England Round 22

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Liverpool vs Chelsea Preview:

Possible starting lineups:

Liverpool:
Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Jones, Mac Allister, Gravenberch; Jota, Nunez, Diaz

Chelsea:
Petrovic; Disasi, Silva, Badiashile, Chilwell; Caicedo, Fernandez; Palmer, Gallagher, Sterling; Broja

This was a very emotional week in Liverpool football club. As You probably know, Jurgen Klopp announced his departure. The fans are sad, Klopp has an iconic status at Anfield. The German manager won all possible trophies - UEFA Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup, EFL Cup, FIFA World Club Cup, UEFA Super Cup, FA Community Shield etc. Klopp became one of the best managers in Liverpool's history and the fans love him. The actual results are good, they sit on the top of the table with 48 points, five more than second-placed Manchester City, who have a match in hand. The difference could be reduced and that is why the result of this match is extremely important. The injury situation is still complicated, but there are some positive news. Mohamed Salah has returned to Liverpool for treatment on the muscle injury that he sustained at the Africa Cup of Nations. Egypt have since been eliminated from the tournament in the knock-out phase, but Salah would spend around three to four weeks on the sidelines. Joel Matip, Kostas Tsimikas, Thiago Alcantara and Stefan Bajcetic remain sidelined due to injury, while Wataru Endo is still away with Japan at the Asian Cup.

Chelsea are inconsistent this season and the fans are disappointed. The Blues are far away from the top as big 17 points separate them from the leaders Liverpool. Even a European spots look unrealistic target at the moment. Manager Mauricio Pochettino is under enormous pressure due to poor results. Securing a League Cup final was something they need. I believe winning a trophy could pleased the fans. The injury situation is maybe the reason for the poor results. A number of players are still sidelined. The Argentinian coach could be without as many as 11 players for the trip to Anfield. Reece James, Lesley Ugochukwu, Wesley Fofana, Robert Sanchez, Marc Cucurella, Romeo Lavia and Trevoh Chalobah all remain in the treatment room, while Nicolas Jackson is away with Senegal at the Africa Cup of Nations. Christopher Nkunku (hip) and Malo Gusto are rated as doubtful due to hip injury and knock respectively and both players will be assessed ahead of kickoff. Levi Colwill is also a doubt after he was forced to pull out of the starting lineup prior to match with Aston Villa in the FA Cup after sustaining an unspecified issue in the warm-up. Albanian international Armando Broja is expected to lead the line.

Liverpool vs Chelsea Prediction:

Klopp announced his departure and the main question is what will the future bring. Well, we have two similar situations - Manchester United and Arsenal. They are not top teams after Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger left. I think something similar will happen to Liverpool. Captain Virgil van Dijk has admitted that he is unsure if he will be part of the post-Klopp era at Anfield beyond the end of the season. What I want to say is that the atmosphere in the squad is not like it was. Chelsea beat Middlesbrough 5:1 in Carabao Cup and the players confidence is higher. I think they could remain unbeaten at Anfield.

Liverpool vs Chelsea Pick: Draw or Chelsea @ 2.38 with Everygame

 

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Wolverhampton vs Manchester United Preview:

Possible starting lineups:

Wolverhampton:
Sa; Kilman, Dawson, Toti; Semedo, Lemina, Doyle, Doherty; Bellegarde, Neto; Cunha

Manchester United:
Onana; Dalot, Varane, Martinez, Shaw; Mainoo, Casemiro; Antony, Fernandes, Garnacho; Hojlund

Wolverhampton Wanderers and Manchester United will close the midweek's round in the Premier League on Thursday. Both teams failed to win in the previous round and they will try to improve here. The Wolves played a goalless draw with Brighton which is not a bad result considering the fact they were guests. Nevertheless, the overall form is solid, they had three straight wins prior to Brighton. Wolverhampton managed to beat Chelsea, Brentford and Everton, scoring 9 goals in the process. Manager Gary O'Neil is doing an excellent job and the fans are happy. The home form is very good, they have lost just twice at Moulinex all season, from Brighton and Liverpool. Three big names are between the teams that suffered defeats - Manchester City, Tottenham and Chelsea. The Wanderers will try to add United to the list, though it won't be simple. O'Neil has four worries ahead of this match. Joao Gomes remains suspended, while Pablo Sarabia is rated as doubtful due to injury. Finally, Boubacar Traore and Hwang Hee-Chan are on international duty with Mali and South Korea respectively. On the positive note, Rayan Ait-Nouri is available for selection following Algeria's early exit from AFCON.

Manchester United have no win on the last two league matches. They lost 2:1 to Nottingham and played a 2:2 draw with Tottenham. However, they recorded two victories in the FA Cup, advancing to the fifth round of the competition. First they sunk Wigan Athletic 2:0 and then beat 4:2 the League Two side Newport, both as guests. The FA Cup is their only remaining chance for silverware this season. However, securing the fourth place is even more important. Manager Erik ten Hag is under constant pressure, but so far managed to survive. According to some pundits, the arrival of Sir Jim Ratcliffe as a minority shareholder could trigger some changes. At the moment Ten Hag has some unavailable players. Sofyan Amrabat is on international duty at Africa Cup of Nations. The situation with Marcus Rashford is not clear. He reported ill for training last Friday shortly after he was allegedly seen at a nightclub in Belfast, and the forward subsequently missed Man United's win at Newport; Rashford has subsequently emerged as a doubt for this match. Anthony Martial, Tyrell Malacia and Victor Lindelof remain out injured, while Mason Mount, who has been sidelined since November with a troublesome calf injury, is rated as doubtful. Aaron Wan-Bissaka missed the win at Newport after sustaining an unspecified injury, and it remains to be seen if the right-back will be fit to return. First-choice goalkeeper Andre Onana is available following a disappointing AFCON campaign with Cameroon.

Wolverhampton vs Manchester United Prediction:

Manchester United have won 6 of their last 7 matches against Wolverhampton in all competitions. However, the Wanderers are in better form at the moment. Furthermore, the home advantage should not be underestimated. As I wrote above, Manchester City, Tottenham and Chelsea have already left the Moulinex empty-handed. I expect an interesting match with goals on both sides.

Wolverhampton vs Manchester United Pick: Both teams to score - Yes @ 1.64 with Pinnacle