Arsenal and Liverpool battle it out at Anfield for the Christmas number one spot. Brand Ambassador Harry Redknapp previews all the weekend’s Premier League action.
Palace 1-1 Brighton
Right good game to start us off, there’s a real rivalry between these two sides. Palace have had such a tough few weeks, so to go and get a point at the Etihad from 2 goals down, that was unbelievable! Every credit to those lads and every credit to Roy, it would have been easy to down tools in that situation.
Brighton aren’t on the best of runs in the league and could do with a win. They didn’t play badly at the Emirates last week, but they didn’t really look they could hurt Arsenal.
I can see another draw for Palace here, 1-1.
One to watch- Olise is a class act for Palace and gives them that little bit of quality and composure in the final third.
Aston Villa 3-0 Sheffield United
What a big win that was for Villa last week at Brentford. It’s never easy winning there. That’s the big question mark I have for this side; can they go on the road and get wins? We all know how good the home form is!
Sheffield United competed well in the game against Chelsea but they never looked like scoring. With the window coming up, I’m sure Chris Wilder will look to add some goals to his side.
A win here could put Villa top at Christmas, I can only see a comfortable win for Emery’s side.
One to watch- It’s got to be Ollie Watkins; the goals show no sign of drying up for this lad!
West Ham 2-1 Man United
I’m looking forward to this one, I’m expecting a good game. West Ham have been a little inconsistent, but when this side clicks, they can be so dangerous. Bowen, Kudus, Paqueta, these lads can cause problems to any side!
Look, any side that goes to Anfield and keeps a clean sheet will have done a good job. I’m sure there’s not a manager in the league that wouldn’t take that before the game. I can’t say I was blown away by the performance though, Liverpool were so wasteful and erratic in the final third.
I really fancy West Ham here. He won’t say it, but Davie Moyes would love to get a win over his old side here.
One to watch- Two goals last week, all eyes will be on Kudus here. Can United stop him?
Fulham 2-0 Burnley
I can’t really judge Fulham too much on that Newcastle result. That Jimenez red card was a bit daft from the lad and it really hurt their chances. More of a worry, is that they’ll be without the lad for a few games now.
Burnley losing, and losing in the manner they did, to Everton was a real blow. In truth, Everton just did a job on Kompany’s side. They looked naive at this level in my eyes. It’s a big month for his side.
Fulham’s recent home record is superb, with a couple of 5-0 wins. I don’t think we’ll see that here, but I can see them winning.
One to watch- He’s not getting any younger, but Willian remains a class act for Fulham.
Tottenham 3-1 Everton
We’ve got a real clash of styles here; I like these games. I thought Spurs showed a lot of character against Forest. That was a really physical game and the sort of game they might have lost in the past. Ange has added a real backbone to this side.
Everton’s form has been as good as anyone in the league recently. It looks like this side will comfortably stay up; I like the balance of this side a lot.
That being said, Spurs have been so strong at home under Ange. 3-1.
One to watch- I think Kulusevski goes under the radar a lot for this side. He was superb against Forest last week.
Luton 1-1 Newcastle
Luton have competed so well over the last few weeks, they’ve been unlucky to not have more points than they do. It just shows though that the margins at this level are so small, you’ve got to take your chances!
Newcastle cruised to the win over Fulham, but they did take advantage of facing 10 men. January looks like it will be a really big month for the club, Eddie will be desperate to start with a win.
None of the top sides have found it easy going to Kenilworth Road, I don’t think Newcastle will either. In fact, I’m going for a draw.
One to watch- It’s been great to watch Ross Barkley this season. I’ve always liked this lad and he’s playing so well for Luton.
Forest 2-2 Bournemouth
This is now a massive game for Forest. I know the results recently haven’t been good, but Steve Cooper was such a popular guy at the club, the fans loved him. How will they take to the new gaffer?
Bournemouth have been in great form under Iraola, he’s looking like a good appointment. He arrived from Spain with a big reputation, but you never quite know how someone will settle in the country.
I can see a good game here. Forest haven’t been great at the back so I can see goals. 2-2.
One to watch- Morgan Gibbs-White is such a big player for Forest, they’ll really need him at his best in the next few weeks.
Liverpool 2-3 Arsenal
We’ve got a real Christmas cracker here! Liverpool v Arsenal at Anfield, I’ve seen some thrillers in this game down the years. I’ve got to be honest; I wasn’t blown away by Liverpool last week. I thought they were sloppy, quite erratic and they looked out of ideas, they took far too many shots on. Klopp couldn’t have been happy.
As for Arsenal, it was a routine home win against Brighton, just what Arteta would have wanted going into this one. With City dropping points, he’ll really like his side’s chances this year.
A big reason why Arsenal didn’t win the league last season was their record in these big away games. Going to Anfield and winning would be a real statement. I think they’ll do it, a dramatic 3-2 win!
One to watch- Declan Rice was signed to lead Arsenal in these big games, it’s as simple as that. He could be the key man for them here.
Wolves 1-0 Chelsea
Christmas Eve football, I better get my shopping done early this year! Wolves will be up for this; they’ve already beaten City and Spurs at Molineux this season.
I’ve given up trying to predict Chelsea this season, they just have no consistency. For all the attacking talent in this squad, they still don’t score enough goals for my liking.
I can’t see a lot of goals; neither are particularly high scoring. I’m going for Wolves though, 1-0.
One to watch- Hwang could well be the difference for Wolves here, he’s the key man for them going forward.
Premier League Preview
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