If I could watch or attend only one game in the Premier League this season, this clash of titans at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester would be the one. And this season the fixture does not disappoint as the club with the best offense in the league in City (68 goals) faces the club that’s allowed the least goals in third-place Chelsea (20). And though it seems like an immovable force meeting an irresistible object, there are a couple of big edges for the new league leaders who may not give up first place from this point on the way they are playing.
| Saturday 1 February 2014 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:45 | Newcastle v Sunderland | St. James' Park | ||||
| 12:45 | West Ham v Swansea | Boleyn Ground | ||||
| 15:00 | Cardiff v Norwich | Cardiff City Stadium | ||||
| 15:00 | Everton v Aston Villa | Goodison Park | ||||
| 15:00 | Fulham v Southampton | Craven Cottage | ||||
| 15:00 | Hull v Spurs | The KC Stadium | ||||
| 15:00 | Stoke v Man Utd | Britannia Stadium | ||||
Hull City vs. Tottenham Hotspur
Where: The KC Stadium
When: Saturday, 1 February, 3 p.m. GMT
After getting sandblasted by new English Premier League leaders Manchester City on Wednesday, 5-1, fifth-place Tottenham Hotspur (13-4-6) will be in the mood for success and in real need of a win and three points and luckily for Spurs, they are at the Kingston Communications Stadium this weekend against 13th-place Hull City (6-5-12) in a match they desperately need to win with hot clubs like City, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool above them in the league table and others like Manchester United and Everton below them and plotting to try to vault above them in the near future.
The Tigers have proven to be a pretty solid at home (5-3-3) so far in their return to England’s top flight of football and have allowed only 8 goals so far at KC Stadium heading into this meeting with Tottenham. Only Arsenal (6) have allowed less goals on its home soil. But Spurs were riding pretty high heading into their mid-week meeting with the Sky Blues and losing to that club—the hottest team in the EPL for weeks now—is certainly no disgrace. Here, I see an Emmanuel Adebayor goal being the difference in a very tightly played and low-scoring affair.
PREDICTION: Hull City 0 Tottenham 1
BETS: Tottenham -110, Under 2½ -115
BETS: Tottenham -110, Under 2½ -115
Stoke City vs. Manchester United
Where: The Britannia Stadium
When: Saturday, 1 February, 3 p.m. GMT
At dawn we attack the Mata Punsters but until then we better handicap this Stoke City-Manchester United fixture at the Britannia Stadium and imagine a world free of car alarms, lobbyists and Nickelback. Juan Mata’s debut for the Red Devils (12-4-7) went fine at Old Trafford on Tuesday as the home team shut out Cardiff City, 2-0 and with the roster he now has, manager David Moyes can make a legitimate run at a UEFA Champions League spot and at 13 points back of Noisy Neighbors City (40-53), seventh-place United is in now in the perfect position to make the run of all runs at the Premier League title, right? This is going to get really fun. Promise.
With players like Robin van Persie, Wayne Rooney, Javier Hernandez, Shinji Kagawa, Adnan Januzaj, Danny Welbeck, Ashley Young, now Mata and possibly even Porto's Fernando on the way, the Red Devils could probably hang with almost anybody in this galaxy if it could only find a way to consistently play as a unit and defend the sacred home turf like it always did up until Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure last spring. Here, I think they will find a way to win against a very game Potters (5-7-11) side looking to stay away from the relegation zone which suddenly is upon them like white on rice. With so many scoring threats and the added confidence and passing Mata brings, United should get the one-goal win and the three points here at Stoke-on-Trent on Saturday.
PREDICTION: Stoke City 1 Manchester United 2
BETS: Manchester United -165, Manchester United First Half
BETS: Manchester United -165, Manchester United First Half
Sunday, February 2, 2014
West Bromwich Albion vs. Liverpool
Where: The Hawthorns
When: Sunday, 2 February, 1:30 p.m. GMT
The Reds seemed to put it all together in Tuesday’s Merseyside Derby rout of Everton at Anfield as Luis Suárez (EPL-leading 23 goals), Daniel Sturridge (13), Steven Gerrard (6), Philippe Coutinho and Raheem Sterling all seemed to be on the same page for the first time this season, a very welcome sight for Reds fans. Here, prefer to back the more talented, more motivated and hotter visiting team again as 15th-place West Brom (4-10-9) is just not the kind of team to gamble on with just four wins—tied for the lowest right now—in 23 Premier League matches to date. The Baggies are a very average 3-4-4 at home (13 GF-13 GA) at The Hawthorns and manager Pepe Mai and his squad will really be up against it here against an inspired fourth-place Liverpool (14-4-5) side.
The Reds roll into the West Midlands winners of three of their last four games and Liverpool holds the edge over the last 10 in this series, going 6-0-4 (15 GF-9 GA) with five clean sheets. Brendan Rodgers’ club is 4-3-4 (24 GF-20 GA) away from Anfield but better beware bettor as the sometimes-nicknamed Throstles won this fixture 3-0 last year, sending the Reds floating home to Merseyside on a river of tears in a very poorly made red balsa wood boat. One trend worth backing here is the Over in Liverpool games (17-6) as knowing that those Fab Five played so well against Everton means the visitors may get three of their own and with a total of 2½ to be found, well, let’s just call that logical handicapping senorita.
PREDICTION: West Brom 1 Liverpool 3
BETS: Liverpool -155, Over 2½ -155
BETS: Liverpool -155, Over 2½ -155
Monday, February 3, 2014
Manchester City vs. Chelsea
Where: Eastlands
When: Monday, 3 February, 8 p.m. GMT
If I could watch or attend only one game in the Premier League this season, this clash of titans at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester would be the one. And this season the fixture does not disappoint as the club with the best offense in the league in City (68 goals) faces the club that’s allowed the least goals in third-place Chelsea (20). And though it seems like an immovable force meeting an irresistible object, there are a couple of big edges for the new league leaders who may not give up first place from this point on the way they are playing.
The first edge is the Sky Blues (17-2-4) remarkable advantage at home.11-0-0. 42 to 8 goals. A track record of superiority through the years on their home pitch. Chelsea (+362) will have to do absolutely everything right and get all the breaks on Monday to snatch a win here. And José Mourinho’s almost over-the-top respect for the Citizens is either a brilliant head strategy or a tip of the cap to a team he knows may be a little bit better than his at this particular point in time. And hard to argue that point. Another concern is the disappointment of some fans and possibly some teammates with the sale of Mata and the simple reality that the Blues are weaker as a team in the advanced midfield without their two-time Player of the Year.
A team with talent like Yaya Toure (12 goals), Alvaro Negredo (9), Edin Dzeko (7), Pablo Zabaleta (5), Samir Nasri (4), Jesus Navas (4 goals, 6 assists), David Silva (7 assists), Fernandinho, Vincent Kompany, Aleksander Kolarov and GK Joe Hart is good enough to actually make a run at a European championship. Here they will send a message to one of their closest competitors while bursting their royal blue bubble a bit. And, in the end, the message will be simple: A team with good and prolific strikers will always be tougher to beat and go farther than one without them.
PREDICTION: Manchester City 3 Chelsea 1
BETS: Manchester City -114, Over 2½ (Pinnacle), Manchester City -1
BETS: Manchester City -114, Over 2½ (Pinnacle), Manchester City -1
BONUS PARLAY: Everton -230/Arsenal -550
LAST WEEK: (6-4-0)
OVERALL SEASON: (106-72-6)
OVERALL SEASON: (106-72-6)
Arsenal vs. Crystal Palace
Where: The Emirates
When: Sunday, 2 February, 4 p.m. GMT
This London derby has the potential to be a far tougher encounter for the Gunners than many may imagine.
Form
The Eagles have appeared a team revitalised since Tony Pulis replaced Ian Holloway in the Selhurst Park dugout on Nov. 23, with the Welshman having garnered a highly impressive 1.38 points per game since taking charge of the South-East London side.
Meanwhile, the Gunners dropped two points at Southampton on Wednesday night to surrender top spot in the Premier League, although a win against Palace will at least see Arsene Wenger’s men temporarily return to the summit.
Key Battles
There is no denying the fact that Pulis has significantly tightened up Palace’s defence since arriving at the club, with seven clean sheets recorded in their previous 13 matches, during which time they have conceded just 10 goals.
And so this particular encounter looks like coming down to a straight battle between the North London club’s eye-catching front line and the visitors’ impenetrable back line.
Prediction: Arsenal 2-0 Palace
Club form guide
| POS |  | LP | CLUB | RANK | FORM | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | | (1) | Manchester City | 1 | W W W W W W | 18 |
| 2 | | (3) | Chelsea | 3 | W W W W W D | 16 |
| 3 | | (4) | Arsenal | 2 | W W W W W D | 16 |
| 4 | | (2) | Tottenham Hotspur | 5 | D W W W W L | 13 |
| 5 | | (5) | Manchester United | 7 | W W L W L W | 12 |
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