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It's not over just yet! Premier League leaders Liverpool dropping points against Aston Villa isn't an awful result for them. Obviously, things can change quite quickly and if they fail to beat Manchester City this weekend, it will start to look like a problem.
When I checked Liverpool's fixtures a few weeks ago, I immediately thought this is a tricky week for them with away games at Villa and City in the space of three days. But I always thought they will be safe in the title race as long as they picked up four points from these games. Despite the draw against Villa, Liverpool are still on track to do that, especially considering how poor City have been!
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No matter what happens, this could end up being one of the most decisive weekends in the Premier League title race. Without further ado, let us dive straight into my predictions for gameweek 26 in the Premier League.
Leicester City vs Brentford
This is a must win game for Leicester. They haven't scored a goal in each of their last five home games in the Premier League! The funny thing is that they often look good while going forward but they can't find the back of the net. Eventually, they run out of ideas and the confidence just goes away, allowing their opponents to take control.
This is the wrong time for Leicester to play Brentford at their own backyard. Few weeks ago, Brentford were struggling to secure a win on the road. But now they have three straight wins away from home. I always say that it's all about timing in football and the fact that Brentford are on a good run makes them favourites here.
Leicester are in serious trouble if they lose again and I don't expect this game to be kind on them.
Prediction: Leicester City 0-2 Brentford
Everton vs Manchester United
I predicted Tottenham to beat Manchester United last weekend and that is exactly what happened. If you are picking United to win against Everton, you are doing it just because of their stature as a club. I think this is a game Everton should look to win. If they can find that tempo they had in the game against Liverpool, they will beat Manchester United. But if they play like they did against Bournemouth, good luck to them!
This game also offers an interesting sub-plot with respect to David Moyes facing his former employers in Manchester United. Although he failed to find success at Old Trafford, he simply had to take that job when it was offered to him. The job to replace Sir Alex Ferguson was the pinnacle of football at that point in time and we cannot blame him for taking it up.
When Moyes came back to Everton after the departure of Sean Dyche, I personally did not think it was the right move. But look at the job he has done at Goodison Park so far, simply incredible.
If you look at both Moyes and Ruben Amorim, there's a lesson here. Moyes is an adaptable manager in the sense that if he were at West Ham with better players, he would adopt a different style of play. But Amorim isn't like that. The Portuguese will keep playing the same way even if he doesn't have the right players for his system!
I honestly don't know what Amorim is trying to do. It's insanity because it's not working at all. Manchester United have been all over the place under him and need to come back to a 4-3-3 and try to become solid. I'd be surprised if Manchester United win this game. It may even be a draw, but never a win for the visitors in my opinion.
Prediction: Everton 2-1 Manchester United
Bournemouth vs Wolves
Bournemouth have some good fixtures coming up and I expect them to go on a good run of form from here. They must not take their foot off the gas like they did for a brief spell against Southampton last weekend though. If Bournemouth can maintain their focus over the course of 90 minutes, they can beat anyone in this division on their day!
I saw Wolves against Liverpool and I think they are slightly ahead of both Ipswich and Leicester when it comes to the race to avoid relegation. If they can keep that kind of performance up, they will get enough results from now until the end of the season to stay in the Premier League.
I'm backing Bournemouth to finish fifth or sixth this season because they have some winnable games remaining. Although I must warn them about maintaining focus because we all know how Chelsea were title contenders in December before throwing it all away in the weeks that followed! Wolves will give Bournemouth a fight but I expect the hosts to secure maximum points.
Prediction: Bournemouth 2-1 Wolves
Ipswich Town vs Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham beating Manchester United and getting a few of their players back from injury makes this a really difficult game for Ipswich. I still think this will be highly entertaining and I'm backing both teams to score goals.
Ipswich got a brilliant result away from home against Aston Villa last weekend. They were reduced to 10 men and still got the lead in that game before conceding in a 1-1 draw. I'm backing them to get another draw here, but I'm not sure that's a good result for Ipswich because they need to start getting some wins to stand a chance at avoiding relegation.
Tottenham should go all in on winning the Europa League. If Spurs win it, they can get in the Champions League next season. The fans need to understand they will have to sacrifice some games in the league for them to win the Europa League and get back to playing with the big boys in Europe.
There are not many great teams left in the Europa League and Tottenham definitely have a chance to win it. I can't see how Manchester United are going to win that competition! Spurs should rest players according to the Europa League schedule and focus on winning that trophy.
Prediction: Ipswich Town 2-2 Tottenham Hotspur
Southampton vs Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton have turned a corner now. They were very good the other day against Chelsea and that nightmare 7-0 loss to Nottingham Forest seems like a distant memory. The way they pass and move with the ball, I think this will be a comfortable win for Brighton.
I can't see how Southampton can win another game if I'm being honest. They briefly looked okay for about 10 minutes against Bournemouth before being eventually blown away. I don't expect that outcome to be any different this weekend.
Brighton went second in the league early on in the season before they had that poor run of form. They are a team that crumble under pressure whenever the spotlight is on them. I actually expect them to put together a decent run of form in the coming weeks though. Manchester City are nowhere near convincing and Chelsea are struggling at the moment. If Brighton can go on a roll here, they won't be far off fifth place at the end of the season.
Prediction: Southampton 1-3 Brighton & Hove Albion
Arsenal vs West Ham United
Arsenal have an advantage this week since they are playing before Liverpool. If they beat West Ham, they close that gap at the top to just five points. And If Liverpool lose to City on Sunday, the title race is wide open! This will still be a hard game for Arsenal though.
I thought Arsenal struggled vs Leicester until Mikel Merino scored two very good late goals. West Ham were decent against Chelsea, I liked how they played even though they lost!
Arsenal were poor in the first 70 minutes against Leicester. The football wasn't free flowing at all. I was gutted for Raheem Sterling because for some reason he just can't seem to get going at Arsenal. Despite his goal in the last game, I think Merino will be left on the bench here. I expect Mikel Arteta to use the same front three he used against Leicester. If it doesn't work out, he can always bring Merino on and hope for the same result.
West Ham will come out and frustrate Arsenal in this game, plus the Hammers have the firepower in the form of players who can pick you off. They are also a better team in games they are forced to rely on counter-attack. Arsenal have a tricky run of fixtures after this game. This is a must-win clash and they must look at one game at a time rather than getting too ahead of themselves. The title is still well out of their hands though.
Prediction: Arsenal 1-0 West Ham United
Fulham vs Crystal Palace
I was shocked by the Crystal Palace defeat the other day against Everton. I'm afraid it doesn't get any better for them now because they're up against Fulham. Marco Silva has done a great job at Fulham and I expect their home advantage to count in this fixture.
Fulham caused a lot of problems to Nottingham Forest during their 2-1 win last weekend. With all due respect to Palace, Forest are obviously a better team and that tells you something. Even against Manchester United, I don't think Fulham deserved to lose that game.
If Fulham get maximum points from this game, they will be just two points behind Manchester City, who are in action against Liverpool! I have a feeling that Fulham can push for a place in Europe next season. They have the firepower to do it and we can always expect them to be among the goals.
Prediction: Fulham 2-1 Crystal Palace
Aston Villa vs Chelsea
Chelsea are struggling so bad at the moment. I look at them and they are missing Nicolas Jackson quite badly. Without him, I don't see a real pattern of play at Chelsea. Jackson's absence is also affecting Cole Palmer, who has to drop deeper now.
Axel Disasi being ineligible to face his parent club Chelsea is a blow for Aston Villa. But they will have no problem going forward because they have some quality players in their ranks. I expect Villa to find the back of the net no matter what. Chelsea are in desperate need of a result and this is a hard place to go to in such a situation.
Villa should have a real go in the Champions League. The atmosphere at Villa Park during these European games have been incredible and they must keep it up in the knockout stages. If they do that, they have a chance at progressing further. We've seen a pattern this season where Villa struggle in the league after Champions League games. So it's all about finding the balance for them.
Prediction: Aston Villa 2-1 Chelsea
Newcastle United vs Nottingham Forest
I was disappointed with Newcastle last week. They opened the game up against Manchester City thinking they are flying at the moment. Newcastle wanted City to have a go at them and they got demolished in the process!
The thing with Newcastle is that at some point their players will start to think of the cup final. These players could go down like legends and that is too big a temptation to not keep an eye on. I turn 56 next month and I've never seen Newcastle lift a trophy! So the players will have one eye on making history and I don't blame them for doing that because these games don't come around very often.
Nottingham Forest deserved to lose against Fulham. But they have always bounced back after defeats in the league this season. After suffering losses against Arsenal and Manchester City, they responded with wins. Forest must ensure they win again because I expect most teams close to them in the table to get three points this weekend.
Prediction: Newcastle United 1-1 Nottingham Forest
Manchester City vs Liverpool
It was an embarrassing night at the Bernabeu for Manchester City. If you were watching that game and you had no idea it was City playing, you wouldn't think it was a champion team! It was unwatchable at times because they were miles off it. When they won 4-0 against Newcastle, some people thought they were back but that's not true and they know it now.
I think Liverpool will rip City apart here. I can't believe I'm saying this, but that's just what I feel. City have no chance! If Liverpool fail to win, they will be extremely disappointed. City looked extremely slow against Real Madrid and considering how Liverpool play, the Reds will be too quick for Pep Guardiola's men.
Liverpool should start Diogo Jota, with Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah either side of him. Jota can drop into midfield and allow the others to make runs. Erling Haaland potentially missing out on this game is a bonus for Liverpool. But I wouldn't be worried even if he played because they have Virgil van Dijk.
City's new signing Nico Gonzalez looked slow and laboured in that loss against Real Madrid, while Omar Marmoush never touched the ball for major parts of the game. I felt sorry for Marmoush because he's better off playing alongside Haaland in my opinion.
A win for Liverpool here would be the end of Arsenal's title hopes. Once they beat City, I expect Liverpool to win against Newcastle and Southampton. Now that's 13 points out of a possible 15 against arguably three of the top six teams in the league. That is champion mentality in my opinion.
Prediction: Manchester City 1-3 Liverpool
