England Round 25 (+Postponed Merseyside derby)
- Thread starter spkutano
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Everton vs Liverpool Preview:
Possible starting lineups:
Everton:
Pickford; O'Brien, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Harrison, Gueye, Garner, Doucoure, Ndiaye; Beto
Liverpool:
Alisson; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Szoboszlai; Salah, Diaz, Gakpo
Everton and Liverpool will contest the last-ever Merseyside derby at Goodison Park on Wednesday. The fixture was initially scheduled in early December, but had to be rearranged because of Storm Darragh. As usual, here are some interesting historical information.
For those who don't know, Merseyside is the name of the river that divide the city. The match had been referred to as the "Merseyside derby" in at least one national newspaper in 1955. Traditionally, the Merseyside derby was referred to as the "Friendly Derby" because of the large number of families who have both Reds (Liverpool) and Blues (Everton) supporters in them. Nevertheless, the so called "Friendly Derby" has seen more Red cards (21) than any other in the Premier League history. Former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard and former Everton captain Phil Neville both saw red twice in derby games. Liverpool suffered a shock defeat at Goodison Park in April, a defeat that ended their title dreams.
Everton managed to escape the relegation last season, mostly thanks to Sean Dyche. However, the club officials forget what he did for the club and decided to change Dyche with David Moyes. The results are much better, they won the last three matches in the Premier League. The Toffees beat Tottenham, Brighton and Leicester City. The atmosphere in the squad is much better now, while the players confidence is higher. But Moyes has some injury issues ahead of the derby. Vitalii Mykolenko missed weekend's cup defeat from Bournemouth with a calf strain and he is rated as doubtful. In addition, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Armando Broja and Youssef Chermiti are sidelined, Finally, Dwight McNeil will also be absent due to minor knee surgery at the end of January.
Liverpool sit on the first place with 56 points after the opening 23 matches. The Reds have six points more than Arsenal. The last period was very successful for the Reds as they beat three teams in the Premier League - Brentford, Ipswich and Bournemouth. But not everything was positive, Liverpool suffered a 3:2 defeat to Dutch outfit PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League. To be worse, Liverpool suffered a painful elimination from the FA Cup. The Reds lost 1:0 to bottom-placed side in the Championship Division Plymouth. Arne Slot rested the majority of his key players, but that shouldn't be an excuse. Of course, the fact they are fresh could be very important. Joe Gomez and Trent Alexander-Arnold are set to miss out the derby.
Everton vs Liverpool Prediction:
Liverpool are looking for a victory that would send them nine points clear at the top of the Premier League table. However, I think Everton are able to remain unbeaten, or at least not to loose high. There are three reasons for my pick. First of all, the Toffees are in excellent run. They won the last three matches in the Premier League and the players confidence is high. Second, they play at home and this fact should not be underestimated. Finally, the Reds showed some weaknesses when they come under pressure. Even if Liverpool win, the victory will probably be narrow.
Everton vs Liverpool Pick: Everton +1.5 AH @ 1.69 with Pinnacle
Leicester City vs Arsenal Preview:
Possible starting lineups:
Leicester City:
Hermansen; Justin, Okoli, Faes, Thomas; Ndidi, Soumare; Decordova-Reid, El Khannouss, Ayew; Vardy
Arsenal:
Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly; Odegaard, Partey, Rice; Nwaneri, Trossard, Sterling
Leicester City will welcome Arsenal to King Power Stadium on Saturday lunchtime, The points from this match are very important for both teams. Leicester are desperate to avoid the relegation, while the guests are fighting for the title. The Foxes are in the drop zone, on the 18th place with 17 points. They are two points from the safety and the next period will be crucial. This is not a good time for the fans, they remember glory days, when Leicester won the title. The club officials decided to change the manager. Ruud van Nistelrooy was brought as new boss, but the results are even worse. The atmosphere in the squad isn't at desired level, while the players confidence is low. To be worse, Van Nistelrooy has some injury worries ahead of this match. Veteran striker Jamie Vardy is rated as doubtful, as well as Jannik Vestergaard and Victor Kristiansen. In addition, Ricardo Pereira is definitely sidelined with a thigh injury, while long-term knee victim Abdul Fatawu will not play again this season.
Arsenal are second on the table, seven points behind Liverpool, with the same number of matches. The actual form is solid, they are in series of 14 matches without defeat in the Premier League, something not seen since the Arsene Wenger days of 2010-11. To be honest, the Gunners lost twice to Newcastle United and suffered elimination from the League Cup. Of course, the title is definitely a priority for Arteta and his men. Arsenal must continue with the positive results in the league and it won't be easy considering the injury situation. According to the latest news, Kai Havertz suffered a season-ending hamstring injury. Arsenal also lost Gabriel Martinelli to a hamstring concern, but his issue is not that bad. However, the Brazil international will be out for two or three weeks. Knowing that Gabriel Jesus and Bukayo Saka remain long-term absentees, Arteta has just three available option in attack - youngster Ethan Nwaneri, Leandro Trossard and veteran Raheem Sterling. Defender Takehiro Tomiyasu is also out injured, while this match is coming too soon for Ben White.
Leicester City vs Arsenal Preview:
The last week was very good for Arsenal, even they didn't play. The reason is a 2:2 draw between Everton and leaders Liverpool. The Gunners now find themselves seven points behind the leaders and need to continue with the pressure. Leicester are deeply involved in the relegation battle and the players confidence is low. They lost eight of the last nine matches in the Premier League. Just one of those eight defeats was narrow. Their misery will continue.
Leicester City vs Arsenal Pick: Arsenal -1.5 AH @ 1.93 with Pinnacle
Manchester City vs Newcastle United Preview:
Possible starting lineups:
Manchester City:
Ortega; Nunes, Dias, Ake, Gvardiol; Gonzalez, Kovacic; Savinho, Foden, Marmoush; Haaland
Newcastle United:
Dubravka; Livramento, Botman, Schar, Hall; Tonali, Guimaraes, Joelinton; Murphy, Isak, Gordon
This is an awful season for Manchester City. They are 16 points behind the leaders Liverpool and it is clear they are out of the champions battle in the Premier League. City are also two points behind Chelsea in fourth, and level on points with Newcastle in sixth. They are out of the League Cup, too. The Citizens are close to elimination in UEFA Champions League after suffering a painful 3:2 home defeat to Real Madrid on Tuesday. It was a frustrate result knowing Real scored twice in the stoppage time. Manager Pep Guardiola is doing his best to end the crisis, but it looks like he is unable to change something. The absence of Rodri is maybe the reason for the poor results. But there is more. Jack Grealish and Manuel Akanji have both sustained injuries in midweek and they are rated as doubtful. Oscar Bobb and Nico Gonzalez will also be assessed, while Rodri remains a long-term absentee. The possible absence of Akanji is a big problem as Pep has no right-back after Walker left the club in January. It won't be a surprise if Guardiola select either Rico Lewis or Matheus Nunes on the right side of defense.
Newcastle United are also fighting for a Champions League spot. They are currently sixth, but a victory here would see them climbing higher. The actual oppositions Manchester City have the same ambitions, so this match is a classic six-pointer. The Magpies are not in perfect form in the last period as they lost two of the previous three Premier League fixtures. What is worse, both defeats came against mid-table opponents like Fulham and Bournemouth. Worst of all, both defeats came at home. But there are some positive results too. Newcastle have secured a Carabao Cup final after beat Arsenal twice with 2:0. Ending their 70-year trophy drought is definitely a priority for Eddie Howe, but so is securing Champions League football for next season. Howe has some injury worries ahead of this match. Jamaal Lascelles and Harvey Barnes are definitely sidelined, but four additional players are rated as doubtful - Anthony Gordon, Joelinton, Sven Botman and Dan Burn. Goalkeeper Nick Pope returned to the starting lineup last time out and Howe now has a 'sweet problem' to choose between him and Martin Dubravka.
Manchester City vs Newcastle United Prediction:
I expect an open and efficient match here. Manchester City need the victory more than ever. They are still fighting for a Top-4 finish and three points from this match are extremely important, not only for the table, but also for the players confidence. The last few derby matches were efficient - City lost 5:1 to Arsenal, lost 3:2 to Real, won 4:2 against Chelsea etc. I think there will be at least four goals again.
Manchester City vs Newcastle United Pick: Over 3.5 goals @ 2.12 with Pinnacle
Tottenham vs Manchester United Preview:
Possible starting lineups:
Tottenham:
Vicario; Porro, Gray, Danso, Spence; Sarr, Bissouma, Bergvall; Kulusevski, Tel, Son
Manchester United:
Onana; De Ligt, Maguire, Yoro; Mazraoui, Ugarte, Fernandes, Dalot; Diallo, Garnacho; Zirkzee
Tottenham will welcome Manchester United to New White Hart Lane on Sunday afternoon. The clash between two Big-6 teams usually is labelled as a derby, but this match is far from derby. Both Tottenham and Manchester United are in second part of the table and both teams have an awful
season. The Spurs have four defeats on the last five Premier League fixtures. To be worse, they were eliminated from both cup competitions. Tottenham lost 4:0 to Liverpool in the Carabao Cup semi-final and lost 2:1 to Aston Villa in the FA Cup. I believe the players confidence is now very low and that's the big problem for Postecoglou. In addition, he has some injury issues. Radu Dragusin is ruled out for the season with the knee injury, while four additional players will also miss the match due to injuries - Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, Dominic Solanke and Richarlison. But there are some good news too. Guglielmo Vicario and Destiny Udogie are on track for their first appearances of 2025, while James Maddison and Brennan Johnson could also be back from calf problems. Wilson Odobert and Timo Werner are in training too, but this match is coming too soon for both.
This is an awful season for Manchester United too. The club officials are confused and I don't understand some decisions. Most of all, they showed teeth to Sir Alex Ferguson, the most successful coach in the history. In the meantime United sacked Erik Ten Hag and brought Ruben Amorim from Sporting Lisbon. However, little have changed under his guidance and Manchester continued to play inconsistently. United managed to eliminate Leicester City in the FA Cup, but the results in the Premier League are bad. In the last round they lost 2:0 to Crystal Palace. What is worse, the fans left Old Trafford frustrated and many are asking if Ruben Amorim is the right choice for United. The Portuguese manager will start to feel the pressure, but so far he is successful in some "non football" activities. As a result, Marcus Rashford was forced to leave the club and joined Aston Villa. In addition, Amorim has injury worries. Lisandro Martinez will miss the remain part of the season due to knee surgery. His absence is a huge handicap for the Red Devils. In addition, five more players are also sidelined - Luke Shaw, Mason Mount, Jonny Evans, Tom Heaton and Altay Bayindir.
Tottenham vs Manchester United Prediction:
I expect an efficient match here, Tottenham manager Postecoglou is offensive minded coach and he refuse to change anything during the bad period. That is why they played some crazy games. For example, the Spurs beat 4:0 Manchester City at the Etihad or 4:1 Aston Villa, but also lost 3:6 to Liverpool in the Premier League and lost 4:0 from the same opponents in the League Cup. Manchester United, meanwhile, are good against Big guns. They played 2:2 at Anfield, won 2:1 at Etihad, I think they are able to find the back of the net again. I expect at least four goals.
Tottenham vs Manchester United Pick: Over 3.5 goals @ 2.19 with Pinnacle