England Round 23

[spkutano]

 

[spkutano]

Manchester City vs Chelsea Preview:

Possible starting lineups:

Manchester City:
Ortega; Lewis, Stones, Akanji, Gvardiol; Kovacic, Bernardo; Foden, De Bruyne, Savinho; Haaland

Chelsea:
Sanchez; Gusto, Tosin, Colwill, Cucurella; Dewsbury-Hall, Caicedo; Neto, Palmer, Sancho; Jackson

Manchester City will welcome Chelsea to the Etihad Stadium on Saturday evening. The Citizens are in big crisis, both domestically and in Europe. Pep Guardiola, once a best European coach, looks unable to change something. Man City are suffering in all competitions. After a series of defeats in the Premier League, they are currently 12 points behind the leaders Liverpool, who have a match in hand. But that's not all, they were poor in the Champions League too. Three days ago they lost 4:2 to PSG at Parc des Princes. City face an early elimination if they do not beat Club Brugges in the last round. Guardiola is under enormous pressure and he need positive results. The absence of long-term victim Rodri is a huge handicap. Many pundits declared his absence is the main reason for City poor results. Three players are rated as doubtful - Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake and Jeremy Doku, while Oscar Bobb remains sidelined. Kyle Walker want to leave the club to join AC Milan. The club officials signed three new players- Omar Marmoush, Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis.

Chelsea are fourth with 40 points and they are fighting for a Champions League spot. The current form is mixed, they have one win, one defeat and two draws on the last four matches. The Blues beat Wolverhampton, drew with Bournemouth and Crystal Palace, while lost to Ipswich Town. If something could be rated as positive, that's the fact they won last weekend. Goals from Tosin Adarabioyo, Marc Cucurella and Noni Madueke helped Chelsea to register their 11th top-flight victory. The players confidence is higher and manager Enzo Maresca will try to use the momentum for another victory. But he has lot of injury issues. Romeo Lavia, Wesley Fofana and Benoit Badiashile are out injured, while Mykhaylo Mudryk remain unavailable due to suspension. In addition, Levi Colwill and Enzo Fernandez are both doubtful. Dewsbury-Hall could retain his starting spot in midfield if Fernandez is not deemed fit to start. Former City player Cole Palmer, will be particularly motivated against his former employees.

Manchester City vs Chelsea Prediction:

Guardiola is under big pressure after the defeat in Paris. He need to change something and he has three extra options now. Omar Marmoush, Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis signed for City last week. They are all ineligible to play in the Champions League next Wednesday, so this is an ideal opportunity to make their debut. Chelsea are inconsistent, but their matches are efficient. In the last round they won 3:1 against Wolverhampton, while before that played a 2:2 draw with Bournemouth. I think they are able to score here, so I expect an efficient encounter.

Manchester City vs Chelsea Pick: Over 3.5 goals @ 2.07 with Pinnacle

 

[spkutano]

Fulham vs Manchester United Preview:

Possible starting lineups:

Fulham:
Leno; Castagne, Andersen, Bassey, Robinson; Berge, Lukic; Wilson, Smith Rowe, Traore; Jimenez

Manchester United:
Onana; Mazraoui, Maguire, Martinez; Diallo, Ugarte, Mainoo, Dalot; Fernandes, Garnacho; Hojlund

Fulham will welcome Manchester United to Craven Cottage on Sunday night. The hosts are in the middle of the table with 33 points. Fulham are out of the relegation battle and I believe the club officials are satisfied. However, the fans are looking the table with different eyes - their club are just five points away from the European spots. The current form is mixed, one win, one draw and one defeat on the last three matches in the Premier Leagaue. The good thing is they won in the last round. Fulham beat Leicester City 2:0 thanks to Emile Smith Rowe's brave diving header and Adama Traore's strike. That was Fulham's first Premier League success in 2025. Manager Marco Silva will try to continue with another victory, but it won't be easy against Manchester United. Silva has the majority of his players available, only Dutch defender Kenny Tete and Arsenal loanee Reiss Nelson are sidelined with a knee and hamstring injury. Serbian midfielder Sasa Lukic must be careful as another yellow card, 10th for him this season, would mean a two-game suspension. It means he won't be able to play against Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest.

Manchester United have another frustrating season. Erik ten Hag paid the price for the poor results and he was sacked, but little have changed under Ruben Amorim. The Portuguese coach have already lost six Premier League matches since taking the Old Trafford reins;. Never in his coaching career has he lost seven league matches in a single campaign. Amorim has some good results, like a 2:2 draw with Liverpool at Anfield or a 2:1 win against the reigning champions Manchester City, but that's not enough. UEFA Europa League could be a successful story for him, particularly after the dramatic 2:1 win against Glasgow Rangers on Thursday. Maybe Amorim will rest some of his key players for the upcoming match with Romanian outfit FCSB, also known as Steaua in the past. A victory in Bucharest will guarantee the knock-out stage without play-off game. However, the options are limited due to injury situation. Matthijs de Ligt and Leny Yoro left the match against Rangers due to injury and they are both rated as doubtful. Mason Mount, Jonny Evans and Luke Shaw remain unavailable, but Victor Lindelof is back in training. Marcus Rashford is close to exit-door.

Fulham vs Manchester United Prediction:

Manchester United have fantastic record against Fulham. The Red Devils have triumphed on each of their last seven Premier League visits to Craven Cottage. They are nightmare for Fulham's fans. Amorim is desperate for success and I think Manchester could remain unbeaten here.

Fulham vs Manchester United Pick: Manchester United +0.5 AH @ 1.74 with Pinnacle