As Arsenal continue to set the pace, Michael Owen shares his thoughts on a Premier League weekend that features major tests for Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United.
Gunners tipped to cruise past Sunderland
Arsenal kicked off Premier League Matchday 24 last weekend with a resounding 4-0 away win at Leeds United and took another small step to what they hope will be their first Premier League title since 2003/2004.
For Matchday 25 I’m expecting Arsenal to secure yet another three points with a 2-0 win over Sunderland but the matches I want to take a closer look at are the big games between Liverpool and Manchester City and Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur.
Liverpool, Manchester City headline the weekend action
For Liverpool and Manchester City, it’s been a disappointing season so far. It appears Liverpool now have no chance of winning the Premier League, even if they kick into the kind of form that saw them win it so comfortably last season, and despite Manchester City still being in with a realistic chance of catching Arsenal, I just don’t think they’re good enough at the moment.
I did say at the beginning of the season that I thought the League title was solely between Liverpool and Arsenal but obviously Liverpool have fallen away. That doesn’t change the fact that I don’t think City are good enough at present.
They are still evolving as a team and are totally different from a year or two ago but I just can’t see them going on a ten or twelve-game winning run, which is probably what they would need to do if they are to overhaul Arsenal.
Liverpool are showing signs of being a good team again, and in patches they have played well this season, including their game against Newcastle United last weekend, which they won comfortably despite going 1-0 down.
I think the Anfield factor is huge and in the last decade or so, when Liverpool play well and with the crowd right behind them, I genuinely think it’s nigh-on impossible for teams to beat them at Anfield. You only have to look at some of the top sides they have not just beaten but hammered at Anfield in recent years, and when they play well and with Anfield rocking, I don’t think any team can live with them.
I fancy Liverpool will be the favourites on Sunday and yet in many ways it’s a bigger game for City than it is for Liverpool. City still have realistic ambitions of winning the title and will know they can’t afford any more slip-ups. That said, Liverpool will be looking at all the teams around them in the table and they’ll be very aware that qualifying for the Champions League is no done deal as yet…
As far as the players likely to be involved are concerned, we all know how good the likes of Haaland and Salah are, but the player who has impressed me most this season is Liverpool’s Hugo Ekitike. I already think he is one of the best in the world, and I think in another year or so we will be talking about him in the same way that we talk about Lewandowski, Kane and the other top strikers of world football. I think he is likely to be the standout player in this game, and with the Anfield faithful roaring them on, I’m going for Liverpool to win 3-1.
Resurgent Manchester United take aim at Spurs
The other game I want to look at is the game at Old Trafford between Manchester United and Spurs. Another match between two teams that are having disappointing seasons, although I think that United do seem to have finally turned some kind of corner.
They’re not going to continue to win every single game of course, but I think it’s important when they were as low as they were that getting the performances right is the single most important thing. Obviously the better you play, the greater your chances of winning and at the moment they are playing exceptionally well.
Returning to a familiar formation and getting Bruno Fernandes into his best position, allied to the performances of Mbuemo, Cunha and Amad, means it’s a really potent strike force that they are playing with right now.
Tottenham on the other hand, are in the doldrums once again this season although it’s fair to say that they are having to cope with a bit of an injury crisis. They did incredibly well to get back into the game against Manchester City last time out, and if that gives them a bit of confidence then they could give the other half of Manchester a real game in the early kick-off on Saturday.
They also seem to play better away from home, but due to their injuries and United’s recent improvement, I fancy the Red Devils to pick up all three points with a 3-1 home win.
Michael’s picks for the weekend’s Premier League action:
Leeds United 1-1 Nottingham Forest
Manchester United 3-1 Tottenham Hotspur
Fulham 1-1 Everton
Burnley 1-2 West Ham
Arsenal 2-0 Sunderland
Wolves 0-2 Chelsea
Bournemouth 2-1 Aston Villa
Newcastle United 2-0 Brentford
Brighton 2-1 Crystal Palace
Liverpool 3-1 Manchester City
