It’s no longer news that Manchester City are officially league champions. But, the likes of Stoke City will be looking to make news for themselves; if they manage to escape the drop.
So, it will be interesting to see who will come out on top in the Premier League this weekend.
Also, Manchester United take on Spurs, as Chelsea battle Southampton in the semi-finals of the FA Cup this weekend. Who will make it through to the final? Read on to find out…
WEST BROM V LIVERPOOL
West Brom haven’t won any league match since their 2-0 win over Brighton early January, but they did the unthinkable by getting a win in the league for the first time in four months last weekend at Old Trafford against Manchester United. No one gave them a chance to even get a draw from the game on Sunday, but they went on to win.
United were utterly poor on the day, but you have got to give West Brom credits for taking their chance when it came.
That win will definitely give them a morale boost heading into this weekend’s clash against Liverpool. Though Liverpool are unstoppable at the moment, West Brom will take inspiration from their 3-2 win over Liverpool in the FA Cup fifth round clash at Anfield late January.
Liverpool look sure to make it to next season’s Champions League from their position on the log at the moment. So, I wouldn’t be too shocked if Jurgen Klopp decides to rest a few players with an eye on Tuesday’s important Champions League semi-final clash vs Roma.
MY PREDICTION: West Brom 1-2 Liverpool
WATFORD V CRYSTAL PALACE
Crystal Palace are 16th on the log, with just five points separating them from the drop zone. If they win this clash, they will equal the same amount of points (37) as 12th-placed Watford.
Crystal Palace have been notching some terrific results recently, and look a side in good form at the moment. While Watford have really dipped in their form. I think Crystal Palace will go for all three points here. And am backing them to come out of this one on top.
MY PREDICTION: Watford 1-2 Crystal Palace
ARSENAL V WEST HAM
I think Arsenal fans will prefer to lose this game on Sunday and see their team win 2-0 or more against Atletico Madrid on Thursday. It’s all about winning the Europa League right now for Arsené Wenger and everyone at Arsenal.
West Ham are not mathematically safe at the moment, even though they are 14th on the log right now: only six points separate them from 18th-placed Southampton. The Hammers know Arsenal’s main focus right now is the Europa league, and they will come into this game looking to take advantage of that fact by getting something from this clash.
That said, Arsené Wenger announced on Friday morning that he will be leaving Arsenal at the end of the season, and I expect the players to give their manager a happy ending to his managerial career at Arsenal – with some brilliant results and performances till the end of the season. And it should start with this fixture.
MY PREDICTION: Arsenal 2-1 West Ham
STOKE CITY V BURNLEY
I Stated here last week that Stoke will get something from their clash at West Ham, and as I predicted, they drew 1-1. Survival is still attainable for Stoke, but they must not slip any further.
So, I expect them to give Burnley a real fight on Sunday.
If Stoke City win this clash, they will temporarily topple Southampton who won’t be playing league fixture due to their FA Cup semi-final engagement on Sunday, and that will also get Stoke a foot closer to safety. Going to be a difficult game for both sides. I am going for a draw here, with Stoke the likelier side to win.
MY PREDICTION: Stoke City 1-1 Burnley
MAN CITY V SWANSEA
City are already champions officially, and they are being hailed as one of the greatest Premier League sides, but there are plenty records they are yet to break and can still break them before the final game of the season. They can still achieve the biggest title-winning margin in terms of point gap, they can break Chelsea’s record point of 95 in 2004/2005 season under José Mourinho and can also become the first league champions with most win, breaking Chelsea’s record of 30 out of 38 games under Antonio Conte last season.
That said, Swansea, 13th with 33 points can improve on their chances of survival with a point or a win in this clash. They will try to make things difficult for Pep Guardiola’s City.
MY PREDICTION: Man City 2-1 Swansea
EVERTON V NEWCASTLE
I haven’t been impressed with Everton lately, and I fancy Newcastle to get something there on Monday. They were gifted a goal by Swansea’s Kyle Naughton and Swansea still drew them last Saturday. On the other hand, Newcastle rallied from a goal down to secure a 2-1 win over Arsenal. It would be a thing of shock if Everton win this clash. I am settling for a draw in this game, with Newcastle the likelier side to win.
MY PREDICTION: Everton 1-1 Newcastle
FA Cup Semi-final Predictions:
MANUTD V SPURS
José Mourinho will be looking to avoid a trophyless season when his side tackles Mauricio Pochettino’s Spurs in Wembley on Saturday.
United have already improved on last season’s 6th-place finish in the Premier League with their current position on the log, but they won two trophies last season to somehow neutralize the abysmal finish in the league. They now need to avoid a trophyless season before this campaign can be regarded as a successful one.
Meanwhile, Spurs and Mauricio Pochettino also need this trophy for their season to be termed a success. Spurs have already beaten United this season at Wembley and will be looking to repeat the same feat in the FA Cup semi-final clash on Saturday. It’s definitely going to be an interesting clash to see, and difficult one for both sides.
I think it would take more than just 90 minutes of football to separate this two sides on the day. José Mourinho made seven changes to the side that won at Bournemouth on Wednesday, solely because of the importance he attach to this FA Cup semi-final clash. I wasn’t too impressed with Spurs against Brighton Tuesday, they couldn’t win – despite Mauricio Pochettino fielding his regular eleven. I think United will go through to the final.
MY PREDICTION: Manutd 2-2 Spurs (with United progressing to the final after extra time or via penalty shootout.)
CHELSEA V SOUTHAMPTON
I don’t think Southampton will fancy themselves winning the FA Cup with the caliber of teams playing in the semi-final of the competition. But, they worked very hard to get to this stage, and I think they will try to make things difficult for Chelsea on Sunday at Wembley, even though they lost 2-3 to the same Chelsea last weekend in the league. But, like José Mourinho and Mauricio Pochettino, Antonio Conte just can’t afford to finish the season without a trophy and also finish outside the top four. That would be atrocious. So, I think Chelsea will put their all into this competition and try to win it. I am going with Chelsea here.
MY PREDICTION: Chelsea 2-1 Southampton
You must be logged in to post a comment.