Arsenal 2-1 Palace
This feels like a massive game for Arsenal. There’s been a lot of issues in front of goal for this side, I don’t really know what’s going on. I know Arteta will be trying to get a new forward in the club in the next couple of weeks but believe me, signing any player in January isn’t easy, let alone a forward!
Palace are in the same boat, they could do with a couple more bodies in. They’ve been typically hard to beat in recent weeks though. That point they got at the Etihad towards the end of 2023 showed the character this squad has.
I don’t think there will be a lot of goals in this one, but I’ve got to favour Arsenal. 2-1.
One to watch- He’s been a little bit out of form of late, but I think Martin Odegaard will get back to his best soon, he’s too good a player not to.
Brentford 2-1 Forest
All eyes will be on Ivan Toney on his return here. They’ve coped quite well without the lad, but what a difference he’ll make to this team. It’s been a really difficult spell for Brentford, but I can see them going on a decent run of form now.
Forest’s form under Nuno has been very good and they were excellent in those wins over United and Newcastle. There’s a lot of good players in this Forest side, Gibbs-White could start for a lot of clubs in this league. I’m not sure what’s happening with the financial case, that could derail their season.
Brentford tend to be quite strong at home and I think they’ll narrowly get the win here.
One to watch- It’s got to be Ivan Toney. I’m not sure he’ll start the game, but I’m sure he’ll feature at some point in this one.
Sheffield United 1-2 West Ham
I think we’ve now reached the point where Sheffield United have to be winning these games. They’re a long way back and Chris Wilder must be desperate to at least add a few more signings to his squad.
West Ham’s squad depth cost them during the week against Bristol City, that was a really disappointing night. To have two attempts at beating a Championship side and not getting the job done will really frustrate Moyes. When everyone’s fit, this is a very good West Ham side but when you remove one of the key lads from the side, I worry for them at times.
That being said, they should still have enough here. I’m going for a 2-1 West Ham win.
One to watch- With the absentees they’ve got, this might be a game where James Ward-Prowse’s set piece delivery could be the difference.
Bournemouth 2-3 Liverpool
I can see this being a good game, I’m looking forward to it. Bournemouth have been in some great form under the new manager, particularly at home. Solanke got player of the month, every credit to the lad. I’m sure that he’ll think that he has a point to prove against his old side here!
As good a squad as Klopp has, he’s obviously going to miss Mo Salah. You can’t take a lad with that quality out the side and not miss him. There’s still plenty of goals in this side though and in Darwin Nunez you’ve got a guy who’ll have 2 or 3 good chances every game, whether he scores them is a different question!
I can see a lot of goals in this one but unfortunately for Bournemouth, I think Liverpool will just have too much quality going forward.
One to watch- I love watching Nunez, I just never know what to expect from this lad! He’s so unpredictable but has some moments of real quality too.
Brighton 2-1 Wolves
A hard one to call. Only a few points separate these two in the league and I don’t think we’ll see much on the pitch either. Brighton were superb in their last home game though, cruising to the win over Spurs.
I’ve spoken about him a lot this season, but Gary is doing such a great job at Wolves. They won in a thriller in the Cup during the week and look well-positioned to have a strong end to the season. He’s transformed some of these players particularly Cunha, who has been outstanding recently.
I’m picking Brighton, mainly because they tend to be hard to beat at home.
One to watch- Joao Pedro has been a brilliant signing for Brighton this season and already looks like a bargain to me. That’s now 15 goals he’s got in all competitions this season, that’s a fantastic tally to get to by January.
