Another weekend is upon us and with it comes some exciting football in the form of Premier League GameWeek 12.
Friday Preview
Leeds United vs West Ham United
Both teams lost last weekend despite their good performances, and so we should expect quite an exciting battle. They will both go all out to get back to winning ways.
West Ham has unleashed many surprises this season with good results and performances. A win could take them up to 5th place.
Leeds’ style of play has caught people’s eye but they’ve had mixed results so far. They have also been suspect at the back. With their defensive frailties and their potential going forward, this could very well be an open game and an exciting one at that.
Preview of Saturday’s games
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Aston Villa
The first derby of the weekend sees Wolves welcome The Villains to the Molineux. Villa is well rested ahead of this fixture as their last fixture against Newcastle United was postponed due to COVID-19 cases.
They, however, don’t have a good record in this encounter losing both games last season. But with the massive improvements we’ve seen from the side this season, we expect a totally different game.
Wolves suffered an embarrassing 4-0 defeat in the hands of league champions, Liverpool last weekend. They sit just 2 points above Aston Villa despite having played 2 games more. They’ve had mixed results of lately and are also missing a bit of cutting edge with the absence of Raul Jimenez.
A win in this fixture will bolster any chances they may have of staying in the top 6.
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Newcastle vs West Bromwich Albion
Newcastle are favourites expected to win as West Brom has struggled so far this season. The visitors will also be missing key player Matteus Pereira, who is currently suspended after being sent off last weekend.
West Brom is expected to sit back and look to hit on the counter. So, taking points from this fixture massively depends on how solid they are defensively. They will need to figure out how to handle Callum Wilson who has kept the Magpies firing this season.
Manchester United vs Manchester City
This is undoubtedly the biggest game of the weekend as United welcomes Pep Guardiola’s men to Old Trafford for the Manchester derby. It is a massive game for both teams and whichever team wins will go on top of the other on the league standings.
Manchester United have had quite a poor form at home this season but have gathered some good results in recent games, taking them close to the top.
The Citizens also struggled especially in goalscoring at the start of the season. But they have found a bit of form in recent games, scoring 7 goals in their last 2 league encounters.
Manchester City look favourites in this fixture. However, the fact that the Red Devils got a league double over their city rivals last season can’t be ignored.
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) December 10, 2020
Two days until the derby
#MUFC #MUNMCI pic.twitter.com/dEPhV1IvPl
The gravity of this fixture can not be overemphasized. No matter which way it turns, it’s sure to be an exciting game.
Everton vs Chelsea
This will be another exciting fixture as Carlo Ancelotti welcomes his former club to Goodison Park.
Everton has been on a relatively poor form of late considering how well they started the season. The losses of Lucas Digne and Seamus Coleman to injury has also proved to be a massive blow to the team.
They are missing creativity from the full-back positions, and are now putting creative duties on the wingers.
The Blues have been great this season and are proving to be genuine title challengers. They sit in 3rd place with just 2 points from the top, and have the joint best goal difference in the league.
They are clear favourites to claim victory in this encounter.
Premier League GameWeek 12: Sunday
Southampton vs Sheffield United
It should be an easy win for the Saints as Sheffield United has been very poor this season, earning just one point so far.
Southampton on the other hand, has been in good form. The return of Danny Ings from injury would also bolster their chances going forward.
They are expected to come out with all 3 points.
Crystal Palace vs Tottenham Hotspur
The Eagles would look to get another win over Jose Mourinho’s men come Sunday.
That of course, is much harder than it sounds as Spurs have been phenomenal this season.
They have the best defensive record and the partnership of Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min is no joke.
Palace got back to winning ways last week in an emphatic fashion with the return of Wilfred Zaha being key to their 5-1 victory over the Baggies.
It however remains to be seen as to whether they have enough power to hurt Tottenham’s defence or how well can they hold off Spurs’ attacks.
Read Also: Premier League Gameweek 11 Results
Fulham vs Liverpool
It would be an upset if Liverpool comes out with anything less than a win. Liverpool is also hungry for points as they look to get back to the summit of the league standings where they belong.
Fulham hasn’t adapted well to life at the Premier League and an encounter with the league champions will not do well for their confidence.
This is likely to be a high scoring, one-sided fixture and a matter of how much Fulham are going to concede.
Arsenal vs Burnley
This is an evenly matched fixture considering recent form as the Gunners’s recent struggles.
Anything less than a win in this fixture will raise questions as to the direction the team is going under Mikel Arteta.
Burnley has improved in recent games, with their best performance all season coming in their 1-1 draw against Everton last weekend.
The results however have been quite disappointing and a win is essential if they are to have a chance in their relegation battle.
Leicester City vs Brighton & Hove Albion
The Foxes and the Seagulls clash at the King Power Stadium for the last match of Premier League GameWeek 12.
Leicester’s 2-1 win over bottom side Sheffield United saw them climb back up into the top 4.
They’ve had mixed results in recent games. So, reverting to a more comfortable system would do them a lot of good in their top 4 race this season.
Brighton is only just short of a relegation battle. Getting something from this game would be crucial to them this season. Their performances on the pitch suggest they should be fine but they aren’t getting matching results.
