Category: Previews

Predicted line-ups

Juventus: Buffon, Alves, Bonucci, Chiellini, Sandro, Pjanic, Khedira, Cuadrado, Dybala, Mandzukic, Higuain

Real Madrid: Navas, Carvajal, Ramos, Varane, Marcelo, Kroos, Casemiro, Modric, Isco, Benzema, Ronaldo

Star Man

Juventus: Gonzalo Higuain

Real Madrid: Cristiano Ronaldo

Stats

Juventus are the only team in this year’s Champions League to not have lost a single game.

Real Madrid have scored in every single Champions League game this season.

Juventus and Real Madrid have won the same amount of games in their previous encounters.

Real Madrid could become the first team since 1990 to win the Champions League in successive seasons.

Juventus have never been in a losing position in this season’s knockout phase.

Verdict

Although Juventus have done well in the Champions League this season, Real Madrid are an European superpower and their Italian defence might crumble when facing Ronaldo.

Predicted line ups

Chelsea: Courtois, Cahill, Luiz, Azpilicueta, Alonso, Kante, Matic, Moses, Pedro, Costa, Hazard

Arsenal: Cech, Monreal, Holding, Mertesacker, Bellerin, Xhaka, Ramsay, Sanchez, Ozil, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Welbeck

Star Man

Arsenal: Alexis Sanchez

Chelsea: Eden Hazard

Stats

Arsenal would become the FA Cup’s most frequent winners on thirteen if they beat Chelsea.

Chelsea have won just one of the previous eight FA Cup ties against Arsenal.

Arsenal are unbeaten in their last seven matches at Wembley Stadium.

The last time these two teams met was in a 3-1 Chelsea win this season.

Verdict

Because Arsenal missed out on a place in the top four, they will be desperate to get a win here to make their season just a bit less miserable and I think for that reason it will spur them on to victory. Also, Chelsea have just won the league, meaning that if they don’t win here their season won’t be a disappointment in any way, which could make them be off the hook a bit tommorrow.

The first game of this action-packed Premier League weekend is Palace’s fixture with Manchester City at 12.30 on Saturday. City are expected to win, but there’s definitely a big chance that Palace could pull off a shock victory away from home, and they’ve beaten teams like Liverpool and Chelsea this season meaning that they can win against bigger teams. City could edge a step further to Champions League qualification, a competition where their fans are getting quite used to seeing them there after being in it for six years straight.

Moving on, Everton play Swansea at the Liberty later on Saturday. Swansea are aiming to keep to play a third game without losing in a row to improve their 50-50 chance of staying up. Meanwhile Everton’s attack will be looking to exploit the fact that The Swans have the worst defence in the league. However, the Welsh side need to try and make their attack the best form of defence and a big boost for them is the return of Llorente who has got twelve goals to his name this season.

Another fixture is Liverpool vs Southampton. Liverpool are yet to score against Southampton this season, after playing them three times with the scores ending 0-0 and 1-0 twice. Despite the Reds’ poor record against the Saints they are on a rather good run and their past nine matches have consisted of six wins, two draws and a loss, enough to make any team be pessimistic about a game.

Lastly, Arsenal are to play Manchester United on Sunday. Arsenal are definitely in need of a win because a few of their recent performances have been disastrous and an amazing stat is that Arsenal have lost as many league games this year as they did in the whole of last year, which just shows their slump in form. Simultaneously, United are missing key men such as Ibrahimovic, Young and Rojo. Both clubs are next to each other in the league table and this should be a highly entertaining grudge match.

On Saturday, Crystal Palace clash with Burnley at Selhurst Park. Palace’s form has shot up recently and they are now twelfth in the league, a long way from their former relegation fears. They should fancy themselves here because: Burnley are known for a poor away form, they have got an injury to Mee, a defender who has only missed forty-five minutes of Premier League action this season, and Barton is banned.

Moving on, Everton play Chelsea on Sunday. Chelsea are top by four points, and will know that if they win every game until the end of the season, they will win the league. Last time these two teams met, Everton lost 5-0 with Hazard (2), Alonso, Costa and Pedro scoring the goals and Everton will definitely be hoping to perform better this time against a fully-fit and confident Chelsea side.

Also this weekend, Middlesbrough take on Manchester City. Boro only got their first league win of 2017 this week against Sunderland, but their interim coach, Steve Agnew, believes they can stay up. Meanwhile, City are battling it out with United, Liverpool and Arsenal to finish in the top four and a win would put them in good stead. The big team news is that Gabriel Jesus may make his second appearance since coming back from injury and could lead the line alongside Sergio Aguero. Middlesbrough need a win here here to have any realistic chance of staying in the Premier League, so they will hopefully play more passionately than other times.

The last game of the weekend is the big North London derby between Arsenal and Tottenham. Arsenal are not looking good in the league right now and could finish below Tottenham, an occurence which could start a Spurs domination over Arsenal. The last fixture between these two teams was 2-2 with Sanchez equalising to rescue a draw for ten-men-Arsenal. This could be Wenger’s last derby if he leaves this summer and I’m sure he’ll want it to be successful.

In a 3 o’clock Saturday fixture, Hull play Watford. Hull are two points above the relegation zone and a win here would give Marco Silva’s side a good chance of staying up – and put them clear of Swansea, if they lose. Meanwhile, Watford are pushing for a top half position, right now in 10th, and Mazzari’s side will be hoping for a similar result to when these teams last faced each other – which was a Watford win. This should be a difficult game for the Hornets, who play Hull, an exceptionally good team at home.

Also on Saturday, West Ham take on Everton. West Ham are in need of three points to eradicate any fears of going down. They have slipped down to 13th after a seven game winless run recently, and hope to finish on a strong note at the end of a disappointing campaign. Simultaneously, a win with a bigger margin than one goal for Everton would bring them into 5th for the time being, but it’s very unlikely they’ll be there at the end of the season. A big bit of team news is that Andy Carroll may not start the game because of the recurrence of a niggly groin injury. The big Englishman has always been a threat in the air this season and will be sorely missed by West Ham.

Moving on, Spurs play Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final on Saturday. Both teams are fighting for the title in the Premier League, and a win for either team will heavily knock the losers’ confidence and could falter their challenge at the top. Gary Cahill is a doubt for Chelsea and if he was to miss out, it would be bad news for the London club, who would then have to play Zouma, who was very poor last week. This game should be a fiery London derby.

Lastly, Arsenal clash with Manchester City in the other FA Cup semi-final. It’s a must-win game for both managers who need to win a trophy this season or they’ll come under lots of scrutiny. Arsenal have a love for this cup and have won the trophy twelve times, a joint record, and are one of the favourites as always this year. However they go into the game without the quintet of Mustafi, Welbeck, Perez, Ospina and Cazorla.

This is a big weekend for English football and one that you should definitely follow.

The first game of this Bank Holiday weekend is Tottenham vs Bournemouth. Harry Kane is expected to start having only been fit enough to come off the bench last weekend because of an ankle injury and although he may not admit it, Janssen is probably disappointed about Kane’s return because when the Englishman was out he didn’t prove that he should start ahead of Kane. This will be an interesting match because Spurs will not take anything less than a win in good spirits.

Furthermore, Southampton play Manchester City later in the day. The last time these two teams met it was 1-1 and that point for City brought them to the top of the table. However, City have not kept the pace up with their rivals and are now 4th, fourteen points off leaders Chelsea. This game will be much of a preparation for both teams as City’s next two games are the Manchester derby and the FA Cup semi-final and Southampton’s next game is a tough fixture with Chelsea.

Moving on, Liverpool take on West Brom. Although West Brom are struggling for goals, they’ve been the surprise team this season and pulled off a shock win over Arsenal a few weeks ago. Meanwhile, Liverpool will hope to win in a more calm and controlled fashion than last week’s game against Stoke when they had to come back from one goal down with only twenty minutes to go. But an injury to Mane will decrease their chances of getting victory here.

Later on it’s Manchester United vs Chelsea. United will be hoping to get revenge on Chelsea after losing to them twice this season with a combined scoreline of 5-0 and Mourinho would love to beat his former club. Old Trafford is not a place to be feared anymore, although when United turn up they can play some exceptional football. This match should be a match of excitement between two Premier League giants, and I’m looking forward to it.

The weekend will be kicked off at White Hart Lane as Tottenham play Watford. Both teams are needing wins here; Spurs, because they need to keep up with Chelsea at the top of the table and Watford because Mazzarri is facing the sack even though they’re tenth. But, as we know, Watford are rather harsh when sacking managers. On paper Spurs are the better team, however, Watford have pulled off some shock results recently and Spurs are missing Kane, Rose, Lloris, and Wanyama to injuries.

Secondly, West Ham take on Swansea later in the day. West Ham haven’t won in the league for their past five games and the pressure is mounting on Slaven Bilic and the players to perform. And Swansea, in a similiar situation, must win this game after they’ve slipped into the relegation zone.

Moving on to Sunday, Manchester United play Sunderland. Sunderland have managed to pull off some unbelievable escapes from relegation, but this year it finally looks like they’re going down. The Black Cats are bottom and ten points behind Hull, the nearest team not in the relegation zone, and Moyes’s controversial comments after his interview a few weeks ago don’t help. Meanwhile, United are 6th and are bidding for a top four finish.

Lastly, Everton play Leicester at Goodison Park. Leicester are flying high right now and have won six consecutive games in a row in all competitions. Also, Jamie Vardy is looking like the Vardy we saw last season, sprinting in behind opposition’s defences and full of confidence, so Everton will struggle to stop him. However, Everton could stop Leicester’s run because they’re a solid team and have got a great striker in Lukaku.

Liverpool vs Everton

On Saturday Liverpool take on Everton in one of England’s greatest rivalries. This fixture has sparked eleven goal thrillers, red cards and wondergoals, but we never know what to expect from a Merseyside derby. A win for Liverpool would take them above Manchester City and level with 2nd placed Tottenham for at least twenty-four hours and would give them a boost in their quest to finish in the top four.

Swansea vs Middlesbrough

This is a massive relegation six pointer for both clubs. Swansea lie in 17th, two positions and five points above Middlesbrough, but if Boro win then it would increase their chances of staying up. The big team news for Swansea is that Martin Olsson is returning after missing their defeat against Bournemouth. Olsson has been a vital player in the games that he’s been fit for and since his move to Swansea in January, he’s scored two goals in the Premier League – which is not bad for a left back.

Arsenal vs Manchester City 

Amid speculation over Wenger’s future at Arsenal, the Gunners take on City in one of their biggest matches this season. Arsenal sit seven points below Manchester City with one game in hand and a win is much needed so they can maintain their excellent record in finishing in the top four. Ozil is in contention for a starting place in the team, while De Bruyne is a doubt.

Leicester vs Sunderland

Sunderland will have to start winning games to have any hope of staying in the Premier League for a 10th successive year and they’re going to have to start winning games now. However, beating Leicester is a hard thing to do under the reign of Craig Shakespeare and  on-form Vardy and Mahrez.

Chelsea vs Manchester City

Sitting ten points ahead of second placed Tottenham, Chelsea look to have wrapped up the league already. But they can’t just lose concentration and be thinking about the trophy ceremony, otherwise there’s a chance Spurs could catch them.                                                                                                With Pep being at City, a destined top four finish would be considered disappointing in the eyes of much of the public. Despite that, they can only think about their important clash with Chelsea and build for next season.

The first game of the weekend is West Brom vs Arsenal with West Brom carrying a big loss in the absence of the injured Matt Philips. Arsenal have got to win here to maintain their twenty year reign in the top four after other clubs have snuck up ahead of them in the table.

Also, Bournemouth play Swansea on Saturday with Swansea looking like they’re not going to go down this season after some good form, but if they lose here, things could change, because a loss for a team on form consequently knocks their confidence. The big team news is Harry Arter could not play for Bournemouth because of a calf problem, which could be a major blow for the Cherries.

Moving onto Sunday’s fixtures, Manchester United play Middlesbrough. United would absolutely love a win here because it will increase their chances of finishing in the top four, ahead of Arsenal, but wanting to stop them get their win is Boro who’ve just put Agnew in as temporary manager, and you never know what you get from a new manager.

Lastly, Manchester City battle it out with Liverpool on Sunday with Liverpool being the firm favourites for me because of their fabulous record against the top six clubs in the league this season. But there’s always a chance that City could win because they can fully focus on the league after being knocked out of the Champions League.

The first fifth round fixture that’s happening is Middlesbrough versus Manchester City, where I hope for a match as exciting as the last time these two teams met when Marten de Roon snatched a late winner for Middlesbrough ninety one minutes through the game. The last round for City and Boro proved difficult as City went through after a replay and Boro somehow managed to snatch a late winner.

Another game that’s happening on Saturday in the FA Cup fifth round is non-league Lincoln versus Premier League Arsenal. Lincoln pulled off a shock and historic win against Burnley in the last round and hope to do the same here, but standing in their way is a strong Arsenal team. The odds are against Lincoln, but it’s the FA Cup and anything can happen in this competition.

The only FA Cup fixture happening on Sunday is Tottenham versus Milwall, where Harry Kane, fresh from earning Premier League player of the month, will take on his former team that he was on loan to. Tottenham could be vulnerable since they must have their eye on next weekend’s game against Southampton, so you should watch out for an upset.

Also, Manchester United play Chelsea on Monday with Mourinho and Manchester United hoping they can win their second bit of silverware this season in the FA Cup. Also Conte would love to win his first FA Cup as a manager since it’s such a great competition. But if any of these managers are going to win the FA Cup they’re going to have to beat their opposition.