EPL 2015/16 - Week 27

West Ham v/s Sunderland - Home win
Leicester v/s Norwich - Home win
Southampton v/s Chelsea - Draw
Stoke v/s Aston Villa - Home win
Watford v/s Bournemouth - Home win
West Brom v/s Crystal Palace - Away win
Man Utd v/s Arsenal - Away win
Tottenham v/s Swansea - Home win


I expect lots of home wins this week-end but I am going to focus on the 2 matches I believe will be away wins. I think Crystal Palace are due a league win and the return of striker Bolasie could coincide with a change in their fortunes. They beat Spurs at White Hart Lane in the FA Cup and have an arguably easier road test against West Brom. The Baggies don't sport the best form at the moment and although they are expected to beat the drop, they are not as solid at home as they used to be a while back. The Eagles should just edge this.

Man Utd might have won their Europa League tie against some Danish minnows but Arsenal represents a different test. The injury-hit home side will miss Rooney, Martial, Smalling to name a few and I just can't see their make-shift side trouble the likes of Cech, Ozil and Sanchez. The Gunners are worthy favourites and will expect 3 important full points in their quest for the title.

EPL 2015/16 - Week 26

Sunderland v/s Man Utd - Away win
Bournemouth v/s Stoke - Home win
Crystal Palace v/s Watford - Home win
Everton v/s West Brom - Home win
Norwich v/s West Ham - Away win
Swansea v/s Southampton - Draw
Chelsea v/s Newcastle - Draw
Arsenal v/s Leicester - Draw
Aston Villa v/s Liverpool - Draw
Man City v/s Tottenham - Home win

Leicester are confounding all logic at the moment; they put Man City firmly in their place last week and they look to crush the league by doubling down on Arsenal on Sunday. This match at the Emirates can go either way as the Foxes are never out of a match; their gung-ho style means that they have a chance to win or equalize until the last kick.

Everton looks a banker win as they host West Brom. Martinez's men are in blistering form having won their last 3 matches three to nil and things are oh-so-smooth in their attack with Barkley the mastermind. The Baggies suffered in extra-time in mid-week, so will be tested to their physical limits for this match. Got to go for the home win.

I also like the chances of the Red Devils as they visit Sunderland. The latter have let go of their best player, Adam Johnson, in mid-week. The Black Cats have a terrible defence which Rooney and Martial are set to exploit. Van Gaal's team again made the news this past week regarding the impending arrival of Mourinho. Much is being discussed on it but just a look at his management style leads me to categorically think that this could end up being the worst decision ever made at the club should this happen. Mourinho gets results but at a price and risk that will not suit a club of that magnitude. We will get to that as the story develops, but Man Utd have turned the corner as their recent away displays at Newcastle and Chelsea have shown and they look good for the 3 points.

EPL 2015/16 - Week 25

Man City v/s Leicester - Home win
Aston Villa v/s Norwich - Home win
Liverpool v/s Sunderland - Home win
Newcastle v/s West Brom - Home win
Stoke v/s Everton - Draw
Swansea v/s Crystal Palace - Away win
Tottenham v/s Watford - Home win
Southampton v/s West Ham - Draw
Bournemouth v/s Arsenal - Draw
Chelsea v/s Man Utd - Draw

A 6-pointer match in Manchester as City host surprise league leaders Leicester. All the talk with Leicester has been with Vardy and Mahrez. Their keeper Schmeichel and their defence do not make the back pages but they are the ones that more often that not keep things tidy at the back and provide the platform for their devastating counter-attacks. If they can keep the likes of Aguero and Silva at bay, it is not impossible of them to actually snatch the 3 points. De Bryune will be missed for the Citizens although truth be told, they have ample firepower to do damage to any team. They will need to be at their best and I see them just nicking this although it would be no shock if Leicester were celebrating a winner in the end.

Aston Villa are in a state of urgency to pick up full points and they won't come much easier than Norwich. This is another 6-pointer at the other end of the spectrum with both teams destined to battle it out to avoid the drop until the last day. Both are dreadful and have no good form to rely on, and the fact that Norwich has been leaking in the bucket-loads recently leads me to think that the hosts can edge this with the odd goal.

EPL 2015/16 - Week 24

Arsenal v/s Southampton - Home win
Leicester v/s Liverpool - Home win
Norwich v/s Spurs - Draw
Sunderland v/s Man City - Away win
West Ham v/s Aston Villa - Home win
Crystal Palace v/s Bournemouth - Home win
Man Utd v/s Stoke - Draw
West Brom v/s Swansea - Draw
Everton v/s Newcastle - Home win
Watford v/s Chelsea - Home win

The big question for title favourites Man City is how the departure of Pellegrini at the end of the season has affected the morale of the players. Sure, Guardiola is regarded a better manager, but Pellegrini is a well-liked among the squad. For one, Yaya Toure is probably sulking at this moment as his rift with Guardiola dates back from his Barcelona days. If the manager switch has managed to disturb him, this could spell trouble for City, particularly with de Bruyne out for an extended period of time. The good thing about the Citizens right now is the form of Aguero. The Premier League's best striker is in top form at the moment and will be keen to exploit the many weaknesses of the Sunderland defence. City don't have the best record on the record but Sunderland is as easy a prey as they will get and they should come away with the 3 points.

I cannot see Everton lose at home to Newcastle. The Toffees have found it hard lately to score as needed despite creating first-rate chances. Their last defeat at home to Swansea saw them squander gilt-edged goal-scoring opportunities yet again. They might be apt to remedy on this with the arrival of Newcastle who have a dismal defensive record. The Magpies have strengthened lately prior to the transfer deadline but I don't expect things to turn overnight for Mc Laren's men. Everton won the first fixture at the death at St James Park but I think it will be a more comfortable with this time.

EPL 2015/16 - Week 23

Norwich v/s Liverpool - Away win
Crystal Palace v/s Tottenham - Home win
Leicester v/s Stoke - Home win
Man Utd v/s Southampton - Home win
Sunderland v/s Bournemouth - Home win
Watford v/s Newcastle - Home win
West Brom v/s Aston Villa - Home win
West Ham v/s Man City - Draw
Everton v/s Swansea - Home win
Arsenal v/s Chelsea - Home win

I see Watford's losing run coming to an end against Newcastle. Ighalo is due a goal soon and he could very well get one or more against a usually-suspect Newcastle defence which just got worse off with new injuries to Dummett and Mbabu. The Magpies will do well to snatch a point out of this encounter but I think Watford will outright win this.

Arsenal hosts Chelsea  but the fiery tempers will probably be tampered because the Special One won't be there anymore to face arch-nemesis Wenger. Arsenal are welcoming back Ozil and Sanchez which gives them much-needed ammunition for the title run-in. I see their free-flowing football causing a lot of trouble for Chelsea's old legs and I just can't see an away win here. Most likely, it's the hosts that will rejoice with the 3 points in the end.

EPL 2015/16 - Week 22

Spurs v/s Sunderland - Home win
Bournemouth v/s Norwich - Home win
Chelsea v/s Everton - Away win
Man City v/s Crystal Palace - Home win
Newcastle v/s West Ham - Home win
Southampton v/s West Brom - Home win
Aston Villa v/s Leicester - Away win
Liverpool v/s Man Utd - Home win
Stoke v/s Arsenal - Home win
Swansea v/s Watford - Draw

Spurs should be able to bounce back from their last defeat against Leicester and comprehensively beat Sunderland. Harry Kane is due a goal soon having come close in his last couple of matches. Sunderland were lucky to have 4 past an under-manned Swansea in their last match. I don't reckon Defoe will get the same opportunities against his former club.

I see Leicester building on their last away win at White Hart Lane and pile more misery on Villa. The latter finally won last time out, albeit due to a lucky goal against Palace. Maybe lightning can strike twice but the Foxes are so hard to score against that I sense that they can very well find at least a goal with the likes of Mahrez or Vardy and outscore the worst team in the league.

EPL 2015/16 - Week 21

Bournemouth v/s West Ham - Away win
Aston Villa v/s Crystal Palace - Draw
Newcastle v/s Man Utd - Away win
Chelsea v/s West Brom - Home win
Man City v/s Everton - Home win
Southampton v/s Watford - Away win
Stoke v/s Norwich - Home win
Swansea v/s Sunderland - Home win
Liverpool v/s Arsenal - Home win
Tottenham v/s Leicester - Home win

Liverpool will certainly make it hard for Arsenal to come away with something at Anfield. While it is true that the Kops have looked more comfortable on the road rather than at home under Klopp, they seem to conjure their best matches against major opposition. Arsenal have done arguably well since the loss of Sanchez, Coquelin and Cazorla to injury but you can decipher in their recent matches that their energy levels have dipped and could do with fresher legs. Ozil is the player carrying them at the moment and if you take away his assists, the stats are not that flattering for the league leaders. At current odds, Liverpool look excellent value either as an outright win or as a draw-no-bet.

I think the Villains will drop this year as Garde hasn't made the team better in any way. They are not playing with any confidence and only a good stretch of winning matches will save them as they are running out of time. Visitors Crystal Palace are oh-so comfortable and ruthless on their travels and I can easily see them coming away with either a point or the full 3 points.

EPL 2015/16 - Week 20

West Ham v/s Liverpool - Draw
Arsenal v/s Newcastle - Home win
Leicester v/s Bournemouth - Home win
Man Utd v/s Swansea - Home win
Norwich v/s Southampton - Draw
Sunderland v/s Aston Villa - Draw
West Brom v/s Stoke - Away win
Watford v/s Man City - Draw
Crystal Palace v/s Chelsea - Home win
Everton v/s Spurs - Away win

Van Gaal is the manager under pressure at the moment after a terrible December spell. However, the Red Devils' last draw against Chelsea bears hope that the team is picking up the pieces and on its way to a more favorable spell. I think the visit of hapless and manager-less Swansea is an auspicious one for them to start a winning run although they have been beaten by the Swans in their last 3 league encounters. I see Old Trafford getting some buzz back on Saturday.

For Arsenal to win the title, they have got to put away struggling teams like Newcastle. Sure they still are missing a few key players but they have enough quality to grind out a result against Steve Mc Laren's side. Ozil is involved in most of the Gunners goals and the Magpies will need to stop him to get a result. Thing is, he's one of the most intelligent players out there to get into space and make the through pass. Although they are on a good run, I cannot see Newcastle coming out with something from the Emirates and this should be a straight win for the home team.

EPL 2015/16 - Week 19

Crystal Palace v/s Swansea - Home win
Everton v/s Stoke - Away win
Norwich v/s Aston Villa - Home win
Watford v/s Spurs - Home win
West Brom v/s Newcastle - Home win
Arsenal v/s Bournemouth - Home win
Man Utd v/s Chelsea - Draw
West Ham v/s Southampton - Draw
Leicester v/s Man City - Home win
Sunderland v/s Liverpool - Away win

I really like the chances of Leicester bouncing back from their defeat at Liverpool in their match against Man City. It was one of those rare matches where they could not find their net and it is a touch possible that Vardy is running out of steam at the moment. However, Mahrez is in superb form and the cog is really in full flow for Ranieri's men. Man City will be without captain and talisman Kompany and they have shown vulnerabilities on their road travels. At current odds, Leicester look a great win or draw-no-bet value.

I also see a home win for Palace against struggling Swansea. Sure, the Swans broke their duck by winning their last match but it's hard to see them getting a second win in a row against a solid Palace team. This could be a walk in the park for Pardew's men and I believe a home win beckons here.

EPL 2015/16 - Week 18

Stoke v/s Man Utd - Away win
Bournemouth v/s Crystal Palace - Home win
Aston Villa v/s West Ham - Home win
Chelsea v/s Watford - Draw
Liverpool v/s Leicester City - Away win
Man City v/s Sunderland - Home win
Swansea v/s WBA - Home win
Tottenham v/s Norwich - Home win
Newcastle v/s Everton - Draw
Southampton v/s Arsenal - Home win

With the return of Kompany at the back, Man City to beat Sunderland is the banker of this week-day. The Citizens are a different team with the Belgian at the back and they should have too much firepower for Allardyce's men.

I think the Gunners face a tricky encounter at Southampton. I thought they were rather flattered by their win against the Citizens on Monday and the wounded Saints team begging for a win certainly won't do them any favours. The Gunners could be apt for a bad game after their exertions against Man City and at current prices, the home team looks good value as a draw-no-bet at the very least. 

EPL 2015/16 - Week 17

Chelsea v/s Sunderland - Draw
Everton v/s Leicester City - Away win
Man Utd v/s Norwich - Home win
Southampton v/s Spurs - Draw
Stoke v/s Crystal Palace - Away win
WBA v/s Bournemouth - Home win
Newcastle v/s Aston Villa - Home win
Watford v/s Liverpool - Home win
Swansea v/s West Ham - Away win
Arsenal v/s Man City - Home win

Jose Mourinho has finally been sacked. Deservedly so, given how he was losing the plot and the locker room. This resets Chelsea's season and it remains to be seen what kind of form they will show from now on. My opinion, as I've been maintaining since the start of the season, is that they have been a regressing team for a while now and even though they had a great last hurrah winning the league last year due to the failings of the other teams, they need to renew the team to get back to their levels of a few years back. Man Utd has been going through the same process in the past couple of years. In effect, Mourinho is certainly the main culprit for their precarious position but not the only one. The Blues are still too good to face relegation but they are no longer a force week-in week-out. The choice of next manager will be crucial in properly picking up the pieces left by the Sacked One.

I see Man Utd winning against Norwich. The pressure is such on Van Gaal that I think he will have to throw caution to the wind and get goals for the Old Trafford faithful. The number of drab 0-0's is certainly ruffling the supporters' skins. The hosts need a win to shut down any dissidence and they have a huge chance to show their attacking prowess against lowly Norwich. If Van Gaal starts the same team as against Bournemouth with the bunch of inexperienced youngsters, then this advice can be thrown out of the window. If the team selected looks competitive on paper, then the Red Devils should win this.

I like the chances of Newcastle at home to Aston Villa. Maybe the Magpies have turned a corner with 2 consecutive wins against non-negligible opposition such as Liverpool and Tottenham. Papiss Cisse is getting chances and if the back four can limit their customary mistakes, then the hosts must have a leading chance against struggling Villa. 

EPL 2015/16 - Week 16

Norwich v/s Everton - Draw
Crystal Palace v/s Southampton - Away win
Man City v/s Swansea - Home win
Sunderland v/s Watford - Draw
West Ham v/s Stoke - Away win
Bournemouth v/s Man Utd - Home win
Aston Villa v/s Arsenal - Away win
Liverpool v/w West Brom - Home win
Tottenham v/s Newcastle - Home win
Leicester v/s Chelsea - Home win

With a squad depleted of 9 players, I find it hard to see Man Utd go win at Bournemouth. Van Gaal's men will feel the fresh effects of being dumped out of the Champions League while the hosts will be buoyed from last week's win at Stamford Bridge. I've mentioned before that Bournemouth are a proving to be a surprise tenacious package, even more so as they have been successfully overcoming injuries to key players for a while now. They put 3 against Everton on their last home match and the Red Devils look very vulnerable without their regular spine of Rooney, Smalling and Schweinsteiger. I am going for a home win or a draw-no-bet for the Cherries.

EPL 2015/16 - Week 15

Stoke v/s Man City - Away win
Arsenal v/s Sunderland - Home win
Man Utd v/s West Ham - Home win
Southampton v/s Aston Villa - Home win
Swansea v/s Leicester - Draw
Watford v/s Norwich - Home win
WBA v/s Tottenham - Away win
Chelsea v/s Bournemouth - Home win
Newcastle v/s Liverpool - Away win
Everton v/s Crystal Palace - Home win

It probably won't be a canter for the Blues but at the end of 90 minutes they should be able to overcome visiting Bournemouth. We can read many pundits guaranteeing a top 4 finish for Mourinho's men; I'm far from convinced about that. I think there are way too many good teams ahead of them in the fray with the likes of Tottenham and a rejuvenated Liverpool that will make it hard for the Blues to get the coveted last Champions League spot. Still too early to say though but my gut feeling at this time is that they have lost too many points at this stage and giving guarantees as some of the pundits are currently doing, is just irresponsible and speculative.

I see a Watford win against visiting Norwich. I think the Hornets have one of the shrewdest managers in the league in Quique Flores and he will see it as a vital 3 points to bag against the struggling visitors. Their main striker Ighalo is in a rich vein of form and has been the recipient of quite a few lucky bounces of late. It could very well be a low scoring match and I think the home team will just edge this one.

EPL 2015/16 - Week 14

Bournemouth v/s Everton - Away win
Aston Villa v/s Watford - Away win
Crystal Palace v/s Newcastle - Home win
Man City v/s Southampton - Draw
Sunderland v/s Stoke - Draw
Leicester v/s Man Utd - Draw
Tottenham v/s Chelsea - Home win
West Ham v/s West Brom - Away win
Liverpool v/s Swansea - Home win
Norwich v/s Arsenal - Away win

I really like Watford's chances as they visit Aston Villa. I have seen nothing yet in the Villain's demenour since Remi Garde took over as manager that things are going to improve at Villa Park. This team has a severe confidence problem and losing Grealish for his off-field antics in mid-week only adds to their plight. Watford are a well-managed team and their major weakness is a lack of fire power up front. I see it value to either side with them or opt for the draw-no-bet for the visitors.

Liverpool is a transformed beast under Klopp and they are playing with huge confidence at the moment. Swansea's form has been on the downside for a while now and they were lucky to scrape a draw against Bournemouth last week. I can't see them getting a result at Anfield and I think it's a no contest home win.

Crystal Palace could not break down Sunderland last Monday and they have a glorious chance for redemption against a Magpies team in disarray. Midweek events seem to confirm the fact that there is a big tension reigning in Steve Mc Laren's side and the team spirit and motivation are lacking. If the Eagles can take their chances, they will overrun the visitors.

EPL 2015/16 - Week 13

Watford  v/s Man Utd - Draw
Chelsea v/s Norwich - Home win
Everton v/s Aston Villa - Home win
Newcastle v/s Leicester - Draw
Southampton v/s Stoke - Draw
Swansea v/s Bournemouth - Home win
West Brom v/s Arsenal - Away win
Man City v/s Liverpool - Draw
Tottenham v/s West Ham - Draw
Crystal Palace v/s Sunderland - Home win

No particularly strong views this week-end following the international break. Chelsea will probably bounce back from their horrible spell and they don't come much easier than Norwich. The Blues were playing alright when defeated at Stoke in their last league match and although they won't win the league and the odds are against them making a Top 4 spot, they are still a quality team on paper and will win matches against the likes of Norwich.

I also like the chances of Swansea at home to Bournemouth. Manager Monk's job is on the line after their recent barren spell. The visitors are injury-hit and going against them has been rewarding of late. So, Swansea should really be getting on the winning column this week-end.