Premier League Preview Week 13
With two rounds of fixtures in the past week, the Premier League is now approaching the busiest period in the season. Liverpool reclaimed top spot after beating Tottenham 2-1 in the dying moments of their game on Wednesday, Chelsea suffered consecutive defeats for the first time this season while Arsenal finally avoided defeat against third-placed Southampton.
The league remains wide open as the first of four fixtures over the next two weeks commence this weekend. Liverpool will look to stay top at Christmas but face a tricky away fixture at Crystal Palace and City will be desperate to bounce back against Southampton following a poor run of form. Tottenham could move back on top but must beat an indifferent Leicester and there’s a big London derby on Monday night as Chelsea face West Ham at Stamford Bridge.
All odds are from bet365 and subject to change.
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Crystal Palace v Liverpool
Crystal Palace are unbeaten in their last three following a 1-1 draw with West Ham in midweek. Roy Hodgson’s side have only lost two of their last six matches in the Premier League and have scored 11 goals in this run. But the Eagles home form is patchy as they have only won once in their last five at Selhurst Park and have not kept a clean sheet in this run.
Liverpool reclaimed their lead in the table after a deserved 2-1 victory over Spurs on Wednesday, a result that extended their unbeaten run to nine Premier League games. While Jurgen Klopp’s side have a 100% record at home, their away form is poor. The Reds have not won away since their first away game of the season, a 2-0 victory at Chelsea. They have drawn four consecutive away matches, have not kept a clean sheet on the road, and sit 16th in the away form table in the Premier League.
Christian Benteke is suspended after his dismissal against West Ham while Martin Kelly (calf), Nathan Ferguson (thigh) and Wayne Hennessey (knock) are ruled out. Mamadou Sakho could be in contention after returning to fitness. Thiago Alcantara (knee), Virgil Van Dijk (knee), James Milner (thigh), Xherdan Shaqiri (hamstring), Joe Gomez (knee), Diogo Jota (knee) and Konstantinos Tsimikas (knee) are all unavailable for Liverpool. Joel Matip could return from a recent back injury,
Liverpool will be the favourites to win this fixture but Palace have proven to be a tough team to beat of late and Liverpool’s run of away draws could extend to five this weekend.
Southampton v Man City
Southampton’s 1-1 draw with ten-man Arsenal on Wednesday leaves them just four points off top place. The Saints are one of the most in-form teams this season and they have lost just one of their last 11 games, winning seven and drawing three. Southampton have found an eye for goal this season, scoring in every game since their 2-0 loss to Brentford in the EFL Cup 13 games ago. With 25 goals in 13 games, they are the third highest scorers in the league. At home, Southampton have won four and lost two of their last six, only Liverpool have taken more points on home turf this season.
City dropped points in back-to-back matches for the first time this season following a 0-0 stalemate in the Manchester derby and a 1-1 draw with West Brom in mid-week. Pep Guardiola’s side have won just two of their last five Premier League games. They have also only won twice away this season, losing one and drawing three. City have only scored six goals on the road in the 2020/21 campaign, the fourth lowest number of away goals in the Premier League.
Southampton have no fresh injury concerns or suspensions. Eric Garcia (lacking match fitness) and Oleksandr Zinchenko will be out for City.
Man City have not been convincing enough recently and they will struggle against an incredibly consistent Southampton. A draw would be a good result for City this weekend but the Saints could edge this one.
Tottenham v Leicester
Tottenham suffered their first loss in 10 matches against Liverpool. It was just their fourth loss of the season in all competitions and the first match in eight where they conceded more than one goal. Spurs have the best defence in the league, conceding 12 in 13, and have the best goal difference +13. Jose Mourinho’s side have also won three consecutive games at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and they are unbeaten in five here.
Leicester continue to blow hot and cold as they comprehensively beat Brighton 3-0 on Sunday, then lost 2-0 to Everton on Wednesday. It has been the story of the Foxes’ season as they, along with Aston Villa, are the only team not to draw in the Premier League. In their last eight matches, Leicester have won five and lost three, scoring 12 and conceding nine. Brendan Rodgers’ side have been impressive on the road this season, winning five of their six league matches away.
Japhet Tanganga (shoulder) and Erik Lamela (calf) are out for Spurs. Gareth Bale will also face a late fitness test. Leicester will be without Daniel Armartey (thigh), Jonny Evans (suspended), Caglar Soyuncu (groin), and Ricardo Pereira (groin). But Timothy Castagne could return following a recent groin injury.
On paper, this looks like it could be a close encounter. However, Leicester continued to show their inconsistency in mid-week and they will struggle to come away with anything against a resolute Tottenham side under Jose Mourinho.
Chelsea v West Ham
Chelsea suffered consecutive losses for the first time this season following a 1-0 defeat to Everton and a late 2-1 loss to Wolves in the past week. The Wolves defeat was the first time in 15 games where Frank Lampard’s side conceded more than one goal in a match. The Blues are also without a victory in their last three in all competitions. But their home form this season is impressive and they are unbeaten in their last nine at Stamford Bridge, scoring 24 and conceding just six in this period.
West Ham continued their impressive form with a 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace on Wednesday. The Hammers have only lost two games in their previous 10. In their last six matches, West Ham have gained 13 points and lost just one game – only Manchester United have secured more points in the same time frame in the Premier League. After a 2-1 loss away to Liverpool three weeks ago, David Moyes side have bounced back with two consecutive wins on the road against Leeds and Sheffield United.
Hakim Ziyech and Callum Hudson-Odoi are both out for Chelsea with thigh injuries. Arthur Masuaku is out for West Ham with a thigh injury but Fabian Balbuena and Michail Antonio could be back in contention.
Although West Ham are in decent form, they travel to West London at the worst possible time. Lampard’s side will be raring to go following three matches without a win and they will extend their unbeaten run at home with another win on Monday.
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