With leaders Liverpool away in Qatar, there is a chance for second-place Leicester to close the gap at the top. Unfortunately for the Foxes, they run into an in-form Manchester City side that is looking to re-establish itself as the main contenders. Elsewhere, we are picking Spurs to leapfrog Chelsea and Manchester United to score an increasingly rare away win against a lower-table side.
SATURDAY
Everton vs. Arsenal – Local time: 7:30am
Amid the continued tactical progression of English football, there has never been a worse time to have an under-qualified coach. Which is why Everton were smart to resist the temptation to give in to nostalgia and reward former club legend and erstwhile caretaker boss Duncan Ferguson for a couple of decent results with the full-time job. Convincing former Chelsea, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich coach Carlo Ancelotti to come to Goodison Park is a major coup.
Arsenal, also in flux after firing Unai Emery, look certain to take the riskier, but more intriguing, option of appointing Man City number two Mikel Arteta, a former player for both of these clubs. It is questionable, at this point, who has the better raw materials to work with. Arsenal have fallen a long way in a short period of time.
Pick: Everton 2, Arsenal 1
Bournemouth vs. Burnley – Local time: 10am
Bournemouth ended a losing streak in spectacular fashion last time out, with a shock win against Chelsea. Beset by injuries and struggling for form, Eddie Howe has resorted to a safety-first approach that should ensure this encounter with a Burnley side, whose philosophy is safety first, second and third, won’t set pulses racing.
Pick: Bournemouth 1, Burnley 1
Aston Villa vs. Southampton – Local time: 10am
Aston Villa had their fun midweek against an under-strength Liverpool side to qualify for the semi-finals of the League Cup. More unkind pundits noted that none of the Liverpool 11, made up mostly of youth team prospects, were alive last time Villa won anything, but that won’t matter to Dean Smith and his side. The convincing win puts them within touching distance of silverware and will give them a much-needed confidence boost for the relegation dog fight.
Pick: Villa 2, Southampton 0
Brighton vs. Sheffield United – Local time: 10am
Brighton’s talented young coach Graham Potter looks more like the bass player in a nineties indie-rock band than a Premier League coach. His casual, no fuss style – hands shoved in his anorak pockets – is a welcome contrast to the chest-pumping alpha-male touchline displays of some of his peers. It is hard to see the value of such frenetic gesticulating. A more laid-back approach doesn’t seem to have done Potter any harm. Brighton are a significantly improved team under his leadership.
Pick: Brighton 1, Sheff Utd 0
Newcastle vs. Crystal Palace – Local time: 10am
The renaissance of Roy Hodgson since his painful spell as England coach is one of the more heartwarming stories in football. The 72-year-old is among the most well-liked individuals in the game and, while his sides may not be too pretty to watch and elite-level international football certainly proved beyond him, he remains the master at wringing the last drops of talent from a mediocre group of players. Some would argue that this should have made him perfect for England, but it was not to be. At Palace, it’s been a different story.
Pick: Newcastle 0, Palace 0
Norwich vs. Wolves – Local time: 10am
Wolves fell to only their third defeat of the season against Spurs last week in a game that had newly humble Jose Mourinho admitting that his side were lucky.
“They are very, very good. I tell that before the match, and I tell the same after the match,” acknowledged Jose 2.0.
He was right. Chelsea’s recent run of poor results has got rivals smelling blood in the hunt for a top-four spot. Spurs, Manchester United and Arsenal are assumed to be the main contenders, but Wolves should not be dismissed.
Pick: Norwich 0, Wolves 2
Man City vs Leicester – Local time: 11:30am
Swashbuckling Kevin De Bruyne was at his lethal best as Man City swatted aside Arsenal last week. On his best days, the Belgian is streets ahead of anyone in the league. He will face stiffer resistance against unlikely top-four rivals Leicester, but surely this is a game City must and will win if they are to keep some semblance of pressure on leaders Liverpool, who are in Qatar for the FIFA Club World Cup. Leicester may be closer challengers on paper, but it is City who possess the talent to win all their remaining games and who Liverpool surely fear the most.
Pick: City 3, Leicester 1
SUNDAY
Watford vs. Man Utd – Local time: 9am
Unbeaten against the top six and with convincing victories over Spurs, Manchester City and Chelsea under their belts, Manchester United have somehow contrived to lose more points against the teams below them than those above. Lethal on the counterattack, they don’t seem to know what to do when the onus is on them to break down teams that sit deep. The sight of Harry Maguire wafting vague balls towards the tiny sliver of space between Everton’s backline and their goalkeeper on Sunday was symptomatic of the malaise. There is just no craft in this team. All of which makes this a much tougher fixture than it appears on paper, but the law of averages dictates that United must win one of these fixtures, one day.
Pick: Watford 0, Man Utd 1
Spurs vs. Chelsea – Local time: 11:30am
When Jose Mourinho took over at Spurs just five games ago, they were in 14th spot, 12 points behind Chelsea. If they win this game on Sunday, they will overtake their London rivals to move into the Champions League places. Some of the credit for that must go to the surly Portuguese who has injected new confidence into this side. It also must be said that Chelsea have capitulated badly, opening the door for their rivals, who looked dead and buried a month ago.
Pick: Spurs 2, Chelsea 1
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