We had the final Merseyside Derby held at Goodison Park on Thursday which produced a drama filled game ending with the two sides splitting the points. It was the postponed match week 15 match and if you go back and see my tip for that game, it was Mo Salah to score at any time.
A good omen for this week? I think so.
Brighton will be looking to snap a 2 game losing streak this weekend when they welcome Chelsea to town who moved up into 4th after their 2-1 win over the Hammers last round.
Brighton were embarrassed last week being handed a 7-0 loss to the Trees, their worst loss in 67 years.
Chelsea were dominant in their win, however, did struggle to convert the chances they were creating.
The fixture is a rare back-to-back meeting between these two since they just met in the FA Cup during the week with the Seagulls taking the glory. I give Chelsea the win here this week with their attacking power taking on a leaky Brighton defence.
It’s all eyes on the title now for Arsenal after they were knocked out of the Cup during the mid-week fixtures.
Leicester are in the same boat after being knocked out by the same squad, Man United. However their focus now turns to surviving.
The Gunners will be without Havertz who suffered a season ending injury during training. He joins Jesus, Saka and Martinelli in the injury ward.
Despite the lack of attacking power, I’d still back the Gunners to get the job done here and keeping the pressure on Liverpool.
Both these sides suffered losses last round, both struggling defensively and both sides desperate to get back to winning ways.
One thing for sure is that when these two meets we see a flurry of goals. Throughout their recent meetings we have seen an average of 3 goals.
When you consider both sides defensive struggles, you can imagine there should be plenty of chances being created.
Southampton got their first win in 6 games last weekend and will need to string together some important results to move from dead last.
When these 2 sides meet, they’re usually evenly matched. Splitting their last 6 fixtures 3 a piece.
You just have to take this seasons form to pick a winner here, last place by a country mile hosting Bournemouth who sit in 7th.
Aston Villa played career mode this January window adding to their talented front 3. They’ve been on a tear recently have 6 wins, 5 draws and 1 loss in their last 12 games.
Ipswich secured a point when they met Villa earlier in the season but this is a much tougher task. I’ll be surprised if they can keep up with Unai Emery’s side.
A big game for these two sides when it comes to the top 4 standings. Both sides are tied on 41 points with a goal difference of 13, currently 2 points behind Chelsea in 4th.
Both sides missed out last round with City falling to the Gunners and Newcastle going down 2-1 to Fulham.
Newcastle have gone win/loss/win/loss in their last 4 games so in theory they’re due a win. But their record against City of late has been terrible. They’re without a win in their last 11 meetings and to make matters worse for the Magpies, they’re on the road.
A City win seems likely but I’m backing the Norwegian to get on the scoresheet this week after netting three in a row.
I was surprised to see that Fulham are favoured in this fixture, especially after Nottingham just dog walked Brighton.
But it makes sense, Fulham have been great at home and they also have the superior head to head record in recent history.
I’d like to think the team that is in the top 3 would win this one but I’m going to play it safe utilising the double chance market.
Everton managed to take a point from Liverpool when they met mid-week. With 4 red cards shown at the end it’s safe to say that the last Merseyside Derby at Goodison delivered.
Everton now turn their heads to Crystal Palace, trying to carry on their unbeaten streak.
Crystal Palace are unbeaten in 5 of their last 6 and will be eyeing up a top half finish.
Both sides are in decent form and it’s hard to split them.
Emotions ran high at the end of the Derby and now Arne Slot needs to turn his side around, ready to take on Wolves.
Liverpool have dominated Wolves who sit in 17th, 2 points above the drop zone.
As heavy favourites I’m not keen on backing the Reds but I don’t mind taking Wolves +2 handicap and keeping this one close with the league leaders.
When both of these sides meet at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium every result is on the cards. Either side could play an absolute stinker, but similarly, either side could light it up.
Much like the West Ham vs Brentford fixture, both of these sides have struggled defensively and I think we’ll be in for a high scoring affair once again.
This could be a pivotal moment for both managers with neither side wanting to taste defeat.
The goals total seems like the right play to end the round.