Our football analyst previews the English Premier League gameweek 14 action which kicks off on Friday 30 November 2018.
Gameweek 14 of the Premier League has some cracking matches lined up, with the highlight fixture being Sunday’s north London derby between Arsenal and Tottenham at the Emirates Stadium.
Let’s take a look at the rest of the action taking place this weekend.
Friday 30 November
Cardiff 29/10
Draw 22/10
Wolves 11/10
The promoted sides will battle it out on Friday night as 19th-placed Cardiff City host 11th-placed Wolves. Neil Warnock’s men suffered their ninth defeat of the season – and third in four matches – last Saturday, going down 1-0 at Everton. The Bluebirds have won just twice this season, beating Fulham and Brighton, with both of those wins coming at home.
After such a bright start to the season, Wolves find themselves slipping down the table, having gone five games without a win, losing four times. But a meeting with the Welsh side, who are many pundits’ favourites to go down, gives Nuno Espirito Santo’s side a good opportunity to get their season back on track. I’ll back the visitors to come away with maximum points.
Saturday 1 December
Crystal Palace 11/20
Draw 29/10
Burnley 11/2
Crystal Palace host Burnley on Saturday with both sides desperate to end their long winless spells. Roy Hodgson’s side have gone eight games without a win, while Sean Dyche’s men are winless in six matches. To be fair, the Eagles have faced four of the ‘big six’ sides in their last four fixtures. They drew with Arsenal, suffered back-to-back losses against Chelsea and Tottenham, and held United to a goalless draw at Old Trafford last Saturday. I’m backing Hodgson’s side to claim all three points.
Huddersfield 15/10
Draw 39/20
Brighton 22/10
Huddersfield welcome Brighton to the John Smith’s Stadium on Saturday. David Wagner’s side will be hoping to pick up where they left off last month, collecting seven points from nine games, having beaten Fulham and Wolves in between a 1-1 draw against West Ham.
Brighton, on the other hand, will be eager to put last month’s results behind them where they suffered back-to-back defeats against Everton and Cardiff, before drawing 1-1 with Leicester. The Terriers are in good form and worth a punt at 15/10.
Leicester City 12/10
Draw 23/10
Watford 24/10
Leicester City host Watford at the King Power Stadium on Saturday. Claude Puel’s side are 10th in the Premier League with 18 points, two behind Watford who sit ninth. The Foxes battled to a 1-1 stalemate away to Brighton last Saturday – their second straight draw and third in four games – with James Maddison sent off for diving. Maddison will be eligible to play against the Hornets after missing the Carabao Cup clash with Southampton on Tuesday.
Javi Gracia’s side will be hoping to start December off on a high note after picking up just one point from nine last month. They were beaten 1-0 at Newcastle and drew 1-1 at Southampton, before being thumped 3-0 on their turf by Liverpool last time out. I’m backing Leicester to claim maximum points and leapfrog the Hornets in the table.
Manchester City 1/10
Draw 9/1
Bournemouth 21/1
Free-scoring Manchester City welcome Bournemouth to the Etihad Stadium on Saturday. Pep Guardiola’s side recorded their 11th victory of the Premier League season – and eighth successive win in all competitions – last Saturday as they stormed to a 4-0 win at West Ham.
Bournemouth, on the other hand, succumbed to their third straight defeat as they lost 2-1 at home to Arsenal. I can’t see Eddie Howe abandoning the Cherries’ attacking style of football, so they could get hurt badly. Take City to win 4-0, 5-0 or 6-0 at 28/10.
Newcastle 31/20
Draw 22/10
West Ham 19/10
Expect a tight affair at St. James’ Park on Saturday as 13th-placed Newcastle and 14th-placed West Ham battle for points. Both sides come into this match in identical form with three wins, three draws and seven defeats apiece.
However, Rafa Benitez’s side are the in-form team coming into this tie, going unbeaten in four matches with three wins on the spin. Manuel Pellegrini’s side, however, have just one win in seven games and come off a heavy 4-0 loss away to West Ham. Back the Magpies to come out on top.
Southampton 32/10
Draw 26/10
Manchester United 17/20
Manchester United have an excellent opportunity to return to winning ways when they travel to 18th-placed Southampton on Saturday night. The Saints are winless in nine matches, suffering five defeats, and have just one Premier League victory this season.
Jose Mourinho’s men are seventh in the table, seven points behind fourth-placed Chelsea. United were held to a goalless draw at Old Trafford last Saturday against a Crystal Palace side who have now not won in eight games in all competitions. Mourinho’s men can’t afford to drop any more points and I fancy them to bounce back to winning ways.
Claudio Ranieri made a successful return to the Premier League by guiding the Whites to a 3-2 win at home to Southampton. The former Leicester boss will aim to build on that win, but Chelsea should prove too strong at home. I’m going for Chelsea to Win & Both Teams to Score at 13/10.
The Toffees are unbeaten in their last three league games, beating Brighton and Cardiff at home in between a goalless draw at Chelsea. Everton haven’t beaten Liverpool at Anfield since 1999 and I’m backing Klopp’s side to come out on top this Sunday. Take the Reds to Win & Both Teams to Score at 15/10.
