Football News: Weekend Match Previews
Saturday 22nd April 2017
Bournemouth v Middlesbrough Premier League 3pm
Wilshere (out - broken leg)
Surman (out - knee injury)
Gosling (late fitness test - calf muscle strain)
Wilson (out - ACL injury)
Federici (out - knee injury)
Eddie Howe was given a lot of plaudits after last season, he was seen as the logical successor to Arsene Wenger at the Gunners and a future England manager too. This season has not gone so well however. His success in getting Bournemouth into the Premier League and keeping them there was rewarded with a larger budget for players. His recruitment has not had the immediate impact required and his new arrivals have mostly ended up sitting on the bench, at best. Even England man Jack Wilshere, whose arrival was claimed to be a coup by so many in the media, has had a questionable impact, at best. In my opinion he has had a negative impact on their midfield, which was weakened by his lack of workrate compared to those he pushes out of the team. Now the team are on the brink, four games without a win, the last two defeats, have left them on the verge of being dragged into the relegation places. Luckily for them they now get two matches in a row which should, and I do mean should, see them pull clear.
Most important player: Joshua King. Middlesbrough are poor going forward, but they have been extremely strong defensively. Bournemouth have struggled for goals at times, they need to hope King still has his shooting boots to notch the goals they need to lift them to safety.
Fabio (late fitness test - knee injury)
Leadbitter (doubt - hamstring injury)
Gestede (doubt - heel injury)
Valdes (doubt - rib injury)
Chambers (doubt - foot injury)
Boro look dead and buried now, after a run of fifteen matches without a win, they still have to face Man City, Chelsea and Liverpool this season. Even having a game in hand over Hull, who occupy the last safe spot currently, is not really a big help, as they are still six points behind them. It is difficult to even point to any signs of a revival, the only thing going in their favour is a strong defence, but even that struggles to make up for the lack of goals they have in the team. The attempt to rescue the situation in January has not helped matters, if anything the arrival of Gestede has made matters worse, as he looks as out of his depth in the Prem as he did at Aston Villa last season.
Most important player: Gaston Ramirez. On his day the Uruguayan can be a dangerous player, with that bit of quality and skill completely lacking from the rest of the team. Unfortunately for the Teesiders, his days are few and far between.
Defining Battle: the wide areas are the key to this match, as both sides will be looking to get their fullbacks forward and deliver quality crosses to their forwards. To do that, they really need the wingers to push the opposition back and open up the option to attack without leaving their own team open behind them.
Editors' Predictions:
Ed002 - 2-1
Ed004 - 2-0
Ed007 - 2-0
Ed018 - 1-1
Ed025 - 1-1
Ed033 - 0-1
Hull City v Watford Premier League 3pm
Meyler (out - MCL injury)
Elabdellaoui (doubt - back injury)
Mason (out - fractured skull)
Keane (out - ACL injury)
Odubajo (out - patella fracture)
The Tigers are still being held back by their away form, losing their last five away games in a row. Luckily their home form is improving, unbeaten in eight at home, including winning the last three. With a slim two point lead over the Swans, they can ill afford to drop points at home at this stage of the season if they are to survive. The fact that they are even in with any hope of survival is something of a minor miracle, mainly due to outstanding work done by Marco Silva, but Mike Phelan can take a lot of credit for his work in the early part of the season. Hull have come a long way from the preseason days of players tweeting team photos of a handful of players!
Most important player: Alfred N'Diaye. The midfielder has become the driving force in Hull's midfield over the last few months. He provides the mobility to cover for Tom Huddlestone's lack of mobility and allows Huddlestone to just sit and spray passes around.
Cathcart (late fitness test - knee injury)
Kaboul (out - hamstring injury)
Zarate (out - ACL injury)
Watson (late fitness test - groin strain)
Pereyra (out - knee meniscus injury)
Doucoure (doubt - overload)
Cleverley (doubt - overload)
Gomes - (doubt)
For a while it looked like Watford were in danger of relegation, but three wins in the last four games has put those worries to bed for this season. Having achieved the forty points necessary to ensure survival last time out, will Watford struggle in the same way as Tony Pulis's teams always do? The key for Walter Mazzarri now is to maintain their level of performance until the end of the season as the Hornets chase a top half finish.
Most important player: Tom Cleverley. Watford really need Cleverley to do more than his usual sideways and backwards passing with little thought other than keeping possession. They really need the midfielder to show some incision, some vision and some creativity.
Defining Battle: can the Watford defenders keep Hull's forward line quiet, or will they have mentally relaxed and got the metaphorical deckchairs out? Hull are strong at home, the last thing Watford can afford to do is lose focus at the back and give away a sloppy goal.
Editors' Predictions:
Ed002 - 1-1
Ed004 - 3-2
Ed007 - 1-2
Ed018 - 2-1
Ed025 - 2-2
Ed033 - 3-0
Swansea City v Stoke City Premier League 3pm
Routledge (doubt - hernia)
Cork (out - ankle injury)
Rangel (out - metatarsal fracture)
Dyer (out - achilles injury)
With just five games left to save themselves from the drop, recent form is not making their chances look good. Five defeats and a draw from their last six matches suggests that even the two point gap to Hull is too many for them to make up. The Swans look a team bereft of confidence, ability and attacking intent right now, in short a poor team destined for relegation. The pressure is really on Paul Clement to deliver something different in those final few outings. Has he got an ace up his sleeve? Maybe the return of Jefferson Montero, and his searing pace, to full fitness can be the catalyst for some good results? Though that would require Clement to actually pick him for the team, rather than someone who is excellent at passing the ball sideways and backwards.
Most important player: Gylfi Sigurdsson. The one player they possess in midfield who offers quality, while Montero is absent. His set pieces are all that is keeping Swans within touching distance of safety this season.
Walters (slight doubt - knee injury)
Whelan (slight doubt - illness)
Allen (slight doubt - hamstring injury)
Afellay (out - knee injury)
Ireland (doubt - broken leg)
Having finally ended a run of four defeats in a row, with a victory over Hull last time out, the Potters can now get back to looking up the table and battling for a top half position. Right now it would be especially galling for club's board, seeing Tony Pulis's West Bromwich Albion side above them in the table, having been pretty much hounded into sacking the Welshman due to his style of play. They will not want the current Welshman in charge of the club, Mark Hughes, to finish below the Baggies. Five games left and five points to make up for Hughes and his players, that will no doubt be the target he will have set for the run in, now that they are free of any fears of relegation.
Most important player: Marko Arnautovic. The Austrian winger has not had the best of seasons, but he is still Stoke's main goal threat and they are heavily reliant on him to create and score goals for them.
Defining Battle: the central midfield battle will be key, as Stoke have to be careful not to allow themselves to be outnumbered in there. Swansea will look to dominate that area and use it as the platform for their passing game, but they can be harried into wasting all their possession with sideways and backwards passing, until the edge of their box and forced to get rid.
Editors' Predictions:
Ed002 - 1-1
Ed004 - 1-0
Ed007 - 1-2
Ed018 - 1-1
Ed025 - 1-0
Ed033 - 1-1
West Ham United v Everton Premier League 3pm
Carroll (out - groin strain)
Antonio (out - hamstring injury)
Reid (slight doubt - groin strain)
Obiang (out - high ankle sprain)
Ogbonna (out - knee surgery)
Tore (out - knee injury)
Henry (out - ACL injury)
Byram (out - suspended)
Noble (out - suspended)
While the Hammers broke their five game losing run, they still look like a team on the verge of capitulating at any moment in games. Just two wins in their last ten matches has meant that they are still not certain of staying in the Premier League, though it is unlikely they would be relegated. With the midfield battle so tight this season, the result could see them move up or down a number of places very easily, so every point is precious right now. What they do not need is comments from the board leaving everyone unsure of the manager's future. Perhaps it is time that certain self-publicising elements of the club's executive board stepped back from their newspaper column? Having done such a good job to get the club to where it is, in the brand spanking new stadium, it is silly to continue to disrupt its future with public comments.
Most important player: Darren Randolph. The Irish keeper has made a number of terrible errors in recent weeks. Errors which have cost his team goals and points. It is time he showed why he is in the team.
Besic (slight doubt - fitness)
Mori (out - knee injury)
Coleman (out - broken leg)
Lennon (doubt - knock)
McCarthy (out - hamstring injury)
Bolasie (out - ACL injury)
Everton have been sat in seventh place since December, but now are closing in on Arsenal above them, with four wins in their last six matches. With a final day showdown against the Gooners to look forward to, Ronald Koeman will hope his players at least give themselves a chance of pipping the Gunners to the top six in that game. The Toffees have four games to win ahead of that game, to really crank up the pressure on Arsenal, starting with the Hammers. That means they really need to improve their away form, which has not been good this season, just four wins in sixteen matches away from Goodison Park. The big problem, oddly considering how many goals they score at home, has been putting the ball into the back of the net.
Most important player: Kevin Mirallas. The Belgian winger has been back to something approaching his best in recent games, perhaps his pace and skill can provide the creativity for Everton to improve their goalscoring record away from home.
Defining Battle: Ronald Koeman's tendency to tinker with formations makes it difficult to know for sure what Everton will turn up. Usually he tends to be much more conservative and concentrate on solidity away from home. With no threat behind them to worry about, will he allow his team a bit more freedom to attack? Either way, it is likely that this game will come down to Romelu Lukaku. Will he be having one of his sulky games, when he barely breaks sweat and offers no movement, no workrate, no runs to play in, or will he be up for it and be looking to stretch the West Ham defence? How well they deal with him, in either situation, will be the decisive factor in this match.
Editors' Predictions:
Ed002 - 0-2
Ed004 - 1-2
Ed007 - 1-3
Ed018 - 1-3
Ed025 - 1-1
Ed033 - 0-0
Chelsea v Tottenham Hotspur FA Cup 5:15pm
Cahill (late fitness test - illness)
Alonso (late fitness test - illness)
Moses (late fitness test - illness)
Courtois (doubt - ankle injury)
It was becoming difficult to remember that this Chelsea side was the same one that got beaten so comprehensively 3-0 to Arsenal earlier in the season. That is until last weekend, when they suffered another bad defeat, against Man Utd this time, that showed the same deficiencies that were evidenced then. It shows how fine the margins are between a team winning the league and the rest. A couple of injury and illness problems and the Pensioners suddenly look unbalanced and unsure of themselves. Despite their lead at the top of the Prem, their squad is threadbare in some areas and in need of investment in the summer. However today is a chance for them to go head to head with their chasers, Spurs, in a one off FA Cup match and put them in their place. A win would see a huge lift in confidence and leave them in good shape for the final six league games, a loss would really crank up the pressure on the team. This is not just an FA Cup semi final, this is a showdown that could impact on the title race as well.
Most important player: Cesar Azpilicueta. The Spaniard has been an excellent servant to Chelsea in a number of different positions, they need him at his best this weekend. With a number of others looking out of sorts, he is one man who can step up and provide a positive impact on the performance.
Vorm (out - knee injury)
Winks (out - ankle injury)
Rose (doubt - MCL injury)
Lamela (out - hip injury)
Carter-Vickers (doubt - knee injury)
Mauricio Pochettino can put aside Spurs' pursuit of Chelsea in the Premier League for the day, as he gets the chance to face them once more head-to-head, this time in the FA Cup. With their meetings so far tied at one win apiece, this is a chance for one of the teams to get the balance tipped towards themselves. With a run of seven wins in a row, Harry Kane back, Chelsea dropping points and everything seemingly going Tottenham's way right now, this could be the moment that they need to clear their heads of last season's implosion against Chelsea.
Most important player: Dele Alli. Always a spikey and fiery character, Alli will be tested to the full against the Blues. On his day, which seems to be almost every week at the moment, Alli is a matchwinner, but there is always that tendency to do something rash ready to bubble up when the pressure is on. Keeping calm and counting to ten when things get tense is something Spurs need him to do.
Defining Battle: the defining battle will be whether or not Antonio Conte will be able to respond to the tactical demands of the game or if he gets caught out again by an opponent. The last time Chelsea faced Spurs, Pochettino completely outfoxed Conte and he seemed utterly unable to figure out any kind of response. It happened again last weekend, as Jose Mourinho also outwitted the Italian. Conte needs to find a way to deal with that weakness, as other managers will be watching and it could become a growing problem if he is unable to find answers to the questions asked by opposing managers. This match up with one of the few managers who has managed to get the better of him so far in England is his chance to show some tactical acumen. Will Spurs again go back three? If so what can Conte do to counter that?
Editors' Predictions:
Ed002 - 3-2
Ed004 - 1-2
Ed007 - 2-1
Ed018 - 5-1
Ed025 - 0-2
Ed033 - 2-1
Sunday 23rd April 2017
Burnley v Manchester United Premier League 2:15pm
Vokes (late fitness test - tight hamstring)
Arfield (late fitness test - knee injury)
Gudmundsson (doubt - MCL injury)
Marney (out - ACL injury)
Long (out - knee surgery)
The Clarets once more put their excellent home record to the test, with safety from relegation still not entirely secured. With just three home games left, and such an atrocious away record, it is vital they continue to pick up good results at home. Another season in the Premier League is within their grasp, all they need to do is keep going as they have been. Sean Dyche will be hoping to secure their Premier League future as quickly as possible, so that they can begin their planning for next season in earnest. However their recent form has delayed that, with just one win in their last ten matches.
Most important player: Tom Heaton. The former Man Utd youngster has been growing in confidence over the last few seasons. Burnley need him at his best, not just to stop shots, but to organise the defenders and keep them on their toes.
Ibrahimovic (out - knee injury)
Rojo (doubt - knee injury)
Mata (out - groin/pelvis injury)
Smalling (out - knee injury)
Jones (out - toe injury)
Wilson (out - ACL injury)
Williams (doubt - knee injury)
The long unbeaten run, which began against Burnley, has reached eighteen games now and counting. Finally it is starting to have some effect on the league table, after United were seemingly stranded in sixth for eternity. Now they have gained a place, only one but it is a start, and they are hunting down the blue half of Manchester in earnest. A win puts them just one point behind the Citizens, with the Manchester derby to play on Thursday. This is a key moment in the Red Devils push for Champions League football next season, Jose Mourinho will be keen to build on the momentum gained by their win over leaders Chelsea. A slip now and that performance was all for nothing.
Most important player: Antonio Valencia. The Ecuadorian's versatility is a massive help to Mourinho, as he allows the team to easily play a back three or four, with little issue. Against a Burnley side known for working hard, Valencia's workrate can be a key component for his team.
Defining Battle: the central midfield will be the key in this match. Burnley's midfielders may well run themselves into the ground, but will it be enough? Will Paul Pogba show some of that skill and class that led to United paying so much to bring him back? Either way, the Clarets will need to stifle United in the midfield to give them their best chance of a result.
Editors' Predictions:
Ed002 - 1-3
Ed004 - 1-2
Ed007 - 0-2
Ed018 - 3-1
Ed025 - 1-1
Ed033 - 0-1
Arsenal v Manchester City FA Cup 3pm
Mustafi (doubt - thigh injury)
Welbeck (late fitness test - toe injury)
Ospina (doubt - back injury)
Perez (out - thigh strain)
Cazorla (plantaris injury)
Reine-Adelaide (out - ankle injury)
Arsenal get the chance for a break from their struggles in the Premier League, which has seen them lose three of their last six games. Having dropped down all the way to sixth, the FA Cup offers the chance of some relief from the mounting pressure on Arsene Wenger and a chance of some glory. Having experimented with a back three in the previous game, which worked well enough to get a win, but not well enough to keep a clean sheet against a hopeless Middlesbrough side that have struggled badly to score goals, it will be interesting to see whether Wenger decides to continue with the experiment. While the change in formation brought a win, it left them even more exposed defensively than usual and it is doubtful it would have been as successful against just about any other team than the hapless Boro.
Most important player: Aaron Ramsey. It has been a while since the Welsh midfielder has shown Gooners his best, they could really do with him returning to form. What he does offer is the workrate to enable Wenger to risk playing two in the centre.
Stones (doubt - muscle injury)
Sagna (doubt - groin strain)
Jesus (late fitness test - metatarsal fracture)
Gundogan (out - ACL injury)
With their chance of winning the Premier League gone, the Citizens only hope of a trophy now is the FA Cup. With even a top four place not assured, Pep Guardiola will want to win a cup to avoid his first season being labeled a failure. With Pep finally having Vincent Kompany available to him, the defence looks so much better than it did. However there is always a worry over his fitness. Will Pep tinker with his system to face the usual Arsenal side or will he set up to face a back three? Get it wrong and the first ten minutes could be a mess as he tries to reorganise his players.
Most important players: Vincent Kompany. Kompany is not just the only defender in the City team who can actually defend, he is also excellent on the ball (unlike John Stones), and a leader. David Silva makes the attack tick, but Kompany makes the whole team better.
Defining Battle: the central midfield is the key to this game. Both teams have far too many players who offer nothing in terms of defensive work, strolling around when they should be chasing back. If either teams lazy players (Granit Xhaka and Yaya Toure I am looking at you in particular!) put in some effort defensively, it will change their whole team's game. It would allow their team to control the game completely.
Editors' Predictions:
Ed002 - 2-2 (Arsenal win on penalties after Cech pushes Fernandinho's shot around the post)
Ed004 - 0-2
Ed007 - 1-2
Ed018 - 1-2
Ed025 - 2-2
Ed033 - 1-2
Liverpool v Crystal Palace Premier League 4:30pm
Matip (late fitness test - muscle injury)
Leiva (late fitness test - muscle injury)
Klavan (doubt - knee injury)
Mane (out - knee cartilage injury)
Lallana (out - thigh injury)
Henderson (out - foot injury)
Ejaria (doubt - ankle injury)
Ings (out - ACL injury)
Unbeaten in seven, with five wins in those matches, Liverpool have moved back into the top three after slipping down as low as fifth at one point. They have, on paper at least, a fairly easy run in, consisting mostly of teams in the bottom half. The problem is that those are the teams that they have the most trouble with usually. However they have shown signs in recent games of getting that jinx out of their system. With second place still just about in reach, though requiring Spurs to have a collapse of similar proportions to the one they suffered this time last year, there is plenty for the Reds still to play for in the final few weeks of the season.
Most important player: Roberto Firmino. The Brazilian forward's link up play with compatriot Philippe Coutinho is key to Liverpool's attacking play. At times, it almost seems telepathic the way they play each other in.
Remy (doubt - calf strain)
Dann (out - knee injury)
Tomkins (doubt - calf muscle strain)
Wickham (out - ACL injury)
Souare (out - broken leg)
J Benteke (doubt - knee injury)
Palace can almost reach out and touch Premier League safety now, thanks to four wins in their last six games. The two shock results against top six sides Chelsea and Arsenal have given them a platform that Sam Allardyce built on. Now they have a chance of another shock win, which would be down as a bonus on Allardyce's list of games to target for the points they need. With all the pressure off the Eagles and on the Reds, they can go out and play with a freedom that has been good for them so far this season.
Most important player: Andros Townsend. While Wilfried Zaha has been getting all the headlines, Townsend is a major part of the way the Palace frontline play. His pace and trickery can be a devastating weapon, though his inconsistency is still as maddening as ever. One thing that Allardyce has managed to do is get him to up his workrate.
Defining Battle: with injury doubts surrounding Liverpool's defensive players adding to their already worrying defensive record, the battle between whoever does play and Christian Benteke should be the key to the game. With Benteke's first return to Anfield, since leaving Liverpool to sign for Palace, he will want to impress and prove Jurgen Klopp wrong for letting him go.
Editors' Predictions:
Ed002 - 4-1
Ed004 - 3-1
Ed007 - 2-1
Ed018 - 2-1
Ed025 - 3-0
Ed033 - 3-2
Written by Tris Burke April 22 2017 05:57:07