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Our last effort was over before it had started
Once again, we must begin this column with an apology. Manchester City were outplayed by a Spurs side that seemed to find an extra gear from the energy inside their new stadium. Pep Guardiola’s need to tinker with his tactics when playing away in the Champions League backfired again, while Liverpool could only manage to put two goals past Porto. Enough for them, not for us.
But as Steven Gerrard once said, we go again. As soon as this weekend.
Dark Horse: Si – Eibar to beat Real Sociedad
There are only two points separating these two sides, who sit 10th and 12th in the LaLiga table. Neither team is in the best form, but they should both up their games for this Basque derby, but I’m backing Eibar to have the edge over La Real. Eibar caused Real Madrid problems at the Bernabeu recently, only to be undone by a late Karim Benzema goal, but should have more luck in San Sebastian.
The Stat Man: Matt – Under 2.5 goals in Liverpool vs Chelsea
Neither of these teams can really afford to lose any more games if they are to achieve their respective goals of winning the Premier League and qualifying for the Champions League. Therefore I see this game being a cagey affair with possibly just one goal making all the difference. That’s why I’m going for under 2.5 goals in this one.
Captain Obvious: Reuben – Everton to beat Fulham
Everton are enjoying a great run of form recently, beating Chelsea, West Ham and Arsenal without conceding a single goal to lift them up to ninth in the league. Against already relegated Fulham, they should have absolutely no trouble in making it four wins out of four.
Glory Hunter: Wayne – Manchester City to beat Crystal Palace
This fixture last season saw Crystal Palace come within inches of being the first team to beat Manchester City, as Ederson saved a Luka Milivojević penalty in injury time. The reverse fixture this season provided a huge upset, as Palace won 3-2, in no small part thanks to an Andros Townsend wonder-strike. But those were definitely anomalies, and this time we can’t see past a City win. They’ll be desperate to bounce back from a disappointing defeat in the Champions League and not lose any ground on Liverpool at the top of the table.
