All articles by: Elliott Jackson

Swansea City vs Tottenham Hotspur – Match Preview

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Swansea City vs Tottenham Hotspur – Match Preview – New Swansea boss Carlos Carvalhal will be looking for his first home win in charge as they host Tottenham at the Liberty Stadium.

Carvalhal was appointed Swansea boss on Thursday after parting company with Sheffield Wednesday on Christmas Eve. In two and a half years at the club, the Portuguese steered the club to back to back top-six finishes. Now in charge of the Swans, he will be looking to galvanise his group as they look to try and secure another season in the top flight of English football.

Can Carvalhal get Swansea out of their current rut? Photo Credit: skysports.com

After their 5-0 defeat against Liverpool, the club sit five points adrift of safety. With only 11 goals in the league this season, Carvalhal will have to find a way to get them firing. The league’s lowest scorers have only managed three goals in their last ten games. January presents itself as a fantastic opportunity to bolster his squad, with a striker the main priority. Finding someone who can supply the chances will also be high on the agenda, with the club yet to replace Glyfi Sigurdsson who joined Everton in the summer.

Spurs’ find themselves one point behind the top four as they look to secure another season in the Champions League. With one of the most prolific strikers in the world, keeping Harry Kane fit will be key in their bid for a top-four spot. After beating Alan Shearer’s Premier League record for most goals in a calendar year, Kane will be looking for his third consecutive hat-trick. Six goals in his last two games have put him clear in the race for his third consecutive golden boot, with Mohamad Salah now three goals behind the Englishman.

Kane has impressed once again this season and is on route to a third consecutive Golden Boot Photo Credit: skysports.com

Dele Alli’s first goal in 11 games will have put a smile back on Spurs’ fans faces. The Englishman has only managed eight goals this season but with this goal, it should help him kick on ahead of England’s World Cup campaign this summer. With only one defeat in their last seven games, Spurs’ are picking up form at the most important time of the season.

Swansea are yet to beat Tottenham since their return to the Premier League in 2011. They have only picked up three points from 13 games, losing ten. They did, however, draw their last meeting at Wembley 0-0. Having racked up 21 goals in their last six games against Swansea, Spurs have a great record against them. This will be a tough game for Carvalhal and I think Tottenham will manage to secure another win.

 

Prediction: Swansea City 0-2 Tottenham

 

SKYBET: KANE TO SCORE A BRACE- 5/2

SKYBET: ERIKSEN TO SCORE FROM OUTSIDE THE AREA- 15/2

SKYBET: ALLI TO SCORE FIRST AND SPURS TO WIN 3-1- 40/1

SKYBET: ERIKSEN TO SCORE AND SPURS TO WIN- 3/1

SKYBET: TOTTENHAM TO BE WINNING AT HT- 8/11

BET365: TOTTENHAM TO WIN 2-0- (link no longer available)

BET365: SPURS TO WIN TO NIL- (link no longer available) 

BET365: ANYTIME GOALSCORER- JORDAN AYEW – (link no longer available)

BET365: HALF TIME/FULL TIME – TOTTENHAM/TOTTENHAM – (link no longer available)

BET365 – CORRECT SCORE- TOTTENHAM TO WIN 2-0 – (link no longer available)

 

West Bromwich Albion vs Arsenal – Match Preview

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West Bromwich Albion vs Arsenal – Match Preview – West Brom host Arsenal at the Hawthorns, still searching for their first win under new manager Alan Pardew.

After six games at the helm, Pardew has collected just three points as the Baggies search for their first win in 20 league games. Their last win came back in August away at Burnley, meaning they haven’t won in front of their own fans since the opening day of the season. With West Brom sat in 19th place, it’s vital they use January to improve their squad. Goals have been the problem, with only 14 league goals this season, the second lowest in the league. Defensively they are sound, with only Brighton conceding less goals in the bottom 12. Salomon Rondon and Jay Rodriguez have struggled for goals and if the Baggies don’t improve their stuttering strike force, they could go down with one of the best defensive records in Premier League history.

Alan Pardew hasnt had the start at WBA he would have liked and needs to turn things around quickly Photo Credit: skysports.com

After their enthralling 3-3 draw with Liverpool, Arsenal got back to winning ways with a 3-2 win against Crystal Palace. That result means the Gunners are unbeaten in their least seven games in all competitions. Arsene Wenger’s side now sit in sixth place, but only one point behind Liverpool who occupy fourth. With the race for Champions League qualification firmly on, speculation over the futures of Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil is not ideal.

With the January transfer window just around the corner, questions over their futures have arose again. With both players now free to speak to other clubs outside England, Arsenal will be left wondering whether they need to cash in on their prized pair. With January a notoriously difficult window to do business, replacing two players of their quality could be a thankless task.

Lacazette hasnt scored in his last 5 Premier League games Photo Credit: skysports.com

Arsenal have only lost two of their last 15 games against West Brom. Those last two defeats did come at the Hawthorns, meaning they haven’t won in the Black Country since 2014. That recent record could be important when Pardew looks to try and inspire his players on Sunday. With the Baggies only scoring more than two goals on three occasions this season, the onus will be on Arsenal to grab the goals. However, the Gunners have only scored more than two goals away from home twice this campaign, meaning under 2.5 goals could be a good bet.

I think that an away win is on the cards here. With their current squad, West Brom look incapable of scoring goals. January will be crucial for them in their bid for Premier League survival.

 

Prediction: WBA 0-2 Arsenal

 

SKYBET: SANCHEZ TO SCORE AND ARSENAL TO WIN- 15/8

SKYBET: RODRIGUEZ AND LACAZETTE TO SCORE- 13/2

SKYBET: ARSENAL TO BE AWARDED A PENALTY- 7/2

BET365: ARSENAL TO WIN 2-0- (link no longer available)

BET365: ARSENAL TO WIN TO NIL- (link no longer available)

BET365: ANYTIME GOALSCORER- MESUT OZIL – (link no longer available)

BET365: MATCH RESULT- DRAW – (link no longer available)

Crystal Palace vs Man City – Match Preview

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Crystal Palace vs Man City – Match Preview – Manchester City head to Selhurst Park looking for their 19th straight Premier League victory as they face Crystal Palace.

Raheem Sterling’s goal secured City’s 1-0 win against Newcastle last time out, moving them 15 points clear at the top of the Premier League. With nobody capable of stopping Pep Guardiola’s side, the real test for them is how they manage their squad in the quest for the domestic treble. Add in a last 16 Champions League tie and it’s impossible for City fans to not be confident going into the new year. In their win on Wednesday, it meant only Guardiola’s Bayern Munich, with 19 wins in 2013-14, have a longer winning streak in the league than them in Europe’s five biggest leagues, ever. This means three points on Sunday would equal that triumph on New Year’s Eve.

Sterling scored the only goal against Newcastle to continue City’s fantastic run Photo Credit: skysports.com

The Champions elect have sealed their third Premier League crown in style and in only half the season. Whilst I still remain pessimistic that we will ever see a side replicate Arsenal’s invincibles, yet with each passing game, they seem more and more capable of matching that feat. Managing his squad will be Guardiola’s biggest test, knowing that a European crown could be the icing on top of City’s most successful season ever.

City can now turn their attention to the January transfer window, with Guardiola conceding his side could do with defensive reinforcements. Virgil van Dijk, a reported target, has now completed his move to Liverpool, leaving many wondering where City will turn.

Palace will be desperate to continue their recent resurgence, a run of form that has seen themselves move out of the bottom three. Despite a run of one defeat in nine, Palace found themselves on the wrong end of a 3-2 reverse last time out against Arsenal. Before that, seven points against teams in and around them means they sit in 16th place, one point above the drop zone.

Zaha has been excellent for Palace and can provide the right delivery to Benteke Photo Credit: skysports.com

Wilfried Zaha’s performances have been a catalyst to their recent success, with the former Manchester United winger providing a timely reminder as to why the Red Devils paid 15 million pounds for him not so long ago. With Zaha performing as he is, there’s no reason why a host of Premier League clubs won’t be knocking for his services, especially if he goes on to keep the Eagles up.

In Zaha, Palace have a match winner. Somebody whose pace and trickery will cause anyone problems. A true test of his credentials will be how he can influence this game when the Premier League’s tightest defence come to town. Whilst Roy Hodgson has turned Selhurst Park into a fortress of late, it’s so hard to bet against Manchester City. Again, I think Guardiola’s side will get the job done, but it will be close.

 

Prediction: Crystal Palace 1-2 Manchester City

 

BET: CORRECT SCORE CITY TO WIN 2-1

SKYBET: BTTS AND CITY TO WIN- 11/8

SKYBET: AGUERO AND ZAHA TO BOTH SCORE- 6/1

SKYBET: DE BRUYNE TO SCORE FIRST AND CITY TO WIN 3-2- 100/1

SKYBET: BENTEKE TO SCORE AND PALACE TO DRAW- 14/1

SKYBET: JESUS TO SCORE AND CITY TO WIN- 11/10

BET365: CORRECT SCORE CITY TO WIN 2-1- (link no longer available)

BET365: TOTAL GOALS/BTTS – OVER 2.5 AND YES- (link no longer available)

BET365: FULL TIME RESULT- DRAW – (link no longer available)