EPL 2014/15 - Week 13

My quick seleetions for this week-end's EPL matches.

WBA v/s Arsenal. I feel the Gunners will start picking up and their convincing UCL win against top team Dortmund might just keep them the needed tonic. Away win.

Burnley v/s Villa. Roy Keane's gone for Villa and this is a glorious chance to break their winless streak. Away win.

Liverpool v/s Stoke. Stoke are surprisingly better on the road and Liverpool are a team currently in disarray. A draw could be the result that would however not suit both of these teams. Draw.

Man Utd v/s Hull. Hull were unlucky last week and Man Utd rode their luck in their win at the Emirates. If they win this, they could be on a winning run. I think they will. Home win.

QPR v/s Leicester. A 6-pointer for both teams, I give the hosts home advantage here. Home win.

Swansea v/s Crystal Palace. Two teams with OK form and I expect a tight match here with possibly only a goal separating the two if there is to be a winner. Draw.

West Ham v/s Newcastle. I see the Magpies winning run end here as West Ham are playing with great purpose, particularly at home. Home win.

Sunderland v/s Chelsea. There's nothing stopping this Chelsea machine at the present, not yet. Away win.

Southampton v/s Man City. I think the quite miraculous win against Bayern will give renewed impetus to the visitors. I mean, there cannot be a better wake-up call than the way that they have come back from the dead in the UCL. They have the capacity to blow this Saints team away if all the pieces fall in their places. Away win.

Tottenham v/s Everton. I feel Everton can do the job here as they are the side which inspires the greater confidence to side with. Spurs have ridden their luck in quite a few of their games lately and they will need to be at the top of their game against the solid visitors. I don't think they are there yet, so I see value in backing the Toffees. Away win.

EPL 2014/15 - Week 12

Call it Perfect Saturday on Week 11 as all 7 selections won on the day. I dare not think of what that would have brought on an accumulator, but hopefully some of you dove in. Hoping that this week-end's selections come up trumps as well.

Chelsea v/s West Brom. Anyone still doubting that Chelsea won't win the title this year? I say they will win in a canter. This match against WBA will be a tough one as the Baggies are showing that they are a no-nonsense team with great fighting spirit. A close match it might be, but in the end though, the Blues should prevail. Home win.

Everton v/s West Ham. The Toffees will be without some key players for this match, none more affluent than Leighton Baines. West Ham have great form going in this match but I feel their star will start falling soon. I think the home team wins this by just. Home win.

Leicester v/s Sunderland. If there is an away win that I fancy on Saturday, it's in this match where the Black Cats can overcome a Leicester team in great need of confidence and renewed momentum. After a horrible spell of matches where they got annihilated big time, Sunderland scored an important first away win at Crystal Palace. Striker Steven Fletcher has regained his goal-scoring touch and it won't be surprising if he gets on the scoreboard again in this match. Since their fluke win against Man Utd, everything has been going downhill for the Foxes and it's only the beginning of their descent, I think. Away win.

Man City v/s Swansea. A tough match for the champions as Swansea are a really organized team. One's got to think that without Aguero, Man City would be nowhere near Chelsea at the moment. The Argentinian striker is carrying City on his shoulders and when he's not on-song, it spells big trouble for the Citizens. This match can really go either way and I see a draw here. Draw.

Newcastle v/s QPR. Newcastle has risen from the doldrums in recent weeks and are no longer in the precarious position they were in at the start. Manager Pardew's position looks safer as well. They will be missing some key men for this match but QPR is one of the easiest preys out there, so I see Newcastle just edging this. Home win.

Stoke v/s Burnley. This should be an easy win for the home team against a side that should keep struggling all year long. Home win.

Arsenal v/s Man Utd. An interesting game with both teams vying for a Champions League place rather than the title itself. Man Utd have only been beaten once by the Gunners in their last 8 games but all statistics should be thrown out of the window because they are 2 different teams from past years. The Gunners will have ex-Red Devil Wellbeck at the front line, while Utd are a Van Gaal team now. The loss of Blind over the course of the week is a big blow for the visitors; he was starting to be their midfield fulcrum. This should be a tight game and a draw looks the likeliest result. Draw.

Crystal Palace v/ Liverpool. The Kops have lost Sturridge for a few more weeks and Balotelli is also out injured which means that Ricky Lambert is their first-choice striker at the moment. I think Liverpool will keep struggling for the little while and they have a tough trip to Palace who sport good form at home. I see the Eagles outscoring the visitors in this one, so the selection is a home win. Home win.

Hull v/s Tottenham. Spurs have a history of struggling after a mid-week game or the international break and I see Hull piling on their current problems in this match. Home win.

Aston Villa v/s Southampton. The way I see it is that Villa are due a win sooner than later and Southampton's second position in the league is more than flattering. Sooner a balance should happen. This should be a tight match and the winner will probably be the one taking the most of its chances. Villa should have the most of the scoring opportunities and can very well take 3 badly-needed points. Home win.

EPL 2014/15 - Week 11

With Man City having alarmingly hit a ceiling in their past few games, the only word is Chelsea at the moment. I can see them taking an even bigger leap forward by winning at Anfield while City could very well get stuck at QPR.

Liverpool v/s Chelsea. It is very well documented how the Kops lost the league in this match-up last year following Gerrard's famous slip. If comparisons are to be made with last year, this Liverpool team is considerably weakened while Chelsea is miles better than last year. So, the Blues will go all guns blazing for the win here. They drew in their visits to Manchester this year, games that they were very close to winning. I can't see the visitors losing this match and Liverpool will be happy and fortunate to get a point. Away win.

Burnley v/s Hull. Could this be the match for Burnley to finally secure a first win? Hull's visit should be one of their best chances to finally break their duck. This match could swing either way but a Burnley win could be a worthy longshot punt. Home win.

Man Utd v/s Crystal Palace. The trials and tribulations of the Mancunians are daily newspaper fodder but this is an improving team by the week. They should win this even with a depleted defensive corps. Home win.

Southampton v/s Leicester. This should be 3 more points for Koeman's men. Their star striker Pelle should be relishing adding to his astonishing goal tally. Home win.

West Ham v/s Aston Villa. I mentioned before that Villa were due a win and they were unfortunate to lose against Spurs last week-end. Were it not for the dismissal of Benteke, they looked great value for the win. West Ham will be keen to continue on their very good vein of form and are difficult to breach at home. This encounter looks tight and it would be no surprise to see it end on an even note. Draw.

QPR v/s Man City. Man City will have the benefit of knowing Chelsea's result at Anfield before starting the match. Whether that will be an advantage remains to be seen. This match could end in a blowout for the visitors as on paper, there is a gulf between the 2 teams. However, the likelier scenario is that further misery will be heaped on the visitors following their mid-week debacle in Europe. Rangers gave Chelsea a fright last week and there is no better time for them to face the out-of-sorts visitors. Again, a long punt might be worth chancing on the hosts and a draw will reap significant dividends as well. Draw.

Sunderland v/s Everton. The hosts put a stop to their horrendous losing run by beating Crystal Palace last week-end. Everton only drew against Swansea but they are a team on the upgrade. A draw could be the end result here although the Toffees have enough quality to settle this. Draw.

Tottenham v/s Stoke. I am not convinced with the displays of Spurs at the moment and I feel they are still a vulnerable team finding their feet under Pochettino's new system.  There is no disputing the squad is talented but they seem to be winning games based on individual flashes rather than solid team play. They should never have won at Villa last week-end. On the other hand, Stoke should have won their last game but threw away a 2-goal lead against the Hammers. This should be an even match and a draw looks a high possibility. Draw.

WBA v/s Newcastle. Both teams are sporting good form at the moment and I just fancy WBA because they are playing at home where they are very decent. Newcastle's good winning run could very well end here. Home win.

Swansea v/s Arsenal. This is a tricky game for title challengers Arsenal. Swansea are a well-managed team that are not afraid to go head-to-head with even the best teams. They cannot be under-estimated in any way. The Gunners shockingly gave away a 3-goal lead in mid-week against Anderlecht and Monk's men are definitely a tougher proposal. The great news from the Gunners' front is the form of Alexis Sanchez who is currently defences apart and scoring in the bucket load as well. Hard to separate both teams and this could go any result. Draw.