The last match week of 2024 is here and it’s hard to believe we’ll be saying goodbye to 2024 in a couple of days and moving on to the new year.
For some teams (Liverpool & Nottingham Forest) they’ll be stoked with how this 2024/25 campaign has kicked off, for others (Man City, Man United & Southampton) they’ll be looking to forget.
Fans will be gathering to bring in the New Year together and hoping for something to cheer for to see the year off. Let’s see who I think will be rejoicing when the New Year hits.
After dropping more points in their last game Man City now just have one win from their last 13 games across all competitions.
I’m probably starting to sound like a broken record but this is where I draw the line. I’ve been waiting for something to change for this City side and it seems there was no Christmas miracle for Pep and his squad as they continue to struggle in all areas of the game.
A strong start for Leicester against Liverpool in their festive fixture will have their confidence sky high. They went down 3-1 in the end but did have their moments and I like their chances to find a win against City.
Tottenham’s season is falling apart as they slide down to 11th on the ladder. The usual lethal attack when going forward stalled when they met Forest.
The only explanation is that Solanke, Son and Kulusevski all attended the same Christmas party and were recovering from a big night because those three were invisible.
Wolves stunned the Red Devils adding a second goal late and their wishes have been answered as they move out of the relegation zone.
After conceding a mountain of goals pre-Christmas, Wolves now have back-to-back wins and a pair of clean sheets.
You just never know with Spurs and they could still be suffering from a Christmas hangover so give me the red hot Wolves.
Fulham fought back from 1-0 down to beat Chelsea 2-1 at Stamford Bridge. With two goals in the last 10 minutes of the game, Fulham have severely dented Chelsea’s title chances.
The Cottagers have been in good form but so have Bournemouth. With three wins and two draws in their last five they’ve found themselves hanging around the top six.
For a team that has had no issues scoring goals, Bournemouth really struggled to create chances in their 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace.
It’s hard to see that being a reoccurring theme and I’m picking there will be some goals for the fans at Craven Cottage to end the year.
Crystal Palace are now on a five game unbeaten streak away from home and sit 16th on the ladder.
Southampton are now without a win since the start of November. They had their chances against the Hammers with some nice build-up play but just lacking in the goalscoring department.
Speaking of lacking in the goalscoring department, neither side in the Palace, Bournemouth fixture looked like scoring.
When teams can’t score, you take the under.
Nottingham Forest continue to impress, largely due to their defensive set up that just soaks up any pressure that comes their way.
Everton continue to be draw merchants as they scabbed a point off of Man City. Their defence hasn’t been anything special and I don’t think their attack will worry Nottingham too much.
The Trees defend well and take their chances when they arrive. I see this as a 1 or 2-0 win for Nottingham.
The Hammers got up over Southampton as they should have done and they’re now unbeaten in four games. They now host Liverpool who are coming off a 3-1 win over the Foxes.
After going down early it still felt like Liverpool were always going to find a way back into it. Mo Salah is ridiculously good and he is the reason they are at the top and will be at the top heading into the New Year.
The only concern is that Darwin Nunez still can’t find hit the back net but it shouldn’t be an issue if Mo Salah continues to be a wizard.
Aston Villa’s up and down form continued in the last match week going down 3-0 to Newcastle. Going down to 10 men didn’t help the cause but they weren’t able to keep up with Newcastle whatsoever.
Brighton have also been up and down this season but more down than up.
This will be a good battle and Unai Emery should be able to get the troops up for it, Brighton have not kept a clean sheet in their last 10 games and Aston Villa should be able to take advantage of it.
Chelsea will be hurting after going down at home to Fulham and that puts a massive dent in their title race.
Ipswich find themselves still in the drop zone but are still a fun watch. This should be a fun one and Chelsea should have extra motivation to get three points and get back on track.
Wolves gave the Red Devils an unwanted gift this holiday season and rubbed salt in the wound by adding a second. Not the Christmas gift Ruben Amorim was after.
Newcastle were very impressive at home against an Aston Villa side that was reduced to 10 men. United were also reduced to 10 men after Bruno Fernandes was shown red.
It wouldn’t surprise me to see the Magpies get up away from home with Isak adding to his tally once again.
Brentford find themselves in the bottom half of the ladder hosting a Bukayo Saka-less Arsenal.
There should be enough motivation for the Gunners to get the job done here away from home but the question is who steps up for Arsenal?
They should be good enough to keep a clean sheet and someone will tap in two or three up top.