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England Round 8
- Thread starter spkutano
- Start date
Nottingham Forest vs Chelsea Preview:
Possible starting lineups:
Nottingham Forest:
Sels; Savona, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams; Anderson, Dominguez; Ndoye, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Jesus
Chelsea:
Sanchez; Gusto, Fofana, Chalobah, Cucurella; Lavia, Caicedo; Estevao, Buonanotte, Neto; Pedro
Nottingham Forest will welcome Chelsea to City Ground on Saturday lunchtime. The situation in Forest is very complicate at the moment. They were phenomenal last season, fighting for a Champions League spot until the last day. Manager Nuno Espirito Santo did a fantastic job and the fans were satisfied. But owner Evangelos Marinakis decided to sack Nuno early in the season, something nobody was expecting after the last successful season. The Portuguese tactician was handed a new contract this summer. However, he said in August that his relationship with co-owner Marinakis was "not the same" and "not so good as it was last season". Forest have taken four points from their opening three Premier League games and Marinakis decided to replace Nuno with the former Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou. Nevertheless, the Australian tactician is already under big pressure after failing to record a win from any of his opening seven games. He has almost all players available for this match, only the defender Ola Aina is definitely sidelined due to a hamstring injury. In addition, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Douglas Luiz are rated as doubtful.
Chelsea look very good at the moment. In the last round they beat the reigning champions Liverpool at Stamford Bridge. It was a valuable victory secured during the stoppage time. The Blues have collect 11 points from the opening seven rounds, with a record of three victories, two draws and two defeats. Maresca's players beat West Ham, Fulham and Liverpool, shared the points with Crystal Palace and Brentford, but lost Manchester United and Brighton. In the meantime, Chelsea lost 3:1 to Bayern Munich and won 1:0 against Benfica in the Champions League. Maresca now has to prove the inconsistency is no more a Chelsea trademark. But he has big injury and suspension worries ahead of this match. Marseca himself will sit out the fixture through suspension following his red card against Liverpool. Liam Delap, Dario Essug, Levi Colwill and Mykhaylo Mudryk are definitely sidelined, while six more are rated as doubtful - Enzo Fernandez, Cole Palmer, Andrey Santos, Reece James, Wesley Fofana and Tosin Adarabioyo. It is clear that many decisions depend from the medical department.
Nottingham Forest vs Chelsea Prediction:
I expect Chelsea to win here. There are two reasons for my pick. First is connect with the hosts. Nottingham are in big crisis. They replaced Nuno with Postecoglou, but the results remain poor. The owner Marinakis is considering another change and Postecoglou is under heavy pressure. On contrary, Chelsea are in good form. The players confidence is high following the victories over Benfica and Liverpool. I think the Blues would take advantage from Nottingham's issues.
Nottingham Forest vs Chelsea Pick: Chelsea to win @ 1.95 with Pinnacle
Fulham vs Arsenal Preview:
Possible starting lineups:
Fulham:
Leno; Diop, Bassey, Andersen; Castagne, Berge, Cairney, Sessegnon; Wilson, Iwobi; King
Arsenal:
Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Eze, Zubimendi, Rice; Saka, Gyokeres, Trossard
Arsenal will try to continue the winning series when they visit Craven Cottage to face Fulham on Saturday evening. The leaders are huge favorites, though Fulham should not be underestimated. Marco Silva's men played two identical draws in the first two rounds of the new season. The draw with Brighton at Amex and the draw with Manchester United at Craven Cottage were good results. Since then Fulham played five matches without draw. The Cottagers won both home fixtures against Leeds and Brentford, but lost everything away, suffering defeats to Chelsea, Aston Villa and Bournemouth. Fulham now sit on the 14th place on the table and the next period will be crucial to determine their ambitions. At the moment they are four points away from the drop zone, but also four points from the top six. Marco Silva has lot of issues ahead of this match. Sasa Lukic suffered a groin injury against Bournemouth, and will be sidelined for between four and six weeks. To be worse, Samuel Chukwueze sustained a reported injury playing for Nigeria, while Raul Jimenez is rated as doubtful with a hip injury. Kenny Tete and Rodrigo Muniz are definitely sidelined.
Arsenal are leaders on the table with 16 points. The Gunners have five victories, one draw and one narrow defeat after the opening seven rounds. They managed to beat West Ham, Newcastle, Manchester United, Leeds United and Nottingham Forest, while lost to Liverpool at Anfield and shared the points with Manchester City. The Gunners are excellent in Europe, too. They beat Athletic Bilbao and Olympiakos in the opening two rounds of the Champions League. The players confidence is high, so they will go for a victory against Fulham. The strong defense is the base for success, Arsenal have conceded just three goals in the Premier League. The attack, meanwhile, confuses the opponents - Arsenal have already had a league-high nine different scorers. The only problem for Arteta is the injury situation. Captain Martin Odegaard is now sidelined with the knee issue he suffered against West Ham. Noni Madueke will be out for at least two months due to a knee injury. Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus remain long-term injury victims. Finally, Ben White was unable to train on Thursday and he is rated as doubtful.
Fulham vs Arsenal Prediction:
Arsenal are leaders on the table and they are big favorites in this match. Fulham are yet to lose a match at home, but Arsenal are class above the other opponents. And they are historically successful. The Cottagers have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their last 20 Premier League games against the Gunners. Emile Smith Rowe, Alex Iwobi and Bernd Leno will be particularly motivated to upset their former employees, but I think Arsenal are too strong at the moment. Simply, they can't afford to lose points in match like this if they want the title.
Fulham vs Arsenal Pick: Arsenal to win @ 1.55 with Pinnacle
Liverpool vs Manchester United Preview:
Possible starting lineups:
Liverpool:
Alisson; Szoboszlai, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Jones; Salah, Wirtz, Gakpo; Ekitike
Manchester United:
Lammens; Yoro, De Ligt, Shaw; Dalot, Fernandes, Ugarte, Dorgu; Mbeumo, Mount; Sesko
The rivalry between Manchester United and Liverpool is considered to be one of the biggest in Europe. The clubs are the two most successful teams in England. The Marseysiders have dominated English football from 1975 to 1990, winning 11 league titles and four European Cups. Manchester United, meanwhile, have dominated during Ferguson's era, from 1993. In that period the Red Devils won 13 league championships and two European Cups. The rivalry has extended to the players as well. In the season 2011/12, the rivalry was exacerbated by claims that, in the first match at Anfield, Liverpool striker Luis Suarez racially abused Patrice Evra. After considering the evidence, an FA panel found that Suarez had referred to Evra using the term "negro" seven times. Suarez himself admitted to having done so once, but denied racism. He said that his grandmother was black and the word "negro" is normal in his vocabulary, as well as in his country. However, Suarez was banned for eight games. The last period is more peaceful, with Liverpool establishing a domination. The Reds have lost just one of their last 14 meetings with United. Last season Liverpool won 3:0 at Old Trafford, while the reverse fixture at Anfield ended with a 2:2 draw.
Liverpool started the season with five victories in the Premier League. They didn't play at desired level, but somehow managed to beat Bournemouth, Newcastle, Arsenal, Burnley and Everton. The atmosphere in the squad was excellent, while the players confidence high. Liverpool also beat Atletico Madrid in the Champions League. But then came three defeats, they lost to Crystal Palace and Chelsea in the Premier League, as well as Galatasaray in Europe. Plus, there are some injury issues. First-choice goalkeeper Alisson Becker suffered a groin injury and won't play, while Giovanni Leoni is long-term injury victim. Ibrahima Konate and Ryan Gravenberch should both be ready in time for the derby.
Manchester United didn't start according to the fans expectations, they have taken three wins from their first seven Premier League games this season. To be worse, they lost to League Two side Grimsby Town to exit the Carabao Cup at the second round. Manager Rubin Amorim is under big pressure, but he insisted on his philosophy. So far his position is safe as co-owner Jim Ratcliffe has defied calls to sack the head coach and even suggested he will be evaluated after three years in the job. Lisandro Martinez remain sidelined, while Noussair Mazraoui and Ayden Heaven are both rated as highly doubtful. Most probably they won't play too.
Liverpool vs Manchester United Prediction:
Manchester United could remain unbeaten at Anfield. The key reason for my pick is connect with Liverpool. They are in big crisis, the biggest since Arne Slot took the team. The Dutchman have never lost three in a row. Not at Liverpool, not at Feyenoord. The problem is that he doesn't know how to handle such situation. The fans are also confused, this is a strange situation after their club spent more than 400 millions Eur. Salah is usually efficient against Man United, he was involved in 19 Premier League goals against the Red Devills, more than any other player in history. But he looks like a shadow from last seasons' Salah. Amorim, meanwhile, has a great individuals. Cunha, Sesko and Mbeumo are players that could make a difference in such derby. And don't forget Bruno Fernandes and Mount. I see lot of problems for Liverpool defense.
Liverpool vs Manchester United Pick: Manchester United +0.5 AH @ 2.40 with Pinnacle
Possible starting lineups:
Liverpool:
Alisson; Szoboszlai, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Jones; Salah, Wirtz, Gakpo; Ekitike
Manchester United:
Lammens; Yoro, De Ligt, Shaw; Dalot, Fernandes, Ugarte, Dorgu; Mbeumo, Mount; Sesko
The rivalry between Manchester United and Liverpool is considered to be one of the biggest in Europe. The clubs are the two most successful teams in England. The Marseysiders have dominated English football from 1975 to 1990, winning 11 league titles and four European Cups. Manchester United, meanwhile, have dominated during Ferguson's era, from 1993. In that period the Red Devils won 13 league championships and two European Cups. The rivalry has extended to the players as well. In the season 2011/12, the rivalry was exacerbated by claims that, in the first match at Anfield, Liverpool striker Luis Suarez racially abused Patrice Evra. After considering the evidence, an FA panel found that Suarez had referred to Evra using the term "negro" seven times. Suarez himself admitted to having done so once, but denied racism. He said that his grandmother was black and the word "negro" is normal in his vocabulary, as well as in his country. However, Suarez was banned for eight games. The last period is more peaceful, with Liverpool establishing a domination. The Reds have lost just one of their last 14 meetings with United. Last season Liverpool won 3:0 at Old Trafford, while the reverse fixture at Anfield ended with a 2:2 draw.
Liverpool started the season with five victories in the Premier League. They didn't play at desired level, but somehow managed to beat Bournemouth, Newcastle, Arsenal, Burnley and Everton. The atmosphere in the squad was excellent, while the players confidence high. Liverpool also beat Atletico Madrid in the Champions League. But then came three defeats, they lost to Crystal Palace and Chelsea in the Premier League, as well as Galatasaray in Europe. Plus, there are some injury issues. First-choice goalkeeper Alisson Becker suffered a groin injury and won't play, while Giovanni Leoni is long-term injury victim. Ibrahima Konate and Ryan Gravenberch should both be ready in time for the derby.
Manchester United didn't start according to the fans expectations, they have taken three wins from their first seven Premier League games this season. To be worse, they lost to League Two side Grimsby Town to exit the Carabao Cup at the second round. Manager Rubin Amorim is under big pressure, but he insisted on his philosophy. So far his position is safe as co-owner Jim Ratcliffe has defied calls to sack the head coach and even suggested he will be evaluated after three years in the job. Lisandro Martinez remain sidelined, while Noussair Mazraoui and Ayden Heaven are both rated as highly doubtful. Most probably they won't play too.
Liverpool vs Manchester United Prediction:
Manchester United could remain unbeaten at Anfield. The key reason for my pick is connect with Liverpool. They are in big crisis, the biggest since Arne Slot took the team. The Dutchman have never lost three in a row. Not at Liverpool, not at Feyenoord. The problem is that he doesn't know how to handle such situation. The fans are also confused, this is a strange situation after their club spent more than 400 millions Eur. Salah is usually efficient against Man United, he was involved in 19 Premier League goals against the Red Devills, more than any other player in history. But he looks like a shadow from last seasons' Salah. Amorim, meanwhile, has a great individuals. Cunha, Sesko and Mbeumo are players that could make a difference in such derby. And don't forget Bruno Fernandes and Mount. I see lot of problems for Liverpool defense.
Liverpool vs Manchester United Pick: Manchester United +0.5 AH @ 2.40 with Pinnacle