Premier League News Now

Category: Match Preview

Premier League News Now offers in-depth Premier League Match previews. Get team news to find out lineups, injuries and bans.

  • Tottenham Hotspur vs Brentford: Preview | Carabao Cup 2020/21

    Tottenham Hotspur vs Brentford: Preview | Carabao Cup 2020/21

    Carrying on the momentum from 3-0 win against Leeds United, Tottenham turn their attention towards the Carabao Cup as they face-off against Brentford in the semifinals of the important competition.

    WHEN & WHERE?

    When: Wednesday, January 6
    Where: New Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
    Time: 19:45 BST

    RECENT FORM:

    Tottenham’s form in all competitions: (D-L-L-W-D-W)

    After ending a five game winless streak against Leeds United, Spurs are looking to win this game with comfort as they are back in action in the FA Cup this weekend. The Lilywhites have already played nine Europa League to add the three EFL Carabao Cup fixtures and head coach might feel that his side have already played more than enough games this season.

    Brentford’s form in all competitions: (W-D-W-W–W-W)

    Coming into the game, Thomas Frank’s side have not tasted defeat in any competition since a 3-2 loss at Stoke on October 24, a run spanning 16 encounters. Their fixture against Bristol City was called off at the weekend, so Frank might hope it does not have a negative impact on the team.

    Team News:

    Tottenham Hotspur:

    Head coach Jose Mourinho has said that Erik Lamela will play no part in the semifinals after he violated the COVID protocols. Matt Doherty will miss the match after he received his marching orders at the weekend while Giovani Lo Celso and Gareth Bale remained sidelined through injury.

    Brentford:

    Thomas Frank has a completely healthy squad to choose from with only Grenadian midfielder Shandon Baptiste out of the game due to a knee problem.

    PREDICTED XI:

    Tottenham Hotspur’s possible starting XI: Lloris; Aurier, Sanchez, Dier, Davies; Hojbjerg, Sissoko; Moura, Alli, Son; Kane

    Brentford’s possible starting XI: Raya; Dalsgaard, Jansson, Pinnock, Henry; Dasilva, Janelt, Jensen; Mbuemo, Toney, Canos

  • Chelsea vs Manchester City: Game of Uncertainties | Premier League 2020/21

    Chelsea vs Manchester City: Game of Uncertainties | Premier League 2020/21

    Chelsea hosts the Blue side of Manchester as Pep’s Manchester City visits Stamford Bridge in a game that is still not confirmed. Anyone could have easily sold a Premier League fan before the start of the season for this clash to be one of the best matches of the season. Both the Blue sides were tipped to be the most competent sides before the season and many had them both as their Top 2 in their predictions of the Premier League table. But as we enter the January phase of the league, both teams sit at positions very low of which they were expected. With 26 points each Chelsea and City find themselves in top 8 with Manchester side having two games in hand.

    City had a start very opposite to the expectations of many and still are in a recovery phase as they slowly are climbing up the table. On the other hand, Frank Lampard’s side had a start that was nothing less than a dream but since the commencement of December phase, they have witnessed one the worst dips they could have imagined. A lot will be on the stake as both sides will clash horns in a game full of stars.

    But there has been concerns increasing on the game due to few positive cases in the City camp this week. There have been reports of minimum of 5 players being positive with Gabriel Jesus and Kyle Walker being the two. Rest 3 are unnamed officially by the club but judging by Ederson’s social media, indicating he is self-isolating, he might be one of the three.

    Final decision might be taken on last hours similar to the Spurs v Manchester City game but fans would be the happiest if this goes through.

    Team News

    Chelsea will be delighted as they welcome back their Wizard Hakim Ziyech but it will be assessed if he will be starting or not. Considering the intensity of the game Ziyech might be pushed to start but him being injury prone he could come off the bench. However, the right side of Chelsea team will still miss the presence of Reece James who is out with hamstring injury. Rest squad looks back to fitness and finally Frank could line-up his best XI.

    City as before mentioned will be out with 5 first team players due to isolation concerns. Also they will miss Garcia who is out with his leg injury.

    Predictions

    Before getting into the game it is still to be figured out if it will happen or not. If it really happens Chelsea will be in a major advantage as Pep will miss his crucial set of players. Frank’s cubs could keep their heads high considering this but still have a lot to prove considering their form. Manchester City are certainly the better considering the forms of both teams but the isolation of so many players will be too much and thus we edge Chelsea to get their first win in the new year. It is time for Havertz and Werner to step-up now and show their worth.

  • Newcastle United vs Leicester City: Match Preview | Premier League 2020/21

    Newcastle United vs Leicester City: Match Preview | Premier League 2020/21

    It is the first game-week of a fresh new year as Newcastle United go head to head with Leicester City at St. James’ Park. The match is set to kickoff on Sunday, 2:15 pm local time. Here’s your preview.

    Form Guide:

    Newcastle United: W-L-D-L-D

    Steve Bruce’s side is winless in their last 4 PL games but they will be encouraged after gaining a point against league leaders Liverpool. Newcastle go into the game on 14th place on the points table, exactly 10 points behind their opponents.

    Leicester City: W-L-W-D-D

    Leicester come into this game on the back of mixed results such as a win against Tottenham but points dropped against the likes of Palace and Everton. Nevertheless, the fox’s impressive early season form ensures that they are still in the top 4, and could go as high as second with a win.

    Team News:

    Newcastle:

    Injured– Allan Saint Maximin, Jamaal Lascelles, Ryan Fraser.
    Doubtful– Paul Dummet, Jeff Hendrick.
    Suspended– Issac Hayden.

    Leicester City:

    Injured– Ricardo Pereira.
    Doubtful– Wesly Fofna, James Maddison, Cengiz Under.
    Suspended– None.

    Predicted XI:

    Newcastle United (5-4-1): Karl Darlow; Matt Ritchie, Ciaran Clark, Fabian Schar, Federico Fernandez, DeAndre Yedlin; Joelinton, Sean Longstaff, Jonjo Shelvey, Jacob Murphy; Callum Wilson.

    Leicester City (3-4-3): Kasper Schmeichel; Christian Fuchs, Jonny Evans, Caglar Soyuncu; James Justin, Youri Tielemans, Wilfred Ndidi, Marc Albrighton; Dennis Praet, Ayoze Perez, Jamie Vardy.

    Pre-match analysis:

    A key battle will be Leicester’s left side of attack lead by the in-form Harvey Barnes against Newcastle’s Right Center back and Wing Back pairing of Yedlin and Fernandez who managed to keep Sadio Mane quiet in the last game. Jamie Vardy is expected to return and the Newcastle midfield must keep themselves compact to avoid Maddison, and other creative playmakers from threading penetrative balls for Vardy’s runs.

  • Tottenham Hotspur vs Leeds United: Match Preview | Premier League 2020/21

    Tottenham Hotspur vs Leeds United: Match Preview | Premier League 2020/21

    Leeds United will travel to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to play 7th placed Tottenham which will the first fixture in the New Year 2021.

    Last Time:

    The last time these sides met was back in 2014 where they met at Ellan Road for the FA Cup tournament where Leeds United beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 in an intense battle where Luke Varney and Ross McCormack gave Leeds the early lead after which Clint Dempsey scored the only goal for Spurs. But now both teams have different managements, mangers and players so this time around it will be a different game altogether.

  • West Brom vs Leeds United: Preview | Premier League 2020/21

    West Brom vs Leeds United: Preview | Premier League 2020/21

    Leeds will travel to The Hawthorns to play against West Brom who were promoted this season to the Premier League alongside Leeds and Fulham. Their last meeting ended in a 1-1 draw in the Championship on 1st January 2020, where Semi Ajayi scored goals at both the ends.

  • Chelsea Match Preview vs Aston Villa | Premier League 2020/21

    Chelsea Match Preview vs Aston Villa | Premier League 2020/21

    Chelsea just did show one of their worst performances of the season against an Arsenal team that are having a season which is nothing less than a nightmare. Frank’s tactical flaws were the highlight of the game as a number of wrong decisions did cost them the match. This now leads them to just 3 points from their last 4 matches and have slipped majorly from a position they were before this month.

    Now they have to face a tough challenge (again) as Aston Villa visits the Bridge in a game which is to be played just after 48 hours than Chelsea’s previous. Aston Villa currently are at par on points with Chelsea but are two games short. They have a lot of questions to answer and a lot of things to ponder on.

    TEAM NEWS

    Chelsea have confirmed that Ziyech will be out in this game for them as well. His absence has proved to be very costly as The Blues have never lost a game when Ziyech had a role to play.

    Apart from this Reece and Chiwell did not look 100% when they faced Arsenal and thus could be given rest considering the tight schedule. Rotation could also be on cards for a number of players to manage minutes and to reduce chances of any new players getting injured.

    Predictions

    A bounce back after such poor performance is what Chelsea fans are expecting and this certainly now becomes a game which is a must win so as to claim their contender-ship for the top spots. The only thing good for Chelsea was that other top teams also did loose points this weekend and thus everything is not lost yet.

    A new attacking mindset is required as crosses cannot be the only option for Chelsea. Also a backline known for defensive solidarity will look to get a clean sheet for their team.

    Predicted XI

    Mendy this game will be looking to step up again and hopefully earn a clean sheet for the team. He will be guarded with same defensive duo in form of Zouma and Silva. Azpi and Emerson are expected to compensate for James and Chilwell respectively.

    A midfield with Kante as DM could be on the cards with Mount and Havertz being the two no.8s. Havertz will be the key man in this game as he gives Chelsea space to attack from the middle and thus his goal contribution tally could get a kick-start at the bridge. Front 3 is where Lampard needs a big change.

    Tammy and Timo duo is certainly not the one to go with according to all Chelsea fans and thus either one or the two could be dropped.

    Frank did confirm in his post-Arsenal conference that Callum would be awarded a start in this game and thus Chelsea fans could finally see two traditional wingers in form of Pulisic and Odoi start after a long wait.

    Up front Werner could be given the opportunity to prove his worth but just to manage his minutes we edge Giroud to start over him.

    PREDICTED XI: MENDY; AZPILICUETA, ZOUMA, SILVA, EMERSON; KANTE, HAVERTZ, MOUNT; ODOI, GIROUD, PULISIC

  • Manchester United vs Wolverhampton Wanderers: Pre-match Analysis | Premier League 2020/21

    Manchester United vs Wolverhampton Wanderers: Pre-match Analysis | Premier League 2020/21

    After losing their chance to move up to second place due to their draw versus Leicester City, Manchester United will look to try their luck again as they host Wolverhampton Wanderers, a team that finds itself in the bottom half of the table, courtesy of their shaky form, winning and losing six matches while drawing three. A win in this match will take Wolves into the upper half of the table, above West Ham and Leeds United.

    This fixture has always been a close and tight one, albeit a little in Wolves’ favor with the team in yellow beating the team in red twice and drawing four times, only losing once in the seven matches played in the past three years. With a total of just 11 goals scored between the two teams from the past 7 games, it is apparent that both teams cancel out each other impressively, owing to the key battles in their teams.

    Ruben Neves and Fred will be an interesting match up in the centre of the park with both central midfielders having the tendency to run long distances, stick a leg in to break up attacks and make crisp passes to begin attacks. It will be a hard fought battle for the ball with both players never showing any sign of wanting to lose the ball.

    However, one of the greatest changes in this fixture from recent times will be the counter-attacking football both managers have integrated in their teams. A trio of Marcus Rashford, MAson Greenwood and Edinson Cavani (who might start over Martial) assisted by Bruno Fernandes versus an electric and inform duo of Pedro Neto and Fabio Silva assisted by centre forward-false 9, Daniel Podence. The game is expected to have quick movement of the ball from one end to another, and endless running just as United’s game versus Leeds.

    The 2 central midfield duos of Fred and McTominay; and Moutinho and Neves will surely prove to be a difference maker with both duos having more or less identical roles.

    Manchester United will be without two influential figures in defence with Victor Lindelof and Aaron Wan-Bissaka out for the match and Bailly and Tuanzebe swapping in. For now Wolves will be without Jonny Castro and Raul Jiminez, with Leander Dendocker a doubt for the fixture. The injury list may get longer following Wolves fixture versus Tottenham, just 2 days before their clash versus Manchester United.

    Wolves will have just 2 days of recuperating which might give Manchester United an advantage who will have 3 days of rest following their visit to the King Power Stadium. A win is crucial for both sides, for Manchester United to inch closer towards Liverpool and for Wolves to inch closer to a Europa League spot.

  • How could Leeds United vs Burnley unfold? | EPL 2020/21

    How could Leeds United vs Burnley unfold? | EPL 2020/21

    On Boxing Day, Leeds United will face Burnley at Ellan Road after a brutal loss to Manchester United at Old Trafford. Robert James will be the referee in charge of the game. The game will kick off at 12:00, BST.

  • Manchester City vs Newcastle United: Preview | Premier League 2020/21

    Manchester City vs Newcastle United: Preview | Premier League 2020/21

    Boxing Day brings another banana peel fixture for Manchester City as they Welcome Newcastle United to the Etihad for a late Kick-off.

    Newcastle United have looked blunt at times this season, but they are more than Capable of getting a result against the Big sides. They Proved it in the 2018/19 season winning 2-1 against Manchester City and raising slight concerns about their Title ambitions. 

    Boxing Day has seen some Memorable scoreline over the years and this Fixture has the potential to deliver on those Post- Christmas expectations. On any other day Manchester City would dominate possession and probably the scoreline, but Boxing Day is Special and Newcastle could pull off a shock result, especially with how inconsistent Manchester City have been this season. 

    The Magpies are heading into this game on the back of a shock exit from the Carabao cup in midweek as the Geordies lost to Championship side Brentford. But the Premier League is different Gravy and Newcastle will be up and Ready for this game. 

    Injury News: Newcastle United 

    Allan Saint-Maximin will be out for this Game with a Calf injury, While Jamal Lacelles is also out for this game through Illness. 

    Sean Longstaff has recovered from his Long term injury but will remain on the Bench, while Federico Fernandez also remains a doubt ahead of the game. 

    Injury News: Manchester City

    Eric Garcia remains a Long term absentee while, Aguero is slowly returning to match fitness and came off the Bench in Midweek 

    This is a Major Positive for Manchester City as Aguero’s return could revitalize City’s season. 

    Gabriel Jesus and Kyle Walker both tested Positive for Covid and will be out for this game, the duo will self isolate for a 14 day period and will miss the coming games for City including the game against Chelsea. 

  • Leeds United vs Burnley: Match Preview | EPL 2020/21

    Leeds United vs Burnley: Match Preview | EPL 2020/21

    Leeds United will look to bounce back from the heavy defeat suffered against Manchester United when they take on Burnley at Elland Road on Sunday.