrowly.

Bournemouth vs Liverpool Pick: Bournemouth +1.0 AH @ 1.69 with Pinnacle