Hello folks!
Welcome to FourthOfficial.com’s brand new feature with renowned football pundit, Patrick Kinghorn. He will be taking an exclusive look at all the Premier League games for the weekend and he’ll be providing his expert tips and analysis besides giving a prediction on the outcome of each match. We kicked things off brilliantly last week, so to continue the momentum, here’s Patrick’s #BestBets for Week 23 of the Premier League!
Norwich City 0 Liverpool 2
The Canaries haven’t beaten Liverpool at Carrow Road in the Premier League since the inaugural season of the EPL in 1993 and I can’t see them stopping the rot on Saturday. Liverpool may be facing problems with their strikers but Norwich have conceded nine goals in their last three and the Reds should have enough in midfield to pick up maximum points and mean all your deluded Liverpool friends are hash-tagging YNWA all alone all weekend and telling you at work on Monday they still think they can qualify for the Champions League. #deluded.
Crystal Palace 1 Tottenham Hotspur 1
Alan Pardew’s team haven’t won in the league or even scored a goal since before Christmas. That is a big worry against a Spurs team who have recovered from a bad start to 2016 with a win against Sunderland and Leicester reserves in the FA Cup. Spurs should be capable of picking up the three points but Spurs being Spurs will probably have to settle for a point from a Palace team who didn’t have an FA Cup replay to contend with midweek.
Leicester City 2 Stoke City 1
With Liverpool (h), followed by City (a) and Arsenal (a) this is a must win game for the Foxes if they are to maintain their unlikely title charge. Mark Hughes is rightly winning plaudits for the recruitment, style of play and results he has brought to the Potters but if they can lose at West Brom they can lose at the King Power. Ranieri rested players galore in their FA Cup replay against Spurs on Wednesday and Leicester could just keep their astonishing run on the go as we enter February.
Manchester United 1 Southampton 1
It may not have been pretty but United continued their excellent recent record at Liverpool last weekend. Even though I am still not convinced that Rooney is back for good, he is clearly still capable of coming up in the occasional clutch situation and he may have to if the Red Devils are to avoid a repeat of last year’s 1-0 win for the Saints in the corresponding fixture.
Sunderland 4 Bournemouth 2
An absolute must win for the Black Cats who have started the year winning the two EPL games they were entitled to win and getting battered in their hardest assignment of the three. You can’t give Eddie Howe enough credit for how Bournemouth have coped with the bad fortune that has fallen their way in the EPL debut but Big Sam can bag the three points here in a high scoring game.
Watford 1 Newcastle United 2
The Hornets edged the meeting between these two earlier in the month in the FA Cup but this will be a different kettle of fish and having got the cheque book out quicker than anyone else in this window, Newcastle reaped immediate rewards last weekend against West Ham. Newcastle may have only scored five EPL away goals all season but they can find the net twice on Saturday.
West Brom 3 Aston Villa 1
Aston Villa are at least trying hard but they are still woefully out of their depth in the EPL this season. It will be a feisty atmosphere after the emotional games between these two in the league and FA Cup last season and that will work against the away side who are packed full of players who won’t be at the club, or at least won’t want to be at the club next season. The Baggies have been patchy but Tony Pulis is a master at getting the job done in must win league games and this is one of them.
West Ham 2 Manchester City 1
The Hammers have not lost at home since August and have proved on multiple occasions both tactically and physically they can cope and adapt with, on paper, superior opposition. City may be coming off the back of three clean sheets but the defence continues to be unconvincing and this lingering Pep Guardiola inevitability is going to destroy their season.
Everton 4 Swansea City 0
Everton should be higher than 11th based on their performances this season and will no doubt improve their current position against a Swansea team who, not content with selling their best players to a main relegation rival, appointed a manager last week their players needed to Google to identify. Rather than internet search Francesco Guidolin, try Googling “Felix Magath’ and ‘Fulham’.
Arsenal 3 Chelsea 0
Best game is the last one this weekend. 1st v 14th it may be but this is huge for Arsenal and they need a win to ensure they start February in pole position. Everyone talks about Arsene Wenger never beating Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea (the Community Shield means nothing), but he had two cracks at Gus Hiddink’s Blues in 2009 and was beaten on both occasions including a 4-1 thumping at the Emirates. Wenger rested Mesut Ozil last week clearly with this game in mind and Chelsea’s dismal away return of 9 points from 10 games this season means they are there to be whipped. This is the game that will define Arsenal’s season.
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