Sport
GUIDE TO THE NEXT £1,000,000 1X2 PICK15
GUIDE TO THE NEXT £1,000,000 1X2 PICK15
Sunderland vs Norwich
Head-to-Head: SUN 17-15-26 NOR
Sunderland must respond from a 4-2 thumping at the hands of Leicester last weekend. They looked completely woeful during the first half but reacted well after the break with a good chunk of the possession and steady pressure. Jermaine Defoe was threatening and should hassle the Norwich defence here. The Canaries were unlucky against Crystal Palace recently after having a goal disallowed at a crucial stage and will be eager to get back on track this Saturday. I think the home side will prove too strong though.
Prediction: HOME
Swansea vs Newcastle
Head-to-Head: SWA 14-6-22 NEW
Swansea will take great confidence from their showing at Stamford Bridge last Saturday. The Welsh side held the Champions to a 2-2 draw and were arguably unlucky not to win. Newcastle will boast similar confidence after going toe-to-toe with Southampton. The Magpies played well in patches on Sunday but will need to maintain their consistency to win this weekend and that is a factor I cannot rely on.
Prediction: HOME
Tottenham vs Stoke
Head-to-Head: TOT 43-19-26 STO
Many people believed that Tottenham were unfortunate at Old Trafford on Saturday. Christian Eriksen missed a fantastic opportunity to score the opener before Kyle Walker placed the ball in his own net. Back at White Hart Lane, Tottenham are expected to return to winning ways against a Stoke side who they have lost their last two encounters against. The Potters recent signing Xherdan Shaqiri will be seeking to make a splash and could prove difficult to retain in a potentially tight game.
Prediction: HOME & DRAW
Watford vs West Brom
Head-to-Head: WAT 10-8-17 WBA
Watford produced one of the opening weekend’s most encouraging performances at Goodison Park on Saturday when drawing 2-2 with Everton. They showcased a patient style which led to a number of rewarding chances as they scored after 14 minutes. The gas seemed to be running low towards the end of the game with the London side likely to learn a lot from the encounter. Vicarage Road will be bouncing for Watford and they are well fancied to gain compensation against a West Brom side that looked mediocre in being toppled by Manchester City recently.
Prediction: HOME
West Ham vs Leicester
Head-to-Head: WHU 51-29-43 LEI
West Ham were outstanding as they beat Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday. The Hammers showed great self-confidence and belief in beating Arsene Wenger’s highly regarded side and head to Upton Park this weekend with fantastic momentum. Leicester may have beaten Sunderland but their defence looked shaky on occasions. The attacking threat from West Ham will expose such weaknesses and that is exactly what I envisage happening here with the Hammers losing just one of their last eight meetings the the Foxes.
Prediction: HOME
Bristol City vs Brentford
Head-to-Head: BRC 27-16-29 BRE
Bristol City made an eyebrow-raising £6m bid for Crystal Palace striker Dwight Gayle this past week which clearly indicates their planned direction throughout the next few seasons. Their opening two games, however, have mustered up a pair of disappointing shows. They will need to improve upon those two defeats but should feel more comfortable being back on home turf. Brentford arrive in Bristol on the back of a 0-4 Capital One Cup thumping at the hands of Oxford on Tuesday and will need a major response this weekend. Their recent draw with Ipswich is creditable and a repeat performance could see them gain at least a point.
Prediction: HOME & DRAW
Fulham vs Brighton
Head-to-Head: FUL 21-5-18 BRI
Fulham will take great confidence from their opening pair of games this season. A 1-1 draw away at Cardiff is a very respectable performance as is their Capital One Cup success at Wycombe this week. Brighton, themselves, are searching for their third consecutive win this weekend when they travel up to London. Their opening performance against Nottingham Forest showcased a good attacking threat which Fulham will need to be wary of. I see this being a tight draw.
Prediction: DRAW
QPR vs Cardiff
Head-to-Head: QPR 32-12-25 CAR
QPR were handed a wake-up call by Charlton last weekend when beaten 2-0, a game in which they showed minimal threat. Charlie Austin looks set to leave the club along with a number of other star players. The R’s are side that many feel will bounce back to the Premier League this season but they must improve upon their opening league game to do so. Their home form is renowned for being rock-solid in the Championship and they should prove too strong for a Cardiff side seeking two victories in five days.
Prediction: HOME
Borussia Dortmund vs Borussia M’gladbach
Last season Borussia Dortmund endured a somewhat torrid campaign. They found themselves at the root of Bundesliga for much of the season before finishing strongly. Jurgen Klopp has departed the club, leaving Thomas Tuchel as new head-coach. Dortmund have enjoyed a solid pre-season in winning six of their seven friendly games and should be too strong for Borussia M’gladback this weekend.
Prediction: HOME
Wolves vs Hull
Head-to-Head: WOL 23-13-26 HUL
Wolves have only defeated Hull once in their last six encounters though boast two good victories so far this season. A 1-2 success away at Blackburn last week will give Wolves plenty of confidence of another big campaign in the Championship but they must face another difficult task on Sunday. Hull swerved a potential banana-skin on Tuesday when beating Accrington Stanley on penalties in the Capital One Cup and will look to return to the form which saw them beat Huddersfield last week.
Prediction: HOME & AWAY
Crystal Palace vs Arsenal
Head-to-Head: CPA 3-10-24 ARS
Crystal Palace looked a very exciting side against Norwich in their last game. The way in which they served it to the home side that day impressed a number of leading pundits within the footballing world. Alan Pardew has the Eagles playing with an attractive style and has managed to lure some top class talent to South London. Though, they host an Arsenal side on Sunday who will be hungry to correct their opening day defeat to West Ham. The Gunners looked completely out-of-sort on that occasion and much more is expected here. Arsenal have only lost one of their last 25 meetings with Crystal Palace dating back to 1979.
Prediction: DRAW & AWAY
Manchester City vs Chelsea
Head-to-Head: MCI 50-39-63 CHE
Manchester City will be full of confidence when they host Chelsea this weekend knowing that they have every chance of toppling Mourinho’s men. City looked exceptional in thumping West Brom last Monday where midfielder Yaya Toure seemed back to his very best. If the dominant playmaker can maintain such form throughout the campaign then Manchester City may be tough to stop in regaining the Premier League crown. Chelsea, on the other hand, were mediocre in drawing with Swansea. Keeper Thibaut Courtois was sent off in the second half which left the Champions struggling for any kind of opening. If they arrive at the Etihad in similar form then City will easily dispatch of them. However, Mourinho is a tactical genius and will happily play for the draw.
Prediction: HOME & DRAW
Liverpool vs Bournemouth
Head-to-Head: LIV 2-0-0 AFCB
Much is expected of Liverpool this season after they made several top-class signings. Their recent 0-1 victory at Stoke last week paid homage to the talent of midfielder Coutinho, who produced a wonder-goal in the closing stages of the game. Back to Anfield, Liverpool will start favourites to beat newcomers Bournemouth who were arguably unlucky not to gain more from their recent loss to Aston Villa. Liverpool proved far too strong for Bournemouth in their two meetings last year and I expect a similar outcome on Monday.
Prediction: HOME
Lazio vs Bayer Leverkusen
This is a difficult game to predict; Lazio went down to Juventus in the Italian Super Cup recently but have a decent record against German opposition of late. Bayer Leverkusen will arrive in Italy full of belief after a nice confidence-booster in the German Cup recently. However, the Italian sides recent form against teams from Germany gives hope that they will squeeze through with a hard fought win.
Prediction: HOME
Sporting CP vs CSKA Moscow
Another incredibly tough match-up to foresee. Sporting have never beaten Russian opposition and, looking at the two squads, may struggle yet again. Moscow have a fantastic record in European qualifying games where they are unbeaten in nine encounters.
Prediction: DRAW & AWAY
