Man United rack up fifth straight win, Tottenham v Arsenal ends all square — EPL predictions



Ahead of the latest round of Premier League fixtures, The National's sports editor, Thomas Woods, provides his predictions. Click on the arrows in the bottom right corner to reach the next prediction, or if using a mobile device, simply swipe. Here are his results for the season.

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Tottenham 1 Arsenal 1

Why? You'd be hard pressed to find a past north London derby with this much at stake. Arsenal can't play as badly as they have the past two games in defeats to Manchester United and Swansea City, and if they can score, they should be able to grab a point in what will likely be a tense affair. Spurs, who have the league's best defence, only have two clean sheets in their last 10 games.

Chelsea 2 Stoke City 0

Why? Chelsea are on a roll and, with so many points being dropped at the top of the table, must be thinking they have an outside chance of reaching the top four. They would probably need to win every game, but their fixture list suggests that is possible, with West Ham at home then trips to Aston Villa and Swansea City up next. Diego Costa to score in a simple win.

Everton 1 West Ham 1

Why? West Ham are another team looking to capitalise on top four nerves, but they will find it tough against an Everton side who have won three of their last four. However, the home side are vying with Liverpool for the title of "league's most unpredictable" team so this could just as easily be 3-0 to either side.

Manchester City 5 Aston Villa 0

Why? This is the perfect combination of factors for a blowout home win. A City side reeling from three straight defeats plus a visiting team who are doomed to the drop and look like they have lost motivation. Last season, Newcastle visited Etihad Stadium in a similar situation (although they avoided the drop) and Sergio Aguero scored five goals in the space of 20 minutes.

Newcastle United 2 Bournemouth 1

Why? Talk about a must-win game. With the rest of the bottom four facing tough away trips, Newcastle have a major chance to jump out of the relegation zone. They will take it to a Bournemouth side who have the worst defensive record on the road, outside the bottom four.

Southampton 3 Sunderland 0

Why? Southampton must be kicking themselves having blown a winning position against Chelsea, before gifting a win to Bournemouth with defensive errors. Zero points from two winnable situations which could have seen them right in the Uefa Champions League mix. Sunderland conceded an average of more than two goals a game away from home and don't forget this fixture was 8-0 to the home side last season.

Swansea 1 Norwich 0

Why? Norwich have lost seven of their last eight and are plummeting towards the drop. A win for Swansea could put them nine points clear of relegation. The home side have the momentum and will make it count.

Watford 1 Leicester City 0

Why? Leicester are still title favourites but their performances have dropped off a touch in their last two — a last-gasp win over Norwich and a 2-2 home draw with West Brom. Expect Watford to "do a Leicester", soak up pressure and pounce on the break with Odion Ighalo ready to make amends for a host of missed chances at Old Trafford on Wednesday night.

Crystal Palace 1 Liverpool 2

Why? Palace have lost eight games at home, which is more than any side except bottom-placed Aston Villa. Given some of their performances at the start of the season, this is an incredible statistic and suggests Liverpool can come out on top of what should be an open game.

West Bromwich Albion 0 Manchester United 1

Why? The absence of Wayne Rooney has pushed Juan Mata into United's No 10 slot and he is thriving. He could be the key here, with so much pace up front for him to set up. As long as United get some defensive players — Chris Smalling in particular — back from injury they should be able stop West Brom from scoring.

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

 

 

Company%20Profile
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Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
Rating: 2/5
 
From Zero

Artist: Linkin Park

Label: Warner Records

Number of tracks: 11

Rating: 4/5


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