Premier League Prediction: Tottenham vs Leeds & Chelsea vs Manchester City
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Games come thick and fast in the English Premier League at this time of year. We head into 2021, and to London for two fixtures that are sure to bring excitement and drama. On Saturday we head to Tottenham’s stadium where they take on an enthusiastic Leeds, while Sunday we end the week’s fixtures off with an inviting game as Chelsea entertain Man City.
Tottenham vs Leeds [Tottenham Hotspur Stadium]
It must be so frustrating being a Spurs fan. As recently as a couple of weeks ago, they were seen as real title contenders, scoring goals for fun as Son and Kane were right at it, and now the goals have dried up along with their hopes of winning a title.
They’ve slipped out of the top four, having not won in their last four games, and while they are still only a few points behind the leaders, they seem to be a team that’s dropped off now and out of the conversation of being real title contenders. Mourinho’s side does have a tendency to play this “negative football” as many people put it, and it is so boring at times to watch an extremely talented side play how they do.
Spurs have been in positions to win games and they’ve let slip time and again. Son and Kane score the bulk of Tottenham’s goals, but when they aren’t firing there aren’t many players that look like they can step up to the plate to add to the goals or create chances.
It’ll be interesting to see the outcome of this game, as Leeds is a real threat and a team that will put a lot of pressure onto the Spurs who must start finding wins consistently again.
Leeds might be the only team that can make a Spurs game entertaining. It’s hard to watch through Tottenham games at times with how defensive they seem, but Leeds don’t do boring games[1].
Each game has drama and excitement and the football they play, they don’t change no matter who they come up against. They attack with real intent against any team, and they have a huge belief among themselves that they can match anyone and beat them.
Bielsa has his side believing in the way he plays, and it works for them to an extent. They’re fantastic to watch, and they deserve all the praise they get as they’ve shown they belong here in the Premier League in their first season back since 2004. Each game will either end in Leeds destroying a team, or being destroyed, but one thing is for sure and that is that the game will have goals galore.
Prediction: Over 2.5 Goals
This has landed in ten of Leeds games so far this season, while only five of Tottenham’s games have seen this land. I’m willing to back that it happens though, as Leeds will either break Tottenham’s defense or be caught on the counter each time.
One thing is for sure, and that is that Leeds will continue to take the game to Tottenham from the first whistle to the final whistle. Leeds is a side that doesn’t give up, no matter how many they concede. They push the game, and it might just be too much for Spurs who have struggled recently.
On the flip side, the Spurs have a great counter-attacking side with pace in Son and the finishing ability in Kane. It might just be a perfect game for the duo to get back to scoring goals regularly. However the game folds out, there should definitely be goals.
Odds: 1.40 or 2/5
Odds: 1.47 or 47/100
Odds: 1.44 or 11/25
Chelsea vs Man City [Stamford Bridge]
Chelsea has only one win in their last five games in the EPL, and the form they’re in has seen them slip out of the top four as we enter the new year.
This is a fixture that likely favours Man City, who are playing well at the moment, while not being fantastic themselves. Chelsea needs a response, quickly. They were humiliated against a weakened Arsenal side, and they didn’t respond against Aston Villa despite taking the lead.
Frank Lampard will be furious with his side because they’ve shown at times how good they can be and how clinical their finishing is while keeping clean sheets at the same time. Summer signings need to improve quickly if they are to turn the form around and what better game to show their quality than Man City. One thing in Chelsea’s favour is their home form. They’ve lost just once this season at home, coming all the way back in September, as Stamford Bridge seems to be a fortress for Lampard and his team.
Man City’s away form is equal to that, losing only once in the EPL this season. Both teams sit on the same points, while City has played two games less and likely the favourite coming into this one. I say that because Man City are fresher.
Their game against Everton midweek was postponed due to COVID while this is Chelsea’s third game in a week should it go ahead, as the game hangs in the balance due to Man City. It will no doubt take its toll on Chelsea’s players, and City should be fitter especially as they will have the bulk of possession and wear down Chelsea as the game goes on.
Without being fantastic, they’re unbeaten in their last ten games in all competitions since that loss at Tottenham. They still have to improve as there are times that they seem to run out of ideas. Man City have one way to play, and it’s possession football, but it doesn’t always come off as it should as they do have their struggles to work through a team without any reward. With City’s potential injuries[2], I still feel confident they have enough talent in their team to hurt Chelsea.
Prediction: Manchester City FC Total Goals: Over 1.5
I think the fact that this will be Chelsea’s third game since boxing day, and given that they’ve been through some gruelling games, while Man City had a fairly comfortable win against Newcastle in their last outing, will mean that City have had a lot longer to prepare for this game.
Granted the game against Everton was a last-minute postponement, but Man City will have had their eyes on this one since then and their players should be fresh and confident as they take on a struggling Chelsea side.
City hasn’t been blessed with scoring goals this season, but against an out of form Chelsea, it should have a real possibility.
Odds: 1.87 or 87/100
Odds: 1.98 or 49/50
Odds: 1.98 or 49/50
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