The highlight games for this weekend’s EPL matches are MANCHESTER UNITED versus EVERTON and LIVERPOOL versus MAN CITY. Our feature columnist, John Newsome, previews these and all game week 13 matches with his unique and insightful commentary. You can view all previous analysis from John’s regular column here: English Premier League Predictions For Saturday.
Please note all prices quoted below were correct at the time of publication.
Game Week-13
Friday 29th
BRIGHTON v SOUTHAMPTON
20.00 in England
Sky Sports
Friday Night Football.
Brighton are once again facing a fellow South Coast team, this time Southampton after last week’s visit to the Vitality to face Bournemouth.
Brighton and Southampton are around 65 miles apart so not far for the Saints faithful to travel, although, as of last week, it’s a bit too far to walk.
Brighton came away from the Vitality with a victory over Bournemouth by a 2-1 scoreline.
Joao Pedro and Kaoru Mitoma with the Seagull goals.
The Cherries did score a late consolation goal.
The brilliant win by Fabian Hurzeler’s
Men leaves Brighton in 5th place with the same 22 points as Arsenal and Chelsea.
It was mentioned last week that Joao Pedro, who has only just turned 23, has the world at his feet, so keep an eye on the Brazilian.
Southampton put in a good performance against Liverpool at St Mary’s on Sunday, however, ultimately it was another defeat for Russell Martin’s Saints who suffered the loss against Arne’s Slot Machines by a 3-2 scoreline.
After conceding a goal, Southampton were awarded a penalty, which Adam Armstrong took and although his initial shot was saved, Adam tucked away the rebound to make the score level at the interval.
Mateus Fernandes added a 2nd just before the hour mark to give Southampton a lead but unfortunately for the watching Saints faithful, the lead didn’t last long, with Liverpool scoring twice to come away from St Mary’s with all 3 points.
The defeat leaves Southampton at the foot of the table with 4 points from the opening 12 games.
The benchmark for survival is usually around 35-40 points, which means Southampton need at least another 31 points from the remaining 26 fixtures.
Although 26 games can reap 78 points, it is unlikely that Southampton will win all 26 and it’s more than likely that the Saints will suffer defeats in at least 20 of those (at least).
With that in mind, even if Russell’s team win 6 out of the 26, that would only give Southampton a total of 22 points, (18 plus the 4 already gained) which isn’t going to be enough.
What this basically means is Southampton will be relegated and playing back in the Championship next term.
It was May 2023, the penultimate game of the 2022/23 campaign, when Ruben Selles last took his Southampton team across to the Amex to face Roberto De Zerbi’s Seagulls.
Brighton gained the home victory over Southampton by a 3-1 scoreline.
Evan Ferguson scored twice with Pascal Gross adding a 3rd.
Mohamed Elyounoussi scored for the Saints when the score was 2-0.
Southampton had already been confirmed as relegated by that point and eventually finished at the bottom of the table with 25 points.
Brighton finished in 6th place with 62 points.
This season’s finishing position for each team, won’t be too different.
Betfred offer Brighton at Odds On 4/9, the Draw at 4/1 and 6/1 for Southampton to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 13/2 that Joao Pedro Scores First and 13/8 that Brighton Win To Nil.
(If your pre-match First Goalscorer bet scores First and then scores a Second, Betfred DOUBLE the odds.
If they score a Third, Betfred TREBLE the odds.)
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Saturday 30th
BRENTFORD v LEICESTER
15.00 in England
Brentford played in a (not) very entertaining game against Everton at Goodison Park on Saturday.
After Christian Norgaard was shown a straight Red Card just before the half-time break, the Bees had to play all of the 2nd-half with a man less than the Toffees so basically it was a ‘backs against the wall’ display to gain a point from a draw by a 0-0 score.
The Stockley Park Crew got involved just before the break after the challenge between Christian and Jordan Pickford.
The dreaded VAR advised the on-field referee Chris Kavanagh to go over to the monitor and check the altercation.
As everyone now knows, once this occurs, the original decision is usually changed, as with the case in this instance when Chris decided that despite not initially showing a Yellow card to Christian, deeming the challenge was 50/50, it was now a Red Card and sent the Bees Captain off.
The Stockley Park boys and girls then went back to watching the Snooker.
Brentford sit in 11th place with 17 points from the initial 12 games completed.
Leicester will feel that the luck was against them last Saturday against Chelsea at the King Power Stadium.
After conceding 2 goals, it appeared that the ex-Fox Wesley Fofana had upended Stephy Mavididi in the area but the on-field referee Andy Madley waved play on and the dreaded VAR refused to get involved.
Rumours that the Stockley Park Crew had switched over to the Snooker, were fiercely denied.
Leicester were eventually awarded a penalty in the 94th minute which was converted by Jordan Ayew, however, time ran out and ultimately, the Foxes suffered another defeat, this time against the Blues (wearing White) by a 2-1 scoreline.
That was the 3rd defeat in 4 with the other being a draw.
One point from a possible 12 is simply not good enough.
The late strike was Jordan’s 3rd goal of the season with all of them coming after 90 minutes were up on the clock.
Leicester stay in 16th place with 10 points from the 12 games played.
************BREAKING NEWS*************
It was announced on Sunday Afternoon that Leicester had sacked Steve Cooper after 5 months at the King Power.
From watching the game on Saturday, it did appear that the players were unsure as to what was expected of them from Mr Cooper.
The Defenders were way too deep, the Midfield weren’t close enough to the Defence and poor old Jamie Vardy, the sole Striker was expected to chase the hoofed ball up front against 4 Chelsea players at the back.
So it’s not a surprise that Steve has gone and maybe a certain Ruud Van Nistelrooy is heading to the East Midlands.
The Leicester hierarchy wouldn’t go far wrong giving Ruud a shot at the Managers’ job.
Both teams shared the points from a draw by a 1-1 score, when the Bees last hosted the Foxes back in March 2023.
Mathias Jensen with the Brentford goal in the 1st-half, which was equalised by Harvey Barnes just after the restart.
Leicester went on to finish in 18th place and relegated back to the Championship, with Brentford finishing in the lofty position of 9th.
Beware of the New Manager Bounce!
Betfred offer Brentford at slight Odds On 4/6, the Draw at 16/5 and 4/1 for Leicester to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 5/1 that Bryan Mbeumo Scores First and 5/2 that Jamie Vardy Scores Anytime.
(If your pre-match First Goalscorer bet scores First and then scores a Second, Betfred DOUBLE the odds.
If they score a Third, Betfred TREBLE the odds.)
Home Win 2-1- Get 7/1 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
CRYSTAL PALACE v NEWCASTLE
15.00 in England
Crystal Palace gained a creditable point from a draw by a 2-2 score against Aston Villa at Villa Park on Saturday.
Ismaila Sarr scored the opener after 4 minutes, with the Young Eagle Justin Devenny scoring the 2nd on the stroke of half-time.
That didn’t tell the full story of the 1st-half, with Villa scoring to equalise Ismaila’s goal and then having the opportunity to go in front when awarded a penalty.
Luckily for the away team, Villa missed the penalty so Palace eventually led at the interval.
Palace did concede a 2nd and with no further goals, both teams shared the points.
Crystal Palace remain in the relegation zone, sitting in 19th place with 8 points from the initial 12 games.
Although still in the relegation places, Palace have improved over the last couple of fixtures so Oliver’s Army of Eagles should be a little more positive for the future.
Newcastle weren’t at the races on Monday Night Football, with West Ham getting a surprise away win at St James Park.
The Hammers scored in the 1st-half to lead at the break and then scored a 2nd soon after the restart.
With no further goals and West Ham in complete control with Newcastle looking void of ideas, the away team gained the victory by a 2-0 score.
The loss leaves Eddie’s Magpies in 10th place with the same 18 points as Fulham from the opening 12 games completed.
A Jean-Philippe Mateta double, both scored in the 2nd-half, gave the Eagles a victory over the Magpies by a 2-0 score, in the Battle of the Birds, when these two teams met at Selhurst Park last season.
Betfred offer Crystal Palace at 7/4, the Draw at 9/4 and 11/8 for Newcastle to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 8/5 that Jean-Philippe Mateta Scores Anytime and 4/1 that Alexander Isak Scores First.
(If your pre-match First Goalscorer bet scores First and then scores a Second, Betfred DOUBLE the odds.
If they score a Third, Betfred TREBLE the odds.)
Draw 1-1- Get 6/1 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
NOTTINGHAM FOREST v IPSWICH
15.00 in England
Nottingham Forest have lost 2 on the bounce now, following Saturday’s trip to the Emirates.
Nuno Espírito Santo had to start the game with the leading scorer Chris Wood sitting on the bench following a long trip over to New Zealand to play for his home team against Vanuatu and Samoa.
Chris did score twice in the victory against Vanuatu with the New Zealanders scoring 8 goals in an 8-1 score.
Mr Wood then scored a hat-trick in the victory over Samoa, with New Zealand also scoring another 8 goals in the victory over the Samoans by an 8-0 scoreline.
It was then the long flight back to the East Midlands Airport which resulted in the lad being named as a substitute against Arsenal.
The defeat against Arsenal by a 3-0 scoreline, leaves Nuno’s Tricky Trees in 7th place with the same 19 points as Tottenham and Aston Villa, all having completed 12 games.
Ipswich gained a point from a draw by a 1-1 score against Manchester United at Portman Rd on Sunday.
Omari Hutchinson with the superb equaliser just before the break, after United had scored the opener in the 2nd minute.
With no further goals in the 2nd-half, Kieran McKenna gained a draw against his old club and the New Gaffer Ruben Amorim.
Ipswich did play well and could consider themselves unlucky as a couple of good chances were saved by Andre Onana that on another day, could have produced a goal or two more for the home team.
That was the Tractor Boys 6th drawn game of the season (added to the 1 win) leaving Ipswich in 18th place with 9 points from the opening 12 games completed.
It was December 1st, 2018, almost 6 years ago to the day, that Nottingham Forest last hosted Ipswich at the City Ground.
That was a Championship affair, with Aitor Karanka’s Tricky Trees gaining the home victory over Paul Lambert’s Tractor Boys by a 2-0 scoreline.
Lewis Grabban with both goals scored in the 1st-half.
Betfred offer Nottingham Forest at slight Odds On 7/10, the Draw at 3/1 and 4/1 for Ipswich to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 9/2 that Chris Wood Scores First and 7/2 that Nottingham Forest Win Both Halves.
(If your pre-match First Goalscorer bet scores First and then scores a Second, Betfred DOUBLE the odds.
If they score a Third, Betfred TREBLE the odds.)
Home Win 2-1- Get 7/1 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
WOLVES v BOURNEMOUTH
15.00 in England
The Gary O’Neil Derby.
It could be argued that Wolves gained the 2nd best result of the weekend following the brilliant victory over Fulham at Craven Cottage.
(Tottenham’s victory over Man City at the Etihad has to be considered the best!)
Despite conceding a Fulham goal after 20 minutes, an inspired Matheus Cunha performance helped the away team get the win by a 4-1 scoreline, with Matheus scoring twice plus goals from Joao Gomes and Goncalo Guedes giving Gary O’Neil’s Gold and Blacks back to back wins.
Wolves jump up to 17th place with the same 9 points as Ipswich from the opening 12 games so far.
Bournemouth suffered a narrow defeat against the South Coast rivals Brighton at the Vitality on Saturday.
Despite the away team having a man sent off, the Cherries conceded twice before David Brooks scored a late consolation that halved the deficit but ultimately, was a loss for Bournemouth by a 2-1 score.
Andoni Iraola’s Men have now lost the last 2 games, leaving Bournemouth in 13th place with the same 15 points as West Ham from the initial 12 fixtures played.
Bournemouth gained the away day victory over Wolves in last season’s encounter between the two at Molineux.
A single Antoine Semenyo goal scored just before half-time, gave Andoni’s Cherries the points from Gary’s Gold and Blacks by a 1-0 scoreline.
Betfred offer Wolves at 9/5, the Draw at 11/4 and 7/5 for Bournemouth to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 5/1 that Matheus Cunha Scores First and 8/5 that Justin Kluivert Scores Anytime.
(If your pre-match First Goalscorer bet scores First and then scores a Second, Betfred DOUBLE the odds.
If they score a Third, Betfred TREBLE the odds.)
Home Win 2-1- Get 17/2 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
***Premier League Team of the Week***
GOALKEEPER- Guglielmo Vicario- Tottenham
RIGHT-BACK- Aaron Wan-Bissaka- West Ham
CENTRE-BACK- Ben Davies- Tottenham
CENTRE-BACK- Max Kilman- West Ham
LEFT-BACK- Leif Davis- Ipswich
MIDFIELDER- Omari Hutchinson- Ipswich
MIDFIELDER- Dejan Kulusevski- Tottenham
MIDFIELDER- James Maddison- Tottenham
FORWARD- Matheus Cunha- Wolves
FORWARD- Nicolas Jackson- Chelsea
FORWARD- Mo Salah- Liverpool
STAR MAN- Mo Salah- Liverpool
***Last Week’s Winning Tips-
Chelsea To Win- 1/2
Arsenal To Win- 3/10
Everton v Brentford To Draw- 23/10
Liverpool To Win- 2/7
Correct Scores-
Correct Tips-
Chelsea To Score in Both Halves- 21/20
Aston Villa To Score in Both Halves- 13/10
Matheus Cunha To Score Anytime- 11/4
Man City v Tottenham Over 3.5 Goals- 10/11
WEST HAM v ARSENAL
17.30 in England
Sky Sports
West Ham gained a great, if somewhat surprising victory over Newcastle at St James Park on Monday Night Football.
Tomas Soucek scored the opener, heading home an Emerson corner to give the Hammers a narrow advantage at the break.
When it appeared that the home team would come out stronger in the 2nd-half, Aaron Wan-Bissaka scored in the 53rd minute to double West Ham’s lead.
The Hammers were in complete control from then on and despite not adding to the goals, held on for a much-needed win to alleviate the pressure on Julen Lopetegui.
West Ham sit in 14th place with the same 15 points as Bournemouth, both having completed 12 fixtures.
Arsenal closed the gap with Man City to 1 point after Saturday’s victory over Nottingham Forest at the Emirates.
Bukayo Saka, Thomas Partey and Ethan Nwaneri with the Gunners goals to give Mikel Arteta’s team the win from a 3-0 scoreline.
After watching Chelsea gain the victory over Leicester earlier in the day, it was imperative that Arsenal won also to keep the Premier League challenge going.
The day then got better for the Gunners after their North London rivals Tottenham inflicted a devastating defeat on Man City allowing Chelsea, Arsenal and Brighton to reduce the deficit between themselves and City to just a point in the race to challenge Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table.
Unfortunately, for all of the chasing pack, Arne’s Slot Machines gained the victory over Southampton on Sunday, meaning Liverpool have a massive 8 points lead over Pep’s Low Flying Blues and a 9-point advantage over Enzo’s Blues, Mikel’s Young Guns and Fab’s Seagulls.
Arsenal sit in 4th place with the same 22 points as Chelsea and Brighton.
Arsenal head to Portugal on Tuesday to take on Sporting in the Champions League-League Phase.
If one remembers this fixture last season, the Gunners gained a devastating victory over the Hammers by a 6-0 away day score.
It was 4-0 at half-time, with William Saliba, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel and Leandro Trossard getting the 1st-half goals.
Bukayo and the ex-Bubble Declan Rice added 5 and 6 after the break, with the only surprise being that after Declan scored in the 65th minute, there were no further goals in the half-an-hour or so that followed.
It wouldn’t be too much of a shock if the same happened today.
Betfred offer West Ham at 11/2, the Draw at 18/5 and Odds On 1/2 for Arsenal to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 4/1 that Bukayo Saka Scores First and 6/4 that Arsenal Win To Nil.
(If your pre-match First Goalscorer bet scores First and then scores a Second, Betfred DOUBLE the odds.
If they score a Third, Betfred TREBLE the odds.)
Away Win 0-3- Get 10/1 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
Sunday 01st
MANCHESTER UNITED v EVERTON
13.30 in England
Note the start time, this is half an hour earlier than the usual Sunday Afternoon Football.
The era at Manchester United under the New Gaffer Ruben Amorim got off to a great start against Ipswich at Portman Rd on Sunday when Marcus Rashford scored the opener in the 2nd-minute.
Unfortunately, for the Red Devil faithful, the start was like a cork being popped from a Bottle of a None Alcoholic Beverage, where the fizz starts well but goes flat after the first glass.
It was apparent that Ruben’s methods were on display, however, it will take some time to fully see ‘United play the Amorim Way!’
John Newsome did comment that Manchester United looked better under Ruud Van Nistelrooy, however, it was correctly pointed out by the Manchester Ball Thrower, that 2 of Ruud’s 4 fixtures, whilst the Interim Boss, were against Leicester.
After Marcus had scored, the display was sort of acceptable and Ruben’s method of a 3/4/3 formation was evident, however, like Mike Tyson once said,
‘Everyone has a plan until one gets punched in the face!’
United’s punch in the face was just before half-time when a speculative shot from an Ipswich player took a deflection off Noussair Mazraoui and ended up in the back of the net.
Ouch!
In truth, Ipswich were the better team and if not for a couple of great saves from Andre Onana, Ruben’s opener could easily have been a defeat.
Although Erik Ten Hag wasn’t the answer for United, ETH was unfortunate not to have Luke Shaw available.
Luke made an appearance at Portman Rd, getting the last 35 minutes, which, if the lad stays fit, will be a huge boost for Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United and for that matter, Thomas Tuchel’s England.
Luke Shaw is the perfect fit for the role that a Left-Back needs to play under the New Gaffers formation.
Watch out for the ex-Coventry Striker Viktor Gyokeres coming in from Ruben’s old club Sporting!
Viktor has a £65 Million release clause in his Sporting contract.
Man City are supposedly also in the running for the Swedish Striker, especially with the current Sporting Director of Football Hugo Viana, heading to the Etihad in the Summer.
Watch this space!
As mentioned, it will take time for Mr Amorim to put his mark on this United team and if the lad gets some New Signings in January and next Summer, the Red Devil faithful should be excited about the future.
That said, the faithful were excited about the future when David Moyes, Louis Van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Ralph Rangnick and Erik Ten Hag turned up at Old Trafford after Sir Alex left.
United sit in 12th place with 16 points from the opening 12 fixtures.
Manchester United take on Bodo/Glimt on Thursday in the Europa League-League Phase.
Bodo/Glimt are a Norwegian Football Club, not a character from the Lord of the Rings franchise.
Everton played out a goalless draw against Brentford at Goodison Park on Saturday.
Probably the only excitement of the game came when Jordan Pickford was involved in a challenge with Christian Norgaard that eventually saw the dreaded VAR get involved and the Bees end up with 10 Men for all of the 2nd-half.
Unfortunately for the watching Toffees in attendance, Everton couldn’t take advantage of having the extra man, with both eventually sharing the points from a draw by a 0-0 score.
It was Erik Ten Hag’s men that gained the victory over Sean Dyche’s Toffees in last season’s fixture between the two teams at Old Trafford.
Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford with the 1st-half goals to give United the win from a 2-0 scoreline.
What was an anomaly about the goals was both were penalties, however, despite Bruno scoring the first one, the Captain decided to let Marcus take the 2nd.
Nice one Skip!
Betfred offer Manchester United at Odds On 8/15, the Draw at 100/30 and 11/2 for Everton to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 11/2 that Alejandro Garnacho Scores First and 6/4 that Manchester United Win To Nil.
(If your pre-match First Goalscorer bet scores First and then scores a Second, Betfred DOUBLE the odds.
If they score a Third, Betfred TREBLE the odds.)
Home Win 2-0- Get 13/2 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
TOTTENHAM v FULHAM
13.30 in England
Once again, note the start time of 13.30 in England, not the usual 14.00 kickoff.
Tottenham smashed Man City in the late Saturday Afternoon Football at the Etihad.
Two goals from the Birthday Boy James Maddison gave Ange’s Spurs a lead at the interval and although it was assumed City would come out stronger in the 2nd-half, it was Tottenham that scored a further 2 goals, from Pedro Porro and Brennan Johnson, giving the away team a victory by a devastating 4-0 score.
As mentioned, it was James’s Birthday, with the lad being 28 on Saturday and after being dropped to the bench for a few games, was brought back into the starting lineup and didn’t disappoint putting in a Man of the Match display as well as scoring the 2 goals.
Mr Maddison will be wanting to get back into the England Squad and did his chances no harm on Saturday with Thomas Tuchel watching on his 55-inch from his 3-Bedroom Semi in Munich.
Ange’s Spurs move up to 6th place with the same 19 points as Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa, all having completed 12 games.
Tottenham host AS Roma on Thursday in Match-Day-5 of the Europa League-League Phase.
Fulham were on a 3-game unbeaten run, following a draw and 2 victories, before the home fixture against Wolves on Saturday.
Despite Alex Iwobi scoring the first goal, the away team then scored 4 times to inflict the defeat on the Cottagers by a 4-1 scoreline.
It’s back to the drawing board for Marco Silva, who will want a better performance against their London rivals.
Fulham sit in 9th place with the same 18 points as Newcastle from the opening 12 games completed.
Tottenham gained the home victory over Fulham in last year’s game at the Chas and Dave Memorial Stadium.
Son Heung-Min and James Maddison scored the Spurs goals, one in each half, to give the home team the win from a 2-0 score.
Betfred offer Tottenham at slight Odds On 4/6, the Draw at 100/30 and 4/1 for Fulham to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 7/1 that Brennan Johnson Scores First and 11/4 that there are Over 4.5 Goals.
(If your pre-match First Goalscorer bet scores First and then scores a Second, Betfred DOUBLE the odds.
If they score a Third, Betfred TREBLE the odds.)
Home Win 4-1- Get 18/1 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
CHELSEA v ASTON VILLA
13.30 in England
Sky Sports
The usual Sky Sports Sunday Afternoon Slots of 14.00 and 16.30 have been brought forward by half an hour, probably due to Policing Issues.
Chelsea outplayed Leicester at the King Power Stadium on Saturday, despite the narrow scoreline of 2-1 in favour of the Blues.
Nicolas Jackson and Enzo Fernandez with a goal in each half to give Chelsea all 3 points.
Leicester did win a penalty late on that was converted but in truth, it would have been a travesty if Chelsea had come away without a victory.
It was evident from watching the game that Steve Cooper had sent his Foxes out to just kick the Chelsea players all over, however, Mr Cooper should have instructed his boys to kick the ball more.
(That’s probably one of the reasons Stevie Boy is at the Leicester Job Centre today!)
Chelsea sit in 3rd place with the same 22 points as Arsenal and Brighton, above the other two on goal difference.
Aston Villa stopped the losing streak on Saturday and gained a point from a draw by
a 2-2 score against Crystal Palace at Villa Park.
There had been a loss in the Carabao Cup (coincidentally against Palace), a loss in the Champions League (against Club Brugge) and 2 defeats in the Premier League (Tottenham and Liverpool) so to stop the rot should be seen as a positive.
Prior to those defeats, there was another draw (against Bournemouth) which means that Unai’s Claret and Blues are Winless in 6 games now.
Ollie Watkins and Ross Barkley scored the goals against Palace, one in each half, however, what will have irked all connected with the Villains is Youri Tielemans missed a penalty on the stroke of half-time after Ollie had levelled the score.
What compounded the missed spot-kick was Palace went up the pitch and scored a 2nd to take the lead at the interval.
Aston Villa sit in 8th place with the same 19 points as Nottingham Forest and Tottenham.
Both play in the midweek European Competitions with Chelsea heading to Germany on Thursday to take on Heidenheim in the Europa Conference League-League Phase.
Aston Villa stay in Birmingham and face Juventus on Wednesday in the Champions League-League Phase.
Could the travelling for the Blues and the extra days rest for Villa have a bearing on today’s game?
It was September 2023 when Unai Emery’s Claret and Blues last took on Mauricio Pochettino’s Blues at Stamford Bridge in a Premier League fixture.
Ollie Watkins scored the only goal of the game, midway through the 2nd-half, to give Villa the away day victory by a 1-0 scoreline.
Betfred offer Chelsea at slight Odds On 4/5, the Draw at 16/5 and 3/1 for Aston Villa to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 9/2 that Cole Palmer Scores First and 15/8 that Ollie Watkins Scores Anytime.
(If your pre-match First Goalscorer bet scores First and then scores a Second, Betfred DOUBLE the odds.
If they score a Third, Betfred TREBLE the odds.)
Home Win 2-1- Get 7/1 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
LIVERPOOL v MAN CITY
16.00 in England
Sky Sports
What a great fixture to round off Game Week-13, with the Top Two in the Premier League going head to head, with neither wanting to be the ‘unlucky loser!’
It’s more than likely that the Police have requested the game kicks off half an hour before the usual Sky Sports Sunday Afternoon Football slot.
Liverpool gained a victory over Southampton on Sunday, which most will think,
‘Yes, that was a given!’
However, Arne’s Slot Machines were made to work hard for the win with Southampton not only equalising Dominik Szoboszlai’s opening goal but then taking the lead early in the 2nd-half.
Caoimhin Kelleher did save a penalty but the rebound went straight back to the Saints spot-kick taker who slotted home to equalise.
After conceding a 2nd, Mo Salah decided to come to the party and scored twice to help Liverpool snatch a victory from the jaws of defeat by a narrow 3-2 scoreline.
After all of Chelsea, Arsenal and Brighton had closed the gap between themselves and Liverpool to 6 points, added to Man City suffering a defeat, meaning a 5-point difference between 1st and 2nd, it was imperative that Arne’s Reds won.
The victory leaves Liverpool at the summit with 31 points, now 8 points ahead of Man City and 9 more than Chelsea, Arsenal and Brighton.
Both play in the midweek Champions League-League Phase with Liverpool hosting Real Madrid at Anfield on Wednesday and Man City entertaining Feyenoord at the Etihad the day before.
What has happened to Man City?
Following 4 straight defeats before the International Break, in games away from the Etihad, it was assumed that a rest and the return to Manchester would see an improvement in results for Pep’s Low Flying Blues.
Pep Guardiola signed a 2-year extension to his contract before the fixture against Tottenham, so everything seemed fine going into the game against Ange’s Spurs, however, the team just didn’t perform.
There are obvious problems with City’s Defence who are leaking goals all over the place.
The Barnsley Beckenbauer John Stones came into the Back Line against Tottenham but only lasted 45 minutes and just looked out of sorts.
Maybe John wasn’t fully fit.
There is the problem of Rodri not playing, however, in truth, this is becoming a bit boring and an easy excuse.
Rodri is a Class player, the current Ballon d’Or owner but isn’t available, hasn’t been available for a while and won’t be available for quite some time.
This is well known so now the problem needs to be resolved and Pep Guardiola needs to come up with an alternative.
Whilst everyone knows what Rodri brings to the City party, an alternative player can still do the basics of the game, covering the Defenders, chasing back, holding a Central Midfield position, passing quicker and moving quicker, these are just the standard things in a game of football.
So it’s too easy to say,
‘City are missing Roadie Rodri!’
Yes they are but the rest of the team need to up their game.
Ilkay Gundogan looks a shadow of the player he was before he went to Barcelona.
It now looks like Ilkay’s rubbish twin brother has returned to the Etihad.
At times Rico Lewis looks like a headless chicken, fit as anything and runs all day but doesn’t seem to know where to run and who to cover.
Kyle Walker is slowly showing his age and now resembles a nice Pie, that’s been in the fridge a while, one that looks appealing but has a limited shelf life and is now getting past the Pie’s ‘sell-by date!’
Kyle is 34, Ilkay is 34, Kevin De Bruyne is 33, John Stones is 30, Bernardo Silva is 30 and Manuel Akanji and Nathan Ake are both 29.
These are all excellent players and all deserve respect for what they have achieved, however, Father Time catches up on everyone.
If one were to ask how old Jack Grealish is, would one reply 29?
A lot assume JG is a youth, around the same age as Phil Foden (24), however, Jack is 29.
Whilst no one is suggesting that 29 is old, it’s definitely closer to 30 than 20.
John Newsome is in no way trying to tell Pep Guardiola how to Manage his Club, however, from the outside looking in, the problems are not that surprising.
As with most games of football, John is constantly texting his Old Mate over in Manchester who occasionally Throws Sticks.
The lad thinks this EveryTip contributor is now a Man City fan or a Blue Nose.
He’s not!
When the texts are bouncing off the ‘statellite’ as Del Boy would say, it’s been mentioned a few times that Savinho and Matheus Nunes are not good enough at the moment.
It’s hard to see what Savinho brings to City.
Granted the Brazilian is only 20 and will probably come good under Mr Guardiola, however, Pep needs the best players now not in a couple of year’s time.
Having said all of the above, what may be the simple truth, is it just isn’t going to be Man City’s year.
Sir Alex Ferguson had to reinvent his Manchester United team on a few occasions, making tough decisions and getting rid of players who were past their best.
Following Liverpool’s win over Southampton, there are now 8 points between Pep’s Blues and Arne’s Reds which basically means City have to gain 3 victories more than Liverpool, if Pep wants his team to get another title.
That’s not to say it won’t happen but on the current state of affairs, one cannot see Liverpool losing 3 games over the remainder of the season.
Liverpool just look stronger in all departments, even if for example Mo Salah gets injured, there’s Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz, Coady Gakpo and Diogo Jota to come in.
Man City haven’t got any players of the quality of those 4.
Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister, Curtis Jones and Ryan Gravenberch are all better than City’s counterparts.
Plus not forgetting Harvey Elliott and Wataru Endo.
Liverpool’s Defense is now way, way better than Man City’s.
Compare Rico Lewis and Kyle Walker to Trent Alexander-Arnold and Conor Bradley.
Ruben Dias, John Stones, Nathan Ake, Manuel Akanji and Josko Gvardiol are all good players but Liverpool have Ibrahima Konate, Joe Gomez, Andy Robertson, Konstantinos Tsimikas and of course the best of them all, Virgil Van Dijk.
The City youngster Jahmai Simpson-Pusey can be matched up with Jarell Quansah both excellent prospects for the future but for the time being, Pep needs more.
Erling Haaland has to be considered as the best ‘goal scorer’ out of both teams based on ‘goals scored’, however, the Anfield Rappers would take the Egyptian King Mo Salah over the Norwegian/Leeds Lad Erling every day of the week.
All in all, it’s not looking good for Pep’s Low Flying Blues, compared to Arne’s Slot Machines.
It just might mean that it’s another name being engraved onto the Premier League Trophy this season and in John Newsome’s opinion, the engraver should get a head start on proceedings, starting now with the letters ‘LIV…’
Klipperty Klopp’s Reds and Pep’s Blues shared the points from a draw by a 1-1 score, in last season’s encounter between the two at Anfield.
John Stones scored for City in the 1st-half, with Alexis Mac Allister converting a penalty just after the restart and with no further goals, both teams gained a point apiece.
The Manchester Ball Thrower (he’s stopped throwing sticks for Enzo!) always claims that Michael Oliver is a Man City fan and will always side with Peps’ Boys.
Well, Mr Oliver was the referee at Anfield that day in March and awarded Liverpool the 2nd-half penalty, just saying, Ball Thrower!
It’s now Arne Slot’s turn to face Pep Guardiola.
Betfred offer Liverpool at 23/20, the Draw at 11/4 and 11/5 for Man City to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 5/1 that Mo Salah Scores First and 13/8 that Liverpool Score in Both Halves.
(If your pre-match First Goalscorer bet scores First and then scores a Second, Betfred DOUBLE the odds.
If they score a Third, Betfred TREBLE the odds.)
Home Win 4-1- Get 28/1 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
Celtic are now out on their own in the race for the Scottish Premier League, following the Game Week-12 set of fixtures.
Aberdeen suffered their first defeat of the campaign, following the loss against St Mirren (who?), with Celtic being the only team in the Top Five of the Pub League to gain a victory, their 11th of the season, this time against Hearts (who?) late on Saturday Evening.
Rangers remain in 3rd place with 23 points after a draw with Dundee United (who?) on Saturday.
Celtic sit at the summit with 34 points, Aberdeen are 2nd with 31 and Rangers are 3rd with 23, now a massive 11 points adrift of the Glasgow rivals from the Green side of the City.
It’s very exciting North of the Border.
Celtic face Club Brugge on Wednesday in the Champions League-League Phase.
Rangers are up against Nice on Thursday in the Europa League-League Phase, with Hearts facing Cercle Brugge (not to be confused with Club Brugge) in the Europa Conference League-League Phase.
To add to those fixtures, Northern Ireland’s Larne take on the Slovenian side Olympic Ljubljana, the Republic of Ireland representatives Shamrock Rovers face Austria’s SK Rapid and the Welsh Club TNS (The New Saints) are up against Djurgarden from Sweden.
Braveheart/Kylie is spinning around on a World Tour.
All the best Cheryl and Jonny for the Wedding on Sunday.
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