Another round of domestic football takes place over the next three days including what remains the biggest fixture in the Premier League when Manchester United and Liverpool go head to head. This is the time of the season when managers have to be looking over their shoulders and owners perhaps get a little nervous and decide to make the change, especially with the January transfer window coming up.
One such name that looks very much in the firing line is Nigel Pearson who has seen his Leicester City team go on a long run without winning a game and has been asked to explain some of the altercations he has been having of late. The one with the fan during the home game against Liverpool has put Pearson under more pressure and another defeat this weekend will make Leicester favourites to be bottom of the Premier League come Christmas morning, a death knell for teams hoping to avoid the drop for many of the last 22 years since this League was formed.
With a manager like Tony Pulis very available at the moment, perhaps there is an argument to be made that Leicester will be better off appointing him, especially with a very strong CV in recent seasons of keeping unfancied teams in the Premier League.
Burnley v Southampton Pick: Both Burnley and Southampton will be looking for a morale boosting performance this week as they have suffered some setbacks over the last few weeks. Burnley's loss at Queens Park Rangers would be a real disappointment and they won't want to go into a quick run of games with losses building up.
On the other hand, Southampton need to snap their losing run of three games as quickly as possible and they haven't won since early November which is going to be playing on the players minds. Another week without a victory could see the players second guessing their own ability, no matter how good the performances may have been, and really make it difficult for the Saints to turn things around.
The layers seem to really believe in Southampton who look very short at odds on to win at Turf Moor, especially considering that Burnley have been proving to be more difficult to beat in recent games here. However, a lack of goals in the home team has to be a concern especially as only 2/15 games in the Premier League have seen Burnley score more than once.
Then again, Burnley have scored in 5 straight home games and Southampton have only kept 1 clean sheet from their last 4 games on their travels. That should at least give Burnley some belief they can get something from this game, but the defence can't always be trusted to keep the clean sheets that Burnley would likely need and leads me to my actual pick from the game.
Without Morgan Schneiderlin and Toby Alderweireld, Southampton have looked a little vulnerable and the back and both are doubts for this game. If they can't play, Burnley will have chances to score in this one, but I also think Southampton have the pace and power to create chances of their own. As long as Graziano Pelle and Shane Long are not as wasteful as they have been in the last couple of games, Southampton should find the net in this one.
Both teams scoring is odds against and I do think that is too tempting to ignore considering recent results. The last 6 games between them at Turf Moor has seen both teams score and they also had a 4-3 FA Cup game last season so that will be my pick in another tight game to call.
Leicester City v Manchester City Pick: This is a really tough time for Nigel Pearson who was charged by the FA for telling a Leicester City fan to 'kill themselves' during an altercation in the 1-3 loss to Liverpool. With losses building up behind Leicester and Tony Pulis looking an appealing option, Pearson could easily find himself out of a job before Christmas, especially if they don't show enough fight in this one.
And to be honest, even showing fight might not be enough for Leicester as they face a Manchester City team with 6 wins on the bounce behind them. Sergio Aguero is a big loss for Manuel Pellegrini, but Edin Dzeko returned and David Silva is another big player to restore to the starting line up.
If Vincent Kompany is back too, Manchester City should prove to be far too good for Leicester and I can see the away side running away with a win in this one. Yaya Toure is another influential player to return to the first team and Manchester City have scored 20 goals in their last 8 away games in all competitions which may be too much for Leicester City to really deal with.
The feeling I have is that Leicester will find it tough to contain Manchester City going forward and the pressure under Nigel Pearson is not producing much positive reaction from the crowd. After the last home game and the way the fans seemed to turn on their manager, the atmosphere at the KP Stadium could quickly affect the home players if they were to fall behind in this one.
That will only play into the hands of Manchester City and I like Manuel Pellegrini's men to record a seventh win on the bounce and by more than a single goal.
Arsenal v Newcastle United Pick: This could be a really big game for both Arsenal and Newcastle United to show what they are going to be capable of for the rest of the season as both sets of fans will be expecting a challenge for a top four berth after the way the campaign as begun.
That has been the minimum expectation of Arsenal over the last few years and looks to be about the maximum they can achieve this season which is a source of frustration for the home fans. Many thought they would be challenging for the Premier League title, but that already looks beyond Arsenal, although recent games has seen the team begin to put together a decent run of wins.
The loss at Stoke City was a disappointment, especially as Arsenal were 3-0 down by half time, but the side responded in Galatasaray and I think Arsenal can ride that success to a win here.
Newcastle United are not the same side on their travels, even after a decent run of results prior to the loss at West Ham United and I do think the injuries are going to be tough to overcome with a limited squad depth. The win over Chelsea was a very good result, but Newcastle rode their luck at times and being without that might see them struggle to contain the likes of Alexis Sanchez and Santi Cazorla who will pull the strings for Arsenal.
Arsenal have a strong home record against Newcastle United and usually win these games with an element of comfort. The attacking side of the Arsenal game could help them do that again as Newcastle could perhaps see their thoughts turned to the League Cup Quarter Final in a few days time and I think Arsenal cover the Asian Handicap offered.
Manchester United v Liverpool Pick: Nine months is a long time in football and the way both Manchester United and Liverpool feel going into the biggest game in the Premier League has changed so much since both entered Old Trafford back in March.
On that day, I was feeling very wary as a Manchester United fan of the threat that Liverpool were going to pose with their pace and momentum going into that game, but those wary feelings are now much more confident going into this weekend. Without Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge, Liverpool just haven't posed the same threat going forward and Manchester United have a lot more confidence coming in.
Neither defence has played very well and some of the performances of both sides have been disappointing to say the least. Gary Neville described it as potentially watching two pub teams playing one another, but I think that underestimates the improved performances that Manchester United have produced at home.
While they have still given teams chances to score goals at Old Trafford, Manchester United have also played well enough to score plenty of goals and even in the draw with Chelsea they were the better team in the first half. A similar level to that performance will give Manchester United the edge in this one, although I can't say I fully trust the defence to not make the mistakes they have in the last few weeks.
New players have to slot in with Chris Smalling now on the sidelines and Liverpool have scored more easily on their travels than at home as they do have more space to try and exploit. This is the kind of game that should inspire Liverpool to put in one of their better performances of the season, but they don't seem to be on the same level as Manchester United right now.
Clean sheets have been a problem for both teams so seeing both score in this one wouldn't be a surprise, but I also believe Manchester United win this game and I will back them to do so in a high-scoring game.
Swansea v Tottenham Hotspur Pick: Tottenham Hotspur have not been great coming out of the Europa League and having to play a Premier League game on a Sunday, and they have won 3 games and lost 4 following Europa League games this season.
They travel to Wales on Sunday to face a very tough Swansea team that have proven to be very effective at the Liberty Stadium and this could be an entertaining game with both teams willing to go forward. Swansea have goals in their team and they have the pace in the forward positions to cause Tottenham some real problems, while Spurs themselves have played better away from home and have the ability to test Gerhard Tremmel who deputises in goal.
The last couple of games at the Liberty Stadium between these teams has produced goals and Swansea have scored at least twice in 5 of their last 6 at home. Before the 1-0 loss at Besiktas on Thursday, Tottenham have had 5 straight away games where they have shared at least three goals, but Spurs rested players for the game in Turkey.
Goals should not be in short supply on Sunday afternoon in the second live game of the day and I do think the chance of that happening is perhaps a little under-rated.
MY PICKS: Burnley-Southampton Both Teams to Score @ 2.00 William Hill (2 Units)
Manchester City - 1 Asian Handicap @ 1.80 Bet Victor (2 Units)
Arsenal - 1.25 Asian Handicap @ 2.10 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Both Teams to Score and Manchester United to Win @ 3.70 Coral (1 Unit)
Swansea-Tottenham Hotspur Over 2.5 Goals @ 1.92 William Hill (2 Units)
December Update: 9-9, + 3.72 Units (31 Units Staked, + 12% Yield)
November Final: 17-21, - 0.59 Units (69 Units Staked, - 1% Yield)
October Final: 8-18, - 14.79 Units (47 Units Staked, - 31.47% Yield)
September Final: 12-18, - 2.28 Units (41 Units Staked, - 5.56% Yield)
August Final: 8-22, - 19.92 Units (51 Units Staked, - 39.06% Yield)
Season 2014/15: 45-79, - 37.58 Units (208 Units Staked, - 18.07% Yield)
Season 2013/14: 164-185-3, + 15.84 Units (577 Units Staked, + 2.75% Yield)
Season 2012/13: + 4.42 Units (415 Units Staked, + 1.07% Yield)
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