England Round 4

[spkutano]

 

[spkutano]

Luton Town vs West Ham United Preview:

Possible starting lineups:

Luton Town:
Kaminski; Kabore, Burke, Lockyer, Bell, Giles; Chong, Nakamba, Barkley; Adebayo, Morris

West Ham United:
Areola; Coufal, Zouma, Aguerd, Emerson; Alvarez; Bowen, Paqueta, Ward-Prowse, Benrahma; Antonio

Luton Town welcome West Ham United to Kenilworth Road in the opening match of the fourth round on Friday night. The Hatters are yet to pick up a point, losing two matches as guests, with their home fixture against Burnley postponed due to ground improvement work at Kenilworth Road,. The poor start of the season surely affect the atmosphere in the squad, though they had difficult opponents. First they lost 4:1 to Brighton and then lost 3:0 to Chelsea. Manager Rob Edwards is already under pressure, as well as his players. If something could be rated as positive, that's the victory against Gillingham in the EFL Cup on Tuesday. Goals from Jacob Brown, Alfie Doughty and Cauley Woodrow were enough for a 3:2 win and progress to the third round where they will face Exeter. Edwards has big injury issues at the moment - Dan Potts and Jordan Clark will be out for several months due to injury, while Gabriel Osho remains sidelined with a knee problem. The absence of the mentioned trio is a big handicap. The club officials will probably sign few more players before closing the transfer window. So far Ross Barkley came from Nice, Marvelous Nakamba from Aston Villa, Ryan Giles from Wolves and Issa Kabore from Manchester City.

West Ham have started the new season very good. They played only an 1:1 draw with Bournemouth in the first round and many pundits said the departure of Declan Rice will affect the Hammers. But the next two rounds proved the opposite. West Ham managed to beat Chelsea 3:1 at London Stadium, despite playing the final 30 minutes with a man down following a red card for Nayef Aguerd, the scorer of the first goal. Michail Antonio and Lucas Paqueta scored the remaining two goals. Last weekend West Ham enjoyed another 3:1 win, this time against strong Brighton. Moyes' men had only 22% possession, but good defense and fast counterattacks were pivotal at the end, with James Ward-Prowse, Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio scoring the goals. The atmosphere in the squad is excellent, while the players confidence is very high. The club officials brought two new players, Mohammed Kudus and Edson Alvarez from Ajax. Probably this match come too soon for them, but one thing is clear - West Ham are not weaker than last season. Moyes has the majority of his players available, including Aguerd who served his one-match ban, but Tomas Soucek is rated as doubtful.

Luton Town vs West Ham United Prediction:

West Ham surprised the pundits with the excellent start of the season. Like many other, I expect some problems for the Hammers after Rice left the club. But David Moyes showed he is a fantastic tactician. Even without his key midfielder, Moyes was able to record two victories and one draw in the first three rounds. Even more, West Ham beat teams like Brighton and Chelsea. And I believe they will continue the winning series. Moyes will surely find a way to neutralize Carlton Morris, arguably the best Luton forward who has netted 20 goals in the Championship Division last season. According to me, West Ham are closer to the victory here.

Luton Town vs West Ham United Pick: Away win @ 1.83 with Pinnacle

 

[spkutano]

Chelsea vs Nottingham Preview:

Possible starting lineups:

Chelsea:
Sanchez; Disasi, Colwill, Silva; Gusto, Fernandez, Caicedo, Gallagher, Chilwell; Sterling, Jackson

Nottingham:
Turner; Boly, Niakhate, Worrall; Aurier, Danilo, Yates, Aina; Johnson, Gibbs-White; Awoniyi

Chelsea will try to register another victory when they welcome Nottingham Forest to Stamford Bridge on Saturday. The Blues have started the new season in mixed way. They have one win, one draw and one defeat after the first three rounds. The home draw with Liverpool could be rated as acceptable, though the defeat to West Ham opened some questions about the players quality. For example, their £100m signing Moises Caicedo made a big mistake in his debut. Nevertheless, Chelsea won 3:0 against Luton last weekend and the atmosphere in the squad is much better. That was the first Premier League win for Mauricio Pochettino as Chelsea manager. Raheem Sterling was the key name on that match after scoring twice and assisted Nicolas Jackson. On Wednesday they were successful in EFL Cup, winning against League Two side Wimbledon. I believe the players confidence is now higher. The long injury list is a big problem for Pochettino - Romeo Lavia, Armando Broja, Wesley Fofana, Benoit Badiashvile, Marcus Bettinelli, Christopher Nkunku, Carney Chukwuemeka, Reece James, Mykhaylo Mudryk and Trevoh Chalobah remain sidelined.

Nottingham Forest have three points after the first three rounds. They lost to Arsenal at the Emirats in the first match of the new season, but then managed to beat Sheffield United at home. Last weekend they suffered another defeat, this time from Manchester United. It is not a shame to lose at Old Trafford, but the players are disappointed and frustrated. Nottingham went 2:0 up just three minutes and 47 seconds into this match thanks to goals scored by Taiwo Awoniyi and Willy Boly. Awoniyi has scored in each of his last seven Premier League appearances for Nottingham, becoming the third African player, after Adebayor and Salah. Nevertheless, the Tricky Trees were unable to keep the advantage, particularly after Joe Worrall was sent of. He served his one-match ban against Burnley in EFL Cup, but he is doubtful for this match after the tragic incident in which his uncle - a police Sergeant - lost his life while trying to help a man on railway tracks. Four players are struggling with injury - Scott McKenna, Felipe, Wayne Hennessey and Orel Mangala. Finally, Andrey Santos is ineligible to face his parent club.

Chelsea vs Nottingham Prediction:

Chelsea are big favorites against Nottingham. The home advantage is on their side, the quality too. Finally, the Blues have player able to make a difference - Raheem Sterling. He scored twice and assisted Nicolas Jackson last weekend and his confidence is very high at the moment. Nottingham players are disappointed after the way they lost at Old Trafford. Chelsea should win this match, most probably in handicap. Of course, if they stop Awoniyi first.

Chelsea vs Nottingham Pick: Chelsea -1.5 AH @ 2.13 with Pinnacle

 

[spkutano]

Liverpool vs Aston Villa Preview:

Possible starting lineups:

Liverpool:
Alisson, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Gomez, Robertson, Endo, Mac Allister, Szoboszlai, Salah, Darwin Nunez, Diaz

Aston Villa:
Martinez; Konsa, Carlos, Torres; Cash, Kamara, Luiz, Digne; McGinn, Diaby; Watkins

Liverpool have started the new season in solid way. First they played an 1:1 draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Luis Diaz scored the goal for Liverpool. The same player also found the back of the net in the first home fixture against Bournemouth. The Reds won 3:1, while Salah and Jota have scored the remaining two goals. Last weekend Liverpool beat Newcastle at St James Park. Darwin Nunez was the hero after scoring two goals in the finish of the match. However, the Reds paid high prize for the victory as key defender Virgil van Dijk has been shown a straight red card for a foul on Alexander Isak. The Dutch international was stunned at the initial decision by referee John Brooks, which was then checked and cleared by VAR. Van Dijk did win the ball in tackling Isak, but after fouled the opponent. Liverpool captain will surely miss the clash with Aston Villa this weekend, but the situation could be worse as he continued his protests even after the VAR check, and was seen in animated discussion with the referees. Remarkably, it is the first time Van Dijk has ever been shown a red card in his Liverpool career, having made over 200 appearances for the club in all competitions. Klopp has huge issues in defense as the second central defender Ibrahima Konate is injured. That means Joel Matip and Joe Gomez should start in the heart of defense. Thiago Alcantara is very close to full fitness, but this match comes too soon for him. New signing Ryan Gravenberch, who came from Bayern Munich, could be at the bench.

Aston Villa were destroyed in the opening round as they lost 5:1 to Newcastle United. The fans were disappointed, while the players left St James Park ashamed. I believe coach Unai Emery gave them a "good lesson" and there was a reaction. The Villans have recorded two wins in the next two rounds, against Everton and Burnley. Four different players found the back of the net in a 4:0 home win against the Toffees - John McGinn, Douglas Luiz, Leon Bailey and Jhon Duran. Matty Cash, meanwhile, was the key player in a 3:1 win at Burnley after scoring the first two goals. Moussa Diaby should also be mentioned as a scorer of the third goal. Emery could be satisfied with the current result, as his team also secured a high 5:0 and 3:0 victories against Scottish Hibernian in the Europa Conference League playoff tie. Ollie Watkins was a key name in that matches, scoring a hat-trick at Easter Road. Emery had a luxury to rest majority of his key players on Thursday night to keep them fresh for the trip to Anfield. However, the first-choice goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez is doubtful with a calf problem, while Jacob Ramsey and Alex Moreno are struggling with foot and hamstring injury respectively. Tyrone Mings and Emi Buendia are long-term injury absentees. Ex-Liverpool man Philippe Coutinho is sidelined with a thigh injury. Clement Lenglet, who came on loan from Barcelona, could take part in this match.

Liverpool vs Aston Villa Prediction:

Both teams are in good form and I expect an interesting game. I believe Aston Villa could upset Liverpool. They are surely able to leave Anfield unbeaten, like they did in May. The key reason for my pick is connect with the absence of both first-choice central defenders. As I wrote above, Virgil van Dijk will serve a suspension, while Ibrahima Konate is injured. That means Joel Matip and Joe Gomez should start in the heart of defense. The duo rarely played together and this could be a big problem. The Reds have experienced defensive issues even with Van Dijk and Konate in the line, not to mentioned without them. Liverpool are yet to register a clean sheet this season. It will be much more difficult now. Matip ultimately doesn’t have the pace and mobility of Konate to cover for Alexander-Arnold moving forward into midfield. An ageing player, he no longer has the legs for such a role. I think the guests won't lose.

Liverpool vs Aston Villa Pick: Aston Villa +0.5 AH @ 2.30 with Pinnacle

 

[spkutano]

Arsenal vs Manchester United Preview:

Possible starting lineups:

Arsenal:
Ramsdale; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Odegaard, Rice, Partey; Saka, Jesus, Martinelli

Manchester United possible starting lineup:
Onana; Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Martinez, Dalot; Casemiro, Eriksen; Antony, Fernandes, Rashford; Hojlund

Arsenal welcome Manchester United to the Emirats in a derby match of the fourth round. The Gunners have started the new season with mixed feelings. Everybody in and around the club feel a big dose of frustration after the last season's failure. Some of the fans are realistic, they know Manchester City are class above the other. But large number of supporters believe a golden opportunity was dropped. However, Arteta's men are good again, they have recorded two wins and one draw in the first three rounds. The Gunners beat 2:1 Nottingham Forest and 1:0 Crystal Palace. Eddie Nketiah and Bukayo Saka were scorers in the opening match, while Martin Odegaard converted a penalty against the Eagles. But those two victories were followed by a home draw with 10-man Fulham last weekend. Arsenal turned-out an one-goal deficit thanks to Saka and Nketiah, but dropped two points in the finish of the match. Arteta has some good news ahead of the derby as left-back Takehiro Tomiyasu is back from an one-match suspension, while Oleksandr Zinchenko has recovered from a calf issue. Jurrien Timber and Mohamed Elneny remain long-term injury victims. In addition, Nketiah had suffered a knock against Fulham and he is rated as doubtful. Folarin Balogun left the club and signed for Monaco.

Manchester United have two victories and one defeat after the opening three rounds of the new season. The Red Devils first beat 1:0 Wolverhampton thanks to Raphael Varane, but then lost 2:0 to Tottenham in London. It is clear the away form isn't at desired level - United have just three wins from their last 11 Premier League games as guests, scoring just once in their last four matches on road. However, Ten Hag's men produced an eventful game last weekend at Old Trafford. Nottingham Forest scored twice in the opening four minutes and shocked the fans. Christian Eriksen reduced the deficit in the 17th minute, before Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes completed a big turnaround in the second half. But one think is clear, United must improve the defense. It won't be easy as some of the key defenders are struggling with injury - Raphael Varane came off during the break against Nottingham and will be out for few weeks. Luke Shaw, Tyrell Malacia, Mason Mount, Kobbie Mainoo, Amad Diallo and Tom Heaton will also miss the derby, while Rasmus Hojlund is rated as doubtful due to a back problem. It was busy on the transfer deadline day at Manchester United. Sofyan Amrabat arrived on a season-long loan, with an option to make the deal permanent. Sergio Reguilon also signed on a temporary deal until the end of the 2023/24 campaign, and Jonny Evans has returned on a short-term deal. Mason Greenwood left the club and joined Getafe on loan.

Arsenal vs Manchester United Prediction:

Arsenal will play in the Champions League for the first time since 2017 and this fact should be respected. The Gunners have qualified for the elite European competition after a remarkable season in which they finished second. Now the biggest question is if they are able to repeat the season. The answer is not easy, but I think they are able to win the derby. The Red Devils came back from two-goal deficit against Nottingham, but Arsenal are different story. Manchester United have already lost one derby this season when visited Tottenham. Last season was poor too, the fans are still remembering the humiliation at Anfield. I expect Arsenal to take advantage from United poor away derby-form.

Arsenal vs Manchester United Pick: Arsenal to win @ 1.81 with Pinnacle

 

[spkutano]

Luton Town vs West Ham United Pick: Away win @ 1.83 with Pinnacle

1-2

 

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Chelsea vs Nottingham Pick: Chelsea -1.5 AH @ 2.13 with Pinnacle

0-1

 

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Liverpool vs Aston Villa Pick: Aston Villa +0.5 AH @ 2.30 with Pinnacle

3-0

 

[spkutano]

Arsenal vs Manchester United Pick: Arsenal to win @ 1.81 with Pinnacle

3-1

 

[vidmaneric]

3-1

Arsenal have shown what they are worth in recent games! I'm finally starting to earn something with them.

 

[spkutano]

Yes, they were excellent, pushing all the time. Maybe they will challenge Man City this season?