EPL 2019/20 - Week 14

Newcastle v Man City - Away
Burnley v Crystal Palace - Home
Chelsea v West Ham - Home
Liverpool v Brighton - Home
Tottenham v Bournemouth - Home
Southampton v Watford - Home
Norwich v Arsenal - Home
Wolves v Sheffield Utd - Draw
Leicester v Everton - Home
Man Utd v Aston Villa - Home


Leicester are in devastating form at the moment, led by an inspiring Vardy. It is funny that the England striker seems to have picked up his game just when his many thought (including I) that he would be negatively distracted by the front pages of his missus' feud with Mrs Rooney. Since the infamous story broke, Vardy has been on a goal-scoring tear. Leicester will be happy to welcome an out-of-sorts Everton whose manager Silva is firm favourite to be the next given the boot. Needless to say that should the visitors lose this match, the chances are that the boot will be applied. The Toffees have a poor away record and are carrying a significant injury list. The loss of Coleman at the back for the visitors will only play to Vardy's advantage and it could be another big scoring day for the Leicester striker.

It might be worth taking a chance on Southampton as they entertain Watford on Saturday. The Saints have garnered somewhat encouraging results and displays after their 0-9 drubbing against Leicester last month. Watford are a team in total disarray with the mildest attacking threat and the return of Quique Flores as manager has hardly improved results for the Hornets. This is a 6-pointer for the 2 worst teams in the league and I will go for home advantage.

Win: Southampton, Leicester

EPL 2019/20 - Week 13

West Ham v Tottenham - Away
Bournemouth v Wolves - Home
Arsenal v Southampton - Home
Brighton v Leicester - Home
Crystal Palace v Liverpool - Away
Everton v Norwich - Home
Watford v Burnley - Draw
Man City v Chelsea - Home
Sheffield Utd v Man Utd - Draw
Aston Villa v Newcastle - Draw


The Special One is finally back from the ranks of unemployment as he takes over under-performing Spurs. The resulting availability of Pochettino will no doubt have rejoiced a few leading clubs in Europe and it remains to be seen who will be the lucky club to register his services next. At Spurs, Mourinho will have a talented bunch at his disposal and it is almost a guarantee that the fortune of the club will get better as the season progresses. It is so often said that a newly-brought manager almost always wins his first match in charge as the players are desperate to make a good first impression to the new boss. The Tottenham players will certainly be very motivated and willing on Saturday and given they are playing an out-of-form Hammers team, the odds are that Mourinho will start his Spurs career in a winning fashion. I do not see the short 3-day period to get prepared for the match as a hindrance as the new manager is tactically astute to play in such circumstances. This match should end in an away win.

Man City will most certainly leave their Premiership crown to Liverpool this season but they will not want to give it away without a fight. Chelsea is a big fish coming up at the Etihaad and the Citizens will have to be at their top-most form to get the full points. The Blues are being masterfully guided by Lampard so far but I don't think they have the team to go beat Man City on its ground. American star Pulisic has been on fire of late as have the other young guns like Mount and Abraham. This should be an exciting match to watch but the experienced home side have enough in them to bag all points.

Win: Tottenham, Man City

EPL 2019/20 - Week 12

Chelsea v Crystal Palace - Home
Burnley v West Ham - Home
Newcastle v Bournemouth - Draw
Southampton v Everton - Draw
Tottenham v Sheffield Utd - Draw
Leicester v Arsenal - Home
Man Utd v Brighton - Home
Wolves v Aston Villa - Draw
Liverpool v Man City - Home

This is match of the season so far as Liverpool host Man City at Anfield. It is hard to argue against the point that the Kops are about to bring home the title that has eluded them for years. They seem to have the resilience, hunger and the team to finally claim top honours, something they have come oh-so close to achieve in recent years. The season still has a long way to go and there will be ebbs and flows but at the moment, everything seems to be going the Kops' way. Victory over their main and only challengers Man City will further kick them off in their title quest.

Man City can be mesmerizing on their best day; simply the best team in football. However, they can have their off-days and drop seemingly easy points. An off-day on Sunday against Liverpool will be fatal. Klopp's men are in unforgivable mood at the moment and they are never out until the final whistle. Shades of the great Man Utd teams under Sir Alex Ferguson or the Liverpool of the 80's! On paper, Guardiola's men are superior but the drive and hunger will be on the other side. It is hard to see the hosts losing this and I think they are very capable of winning all 3 points and opening a decisive gap at the top.

Leicester are on a roll and Arsenal are a team in doubt at the moment. This makes them very vulnerable against the likes of Vardy, Perez and Tielermans. Clearly, the coming of manager Rodgers last year has had a positive impact on the team and although I don't expect them to win the Premiership as they did a few years ago, the Foxes have a legitimate shot at a top 4 finish. At current prices, they are value to bag full points against Arsenal.


Win: Liverpool, Leicester

EPL 2019/20 - Week 11

Bournemouth v Man Utd - Away
Arsenal v Wolves - Home
Aston Villa v Liverpool - Away
Brighton v Norwich - Draw
Man City v Southampton - Home
Sheffield Utd v Burnley - Home
West Ham v Newcastle - Home
Watford v Chelsea - Away
Crystal Palace v Leicester - Away
Everton v Tottenham - Home

The return of Anthony Martial from injury seems to have given Man Utd the wind in their sails that they badly needed to recover from their horrendous start to the season. The French striker can score but is also a perfect foil for Marcus Rashford, who has regained his goal scoring touch since Martial's return. The renewed confidence in the squad in general gives the Red Devils a good opportunity to grab another full points as they visit a Bournemouth side that has fired blanks in four of their last 5 matches. Dean Court has been proven a tough ground for the Mancunians in recent years and they were just able to squeeze out a win in injury time in last year's visit. I expect them to do the same again on Saturday.

Sheffield Utd are proving very resilient at home as Arsenal will have witnessed a couple of weeks ago. It would not be surprising if they overcome visiting Burnley. The visitors are not overly strong on the road although they have managed to squeeze out a few draws. This is bound to be a low-score affair, and at market prices, it might be worth going with the home team for the outright win.

Win: Man Utd, Sheffield Utd