Liverpool vs Man Utd and more: betPawa BIG match insights
We’re taking a closer look at 5 games on Saturday and a cracker on Sunday when Liverpool host rivals Man Utd at Anfield to round out another weekend of Premier League action. Here are our BIG match insights into a blockbuster batch of battles at both ends of the table.
Saturday 4th March
Howe will the Magpies respond to cup final heartache?
This fixture has traditionally delivered plenty of goals, with this season’s reverse fixture ending 3-3 and continuing that trend. Man City have scored 23 times in their last 6 EPL meetings with the Magpies, but this is a more defensively resolute Newcastle side under Eddie Howe. They boast the best defensive record in the division with just 15 goals conceded, that’s 8 fewer than league leaders Arsenal (writing before their midweek match against Everton).
City have beaten Newcastle in 13 consecutive home EPL matches, but the aforementioned 3-3 draw snapped a run of 6 consecutive defeats for the Magpies against the Citizens across all competitions and venues. They’re also unbeaten in their last 8 league outings on the road.
Phil Foden is back in the fold for City with 3 goals and an assist in his last 2 appearances, while Paraguayan winger Miguel Almirón is Newcastle’s go-to man on their travels. He’s scored 3 goals in Newcastle’s last 5 EPL away games and all of them arrived before the half-time break.
This fixture is a great way to start another massively significant weekend at the top of the table. The visitors will be delighted to have goalkeeper Nick Pope available again after he served a suspension against Man Utd in their 2-0 defeat in the EFL Cup Final. They’ve now lost each of their last 9 matches at Wembley.
With City needing a win for their title challenge and Newcastle looking to haul in 4th-placed Tottenham, there’s a lot on the line here.
Leaders must be patient
Speaking of table toppers and title races, Arsenal recovered impressively from a recent blip where they collected just 1 point from 3 matches in a sequence including defeats to Everton and Man City, and a draw with Brentford. They’ve since won consecutive away games, at Aston Villa in thrilling fashion, and then 1-0 at Leicester in a more controlled performance, writing ahead of their midweek home match with Everton.
19th-placed Bournemouth will be starting to sweat over their survival chances, although it’s so tight at the bottom that a single win would see them climb multiple places. The BIGGEST tests for the Cherries may come in April when they face West Ham, Southampton and Leeds in consecutive matches.
There’s no such thing as a free swing in the EPL, but an away game against the leaders is about as close as it gets. Make no mistake, this is a huge test for the Gunners too. Every game from now until May will be.
A decidedly mid-table clash
Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins has scored in his last 5 EPL games. He’ll hope to be decisive against a Crystal Palace side that have drawn 5 of their last 6 in the EPL and each of their last 3. Patrick Vieira’s side are one of the EPL draw specialists this season: only Brentford and Newcastle (11) have produced more stalemates than the Eagles’ 9. Villa, in contrast, have drawn just 1 of their last 15 in the league.
Graham Potter has the Blues
What on earth do we make of Chelsea at the moment?
According to Opta, in a run that started on 6th November, Chelsea have scored 6 goals across their last 15 games in all competitions, the fewest of any side in England's top 4 tiers. Not exactly what Todd Boehly had in mind when he started splashing considerable cash.
Prospects of a turnaround in the mood at Stamford Bridge will have been dented by news that Thiago Silva has suffered knee ligament damage. In a period where the club have spent hundreds of millions acquiring young talent, the 38-year-old Brazilian has been arguably their most dependable performer.
Leeds picked up what could prove to be a pivotal win last weekend against Southampton but they’re still very much in the thick of a relegation scrap. It appears to be a good time to visit Stamford Bridge.
JWP sets his sights on the Foxes
Southampton skipper James Ward-Prowse slotted home the 17th EPL free-kick goal of his career in the Saints’ recent win at Stamford Bridge. However, the rock-bottom club were brought back down to earth with a 1-0 defeat at Leeds.
Leicester have now lost 3 consecutive matches across all competitions after a 4-1 win over Tottenham on 11th February that proved to be something of a false dawn. Brendan Rodgers’ side can absolutely get dragged into the relegation dogfight if they pick up a bad result here, although Southampton do ‘boast’ the worst home record in the league with just 1 win at St Mary’s all season. That was against Chelsea last August.
The Foxes will be without influential midfielder Youri Tielemans, who was introduced as a substitute against Arsenal but suffered an ankle ligament injury. Creative kingpin James Maddison is also a doubt, and his goals and assists have been sorely missed.
St Mary’s was the scene for Southampton’s embarrassing and record-breaking 0-9 defeat to these opponents back in 2019 (the BIGGEST home defeat in EPL history). The Saints did win this season’s reverse fixture though and a league double over the Foxes would be a shot in the arm for their survival chances.
Sunday 5th March
BIG statements to be made
Man Utd picked up this season’s first major piece of domestic silverware by beating Newcastle 2-0 in the EFL Cup Final. Casemiro, the BIG-money signing from Real Madrid, has now prevailed in 9 consecutive major finals at club level. There’s no doubt that the Brazilian midfield general is a serial winner and exactly what the Red Devils needed in the heat of the battle.
The mood around Liverpool was improved slightly, writing before the midweek match with Wolves at least, by a 3-match EPL unbeaten run without conceding which featured a derby win against Everton and a 2-0 triumph at Newcastle following a dismal spell of results.
The history of this fixture speaks for itself. Liverpool (19) and United (20) are the 2 sides with the most English league titles in history. United’s EFL Cup triumph at the weekend was their first trophy since the Europa League in 2017, with the potential to add to it further this season. Liverpool will need a minor miracle to overturn a 2-5 Champions League deficit against Real Madrid,
It’s difficult to discuss Man Utd at the moment without mentioning Marcus Rashford. He’s scored 18 goals for the Red Devils since 6th November and United have 50 altogether in that timeframe (writing before the midweek cup clash with West Ham).
Prior to their Wednesday meeting with Wolves, Liverpool had failed to score in 4 of their last 6 EPL matches. That could present an opportunity for Erik ten Hag’s men to pounce and keep themselves in the title equation. However, United failed to score on each of their last 3 league visits to Anfield. What a way to close out another weekend of football.