By Jamie O’Hara, PricedUp Brand Ambassador
What a midweek that was. Arsenal knocked out of the League Cup by Fleetwood Town of League Two. No one saw that coming! And they did it at Highbury Stadium, of all the places for Arsenal to go out. A magical night for that football club.
Arsenal will turn their attention to Anfield on Sunday, where a win would put that embarrassing midweek loss behind them in a hurry. City have dropped their first points of the season too, and Manchester United head to Stamford Bridge with one league win all season.
Right, let’s get into it.
Chelsea v Manchester United – Saturday, 12.30pm
My prediction: Chelsea win
United are all over the place and Sunday was the worst of it. Beaten 3-0 at home by Bournemouth. Not unlucky, not undone by a moment, just outplayed on their own pitch in front of their own supporters.
Sixteenth in the table. Seven points from eight games. Only one league win all season.
Michael Carrick has been given what’s been described as a stay of execution, with the reporting pointing at the November international break as the moment the board decides. Eddie Howe is the name everyone keeps coming back to, and he’s been out of work since leaving Newcastle in the summer.
So, there’s no new-manager bounce coming. No fresh voice, no reset, just the same group of players carrying the same questions into one of the hardest away days there is. I don’t see where a result comes from.
Even though Chelsea got pumped by us last weekend, Xabi Alonso’s side are fifth and they score goals. United are in freefall. I’m taking Chelsea.
Brentford v Nottingham Forest – Saturday, 3pm
My prediction: Brentford win
Brentford have stalled a little but with only one win in their last six league games, and they went out of the cup at Sunderland on Wednesday. However, they still six sixth in the league.
Keith Andrews has built a side that is extremely hard to beat even when they aren’t winning. Five draws in eight games tells you they’re rarely in a game they can’t live with. Only one defeat all season, and that was Liverpool.
And the Gtech has been where their best work has happened. Both of their league wins this season have come at home, and both were 3-0. When they turn up in that ground, they turn teams over properly.
Forest are the ideal visitors for a side needing a win. Eighteenth, six points from eight, and still the lowest scorers in the division. They drew 1-1 at Ipswich last Friday and Liam Delap had another night of headers over the bar and shots dragged wide. Oliver Glasner still hasn’t found a shape that gets the best out of what he’s got.
A side that’s hard to beat, at home, against a team that can’t score. Brentford, and I’d expect it to be reasonably comfortable.
Tottenham Hotspur v Crystal Palace – Saturday, 5.30pm
My prediction: Tottenham win
We’ve won two on the bounce and Saturday at Stamford Bridge was the best we’ve played all season.
Dominant from the start. Fifteen shots to their seven. Chelsea managed their fewest attempts of any game this season, and we got a win where we’d won only once in thirty-six league visits to that ground. Xabi Alonso had never lost at home as Chelsea manager before we turned up.
That’s the level now. Two wins, confidence back, and a group of players who finally look like they know what they’re doing.
Palace are struggling with only seven points from eight, beaten 2-0 at home by Newcastle last weekend, and the worst goal difference in the league. They did win at Fulham in the cup on Wednesday, so they’ll arrive with something, but that’s another ninety minutes in the legs that we haven’t had.
At home, rested, in form, against a side that’s struggling. Spurs win.
Aston Villa v Fulham – Saturday, 8pm
My prediction: Villa win
Villa have properly turned their season around. Ten points from their last four league games, and the last of them was beating Manchester City 2-1 at Villa Park.
That’s Emery’s team back. Organised, aggressive, horrible to play against. After the summer they had and the start that followed it, getting to ninth and climbing is a serious bit of work.
Fulham have steadied themselves too and they deserve credit. Back-to-back league wins with a 1-0 at home to Hull, then 1-0 at Coventry, have lifted them to fifteenth and out of the bottom three. Álvaro Arbeloa was being written off in September, me included, and he’s found a way to get results.
But there’s a gap between these two right now, and both had midweek football. Villa lost 3-0 at Bournemouth in the cup, Fulham went out 1-0 at home to Palace. Neither will be fresh, which tends to favour the better side rather than the one hanging on.
Saturday night under the lights at Villa Park. I’ll take Villa.
Liverpool v Arsenal – Sunday, 4.30pm
My prediction: Draw
Neither of these has looked unstoppable and the goal columns prove it. Arsenal have scored thirteen in eight games. Liverpool have scored eleven. For two sides in the top four, that is not frightening anybody.
Arsenal are second, level on points with City, and they’ve won seven of eight. That’s a brilliant return and I’m not going to pretend otherwise. But I’m still not convinced they’re a great side, and Tuesday night did nothing to change my mind with them crashing out of the League Cup on penalties to Fleetwood Town, a fourth-tier club. You can rotate all you like, that shouldn’t happen.
They grind results out. One-nil at Forest, two-nil against Everton. Five goals conceded in eight is the best defensive record in the league and that’s where their points come from, not from taking games by the scruff of the neck.
Liverpool have more about them at the moment. Two-nil against Brighton last weekend was a proper performance against a side that had been scoring for fun, and Andoni Iraola has only lost once in the league all season. They remain unbeaten at home.
I think this is tight, I think it’s cagey, and I think the points get shared.
The Weekend in Five
- Chelsea to win
- Brentford to win
- Tottenham to win
- Aston Villa to win
- Liverpool v Arsenal – draw
Accumulator price – 35/1
As always, these are opinions and nothing else. Have a look, make your own mind up, and only ever stake what you’re happy to lose.
Enjoy the weekend.
Jamie
Odds correct at time of publication and subject to change. 18+. Please gamble responsibly. For free, confidential support and advice, visit BeGambleAware.org
Responsible Gaming
We want all our players to enjoy their gaming experience safely. Please remember to set deposit limits, take regular breaks, and only gamble what you can afford to lose. If you need support, visit our safer gambling page or contact organizations like GambleAware.
Need Help?
If you have any questions about this promotion or need assistance with your account, our friendly customer support team is available 24/7 via live chat, email at support@pricedup.com, or phone.
