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Football News: Premier League Matches Previews 30 March 2019

Premier League Matches Previews 30 March 2019
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Fulham v Manchester City


Manchester City come into this match once again behind their title rivals Liverpool after the Reds beat the Citizen’s opponents today Fulham before the international break in a weekend when City were dramatically coming from behind to beat Swansea in the FA Cup.


Now, Pep Guardiola’s side know a win today will see them go back above Liverpool with the same number of games played on the board - and put that extra bit of pressure on the Merseyside club’s tricky clash with third-place Tottenham tomorrow.


Man City have won each of their last six Premier League games, conceding only two goals in that time. In fact, they have only allowed their opponents an astonishingly low four shots in total in the most recent three of those games - that is by far the lowest shots faced total any side has have over a run of three Premier League games since Opta began recording shot data for the division in 2003-04. The previous record was 11. Man City have faced just four. It is remarkable.


That does not bode well for Fulham, who have lost 11 of their 12 football matches in 2019, conceding a ridiculous 29 goals overall, and never fewer than two in any of those 12 matches. Few would bet against them ending that run against the top scorers in Europe’s big-five leagues this season today.


And there’s worse news for the Cottagers when you examine their record versus the Citizens. They have lost seven in a row against them across all competitions, conceding exactly an average of three goals per game in those matches, and they haven’t beaten them since April 2009, and not at home since November 2005.


The fact remains that this is a contest between the Premier League’s worst defence against its best attack, and Fulham will have to show a dramatic reversal in fortunes to stop Man City going top of the table come the end of the game.


Key players:


Ryan Babel - The huge Liverpool supporter would love nothing more than to give his old club a boost in the title race, as unlikely as he knows that is. Babel has two goals and two assists since his Fulham debut, more than any of his teammates in the Premier League, and of course did score against Liverpool last time out.


Sergio Aguero - He will be licking his lips ahead of today’s match. The Premier League’s top scorer has had a hand in six goals in his last four league starts against Fulham, scoring four and assisting two, and of course he has 14 goals in his last 13 appearances in all competitions. It’s hard to see Fulham stopping him this afternoon.





Brighton and Hove Albion v Southampton


This is a big game between two sides who are still right in the Premier League relegation battle. Brighton and Southampton are 15th and 16th respectively, with the former five points above the drop, the latter a more slender two points. Brighton, of course, do have a game in hand over the sides around them, but they will still want points sooner rather than later to avoid a desperate scramble come the end of the campaign.


The Seagulls have won their last two Premier League matches; they had only won six points across their previous 12 before that, so to double that in just two matches has seen them move that bit further from the drop zone, and relieve plenty of pressure from themselves.


But Southampton too have won two of their last three, including a huge win over Spurs in their last league outing. They have lost their last two away from home, but those were versus Arsenal and Manchester United, two Champions League chasing sides.


Really, Southampton’s issue this season has been an inability to hold onto leads. They have dropped a league-high 20 points in matches when they have been ahead this season, including five in their last three away games. Had they lost even as little as 25% fewer, they would go into this match above Brighton and five points above the bottom three.


But the Saints do have a good record against Brighton, losing just four of their last 30 against them in all competitions, including just two of the last 17 and one of the last nine. And they have already won at the Amex this season, doing so in the League Cup second round back in August 2018. Indeed, they have only lost one of their last 10 visits to Brighton in all competitions.


And Brighton boss Chris Hughton has only won one of his 10 clashes with Southampton as a manager, a 1-0 win with Norwich in August 2013 when the Saints were managed by Mauricio Pochettino, no less. He will be aiming to improve on that record here and keep his side well away from the likes of Southampton in this relegation tussle.


Key players:


Glenn Murray - He is, amazingly, without a goal in seven home league games, but he has scored three of Brighton’s four Premier League goals against Southampton, so they will need him to see a return to form to have a good chance of a result today.


James Ward-Prowse - It’s hard to pick anyone else, such is his form. He has scored in three straight league games, with the last Southampton player to bag in four in a row being Jay Rodriguez way back in March 2014. He will look to build on his well-deserved return to the England squad this international break and keep up his excellent form.





Burnley v Wolverhampton Wanderers


This game sees arguably one of the Premier League’s form sides visit another club battling to avoid relegation. Wolves have lost just one of their last 12 games in all competitions, a surprising loss at bottom-club Huddersfield, and knocked Manchester United out of the FA Cup before the international break.


Burnley, meanwhile, have lost four consecutive league matches, and fell to a 1-2 loss at home to Leicester last time out despite playing the vast majority of the match with one more player than the Foxes.


But the international break can always change a run of form - it has the potential to disrupt good runs of form such as Wolves’ whilst allowing clubs on poorer streaks to have a little break from the rigours of the top-flight and clear their heads. Burnley need it to have such an effect today.


Burnley’s Premier League record against Wolves doesn’t make for pleasant viewing from their perspective, though. They’ve lost all three meetings in the competition, scoring just one goal in all, and they have incredibly only won three of their last 24 home league matches against Wolves.


Having said that, they’ve only lost one of five league games versus Wolves under Sean Dyche - the reverse Premier League clash in September 2018. Dyche will look to avoid allowing that to become two defeats with Burnley needing points to remain away from the relegation zone and end their losing streak.


Key players:


Dwight McNeil - Of teenagers, only Ryan Sessegnon has had a direct hand in more Premier League goals this season than Burnley’s Dwight McNeil, who has two goals and four assists, who scored Burnley’s goal against Leicester last time out. He’s a clear danger man, and Wolves need to stop him today.


Raul Jimenez - Jimenez has netted six of Wolves’ last 10 league goals, and has eight more goals in all competitions than any of his teammates this season. He’s been an excellent addition to this Wolves side that was already incredibly strong by a promoted club’s standards.





Crystal Palace v Huddersfield Town


There is a stat regarding this fixture that is so remarkable I simply have to open the preview for the game with it. In all of the seven previous top-flight meetings between Crystal Palace and Huddersfield Town, the home side have never scored a goal. Not one. All 12 goals in those seven previous such match-ups at this level have been netted by the away side, including six in the Premier League.


It’s a stat that might just bode well for the Premier League’s bottom side, Huddersfield. It is reasonably possible that Huddersfield could be mathematically relegated after today should they lose and both Southampton and Burnley win, as that would leave the Terriers 19 points adrift with just six games, and 18 points, left to play for them. So they will enjoy seeing stats like that that perhaps, just perhaps, point to today being a good game for them.


However, Crystal Palace have won each of the last three games between these two in all competitions, all under Roy Hodgson; only versus Leicester (four) have the Eagles won more matches under the former England boss.


However, Palace have lost their last two matches in all competitions, including one at home in the league to Brighton. Indeed, they have lost their last two at Selhurst Park; they haven’t lost three on the trot there since last March. Indeed, only their visitors today Huddersfield have scored fewer home goals and won fewer home points than Palace have at Selhurst in the Premier League this season. That has to worry Hodgson, and he will want his side to work on that going into the latter stages of the campaign.


Key players:


Luka Milivojevic - He is the only Crystal Palace player to have scored more than once at Selhurst Park this season in the Premier League. And even then, four of his five home league goals this season have been penalties (and 10 of 11 overall at Selhurst Park). But he won’t mind, and neither will Roy Hodgson either, if his side get another penalty today.


Karlan Grant - Grant scored an excellent brace versus West Ham last time out, and is, rather ridiculously, both Huddersfield and Charlton’s joint-top league scorer this season, with three for the Terriers and 14 for the Addicks. He has had a hand in 17 goals in his last 21 league starts for the two combined, scoring 14 and assisting three, and is proving a real handful already for his new club.





Leicester City v Bournemouth


The season is certainly coming to a close for these two sides, in truth. Neither Leicester nor Bournemouth are in any danger of relegation, whilst neither are close to threatening an unlikely top six finish. So the remainder of the season for both is about trying to end the campaign on a high and finish as high up the table as possible.


In Leicester’s case, it’s also about a new manager, Brendan Rodgers, getting to know his new squad. After losing his first game in charge at Watford, Rodgers has now seen his Leicester team earn back-to-back wins, and today they host a side that Rodgers has won all three of his previous meetings with as a manager, all with Liverpool. Only versus Hamilton Academical (nine), Fulham (seven) and Coventry (five) does Rodgers have a better 100% winning record as a manager than he does against Bournemouth, in fact.


However, Leicester themselves have never beaten Bournemouth in the Premier League in seven previous clashes; that’s the most they’ve played on opponent in the competition without ever winning. However, it must also be said that Bournemouth haven’t won away at Leicester in any of their last five visits, last beating them away from home in Boxing Day in 1988, when Harry Redknapp was their manager, no less.


And it’s an even worse record for their manager, Eddie Howe, who hasn’t won away at Leicester in seven attempts as a manager. And with Leicester looking to win three consecutive home league games for the first time since they won their first five under Craig Shakespeare, they will have to do very well to change that today.


Indeed, Bournemouth may have won at Huddersfield last time out, but they had lost 10 straight away games before that in all competitions, so it remains to be seen whether that win at the John Smith’s Stadium was a sign of change.


Key players:


Jamie Vardy - Vardy has had a hand in five goals in his last four league games, including four in three under Brendan Rodgers, so he’s hitting form at a great time for their new manager. He will look to continue that today against a club he has netted three league goals against in the past.


Josh King - He bagged a brace against Newcastle before the international break, and has been directly involved in seven goals in his last nine league games, so he is a real danger man for Bournemouth going into this match.





Manchester United v Watford


With Arsenal not in action until Monday, Manchester United have a chance to move into the top four for at least 48 hours should they pick up a win today against Watford. The battle for the top four is starting to really heat up, with just four points separating Spurs in 3rd and Chelsea in 6th at the start of this weekend’s play, so every game is so important for all four sides fighting for those last two spots for Europe’s top competition after Manchester City and Liverpool.


And this is, historically speaking, a great fixture for Man Utd. They’ve won 15 of their last 16 games against Watford in all competitions, only losing at Vicarage Road in September 2016 during this time, and they’ve never lost a home league games versus the Hornets, winning nine and drawing two of 11 such matches.


Watford haven’t even scored at Old Trafford since October 1999, Richard Johnson netting a consolation in a 4-1 defeat. It doesn’t bode well for Javi Gracia’s side.


But Man Utd do have some bouncing back to do, having lost their last two games before the international break to Arsenal and Wolves in the league and FA Cup respectively. They haven’t lost three straight games in all competitions since September 2016. Coincidentally, the third defeat in that run was to Watford! Is that a sign?


Watford will be high on confidence too. They booked a date at Wembley before the international break in beating Crystal Palace in the FA Cup, and have won five of their last seven in all competitions - that’s as many as their 17 games before this.


But fixtures like this are ones the Hornets often struggle in. They’ve lost 19 of their last 20 away league games against the Premier League’s so-called “big six”, including each of their last 13 since beating Arsenal in January 2017.


They will have to be well on their game to alter that against Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Man Utd side.


Key players:


Romelu Lukaku - The Belgian has six goals in his last four club games in all competitions, and has scored three and assisted two in his six league appearances against Watford, so they are an opponent he will feel he can do well against today.


Gerard Deulofeu - He’s had a hand in six goals in his last four league games, scoring four and assisting two, including a goal from the bench at the Etihad last time out, so he won’t be afraid of coming to Old Trafford on the back of that. Having said that, he’s made five league appearances against Man Utd and never featured for longer than 63 minutes in any of those outings, so he’ll hope for more time to try and make things happen today.





West Ham United v Everton


This has the makings of a tight match, on paper. West Ham and Everton are separated by a mere two points and two places in the Premier League table, and similarly to Leicester against Bournemouth today, it features two sides who don’t have much left to play for in the Premier League aside trying to finish as high up as they possibly can now, with no danger of relegation nor any chance of breaking into the top six.


West Ham are struggling for real consistency of late, alternating between a win and a defeat in each of their last five league matches. But at home they are a strong outfit, unbeaten in seven at the London Stadium in all competitions and winning each of their last three. A win today would mean they have won four consecutive home Premier League fixtures for the first time since May 2002 when Glenn Roeder was in charge.


Everton, meanwhile, are looking to be improving, losing just one of their last four league games after having lost each of the three in a row before this. They’ve also won two of their last four away from home; that’s as many wins as they had managed in their previous 13 away outings in all competitions beforehand. However, their last away match was at St. James’ Park, where they threw away a two-goal lead to lose 3-2 at Newcastle.


And Everton have lost both of their last two matches against West Ham by a 3-1 scoreline; they had only lost two of their previous 25 meetings with the Hammers in all competitions before this. Indeed, West Ham haven’t done a league double over Everton since 1972-73 - and they’ve met in 37 league seasons since then, including this one!


The Toffees haven’t lost three consecutive league matches against West Ham since December 1931 when they lost four in succession, so whilst historically they clearly have had the better of this fixture, the tide is perhaps beginning to turn.


And Everton’s manager, Marco Silva, clearly doesn’t like visiting England’s capital city. In nine managerial visits to London since he came to England in the 2016-17 season, he has lost eight and won none. It’s hard to tell whether he can change that record today, given West Ham’s strong home form and Everton’s inconsistency under the Portuguese manager.


Key players:


Manuel Lanzini - It’s good to see him back after his lengthy injury. Lanzini has three goals in his three home league appearances against Everton, and has only scored more Premier League goals overall against Crystal Palace (four) than the Toffees (three).


Theo Walcott - Walcott has scored more Premier League goals against West Ham (six) than any other club, not to mention the three assists he also has versus them. He will look to build on that today as he looks to notch his first league goal of 2019.

Written by Reid the Red March 30 2019 08:44:19

 

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