Football News: Premier League Games Previews for 24 Novemberber 2018

Brighton and Hove Albion v Leicester City

On the face of it, this has the look of a very even contest between two sides just three points and two places apart in the league table.

Whilst Brighton come into this match off the back of consecutive defeats in the Premier League away at Everton and Cardiff, they have won back-to-back matches at the Amex against West Ham and Wolves, and have actually lost just one of their last eight league matches on home soil.

They face a Leicester side unbeaten in three in the Premier League, keeping a clean sheet in both of their last two. They have won three of their last five away league games, having won just two of 11 on their travels before this, so they have found some form on the road in the Premier League.

Leicester won both meetings between these two teams 2-0 last season, so they will feel that they have Brighton’s number heading into today’s clash. However, that win at the Amex last season is their only triumph away at Brighton in their last five league visits.

Despite Brighton’s reasonable start, they are actually two points worse off now than they were at this stage last season, whereas Leicester find themselves four points better off. But even so, both sides are currently looking to be clear of the early relegation pace, and can rightfully consider themselves mid-table challengers on current form. Which neither side will be too displeased with.

Key players:

Glenn Murray - With five goals in five league games at the Amex Stadium already, only Sergio Aguero (7) has more home goals than the Seagulls forward in this season’s Premier League. However, Murray has played Leicester more times without scoring (7) than any other club in English league football, so that is something Chris Hughton will hope he puts right today.

Jamie Vardy - He scored in Leicester’s win at the Amex last season, and whilst he might be without a goal in five league games, he will be determined to put that right sooner rather than later for the Foxes.

Everton v Cardiff City

Everton are beginning to really get into their stride under Marco Silva. With four wins from their last six league games and a creditable draw at Stamford Bridge last time out, the Toffees have some strong form to take into this game.

They face a Cardiff side who now only find themselves in the relegation zone by virtue of goal difference after they beat Brighton at home in their last match. They have never won back-to-back Premier League games before, so they have an opportunity today to end that.

But they are taking on an Everton side who have won three on the bounce at Goodison Park in the Premier League, and have only lost one of their nine league games on home soil. They haven’t lost to a promoted side there since April 2014 against Crystal Palace, and are currently enjoying a streak of nine straight home league wins over such opposition. That doesn’t bode well for the visiting Bluebirds.

Cardiff haven’t beaten Everton in a league encounter since December 1956, and you have to go three further decades before that to find their last league win away at the Toffees - December 1926. They have since visited 10 times in league and lost seven of those, conceding a huge 25 goals, 15 of which have been in the last three. They lost 2-1 in their only Premier League game at Goodison, and it’s clear that the history books aren’t on their side for this match.

But their manager Neil Warnock has faced Everton on four previous occasions in the Premier League and he’s won more than he’s lost (two wins, one defeat), winning both of his last two visits to Goodison Park in the division, with QPR in 2011-12 and Crystal Palace in 2014-15. They are the only side he has beaten twice away from home in the Premier League, and if he wins here again today, Everton will also become the only side he has beaten three times in the Premier League.

Key players:

Richarlison - Everton’s top scorer this season with six goals already, the Brazilian has already scored more goals for them this season than they did last. He is being trusted as the central striker, and he is repaying that faith.

Callum Paterson - With three goals in his last four league games, including one in his last away match at Anfield in October, Paterson has stuck his head above the canopy for Cardiff to become their top scorer this season, and they will need him firing again today if they are to get another result.

Fulham v Southampton

After sacking Slavisa Jokanovic at the start of the international break, this will be Claudio Ranieri’s first game in charge of Fulham.

I do want to make the point that Jokanovic’s sacking was, in my view, a harsh one. Exactly one year ago today, Fulham sat 14th in the Championship table. Of course, as we all know, they went on to finish 3rd, just two points shy of the automatic promotion spots, and ultimately earned promotion via the playoffs. It took Jokanovic a little while to get them going then and there was nothing to say he couldn’t do just that again this season.

The fact is Fulham are only three points shy of safety going into this weekend’s games, with 78 points left to play for. I’m surprised that Fulham didn’t feel they could trust Jokanovic to get the job done.

But in Ranieri, they have appointed a replacement with a phenomenal pedigree, having won the Premier League in 2015-16 with Leicester City. The Italian has only lost one of his last eight Premier League games against Southampton, although that was his last such match against them, a 3-0 defeat in January 2017, which was ultimately part of a five-game losing run that cost him his job with the Foxes.

Today’s Southampton side is without a win in nine in all competitions, and will now have to face the unknown entity of a new manager at the Cottagers to try and end that barren spell. The Saints last went 10 without a win in all competitions in March 2008 when they were a Championship club, so Mark Hughes will be desperate to avoid that today.

This game sees two sides with very different issues - whilst Fulham simply cannot keep a clean sheet, the Saints are having problems are the other end of the field, having bagged just two goals in their last seven league games. Ranieri’s first job at his new club will be to shore up a leaky defence, whilst his counterpart for today’s game Mark Hughes needs to find a way to get his side firing again.

Concerningly for the Welshman, he has visited Craven Cottage six times in the Premier League as a manager and only ever won once - a 2-0 win as Blackburn boss in November 2004. And he has faced Ranieri three times in the competition and is yet to taste victory. If that poor record carries on, these two sides could find themselves ending the day level on points.

Key players:

Alfie Mawson - Brought in during the summer to try and help shore up their defence, Mawson could be the man Ranieri turns towards to lead the Cottagers’ defensive line. He has previously scored against the Saints in the Premier League too, doing so in a 2-1 Swansea win in January 2017.

Danny Ings - Ings has either scored or assisted five of Southampton’s eight league goals so far this season (63%), the highest percentage of any player for a club in the Premier League. Put simply, if he isn’t firing, then neither are Southampton, and they will need him to try to exploit a Fulham defence lacking in confidence today.

Manchester United v Crystal Palace

After winning three consecutive games in all competitions, Manchester United were comfortably beaten by Premier League leaders Manchester City last week, and will now be looking to avoid losing back-to-back league games for the second time this season.

The Red Devils have only lost three of their last 41 home league games, so they are very reliable at Old Trafford under Jose Mourinho, and so will be confident they won’t fall to consecutive losses today.

Crystal Palace, meanwhile, are winless in seven in all competitions, losing three in a row and they simply hate playing Man Utd. They have visited Old Trafford nine times in the Premier League and lost on every occasion, and have never beaten Man Utd in 18 attempts home and away in the competition - the most any side has faced another without ever at least picking up one win in the division. It’s a woeful record - they were even 2-0 up in their last game against them and still lost 3-2.

Hodgson too, hates playing Manchester United. He’s lost 11 of his 13 matches against them in the Premier League, winning the other two with Fulham in 2009. In fact, his sides have conceded 3+ goals in six of their seven visits to Old Trafford in the Premier League - losing every time.

Mourinho, by contrast, has no such problems facing Crystal Palace. He’s beaten them nine times out of a possible 11 in the league - he’s only beaten Everton (10) more in the Premier League - and he’s won all four matches against them as Red Devils boss.

It’s tough to find a positive for Crystal Palace in truth. They’re going to have to be at their best to have a chance of a result here against a Man Utd side that will be desperate to move quickly on from their defeat at the Etihad last week.

Key players:

Romelu Lukaku - He’s goalless in his last six league appearances for Man Utd, whilst Martial has been scoring for fun, but I’ve picked the Belgian here as if he does get firing, he could be a huge difference maker for Mourinho’s side. He has six goals in his last eight league games against Crystal Palace, including two in two for Manchester United, so they could be the perfect opponent for him to find his shooting boots again.

Wilfried Zaha - It has to be him. Palace have lost 14 straight Premier League games when he hasn’t started, so it’s clear how much they need him. I don’t think I can ever remember a Premier League team as totally reliant on one player as they are - and remember Zaha is a player who didn’t cut it at Manchester United a few years ago.

Watford v Liverpool

Meetings between these two sides are very rarely short of goals. There’s been 19 of them in the last four league clashes, including 11 in two last season.

For Watford, after a barnstorming four wins to kick start their campaign, they have since only won two of eight in the league, and have actually lost two of their last three at Vicarage Road. Since they famously beat Liverpool 3-0 there in December 2015, the Hornets have lost four and drawn one of their five league games against the Reds, conceding 17 goals in the process, so their league form both in general and against Liverpool needs an upturn if they are to earn a victory in this match.

Liverpool are one of three unbeaten sides in this season’s Premier League - a record number of teams to remain undefeated after each side had played 12 games in a top-flight season, and they will be aiming to go 13 without defeat at the beginning of a Premier League campaign for just the second time having done so in 2007-08.

But they are facing a Watford side who have made their best ever start to a top-flight season, with 20 points from 12 games, and will be high on confidence as a result despite not quite maintaining their early season winning streak.

Surprisingly, this is the first time that Liverpool will be kicking off a Premier League game away from Anfield at 3pm on a Saturday in almost a year, since they beat Brighton 5-1 last December. They will do very well to get a result anything like that one here today against Watford - Javier Gracia has really worked out some sound defensive resilience in his side of late. If we exclude the “big six” sides, only Wolves have conceded fewer Premier League goals than Watford this season.

When you consider that they have that record despite letting in four at home to Bournemouth, albeit after having a man sent off with the score only 1-0, that speaks volumes for how improved they have been at the back this season on the whole - they had conceded seven more goals at this stage last season than they have now.

Key players:

Abdoulaye Doucoure - He scored in this fixture last season, a 3-3 draw at Vicarage Road, and whilst he’s yet to score in the league this season, Doucoure will be so important to the midfield battle for Watford here today.

Mohamed Salah - I can’t pick anyone else, not after his four goal salvo against the Hornets last season. In fact, he scored five and assisted one in his two matches against Watford last season, a frankly ridiculous record, and Watford will know too well how important it is for them to keep him as quiet as possible today.

West Ham United v Manchester City

Goals are a given in this one. Of Premier League managers to have taken charge of 50+ games in the competition, Guardiola’s games have seen the most goals (3.33 per game) on average, with Manuel Pellegrini the second most (3.21).

The two face off today, with Pellegrini of course facing his former side for the first time in the Premier League. Guardiola and Pellegrini have met on eight previous occasions in league competitions and the Spaniard comes out well on top having won seven and drawn just the one of those. Pellegrini’s sides have conceded a huge 23 goals in those matches too, all in La Liga when Guardiola was Barcelona boss.

And to add to the prospect of goals, all of the last 11 league games between these West Ham and Man City have seen at least two of them (37 in total), including 20 in the last five.

Man City come into this match top of the league with 10 wins out of 12. This is a monster of a task that West Ham will have to try to overcome. And the Citizens love facing London clubs too, winning 13 of their last 14 league games against such opponents, including 12 of 13 since the start of last season, the only exception being a goalless draw at Crystal Palace last December.

As well as this, Manchester City haven’t lost a side starting the day outside of the top four since January 2017 when they were beaten 4-0 by Everton - they have 54 league games against opponents outside the Champions League places since then and have won 45 of them. It’s an incredible record that shows the scale of the task facing the Hammers today.

And it gets worse for the Hammers. Man City love 3pm kick-offs on a Saturday - they are currently enjoying a record 34 games without defeat on this date and timeslot in the Premier League since they lost 1-0 to Stoke in August 2014.

But there is one potentially major positive for West Ham here - their record against reigning title holders. They’ve won three of their last four home league games against the defending Premier League champions, including against Man City in October 2014. They will be hoping that record can bode well for them here today, because all of the other signs are not so positive from their perspective.

Key players:

Marko Arnautovic - If he isn’t on form, West Ham are going to struggle to get a result here today. He has two goals and an assist in his last five league starts against Man City, a modest record, but he has been so crucial to West Ham in 2018, and that won’t change today.

Raheem Sterling - The winger loves facing the Hammers; only against Southampton has he scored or assisted more league goals than he has against West Ham, and he got three assists in one game at the London Stadium last season. His form is exceptional for Pep Guardiola’s side, and West Ham will need to defend well to combat him and his runs into the box.

Tottenham Hotspur v Chelsea

These two have had quite the rivalry in recent years. Of course, both have closer London derbies than this, but it still a fiercely contested one that rarely disappoints.

Chelsea have actually won both of their last two games at Wembley against Spurs, the 2017 FA Cup semi-final and in the Premier League last season, so Spurs will have revenge in sight today.

Truth be told, Spurs do not generally do well at all against the Blues. Just three wins in their last 19 games against them in all competitions, although that does include their most recent matchup in April last season at Stamford Bridge.

And they will take confidence from the fact that Chelsea have only won two of their last 12 league visits to Tottenham - they had won eight of 10 prior to this, so Spurs have improved in that regard against Chelsea.

This will be a stern examination of Chelsea’s unbeaten league start under Maurizio Sarri. They are actually without defeat in 18 in all competitions since losing the Community Shield against Man City, and in away games have won seven of their last eight, drawing the other against West Ham in September.

But the Blues have struggled in away London derbies of late - since they beat Spurs 2-1 at the start of last season, they are winless in four league visits to fellow London sides. By contrast, Tottenham have won six in a row home and away against London clubs in the Premier League, conceding just two goals in those six games - they have enjoyed their London derbies in 2018.

And what will also give Tottenham hope that they can be the first to defeat Sarri’s Chelsea in the Premier League is the fact that Pochettino has won more home league games against the Blues than he has lost when including his time at Southampton (three to two), and he will be desperate to keep that going after today’s game.

Key players:

Dele Alli - With four goals and one assist in his four league games against Chelsea, only against Southampton does Alli have more league goals than against the Blues. How Spurs would love him to notch another today.

Marcos Alonso - He bagged a brace at Wembley against Tottenham last season, and he actually relishes these London derbies, scoring four goals and assisting two more in them since the start of last season. He is an incredibly attacking full back, and he will need some defensive discipline today to help marshal the Spurs attacking line, so how he performs will be crucial.

Written by Reid the Red November 24 2018 10:33:15