England Round 29

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Manchester City vs Brighton Preview:

Possible starting lineups:

Manchester City:
Ederson; Lewis, Khusanov, Dias, Gvardiol; Gonzalez, Gundogan; Savinho, Marmoush, Doku; Haaland

Brighton:
Verbruggen; Lamptey, Van Hecke, Webster, Estupinan; Hinshelwood, Baleba; Minteh, Rutter, Mitoma; Pedro

Manchester City will welcome Brighton to Etihad in the most interesting Premier League fixture on Saturday. The Citizens are fifth with 47 points, while Brighton are just one point behind. It is clear this will be a classic six-pointer in the battle for the European most prestigious club competition. This season is awful for Pep Guardiola and his men, but could be even worse if they remain out of the Champions League next season. The current form isn't at desired level, City lost to Nottingham Forest in the previous round and additionally complicated the matters. According to the latest UEFA calculations, England will have five participants in the Champions League .This is a good news for Guardiola, but there is no space for relaxation. To be worse, Pep is still without four injured players - Rodri, Nathan Ake, Manuel Akanji and John Stones. On the positive note, Oscar Bobb has recovered and could make his long-awaited first-team return.

Brighton are in very good form, they managed to win four matches in row in the Premier League. They have scored 11 goals in the process, conceding only two. The victims were Chelsea, Southampton, Bournemouth and Fulham. The hardest victory wasn't the one against Chelsea, but the last one against Fulham. The Seagulls won 2:1 last weekend, with Joao Pedro netting a 98th-minute winning penalty. Brighton are also successful in the FA Cup. They secured a spot in the quarterfinals with a 2:1 extra-time win at Newcastle. New manager Fabian Hurzeler is doing a fantastic job and the fans are satisfied. Most of them are dreaming about Champions League football for the next season. Nevertheless, the 32-year-old tactician has insisted that qualifying for next season's Champions League is "not in the discussion" at the club. The guests will be missing four, possibly seven players. Ferdi Kadioglu, Igor Julio, James Milner and Jason Steele all definitely sidelined, while captain Lewis Dunk, Joel Veltman and Matt O'Riley are rated as doubtful.

Manchester City vs Brighton Prediction:

Both Manchester City and Brighton are looking for a Top-5 finish, but they are not in same position. Guardiola is under heavy pressure, it will be a catastrophe if City don't play in the Champions League next season. On the other side Hurzeler is relaxed, insisting that Champions League is "not in the discussion" at the club. However, I expect an interesting match at Etihad. Brighton have never won away at Manchester City in 14 previous attempts. To be worse, Danny Welbeck has never scored a Premier League goal against Man City in 20 attempts. Considering the previously mentioned facts, I expect the home domination in this fixture to continue.

Manchester City vs Brighton Pick: Manchester City to win @ 1.67 with Pinnacle

 

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Arsenal vs Chelsea Preview:

Possible starting lineups:

Arsenal:
Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly; Odegaard, Partey, Rice; Nwaneri, Martinelli, Trossard

Chelsea:
Sanchez; James, Fofana, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Sancho, Palmer, Nkunku; Neto

Arsenal will try to collect three points against city rivals Chelsea when two sides face at Emirates Stadium on Sunday. The Gunners are still battling for the title and they could reduce the gap. Arsenal are second on the table, big 15 points behind Liverpool, with a game in hand. The actual form is poor, they are in series of three matches without a victory in the Premier League. They collected just two of the possible nine points. Liverpool, meanwhile, rarely drop points and many pundits think the title is definitely lost for Arteta and his men. But Arsenal must continue with the positive results in the league to secure a Champions League spot, though it won't be easy considering the injury situation. Arteta remain without Takehiro Tomiyasu, Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus due to injury. Veteran striker Raheem Sterling is ineligible to face his parent club. On the positive note, Gabriel Martinelli should start after recovering from his hamstring injury. Young Ethan Nwaneri could write a history by becoming the first player under the age of 18 to score in a Premier League London derby.

Chelsea are fourth on the table with 49 points, but Manchester City and Newcastle United are waiting for their mistake. Both teams have 47 points and their ambitions are also connect with the Champions League. Manager Enzo Maresca is doing an excellent job and the fans are satisfied. However, he must find a way to outplay Arteta as three points from this match are extremely important. The current form is good, two wins on the last two Premier League games. First they beat 4:0 Southampton and then 1:0 Leicester City. The two victories, combined with two clean sheets, surely impacted the players confidence and it is high. But Maresca has some injury and suspension worries. The Italian tactician will be without injured Nicolas Jackson, Marc Guiu, Noni Madueke and Omari Kellyman, while Mykhaylo Mudryk is suspended due to doping. In addition, Malo Gusto, who missed the last two matches due to a knock, is rated as doubtful. Either Wesley Fofana or Reece James should fill the right-back void if Gusto is unavailable.

Arsenal vs Chelsea Prediction:

Arsenal are in some sort of crisis at the moment. The Gunners are good in Europe, but not domestically. Arteta's side are in series of three matches without a victory in the Premier League. They lost to West Ham and drew with Nottingham Forest and Manchester United. To be worse, Arteta remain without Takehiro Tomiyasu, Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus due to injury. Chelsea, meanwhile, won the last two league matches and I believe the players confidence is high. Chelsea should stay unbeaten here.

Arsenal vs Chelsea Pick: Chelsea +0.5 AH @ 2.05 with Pinnacle