Matchweek 27 Previews
Leicester City v. Manchester City
It’s 2nd place against 3rd, featuring the Premier League’s top-2 scorers in Jamie Vardy and Sergio Aguero in this clash on Saturday. Leicester City enter this match on a poor run of form, with just 1 win from their last 5 league matches. On top of that, the Foxes have 5 losses in their last 6 PL meetings against Man City, but they did win this fixture last season. For Manchester City, it’s been an interesting couple of weeks. They had a match postponed as a result of weather conditions, they were slapped with a 2-season ban from UEFA club competitions (pending an appeal), and now rumors are swirling about the future of Pep Guardiola. City will want nothing more than to simply focus on the football here, but with 2 losses in their last 4 Premier League away matches, they need to be at their best to take all 3 points at the King Power.
Manchester United v. Watford
A big win at Chelsea on Monday means Manchester United sit just 3 points behind 4th place. The Red Devils are unbeaten in their last 5 matches in all competitions and have conceded just 1 goal in that span. However, not all is well in the red half of Manchester, as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said this week that Marcus Rashford, the club’s leading scorer, could miss the rest of the season with a back injury. Still, they will feel good about facing a Watford side that are winless in their last 4 Premier League matches. In addition, the Hornets have lost each of their last 8 league visits to Old Trafford, and have just 2 wins away from home all season in the Premier League.
Wolverhampton Wanderers v. Norwich City
Things were starting to look bleak for Wolves until they dismantled Espanyol in the Europa League on Thursday. Their 4-0 win in that match means they now have kept 3 straight clean sheets – a streak that could very well continue against a Norwich team tied for the second fewest goals in the Premier League this season. Speaking of things looking bleak… Norwich City enter this match 7 points from safety, and with 1 win in their last 13 league matches, it’s hard to find many reasons for optimism. The Canaries have the worst away record in the league, so a trip to Molineux isn’t exactly appealing, despite the fact that Wolves have only won once in their last 5 home league games.
Arsenal v. Everton
Arsenal are now the only Premier League team that has yet to lose a match in all competitions in the year 2020. They last tasted defeat on December 29, but have struggled to make the most of their successful run, drawing almost half of their games since that loss. Still, the Gunners have kept a clean sheet in 3 straight matches in all competitions and have won 3 of their last 4 games. Everton, meanwhile, are in great form recently. The Toffees have lost only 1 of their 8 Premier League matches under Carlo Ancelotti, and have won the 2nd-most points in the Premier League since Boxing Day. History is against them in this one, however, as Everton have not won a Premier League match away to Arsenal in over 24 years.
Liverpool v. West Ham United
Liverpool proved they’re human on Tuesday when they lost in the Champions League at Atletico Madrid. Despite their first loss in 2 months, the Reds remain 22 points clear at the top of the table in the Premier League and continue to find ways to win. They had to wait until the 78th minute against Norwich last Saturday, but this Liverpool team have shown time and time again that they never quit. They’re on pace to become the best team in Premier League history by a wide margin, which offers little hope for struggling West Ham. David Moyes has been largely ineffective since he was reappointed, with the Hammers stuck in 18th place. To make matters worse for West Ham, they have lost each of their last 4 Premier League away matches, while Liverpool have not lost a PL home game since April of 2017.
