EPL 2014/15 - Week 20

Happy New Year 2015 everyone! 

Some really quick lucid thoughts before the party starts! I see wins for Aston Villa, Liverpool, Man City, Newcastle, West Ham and Chelsea, with the rest being draws. Chelsea looks to be the main value punt as I see them doing the job at Spurs.

EPL 2014/15 - Week 19

The top of the table should stay unchanged at the end of Sunday but Man City are poised to close the gap against leaders Chelsea, who could very well drop points at Southampton.

Tottenham v/s Man Utd. Both teams boast reasonable form and I expect a tight match here. Spurs find a way to win their matches while Utd are hard to break down. It will be interesting to see how Van Gaal himself copes with the hectic festive schedule and its impact on the performance of his players. I give Spurs a slight home advantage here but a draw looks a likely result. Draw.

Southampton v/s Chelsea. Soton have righted the boat after a bad losing run. Chelsea can beat any opponent any day and are certainly worthy favourites to win the match. I think the Saints will give them a run for the money and will boldly predict a draw in this one. Draw.

Aston Villa v/s Sunderland. I couldn't see Sunderland losing at home to Hull last week-day and they flattered to disappoint me, not for the first time. I like Villa's form at home and I think they will either win or draw this. Home win.

Hull v/s Leicester City. This is a match-up among relegation teams that could go either way. Hull stopped a losing run by getting 3 all-important points at Sunderland a few days ago, yet that does not mean that they will easily best last-place team Leicester. Without any confidence, I think this one could end in a draw. Draw.

Man City v/s Burnley. No contest for City, maybe they'll look at polishing their goal difference. Home win.

QPR v/s Crystal Palace. This is a glorious opportunity for Rangers to secure 3 points against manager-less Palace. The hosts put in a decent display in their last loss to Arsenal and will rely on in-form striker Austin to do the damage. Home win.

Stoke v/s West Brom. Stoke did my predictions good last time out by winning at Goodison Park. Their home form is not as solid as it has traditionally be but they have a great chance of enhancing that record by beating exposed West Brom. The Baggies are out of sorts at the moment and it's a good time to oppose them. Home win.

West Ham v/s Arsenal. This is a tough trip for the Gunners and I see Hammers striker Carroll being a tall order for their suspect defence. Were it not for the incomparable Alexis Sanchez, Arsenal would be in an even more precarious position than their current one. Wenger teams haven't fared well against Allardyce's in the past and I think Big Sam will relish coming up trumps again against the Frenchman. I see this ending either as a home win or a draw. Home win.

Newcastle v/s Everton. This pits two teams that are on a bad run and any result is possible, with a draw looking the likely result. Draw.

Liverpool v/s Swansea. The Kops have a difficult game on their hands against solid Swansea. Raheem Sterling is their main threat but he has to be more clinical as a finisher. Swansea will certainly keep the scoreline tight and will fancy taking whatever chances they get with striker Bony. Punting on a draw could pay dividends here. Draw.

EPL 2014/15 - Week 18

Merry Xmas everyone! Thanks again for popping by, Missed the last week-end of football and just back from a much-appreciated sunny vacation and now ready for the EPL football galore of the holiday season. Got to say that EPL rocks with the continual football while the rest of the continent are taking their break. Here are my selections for the Boxing Day's matches.

Chelsea v/s West Ham. The Hammers are overachieving big time but the buck stops here at the Bridge. This should be another 3 points in the bag for the Blues even with the possible absence of Hazard. Home win.

Burnley v/s Liverpool. I've been burnt by some of the Burnley performances lately and I've come to the conclusion that they can be a force at home and also nick some points against exposed teams when on the road. Liverpool don't inspire any sort of confidence although they have enough quality to win this match on their best day. A draw looks the likeliest result and that's the selection. Draw.

Crystal Palace v/s Southampton. Both teams are on a woeful run, therefore any kind of result is possible here. Hard to gauge this but a draw could very be the value selection here. Draw.

Everton v/s Stoke. Everton seems to be huffing and puffing at the moment while Stoke have put in some very good performances on the road since the start of the season. It will not surprise me if the Potters actually nicked this given that the home team are not in the best form at the moment. If there is a value away win, it's this one. Away win.

Leicester v/s Tottenham. Spurs have relied on late winners an unbelievable amount of times this season and this could be another match where they make the difference at the very end. The Foxes don't seem to have any solution to get out of their current rut and I think Spurs will pile on their misery. Away win.

Man Utd v/s Newcastle. The return of Di Maria is a huge bonus for the Mancunians. They are playing with the confidence that they can outscore opponents and I think they will overpower this Newcastle team missing a few first-team players. Home win.

Sunderland v/s Hull. Looking at the market odds, I believe that the hosts are an absolute steal for the win. Hull are suffering from a plate of injuries at the moment and I can't see them overcoming a Sunderland team buoying after a last-ditch win against regional rivals Newcastle. Home win.

Swansea v/s Aston Villa. These teams look evenly-matched but Swansea get the edge with the benefit of playing at home. I can't see the final score being more of a goal difference and if there is to be a winner, it's probably going to go to the home team. Home win.

WBA v/s Man City. Manager Pellegrini is saying that City are on championship form but they will have to win this match convincingly for me to be a believer. My only worry about them is how they can consistently deal with the losses of Aguero, Dzeko and Jovetic. Sure they did it well against Palace last week-end but they will have to do it again and again in the upcoming matches. Silva and Toure will need to be lethal with the scoring chances coming their way. West Brom are on a woeful run and City will be determined to get the all important full points. Away win.

Arsenal v/s QPR. Arsenal should win this given QPR's away record and the fact that the latter will also be short of several first-team players. As long as they don't make their customary defensive mistakes, this should be 3 points in the bag for the home team. Home win.

EPL 2014/15 - Week 16

My quick selections for this week-end's matches. I expect the statu quo at the top with the leading contenders winning their respective matches.

Burnley v/s Southampton. Soton to resume back their winning ways here against sorry Burnley. Away win.

Chelsea v/s Hull. Chelsea should have no trouble getting full points here. Home win.

Crystal Palace v/s Stoke. A draw looks very likely here as Stoke are due a good point on the road while Palace have a solid record at home. Draw.

Leicester v/s Man City. Even without Aguero, the Citizens should prove too much for the bottom team in the league. Away win.

Sunderland v/s West Ham. I see the high-flying Hammers losing this one, albeit by a small margin. Home win.

WBA v/s Villa. If there is to be a drab 0-0 on the cards, it could be this one. Draw.

Arsenal v/s Newcastle. The visitors' winning run has to stop sometime and Arsenal really need a win to alleviate the pressure on Wenger. I think he might get some reprieve after this match. Home win.

Man Utd v/s Liverpool. Last season, the Kops easily won this feature and this result looks very unlikely this time. I see a home win here although the visitors can steal a draw with some luck. Home win.

Swansea v/s Tottenham. This looks to be a tight match and I see either a home win or a draw, and I'm more leaning on the latter. Draw.

Everton v/s QPR. Everton seem to have overcome their injury problems and they should be back to full strength for this fixture. QPR are a sorry team on the road and I can easily see them being over-matched at Goodison Park. Home win.

EPL 2014/15 - Week 15

Chelsea are maintaining the tempo, and the rest of the pack are chasing hard. Man City are back in a groove and have the hottest player on the planet in Sergio Aguero. Man Utd are getting the all-important wins and Arsenal look to be on an upward curve with the return of Giroud, the regaining of form of Ramsey and mainly because of the supreme exploits of Alexis Sanchez. What a December football-nanza this promises to be.

Newcastle v/s Chelsea. The fact that the Magpies are struggling with injuries gives Chelsea an all-important advantage here. The Blues remain dangerous with or without Diego Costa to lead the front line. Got to go with another away win for Mourinho and co. Away win.

Hull v/s West Brom. These teams have lost their way a bit of late with the Baggies faring worst of the two by losing their last 4 matches. Home advantage to Hull although a draw could be in the cards. Home win.

Liverpool v/s Sunderland. Although they won at Leicester, I certainly don't think the Kops are out of the woods yet. Sunderland are more than capable of snatching at least a point in this encounter and I see a draw as being the value punt of the week-end. Draw.

QPR v/s Burnley. What a 6-pointer of a match. QPR boast a relatively good record at home and this is a glorious chance for them to beat another fellow struggler. Home win.

Stoke v/s Arsenal. Stoke are certain to show their rough physical side which Arsene Wenger's teams loathe to play against. The Potters were rather unlucky not to gain at least a point in their last travels to Anfield and Old Trafford. Although their home form is patchy at best, I think they will manage to squeeze a point out of this match. Draw.

Tottenham v/s Crystal Palace. Spurs go with the favours of home advantage here and I think they will just edge this. Home win.

Man City v/s Everton. Got to go with the champions here although they have an all-important UCL game a few days at Roma. Their confidence is sky high and Aguero looks set to punish a below-par Evertonian defence in their last couple of matches. Home win.

West Ham v/s Swansea. This looks a draw written all over between 2 teams that are aiming for a top 10 finish this season. Draw.

Aston Villa v/s Leicester. I can't see Leicester winning this one, this looks almost a home win certainty. Home win.

Southampton v/s Man Utd. This could be a high-scoring game with possibly a draw to separate the two. Soton are back to reality after tough encounters against Man City and Arsenal. Man Utd are on a winning run but they've ridden their luck in a couple of them. The injury loss to Di Maria certainly hampers their attacking prowess. A draw looks likely here. Draw.

EPL 2014/15 - Week 14

Here are my quick selections for today's and tomorrow's EPL matches.

Burnley v/s Newcastle. This should be a tight one between struggling Burnley and a Newcastle team that is decimated with injuries. The hosts' only hope of survival this year is to compound the points at home and they will aim to get at least a point out of this encounter. A draw looks very likely. Draw.

Leicester v/s Liverpool. Two teams that don't inspire any confidence in any sort of way. Leicester put a dogged fight in their last defeat at QPR and Liverpool took the spoils late against Stoke. Typically, if Liverpool find any sort of their premium form, they should win this. But it's a big if. Draw.

Man Utd v/s Stoke. Man Utd are on a winning run but Stoke are no push-overs, particularly on the road. They almost snatched a point at Anfield on Saturday. I think that the short rest time plays in the hosts' favour here because of their bigger squad. They will miss Di Maria but have enough talent and more importantly confidence to see through this match. Home win.

Swansea v/s QPR. Bony is on fire for the hosts and they will aim to capitalize on full points against lowly Rangers. The latter edged Leicester over the week-end but they have an awful away form that looks to get worse against a solid Swansea team. Home win.

Crystal Palace v/s Villa. The Villains should have won their last away match against Burnley only to be tied late in the game. Palace boast solid form at home and are always a goal-scoring threat. They might just edge this. Home win.

WBA v/s West Ham. I don't think there will be lots of goals in this one and a difference of a goal might just settle this. The result could go any way but if there is a winner, WBA get the benefit of home advantage. Draw.

Arsenal v/s Southampton. Has the Saints bubble burst? Too soon to say but Arsenal seem on the verge to turn things around and have my vote here. Arsene Wenger's teams always go on a winning run after a patchy spell and I sense their last UCL win against Dortmund have uplifted the team in that direction. Home win.

Chelsea v/s Spurs. Again Spurs nicked it in the dying seconds against Everton. I am no fan of the way that they have won their last matches. Chelsea are the best team they will have encountered to date and I don't think they have the weapons to withstand the Blues's juggernaut. Home win.

Everton v/s Hull. This should be a straightforward home win. Home win.

Sunderland v/s Man City. I truly think City are on a run here after their defeat of Bayern Munich. Away win.