Squawka
·7 novembre 2024
Squawka
·7 novembre 2024
The Premier League is 10 weeks deep, and there’s a small gap appearing between the best and the rest. Liverpool sit top of the league, two points clear of defending champions Manchester City. But then there’s a gap of four points between Man City and third-place Nottingham Forest.
Both Liverpool and Man City are in action on Saturday, facing Aston Villa and Brighton respectively. Arne Slot will be hoping to become the fourth Premier League manager to win as many as nine of his first 11 games in the competition.
But the marquee match of the weekend closes the Premier League before the final international break of the year. Chelsea host Arsenal in a battle between fourth and fifth. The Gunners will be looking to bounce back from defeat to Newcastle United last weekend, which saw them lose further ground in the early title race.
We’ve looked at all 10 matches from gameweek 11 and offered our predicted scores.
Bournemouth have claimed two big scalps at the Vitality Stadium this season, beating Arsenal and Man City. But away from home they’ve struggled. The Cherries are winless in their last three away league games, since that famous 3-2 comeback against Everton at Goodison Park in August. Brentford, meanwhile, have taken 13 points from a possible 15 in their five home league games this season. In fact, all of their Premier League points this season have been won at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Fulham ended a three-game winless run in dramatic fashion on Monday, scoring twice late on to beat Brentford 2-1. Before that, the Cottagers have lost two and drawn one. Crystal Palace also ended a winless run recently, taking four points from their past two matches. But when these sides meet, it’s usually hard to separate the two. Four of the past five games between Crystal Palace and Fulham have finished level. This run includes two goalless draws at Selhurst Park.
This is a battle between two managers who could very much do with a win. Julen Lopetegui’s West Ham United have been trading wins with defeats recently. Two of West Ham’s three league wins this season have come at the London Stadium, but the manner of recent defeats have been harsh. Defeat here could see Lopetegui’s position in doubt, according to reports. Some Everton fans are getting fed up with Sean Dyche’s style of football. Defeat to Southampton at the weekend did end a five-game unbeaten run for Everton. But three of those matches finished as draws.
Wolverhampton Wanderers are still waiting for their first league win of the season. But they could get it here. Wolves love playing Southampton, who only got their first win of the season last weekend thanks to a late goal from Adam Armstrong against Everton. Wolves have won their past five games against Southampton, and are unbeaten in their past eight in the Premier League in this fixture. On top of that, Southampton haven’t beaten Wolves at Molineux in the league since 2007, a 6-0 win in the Championship.
Man City are in a bit of a sticky spot. Pep Guardiola’s side have lost their last three games across all competitions, including a defeat to Bournemouth in the Premier League last weekend. Brighton are also winless in three across all competitions, with a draw against Wolves alongside two defeats to Liverpool. But Man City will hope to turn things around against an opponent they generally like playing. Man City have taken 37 points from a possible 42 against Brighton in the Premier League. The only dropped points have come after Man City had secured Premier League titles in the respective seasons.
Liverpool will look to remain top of the Premier League going into the international break when they host Aston Villa. The Reds have won four of their five home league games this season, only failing in that 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest. But since then, Liverpool have won their past three home league games, including a 2-1 win over Brighton last weekend. Aston Villa go into this one having lost their past two away games across all competitions, beaten by Tottenham Hotspur and the Club Brugge. Villa are also winless in their past eight games against Liverpool across all competitions, losing six.
This is a tough game to call. Newcastle United go into the match off the back of a big win against Arsenal last weekend, lifting them up the table. Nottingham Forest, meanwhile, sit third and are in wonderful form. Defences have been key for both sides. Nottingham Forest have conceded just seven goals this season, second only to Liverpool among the best defences in the Premier League. Newcastle have conceded 10, while also scoring 10 themselves.
The Ruud van Nistelrooy era at Manchester United comes to an end this weekend. This is the final game for the club before Ruben Amorim takes charge. There’s some symmetry too, with Leicester City also being the opponents for Van Nistelrooy’s first game in charge. The Red Devils won that match 5-2, extending their winning run against Leicester to three games across all competitions. In that time, Man United have averaged three goals per game.
Prediction: Man United 3-1 Leicester (8/1 with BetMGM)
Tottenham have enjoyed home comforts in the Premier League this season. Ange Postecoglou’s side have won four of their five games at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, only falling in a defeat to Arsenal. Since that loss, Tottenham have won three in a row. But they haven’t kept a clean sheet during that time. Ipswich Town, meanwhile, have scored in four of their five away matches this season and only failed to find the net three times overall.
The big one, Arsenal will be looking to bounce back from consecutive defeats in the league and Champions League. Last weekend in the league, Arsenal were beaten 1-0 away from home against Newcastle. It’s indicative of their recent form on the road. Arsenal have won just one of their past six away games across all competitions — a 3-0 win over Preston in the EFL Cup. But the Gunners have a good record against Chelsea, unbeaten in their past five meetings.
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