This midweek sees a number of Premier League games played involving those teams who got to the latter stages of the FA Cup in March and April.
While some of the fixtures look like being dead rubbers and have us guessing the motivation of the players involved, there are some key games at the top and bottom of the Premier League with perhaps the biggest coming from the Liberty Stadium where Swansea City host Southampton.
The final week of the Premier League season begins with that fixture on Tuesday and there are six Premier League games to be played across the next three days before the final Sunday of the season.
Swansea City v Southampton Pick: The term 'relegation six pointer' was made for fixtures like this one between Swansea City and Southampton on Tuesday with only goal difference separating the hosts from the visitors in 18th and 17th place in the League table.
Two games remain for both clubs and the feeling is that the losing team here is likely going to be relegated while the draw means both sweat it out on the final day.
Out of the two teams, I think Swansea City may take their chances of settling for a point here and then looking to beat already relegated Stoke City and hoping Southampton fail to beat Manchester City at St Mary's.
With that fixture in the back of the visitors minds, I think Mark Hughes will take more risks to try and win the game which would almost certainly be enough to keep them in the Premier League. A 0-1 win would mean Southampton are 3 points clear of Swansea City with a nine goal advantage over their relegation rivals which would be too much to overcome in one game.
However you have to wonder how much Saturday's draw at Everton took out of the Southampton players, especially losing their 0-1 lead deep into injury time. That is tough to recover from, but Southampton have found an attacking threat which will give them chances at the Liberty Stadium to win this fixture.
The lack of clean sheets, especially away from home, is hard to ignore for Southampton and Swansea City created enough chances in their 1-0 defeat at Bournemouth on Saturday. They have to show more composure in front of goal and have managed to score in 8 of their last 10 home fixtures in all competitions.
Recent setbacks at home are tough to take for Swansea City too who have fallen back into the bottom three after pulling clear in March. Carlos Carvalhal will want his team to take some risks at home themselves and I think both teams will create the chances they need to earn a result in this one.
The layers have Southampton as pretty strong favourites, but Swansea City have been good at home and I think both teams will believe in themselves. I can't separate them easily and I think both teams will score in this one at a decent looking price.
Chelsea v Huddersfield Town Pick: This is a big game at the top and bottom of the Premier League table as we head into the final week of the season.
Huddersfield Town are looking for a couple of points to avoid the drop, but may only need one more if there has been a winner in the Tuesday evening encounter between Swansea City and Southampton.
On the other hand Chelsea are looking to keep the pressure on Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur as the race for the top four is likely to go into the final weekend. The Blues have to win to really put significant pressure on their two rivals and finishing up with a win at Stamford Bridge has to be expected.
It won't be easy if Huddersfield Town defend as valiantly as they did in the draw at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, although I do wonder if that has taken something out of the gas tank. There were times Huddersfield Town threatened in Manchester, but they had to work extremely hard in tough conditions and Chelsea may be able to pick the bones.
Despite some of the promising positions Huddersfield Town got into, they continue to struggle to score goals and that can be an issue for them again on Wednesday. Chelsea defend fairly well, although are vulnerable to a mistake or two, and I think that is going to put them in a position to win this fixture.
Backing Chelsea to win with a clean sheet looks the most likely outcome of this one and I will back that to occur when these two teams play their penultimate game of the League season on Wednesday.
Leicester City v Arsenal Pick: This is a pretty meaningless Premier League game for both teams in terms of what it will help them achieve, but there is a difference between Leicester City and Arsenal which could decide the outcome of the fixture.
At the moment it feels like Arsenal are going to give Arsene Wenger a huge send off in his final two games of the season, even if ultimately they have found themselves short of the quality they needed to win the Europa League or finish higher in the Premier League table.
On the other hand Leicester City look to have 'downed tools' on beleaguered manager Claude Puel and perhaps made their feelings clear that they don't want their own French manager to stay on beyond the end of the season.
Some of the recent Leicester City performances have been truly terrible and home losses to Newcastle United and West Ham United around a limp draw with Southampton does not offer a great look.
If Arsenal had performed with any consistency away from home it would be much easier to believe they can produce the required quality to win this fixture. They have been tough for Leicester City to deal with in recent years, but The Gunners have only won 1 of their last 4 visits to this ground.
It is entirely possible Leicester City could play much better now they are up against a top team, but I can't help feel their players have given up on the season. Scoring goals has become an issue for them as they have perhaps 'downed tools' and Arsenal's own away troubles is hard to ignore.
I was tempted by Arsenal's odds against price to win here, but they haven't looked at their best away from home and goals may be at a premium on Wednesday despite what the layers think. At a big price it may be worth risking at least one of the teams failing to score in this one in what could be something of a slow burner between teams lacking true motivation.
Manchester City v Brighton Pick: Both Manchester City and Brighton have achieved their goals for the season and that should mean both teams are able to express themselves with some freedom on Wednesday.
There will likely be some changes in the Manchester City starting eleven to make sure they are able to give the likes of Yaya Toure a send off in his final home game for the club. However that doesn't mean Pep Guardiola is going to be happy if his team don't reach the standards they have set for much of the season.
Brighton secured their own safety with a 1-0 win over Manchester United on Friday night and I think that could take something away from the players here. Of course there is motivation taking on the Champions, but Brighton have not been strong travellers all season and will have to work very hard to match Huddersfield Town in becoming the second Premier League club to prevent Manchester City scoring at the Etihad Stadium.
It's a tall order for most teams and Brighton have struggled for clean sheets against the best teams. They have lost without scoring at Manchester United (twice) as well as at Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea and I think that is the most likely outcome again on Wednesday.
Manchester City do offer chances to those clubs who are willing to take risks because the defenders are simply not as strong as Guardiola would like. However Brighton have struggled for a consistent threat away from home and I think Manchester City likely win this game with a clean sheet to boot.
Tottenham Hotspur v Newcastle United Pick: This might be the right kind of fixture for Tottenham Hotspur to bounce back from the disappointment of losing 1-0 at West Brom on Saturday, but they have to be very careful.
The recent form has not been good enough for Tottenham Hotspur which has allowed Chelsea to close in on a top four place in the Premier League. 3 losses in 5 games in all competitions has knocked the confidence of the players and they have looked like that in nervy performances.
However Tottenham Hotspur did beat Watford 2-0 here last time out and are facing a Newcastle United team who have lost 3 straight Premier League games. It is clear that Newcastle United have achieved all their goals and perhaps they have just dropped their intensity since then which has allowed teams to get the better of them.
That is important for Tottenham Hotspur who may need some demotivated opponents to just get over the line in the Premier League top four race. Facing both Newcastle United and Leicester City in the final days of the season looks like hand picked opponents for Spurs and I think they will be good enough to earn the win on Wednesday.
The key for Tottenham Hotspur will be to try and keep their defensive shape and control this fixture and I think that is possible for them. They have kept a clean sheet last time out here and I believe Tottenham Hotspur are able to do that again as they record the win over Newcastle United on Wednesday.
West Ham United v Manchester United Pick: Too many times this season Manchester United have produced a really poor performance against teams they should be beating comfortably and Friday night proved to be another.
This season Manchester United have dropped a combined 16 points in six games against Southampton, Burnley, Stoke City, Brighton, Newcastle United and Huddersfield Town. With a 17 point gap between them and Manchester City, those 16 points are huge in the grand scheme of things and Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho is likely to have made a note of that too.
In most cases Manchester United have not allowed those negative results to carry over to the next League game and I expect a big reaction from the players this week too.
Having six days rest between games will help their cause as will the long injury list at West Ham United. With Marko Arnautovic also a doubt it is hard to see West Ham United posing a consistent threat to Manchester United now their future in the Premier League has been confirmed.
This should see Manchester United return to winning ways on Thursday although it is not an easy ground to visit and I am second guessing the kind of team Jose Mourinho will pick. Even if Alexis Sanchez and Romelu Lukaku miss out, Manchester United have enough quality to challenge a West Ham United defence missing some key men.
They won 0-2 here last season and I think I will go back to the market which let me down on Friday. I will back Manchester United to win a game featuring two or more goals as some of the players try to change Mourinho's mind when it comes to the expected starting line up for the FA Cup Final later this month.
MY PICKS: Swansea City-Southampton Both Teams to Score @ 2.00 William Hill (2 Units)
Chelsea Win to Nil @ 1.75 Bet Victor (2 Units)
Leicester City-Arsenal Both Teams to Score- NO @ 2.90 Bet Victor (2 Units)
Manchester City Win to Nil @ 1.75 Bet Victor (2 Units)
Tottenham Hotspur Win to Nil @ 2.10 Bet Victor (2 Units)
Manchester United Win & Over 1.5 Goals @ 2.20 Boyle Sports (2 Units)
No comments:
Post a Comment