5 Premier League Tips for the Weekend’s Action - 18/2/23

Both sides face each other on Saturday off the back of a 3-1 defeat to Manchester City. The two goal scorers in each game were Bukayo Saka and Ollie Watkins.

The Villa forward has had a shot on target in his last three matches, and he also averages 1 shot on target per game this season, as well as 1.5 shots per game at home. Arsenal’s last three away games have seen the opposition striker register a shot on target. Two seasons ago when the two sides faced at Villa Park, Watkins registered three shots on target.

Bukayo Saka registered a shot on target in Arsenal’s last away game which was versus Everton. The number seven is extremely dangerous In 1V1 scenarios and he has the ability to constantly cut inside on his left foot. Saka is also Arsenal’s penalty taker which slightly increases the chance of a shot on target, like we saw versus Manchester City on Wednesday evening.

Arguably the biggest game of the weekend in terms of League position is Everton versus Leeds United. Both teams are right in the thick of a relegation scrap, however, they have both been active in terms of managerial changes with the hope of staying up. Sean Dyche took over from Frank Lampard and his first game in charge resulted in a 1-0 win at home against Arsenal. Leeds also recently sacked Jesse Marsch and they are yet to replace him. However, two solid performances versus Manchester United prove that the Yorkshire side can oppose a huge attacking threat.

Leeds average 4.8 corners per game away from home this season, whilst also averaging 4.9 per game against them. The hosts average 5.3 corners at home and also concede 5.9, which indicates both sides should get plenty of corners. The fact that it’s a must-win game for both sides also increases the pressure, which should lead to and end to end game. Everton and Leeds also both average over 2 cards per game and we should see a feisty encounter on Saturday.

In the Merseyside derby on Monday, Liverpool seemed to play with an edge which has been evidently missing all season. Salah looked lively all game and Darwin Nunez caused all sorts of problems for the Everton backline. Newcastle, however, are in a slump and their early season form has been suppressed, winning just one of their last six.

Nunez has on of the highest shot averages in the Premier League this season and he also registers 1.8 shots on target per 90 minutes. Salah isn’t far behind his Uruguayan teammate, averaging 1.3 shots on target per game.

Newcastle and Liverpool both average over 10 corners per game and we should see each side register a few in each half, due to the emphasis on crossing in each team's build-up play. I predict that Newcastle will dominate the possession stats which will allow Liverpool to counter-attack. This should lead to the home side committing numerous fouls to prevent Liverpool’s biggest strength. Also, the referee is Anthony Taylor who produced 6 cards in Manchester City’s 3-1 win over Arsenal on Wednesday.

Chelsea are struggling to get going under new boss Graham Potter, however, the brightest spark since his arrival has been the Portuguese wonderkid Joao Felix, who is on loan from Atletico Madrid. Although the forward has performed well whilst on the pitch, his debut ended in tears after he received a red card midway through the second half.

Prior to the sending-off, Felix registered four shots on target and in the latest game versus West Ham, he registered 2 shots on goal. The number 11 is not lacking any confidence and he will let fly at any opportunity.

Southampton are one of two clubs this weekend to be without a manager, after sacking Nathan Jones just 14 games into his Saints career. The Saints sit rock bottom of the Premier League table and they haven’t really offered anything all season. They have lost eight games on the road, which is the same number of goals they have scored on their travels also. Chelsea should win given the talent in the squad however they have also struggled to score goals this season, only putting the ball in the back of the net 13 times in 10 games.

Manchester United’s star man Marcus Rashford just cannot stop scoring at the moment and he has scored 14 goals since returning from the World Cup in Qatar. He is one of the most in-form footballers on the planet and his record at Old Trafford is simply incredible. He has scored fifteen goals at home, which equates to a goal every 1.1 game. There is no stopping the number ten at the moment, he even scored versus Barcelona who were yet to concede a goal from open play all season at home in La Liga.

Another Premier League player in fantastic form is Leicester’s Iheanacho. The Nigerian striker has scored in his last three starts and scored against this weekend’s opposition last season. When the left-footed forward is playing with confidence, he is difficult to deal with and if Manchester United play as they did versus Leeds at Old Trafford, then the forward will get chances to put his name on the scoresheet.

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