Premier League Weekend Preview
With all eyes waiting for Arsenal vs Chelsea to take to our screens on Saturday evening, there is a fine selection of football matches to enjoy from the
English Premier League in the build-up to the weekend’s hotly anticipated London derby.
LIVERPOOL VS CRYSTAL PALACE – ANFIELD
The league leaders will be eager to take to the field once again following last weekend’s narrow 1-0 win at Brighton, a result which helped maintain their advantage over title-rivals and defending champions Manchester City, who closed the gap to four points when they beat Liverpool 2-1 in the first game of the new year.
Crystal Palace appeared to have turned a corner in recent weeks, picking up 10 points from a possible 18 across their last six matches in the division. The Eagles also booked their place in the 4
th round of the FA Cup with a 1-0 win against 10-man Grimsby Town along the way.
Liverpool won the corresponding fixture 1-0 last season thanks to Sadio Mane’s solitary strike – ending a run of three successive defeats at Anfield against Crystal Palace. The Senegalese international has scored three times in his last three appearances against Palace.
The Reds could make it four league wins in-a-row on Saturday should they get one over on their former manager Roy Hodgson and his Eagles outfit.
MANCHESTER UNITED VS BRIGHTON AND HOVE ALBION – OLD TRAFFORD
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Red Devils side are well and truly firing once again. Marcus Rashford scored the only goal of the game to help sink Spurs last time out, which was seen by the Old Trafford faithful as the “Baby-faced Assassin’s” first real acid test as United boss. They have now won all six of their matches in all competitions since the Norwegian took charge.
The Seagulls have won just one of their last seven Premier League matches since early December, a run which has seen the south-coast side slip to within 8 points of the relegation zone. Brighton did however earn themselves a 4
th round FA Cup clash against West Bromwich Albion next weekend after they edged past a struggling Bournemouth team 3-1 last weekend.
Man United will be looking to get the better of Brighton on Saturday after succumbing to Chris Hughton’s side at the Amex Stadium earlier in the season. Pascal Gross scored what turned out to be the winner, from the penalty spot, just before the stroke of half-time – the German’s second goal in as many games against United following a 1-0 win at the back end of last season.
Romelu Lukaku and Nemanja Matic were on target for the hosts the last time the pair met at Old Trafford in the FA Cup quarter-final in March. United won the corresponding 2017/18 league fixture 1-0 courtesy of a Lewis Dunk own-goal.
BOURNEMOUTH VS WEST HAM UNITED – VITALITY STADIUM
Bournemouth, who currently occupy 12
th place on the log, welcome West Ham United in 9
th to the Vitality Stadium on Saturday looking to end a five-match winless run in all competitions during which the Cherries have conceded 17 goals in the process.
The Hammers have to contend with the blow that talismanic figure Marko Arnautovic, reportedly, is keen on a move to the Chinese Super League. The Austrian has been pivotal to all things good at the London Stadium these days – the Austrian has netted 7 goals in 16 league outings this campaign. He played 71 minutes as West Ham beat London rivals Arsenal 1-0 last time out.
Since Bournemouth won promotion to England’s top-flight in 2015 they have won two and lost three of the eight Premier League meetings with West Ham, with two draws between them. A fixture that has produced a flurry of goals in that period – 28 to be exact at an average of 3.5 goals per game.
Eddie Howe’s men are unbeaten in their last four matches against the Hammers including a 2-1 win at the London Stadium in the reverse fixture back in August. Callum Wilson was on target that day, as he was in the corresponding fixture last season which ended in a thrilling 3-3 draw. Wilson, who has 9 goals and 5 assists to his name already this season, has scored five times in five appearances against West Ham.
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