All articles by: Elliott Jackson

Carabao Cup Quarter Final – Leicester vs Man City – Match Preview

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Leicester vs Man City – Match Preview – The quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup sees unbeaten Manchester City face Leicester at the King Power Stadium this Tuesday evening.

After another impressive win at the weekend, City remain 11 points clear of second-placed Manchester United. Two wins against title rivals in the last two weeks has only strengthened City’s grasp on the league, with the Citizens now 1/33 on to claim their third Premier League crown.

In their 4-1 demolition of Spurs, Raheem Sterling grabbed himself another brace. The Englishman is enjoying his best season to date and now has 15 goals in all competitions. With Sterling and Leroy Sane providing pace and width to City’s attack, it has allowed David Silva and Kevin De Bruyne more space to operate centrally. With this in mind, it can be no surprise that both have sparkled this season and will be at the top of the ballot poll when the player of the year award comes around.

de Bruyne will be a favourite for the Player of the Year with his stunning performances so far Photo Credit: skysports.com

For me, De Bruyne will pip Silva to the award. Although it is only December and this may seem a premature statement, I just can’t see anyone catching City, or matching the efforts that these two have put in during the first half of the campaign. Whilst Mohamad Salah has been phenomenal for Liverpool since joining from Roma, I think he will just miss out on the award, should he continue his fine form for the rest of the season.

Leicester have been fantastic since the appointment of Claude Puel. The Frenchman has given the Foxes a new lease of life since taking over, which has seen them shoot up the Premier League table. At the weekend they suffered their worst result in his reign as they went down 3-0 to Crystal Palace. I feel as though this was just a minor blip and I expect them to be right back at it as they face the champions-elect.

Okazaki has scored some vital goals for Leicester Photo Credit: skysports.com

Leicester have lost their last two games against Manchester City after losing 2-0 earlier in the campaign. Before then they had gone three games unbeaten as they surged past their then title rivals to the Premier League trophy. Those last five meetings have racked up 15 goals and I expect there to be more again when they meet on Tuesday.

In the league this season, City have scored two or more goals in eight of their nine away games. Leicester have managed the same feat in four of their nine home games, which is the eighth best record in the division. With these stats in mind, I think BTTS and over 2.5 goals would be a safe bet. Whilst I think this will be a tough game for City, and team selection could play a deciding factor, I still think they’ll come away with the win to cement their place in the semi-finals of the competition.

 

Prediction: Leicester 1-3 Manchester City

 

SKYBET: CITY TO WIN 3-1- 10/1

SKBET: BTTS AND CITY TO WIN- 7/4

SKYBET: VARDY TO SCORE FIRST AND LEICESTER TO WIN 2-1- 95/1

SKYBET: JESUS TO SCORE AND CITY TO WIN- 11/8

SKYBET: LEICESTER TO WIN IN EXTRA TIME- 33/1

SKYBET: BTTS AND OVER 2.5 GOALS- 11/10

West Brom vs Man United – Match Preview

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West Brom vs Man United – Match Preview – Manchester United will be hoping to bounce back from last week’s derby defeat as they take on West Brom at the Hawthorns.

 

Since appointing Alan Pardew as Tony Pulis’ successor, West Brom haven’t won. After picking up only one point from crucial games against relegation rivals Swansea and Crystal Palace, the Baggies now find themselves in the bottom three. With goals a struggle for West Brom, Pardew is going to have to find some way of getting them out of this mess. With the January transfer window fast approaching, it’s key that he can access his squad and bolster it in the right areas to keep them up.

Evans returns to his former club as he hopes for a win for new manager, Alan Pardew Phot Credit: skysports.com

Jose Mourinho’s men relinquished their 40 game unbeaten run at home last weekend with City running out 2-1 winners. That defeat has left United 11 points behind the league leaders with a number of pundits saying City have now secured the title. If United are to have any hopes of catching their noisy neighbours, they need to start with three points on Sunday.

Romelu Lukaku has come under a lot of criticism for his performance in the derby. The Belgian striker has struggled for form after initially making a fantastic start at his new club. Lukaku  missed a crucial chance to draw United level last week. Scoring the winner in the home win over Bournemouth will do the Belgian good but he has begun to draw criticism from his own fans, it’s vital that Mourinho re-energises his striker and gets him back to his form from the start of the season.

Can Lukaku get back to form as he was at the beginning of the season? Photo Credit: skysports.com

In the derby, it was apparent that United missed Paul Pogba. Since returning from injury the Frenchman has shown how much they have missed him. Without him, they lack creativity in midfield and someone who can run with the ball, breaking past defenders and setting up chances. Whilst Herrera and Matic are good players, they don’t possess the same qualities of Pogba. With this the last of his three-match suspension, Mourinho will be relieved to get his star man back.

West Brom have conceded two or more goals in four of their eight home matches this season. That is the second highest in the league, with only Stoke and Palace ahead of them on five apiece. Similarly, United have scored two or more goals in half of their away matches this campaign. A percentage that leaves them sixth in the table.

West Brom’s recent form against United is quite good, having only lost three of their last eight meetings. Their last win came at the Hawthorns in 2016 as they ran out 1-0 victors. With their current form and lack of threat up top, I can only really see an away win in this one.

 

Prediction: West Brom 0-2 Manchester United

 

SKYBET: CORRECT SCORE UNITED 2-0- 11/2

SKYBET: LUKAKU TO SCORE A BRACE- 9/2   

SKYBET: BTTS AND UNITED TO WIN- 5/2

SKYBET: RASHFORD AND MARTIAL TO BOTH SCORE- 5/1

SKYBET: DRAW 1-1, 2-2 OR 3-3- 4/1

SKYBET: LINGARD TO SCORE FIRST AND UNITED TO WIN 3-1- 60/1

BET365 : ANYTIME GOALSCORER- JONNY EVANS- (link no longer available)

BET365 : HALF TIME/FULL TIME- WEST BROM/DRAW- (link no longer available)

Sheffield Wednesday vs Wolves – Match Preview

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Sheffield Wednesday vs Wolves – Match Preview – Sheffield Wednesday host league leaders Wolves at Hillsborough in a bid to end their winless run.

The Owls are without a victory in five matches after losing their seven-game unbeaten run last weekend at Norwich. With Wednesday marooned in mid-table, ten points adrift of the play-off places, pressure has further mounted on manager Carlos Carvalhal. A number of reports have speculated that if Wednesday don’t produce a good performance on Friday night, it could be the end of Carvalhal’s tenure at S6.

After leading 1-0 at half-time last week, Wednesday disappointingly threw their advantage away and came away from Norwich with a 3-1 defeat. After being the better team for the first 45, the Owls looked like a team short on confidence as they collapsed in the second interval. Even there most consistent players looked out of sort. At home, Wednesday have drawn three of their last four games, with their last win back in October. If they are to try and recapture the form of the last two campaigns, they need to make Hillsborough a fortress again. This needs to start on Friday.

A must win game for Sheff Wed manager Carlos Carvalhal who could be on his way out if unable to turn things around Photo Credit: skysports.com

Wolves lost their six-game winning run last weekend as they drew a blank with Sunderland. After such an impressive run, Nuno Santo’s men struggled to break the Black Cats down and were left frustrated with just a point. With Wolves last defeat coming in October, it will no doubt be Wednesday’s toughest task of the season yet. The division’s top scorers have lost only twice on the road this season and have won their last three away games without conceding a goal. Not only are Wolves clinical in attack but defensively they are sound as well. Wolves have conceded just two goals in their last seven games, collecting five clean sheets.

Bonatini has 12 league goals this season for Wolves Photo Credit: skysports.com

Last season Wednesday defeated Wolves 2-0 at Molineux before drawing 0-0 at home. This season they will come into the tie as massive underdogs. Wolves have only lost one of their last seven visits to Hillsborough, which came back in 2015. Wolves have scored 2+goals in six of their ten away games this season, which is the second highest in the division. Similarly, Wednesday have scored twice or more in six of their ten home games, which is the fifth highest in the league.

Whilst form would point towards three points for Wolves, I think this will end in a draw. Wednesday don’t lose many games at home, and with the pressure now firmly on the players to perform it might spark them into life. With the Owls underperforming so drastically this season, we are bound to soon see a performance more in keeping with their two top-six finishes in the last two seasons.

 

Prediction: Sheffield Wednesday 2-2 Wolves

 

SKYBET: CORRECT SCORE 2-2 DRAW- 14/1

SKYBET: HOOPER TO SCORE FIRST AND WEDNESDAY TO WIN 2-1- 35/1

SKYBET: BONATINI AND RHODES TO BOTH SCORE- 7/1

SKYBET: JOTA TO SCORE AND WOLVES TO WIN- 5/2

SKYBET: CAVALEIRO TO SCORE A BRACE- 12/1

SKYBET: WINNING MARGIN WOLVES BY EXACTLY ONE GOAL- 11/4

BET365 : OVER 2.5 GOALS AND BTTS-(link no longer available)

BET365: WOLVES TO SCORE IN BOTH HALVES- (link no longer available)

BET365 : TOTAL ALTERNATIVE GOALS – OVER 3.5- (link no longer available)