English Premier League Weekend Preview
This weekend's English Premier League fixtures are a feast for the eyes
(11) West Ham at (6) Manchester United, Saturday 12:30 p.m. ET (3) Chelsea at (1) Liverpool, Sunday, 11:30 a.m. ET (2) Manchester City at (12) Crystal Palace, Sunday, 9:05 a.m. ETYour best bet for nail-biting action is going to be Chelsea at Liverpool, but Crystal Palace is hoping it can recreate a takedown of Manchester City, while Manchester United will put on a show for all those who are in love with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's fairy-tale comeback.
Chelsea and Liverpool are set to clash this weekend at Anfield
For both clubs points are key. The Reds are motivated to stay atop the table, and have five wins in their last six EPL tilts. Defensively they are rock solid, but until lately their attack has been lackluster, so they'll need to flex against the Blues. Liverpool has the least number of conceded goals in EPL, surrendering just 20 in 33 games.If the Blues hopes are aimed at the top four (they're currently third, but three teams are within reach), which means a Champions League qualification, points are crucial. Searching for three points in Anfield will be a tough get. Manager Maurizio Sarri had been at odds with the fans until very recently, when they had a string of good matches. A defeat at Anfield will bring all those old feelings back, but if they win, he'll leave the stadium a hero.
Besides the road game Chelsea has a few obstacles to overcome, including the Reds having multiple days of rest before the match. Chelsea will be coming off a Europa League trip to Prague and the travel can be a killer. The Reds are also unbeaten in their last 37 EPL games at Anfield, and Chelsea has only won two of its last eight matches against the big-six teams.
This will be an attack-minded match from both sides and will give you all the sports feels you can handle. Look for Liverpool to win 2-0.
Down the table Crystal Palace is looking to shake up Manchester City
But even though the Eagles have won three of their last five EPL matches, the Citizens are entering on a five-match EPL win streak. The difference between these two teams is that Man City is better (thought I was going in for a hot take there, didn't you?), but also because the Eagles are excitingly inconsistent and actually took down the Citizens in December.Palace may dream of being the underdog hero, imagining themselves the only team out of sixth on the table to topple the Sky Blues since 2011, but the Citizens are going to take all the points they can at Selhurst and will hope for a Liverpool loss (City is living in their own fantasy land as well) to move to the top of the table.
Manchester United will try to claw its way back into the top four
Luckily for the Red Devils, they're playing poor-performing West Ham. Adding to their luck, Solskjaer's men will welcome back Alexis Sanchez, and this will set things off.The Hammers have only garnered one point from their last seven matches and it is almost sad they will be the sacrificial lamb for the Red Devils.
In short Manchesters and Liverpool are all going to win (duh).
ADVERTISEMENT