Gameweek 23 saw a new leader on top of the Barclays Premier League table. Leicester beat Stoke 3-0 which meant that Arsenal had to beat Chelsea, however they lost 1-0 which meant the Foxes go top of the table. The best game was Norwich vs Liverpool where Jürgen Klopp’s side came out eventual winners 5-4! There are a few FA Cup ties to be played before gameweek 24’s fixtures which means this round of fixtures will take place in midweek…
Arsenal vs Southampton
Arsenal are now no longer top of the Premier League table after their most recent result against recovering Chelsea. Southampton had a much better weekend compared to Arsenal. They played away at Manchester United where they grabbed a late winner through debutant Charlie Austin.
Star Man – Charlie Austin (7.0m)
Austin recently arrived from QPR for just 4 million and scored on his debut against Man United.
Prediction – Arsenal 2-1 Southampton
Leicester City vs Liverpool
Leicester are the team who replaced the Gunners at the top of the table after they convincingly beat Mark Hughes’ Stoke City at the King Power Stadium. The match saw players like Mahrez and Vardy show the form they had a couple of months ago which is a big positive for Leicester. As mentioned, Liverpool were involved in another high scoring match, 9 to be exact. They won against Norwich away from home which saw Liverpool score in 5 in a 5-4 victory.
Star Man – Jamie Vardy (7.2m)
Vardy was on a goal drought until his goal against Stoke at the weekend and looks in good shape.
Prediction – Leicester 1-1 Liverpool
Norwich vs Tottenham
Norwich were on the other side of the game of the weekend. There will be positives to take from that game and one will certainly be the fact that they scored 4 in a match. The match also saw Steven Naismith make his debut with a goal for the Canaries. Tottenham played away from home against an out of form Palace side which saw Spurs win 3-1. One of the goals being a serious contender for Goal of the Season from Dele Alli.
Star Man – Harry Kane (10.0m)
Scored his 16th of the season against Crystal Palace and looks to be in good form.
Prediction – Norwich 1-3 Tottenham
Sunderland vs Manchester City
Sunderland had a relegation six pointer last weekend which saw both the teams share the spoils in a 1-1 draw. The game also saw Patrick van Aanholt score another goal from the left wing back position. Manuel Pellegrini saw his side also draw. Man City were away to West Ham in an enthralling match which saw 2 strikers score braces (Enner Valencia and Sergio Aguero). In the reverse fixture Manchester City comfortably beat Sunderland at the Etihad.
Star Man – David Silva (9.9m)
The Spaniard is certainly due a goal sooner or later and is playing against a poor Sunderland side.
Prediction – Sunderland 0-3 Manchester City
West Ham vs Aston Villa
West Ham, as mentioned above, were up against Manchester a City last weekend. They grabbed a draw mainly thanks to Ecuadorian striker Enner Valencia. For Villa, some fans were invited to a meeting where they believe the club said that the club is preparing for the Championship. The players on the pitch drew away to West Brom but still managed to fall further away from safety.
Star Man – Enner Valencia (5.8m)
Scored twice in West Ham’s 2-2 draw at home to Manchester City and is looking very much in form.
Prediction – West Ham 3-0 Aston Villa
Crystal Palace vs Bournemouth
Crystal Palace lost again at home to Tottenham last weekend which continues the Eagles’ slump down the table after having a very good start. This could arguably down to injuries to vital players such as Yannick Bolasie and a lack of a prolific goalscorer. Bournemouth continued their decent unbeaten run away at Sunderland which was arguably a relegation six pointer. Eddie Howe saw striker Benik Afobe score his 2nd goal in a row for the Cherries. Will he be a good enough replacement for Callum Wilson and be able to keep them up? Who knows.
Star Man – Wilfried Zaha (5.3m)
Looked dangerous against Tottenham and has been one of their only bright sparks in a tough time.
Prediction – Crystal Palace 1-1 Bournemouth
Manchester United vs Stoke City
Manchester United for the 11th game running at home failed to score in the 1st half. They managed to not score at all against Southampton which is bad for van Gaal’s side as Charlie Austin scored a late winner thanks to a free header from a corner. Stoke also lost their game last weekend. They got convincingly beat by now top of the league Leicester City. However, there is hope for them as they did beat Man United at home in the reverse fixture.
Star Man – Marko Arnautovic (6.6m)
Scored twice in the reverse fixture at the Britannia Stadium and finds himself against an out of form United side.
Prediction – Manchester United 1-1 Stoke City
West Brom vs Swansea
West Bromwich Albion were up against rock bottom Aston Villa last weekend but failed to beat Remi Garde’s team in a boring 0-0 draw. Good news for the West Brom faithful is that number 1 keeper Ben Foster has returned from his injury. Swansea had a tough away game at Everton which saw Swansea come out surprise winners in a 2-1 win. A goal from Andre Ayew and a penalty from Sigurdsson secured the win for Francesco Guidolin in his first game in charge.
Star Man – Andre Ayew (6.7m)
Played very well recently, including a goal against Everton, considering there are transfer rumours surrounding him.
Prediction – West Bromwich Albion 1-2 Swansea
Everton vs Newcastle
Everton and particularly Roberto Martinez have been criticised recently after their run of dodgy results and style of play. The criticism kept on coming after a disappointing performance against Swansea which saw the Toffees slump to a 2-1 defeat. Newcastle also fell to a 2-1 scoreline last weekend against Watford. Their only goal coming from their young french defender Lascelles.
Star Man – Gerard Deulofeu (6.1m)
Looked very dangerous against Swansea and will almost certainly grab himself an assist against Newcastle.
Prediction – Everton 2-1 Newcastle
Watford vs Chelsea
Watford recorded another win this season against Newcastle at the weekend. They won the game 2-1 where Odion Ighalo got on the score sheet once again. Watford have also added to their squad with Moroccan forward Nordin Amrabat, who found himself on the bench last weekend. As for Chelsea, they always seem to get a good result against Arsenal and nothing changed last weekend. They secured the league double over Arsenal with a goal from Diego Costa.
Star Man – Diego Costa (10.6m)
Scored the winner against previous table toppers Arsenal and is starting to look like his old self.
Prediction – Watford 1-2 Chelsea
Written by Harry Clark
