This Premier League season has featured plenty of twists and turns already
La saison de Premier League a déjà connu de nombreux rebondissements.
Our latest football acca focuses on five of the matches taking place on Saturday and Sunday, including a crunch clash at the Eithad Stadium.
Notre dernière cote parie sur cinq des matchs qui auront lieu samedi et dimanche, dont un choc au stade de l’Etihad.
Manchester City vs Chelsea: Man City to win (9/10)
Manchester City will not win the Premier League title this season, but they have at least got their top-four bid back on track in recent weeks.
Pep Guardiola’s team have gone five matches unbeaten in the top flight and taken 10 points from the last 12 available. A 6-0 triumph over Ipswich Town last weekend featured some of the best football City have played all season.
The concern for Guardiola is that his team still look defensively suspect. Chelse have the talent in forward areas to take advantage of any lapses at the back from the home team.
The Blues ran out 3-1 winners against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Monday night, but before that they went five matches without a win.
Before their recent blip, City were formidable at the Etihad Stadium. Home advantage is the main reason why we expect them to edge Saturday’s showdown.
Aston Villa vs West Ham United: Aston Villa to win (11/20)
West Ham United beat Fulham 3-2 in Graham Potter’s first league game in charge of the club, but even the new manager admitted his team were fortunate to collect all three points.
West Ham got exactly what they deserved last time out: nothing. Outplayed by Crystal Palace, they slumped to a 2-0 defeat at the London Stadium.
The Hammers recently lost to Aston Villa in the third round of the FA Cup and we anticipate the same outcome here.
Villa have been inconsistent this term and they were beaten by Monaco in the Champions League on Tuesday, but they showed their enduring quality in a 2-2 draw with Arsenal last weekend.
Villa have the fourth-best home record in the Premier League, while they have won five of their last six Villa Park assignments in all competitions.
This looks set to be another difficult afternoon for Potter and West Ham.
Wolves vs Arsenal: Over 2.5 goals (8/11)
Arsenal are not out of the title race yet, but their chances took a hit with that draw with Aston Villa last weekend. The Gunners cannot afford another slip-up against Wolves.
Fortunately for Mikel Arteta, his team’s upcoming opponents are in poor form. Wolves enjoyed an initial bounce following Vito Pereira’s appointment as Gary O’Neil’s successor, but they have now lost three league games in a row.
Worryingly for Wolves, they have only scored one goal in that time. Their attacking output was a rare strength under O’Neil, but the team has looked toothless of late.
Still, they are about to face an Arsenal side that has struggled to keep clean sheets over the last few weeks.
On the plus side, Arteta’s team are continuing to create chances even without star man Bukayo Saka.
Bournemouth vs Nottingham Forest: Both teams to score (7/10)
Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest are two of the stories of this Premier League season. Against the odds, this is a tussle between seventh and third.
Forest have amassed seven more points than Bournemouth, fuelling hope of Champions League qualification. But with five teams likely to advance to that tournament this term, we cannot rule the Cherries out either.
This has the potential to be a thrilling game. Unlike some of the teams around them, there is no pressure on Bournemouth or Forest, both of whom are punching above their weight.
The hosts will have to be wary of the visitors’ capacity to do damage on the counter-attack, while Bournemouth’s pressing will give Forest plenty to think about.
It is difficult to envisage either team keeping the back door shut on Saturday.
Southampton vs Newcastle United: Newcastle -1.5 Asian handicap (41/40)
Newcastle suffered a shock 4-1 home loss to Bournemouth last Saturday. Eddie Howe will hope that was only a blip and his team have the perfect chance to get back on track this weekend.
Southampton look like one of the worst sides in Premier League history. Derby County’s record low tally of 11 points in 2007/08 is under threat.
Ivan Juric has lost each of his five top-flight games at the helm and Southampton will struggle to avoid a sixth successive reverse here.
Newcastle had been defensively excellent before the Bournemouth blip, conceding only one goal in their previous six outings.
They combined that with some electric attacking play, the combination of which should be sufficient for them to win this by two goals or more.
About the author
Greg Lea is a freelance football writer from London. He predominantly covers the Premier League and has had work published by the Guardian, FourFourTwo, ESPN and others.
Follow Greg on Twitter: @GregLeaFootball
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