Premier League Matchweek 29: betPawa BIG match insights
The international break is over and the Premier League is back. We’ve dissected and discussed all 10 matches taking place between Saturday and Monday. It all starts with the last 2 champions of England.
Saturday 1st April
Liverpool assume the role of kingmakers
Liverpool won’t win the title this season but they might have a BIG say in who does. In the weekend’s first match, they visit defending champions Man City, with leaders Arsenal arriving at Anfield the week after. 2 of the last 3 Premier League meetings between Man City and Liverpool were 2-2 draws, and City haven’t beaten Liverpool in the league since February 2021.
Whether Erling Haaland, scorer of 42 goals so far in his first season in English football, is available could be key, although his exclusion from the recent Norway squad raises doubts about his involvement. Haaland is only the sixth Premier League player in history to score 40+ in a single season across all competitions. Andrew Cole, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Cristiano Ronaldo, Mohamed Salah and Harry Kane are the others.
Liverpool’s Salah isn’t in shabby form himself. Despite a slow start to the campaign, by his standards, the Egyptian superstar has 22 goals in 39 appearances across all competitions. Salah has hit 20+ goals in each of his 6 seasons with Liverpool, and this one isn’t finished yet.
Did you know?
Man City have scored 19 goals without reply in their last 5 competitive outings
Goal-fest not necessarily guaranteed
The Cherries have performed better in recent weeks than their points tally has suggested, and they did beat Liverpool in their most recent home match. A 3-0 loss last time out at Aston Villa, however, was a cruel and timely reminder of how brutal and unpredictable the Premier League can be.
Bournemouth twice led in the reverse fixture against Fulham in October, only to be pegged back to draw 2-2 at Craven Cottage. The hosts will be hoping for all 3 points this time to climb out of the relegation zone, and they’ll also be keeping a close eye on the outcome of West Ham vs Southampton on Sunday, as those teams currently sit either side of them.
6 of the Cherries’ final 11 Premier League fixtures are against sides currently in the bottom half of the table.
Did you know?
The last 3 meetings between these sides ended as score draws, but only 10 of Bournemouth’s 27 league matches this season have featured goals at both ends
Gunners looking for a fast start in the capital
Mikel Arteta’s leaders are unbeaten in the league this season after going into the half-time break with a lead (W13 D1), underlining their fast and furious approach to matches from the first whistle.
Wilfried Gnonto hurt his ankle while away with Italy and that could be a huge blow for Javi Gracia and Leeds. American midfield dynamo Tyler Adams has undergone surgery for a hamstring injury and will definitely miss out for the visitors.
If the Gunners weren’t heavy favourites in this match already, those 2 injuries tip the scales even further in their favour. However, with the pressure now ramping up on them as title favourites, how will they respond?
The Gunners haven’t kept a clean sheet in any of their last 3 home matches across all competitions. They may have to rely on the threats that they pose from all over the pitch; the Gunners have had 14 different goalscorers in the Premier League this season.
21-year-old Bukayo Saka, a man who is the talk of the football world, scored and assisted for England against Ukraine to transfer his club form onto the international stage. He’s the only Premier League player with double figures for both goals and assists this term, so far.
Did you know?
Arsenal have won 14 and lost just 1 of their last 17 Premier League matches at Emirates Stadium
The Premier League’s overachievers should entertain
We might be treated to a top-quality spectacle here with neither side facing the threat of relegation, but both very much in the hunt for a European place. Roberto De Zerbi’s Brighton side, who prioritise possession-based football, sit above Thomas Frank’s counter-attacking Brentford outfit on goal difference only, though Brighton have played 2 fewer games.
The Seagulls have won each of their last 2 home league matches with clean sheets, both of which were against London opposition in the shape of West Ham and Crystal Palace, but Brentford will potentially pose a sterner test.
Brighton and Brentford are both higher in the table than their wage bills might lead you to expect. There’s a lot to admire about their footballing philosophies, and they should produce a fascinating clash of styles on the South Coast.
Did you know?
Brighton winger Kaoru Mitoma has scored 6 goals for Japan since 2022, despite only starting 6 of their 20 games in that timeframe (via Opta)
Can Roy Hodgson’s experience help Palace rally?
Both of these sides have lost 4 of their last 5 Premier League matches, making this a potentially critical afternoon in the race to avoid relegation. Another defeat for either would be a heavy blow to their confidence, let alone their points tally and league position.
The visiting Foxes haven’t kept a clean sheet in the Premier League since November against West Ham. That’s a run of 12 consecutive top-flight matches without a shutout since the restart. Palace, meanwhile, are winless in the Premier League since 31st December 2022.
In 12 Premier League matches this year, Palace have picked up a total of 5 points and scored a total of 5 goals. The Eagles are desperately out of touch in front of goal, clearly, but they may see a meeting with Brendan Rodgers’ side as an opportunity to remedy that.
Rodgers described Leicester’s draw last time out against Brentford as a “very BIG point”, but a solitary point here might not be enough to stop his side ending the weekend in the drop zone.
Did you know?
Brendan Rodgers has never lost a managerial H2H with Roy Hodgson (W6 D1)
Forest need to start turning draws into wins
Forest’s 2-1 loss against Newcastle was their first Premier League defeat at home since September against Fulham. Steve Cooper’s side are struggling at the moment though, winless in their last 6 Premier League outings, and they haven’t kept a clean sheet since a 1-0 home win against Leeds on 5th February.
Visitors Wolves have only won 1 of their last 6 league matches, so they’re not exactly full of confidence, and they’re just a point above Forest having played a game more.
Forest need to get back to winning ways at a venue that has become something of a fortress for a side scrapping near the bottom of the table. The Tricky Trees have beaten West Ham, Liverpool, Crystal Palace, Leicester and Leeds at the City Ground, and picked up creditable draws against Aston Villa, Brentford, Chelsea, Man City and Everton there too.
Steve Cooper’s side therefore shouldn’t be overawed by the prospect of visits from Man Utd, Brighton and Arsenal between now and the end of the season. But first, Wolves.
Did you know?
All 5 of Forest’s home wins in the Premier League this season have been accompanied by clean sheets, and 4 of them ended 1-0
Emery’s men have a chance to overtake their hosts
Graham Potter’s Blues were denied a fourth consecutive win across all competitions when Everton’s Ellis Simms struck an 89th-minute equaliser in a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge last time out. Still, the recent improvement in results and performances is clear to see.
Chelsea and Villa are only separated by goal difference ahead of kick-off. Since a trio of goal-filled defeats to Leicester, Man City and Arsenal, Unai Emery’s side have tightened things up considerably with 3 wins and a draw in their last 4 outings. They’ve also conceded just 1 goal in that mini run.
After this meeting with Villa, Chelsea face Liverpool, Wolves, Real Madrid and Brighton before the month even reaches its halfway point, with that Champions League quarter-final against the defending champions a bid to maintain their only remaining shot at silverware this season.
11th-placed Villa are 11 points clear of the club directly below them, Crystal Palace, so they can set their sights upwards, and that should ensure another entertaining evening at the Bridge.
Did you know?
Chelsea thumped Villa 8-0 in December 2012 at Stamford Bridge, their joint-BIGGEST Premier League win ever
Sunday 2nd April
Relegation clouds looming over East London
The Hammers have been solid enough at home, avoiding defeat in each of their last 4 Premier League encounters at the London Stadium. This clash against rock-bottom Saints starts a sequence of 4 consecutive league matches in London, 3 at home and a short trip to Fulham, and they will need to make the most of them.
Southampton haven’t actually lost to West Ham since May 2021, winning 2 of the last 3. The Saints won’t necessarily mind being on the road in this fixture, considering they’re actually the 12th best side in the division on their travels. At home, in contrast, they have the league’s worst record, winning just 10 points.
Did you know?
West Ham were relegated in the 2002/03 season with 42 points, a record tally for a side which didn’t stay up (via Opta Analyst)
Red Devils’ resources will be severely tested
Alexander Isak’s brace last time out helped Newcastle inflict Nottingham Forest’s first home Premier League loss since September. Isak also scored in the Magpies’ home win over Wolves just 5 days prior. Newcastle have won their last 2 league matches after a winless run of 5 across all competitions.
Since their 7-0 humbling at Anfield, Man Utd are unbeaten in 4 matches across all competitions. Erik ten Hag’s side must juggle a frenetic fixture list now, with 9 matches in the month of April across 3 different competitions.
Their squad depth will certainly be tested. Casemiro is still suspended, while Marcel Sabitzer picked up an injury on international duty, so we could see Scott McTominay return in midfield at St James’ Park. He just scored twice for Scotland in their first win over Spain since 1984.
Did you know?
Alexander Isak has scored in 4 of his 7 EPL starts, averaging a goal every 115 minutes in the competition (via Sky Sports Statto)
Monday 3rd April
Spurs in unusually poor away form
Much of the pre-match Tottenham chat will revolve around Antonio Conte’s departure, but their poor recent away record deserves just as much attention. Spurs have lost 4 of their last 5 matches on the road and drew the other. The draw happened to come last time out when they surrendered a 2-goal lead to be held 3-3 by bottom club Southampton.
Their last 3 Premier League head-to-heads at Goodison Park ended all-square, but none of the Toffees’ 4 home matches under new boss Sean Dyche have been stalemates. In fact, 3 of them were 1-0 Everton wins, over Arsenal, Leeds and Brentford.
It might be a tough Monday evening for the visitors, who will also be without in-form right-back Emerson Royal as he requires knee surgery. Despite all of this, Spurs currently occupy 4th place, but they’ll have to start picking up some wins on the road to stay there.
Did you know?
Spurs are on their longest winless away run in a single season since December 2019-January 2020 (via Sky Sports Statto)