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Premier League Weekend: Four matches to watch - and here’s why

It’s 266 days since battle commenced last August, and for EPL players the prospect of a paradise getaway is finally peeping over the horizon. Before signing off for the summer, there is however work to be done. During the month of May there are scores to settle and fates to be decided. TODAY’s football analyst Adrian Clarke (sports [at] mediacorp.com.sg) picks out four matches you won’t want to miss this weekend…

Sam Allardyce (left) has already got the better of Arsene Wenger (right), Antonio Conte and Jurgen Klopp this season. Can he do the same to Pep Guardiola. Photo: Reuters. All other photos in this report: Reuters, Getty IMages

Sam Allardyce (left) has already got the better of Arsene Wenger (right), Antonio Conte and Jurgen Klopp this season. Can he do the same to Pep Guardiola. Photo: Reuters. All other photos in this report: Reuters, Getty IMages

It’s 266 days since battle commenced last August, and for EPL players the prospect of a paradise getaway is finally peeping over the horizon. Before signing off for the summer, there is however work to be done. During the month of May there are scores to settle and fates to be decided. TODAY’s football analyst Adrian Clarke (sports [at] mediacorp.com.sg) picks out four matches you won’t want to miss this weekend…

 

Manchester City v Crystal Palace: The last of Big Sam’s scalps? (Saturday; Singtel Ch102 & StarHub Ch227; 7.30pm)

Antonio Conte. Arsene Wenger. Jurgen Klopp. Could he add Pep Guardiola?

Sam Allardyce may have lost the job of his dreams with England earlier on this season, but he’s now seen as ‘The Scalp Hunter’, after masterminding a series of stunning victories over the big boys.

Manchester City, with just one home win against the Top 9 sides this season, could easily be the next Palace victims in waiting.

They will certainly have to concentrate in the wide areas, where Guardiola’s notoriously iffy fullbacks will need to be sharp to contain Wilfried Zaha and Andros Townsend.

If those two lively wingers are allowed the chance to flight balls into the box for Christian Benteke, the hosts could be in a world of trouble.

The good news for Guardiola, is that on-loan central defender Mamadou Sakho is injured, and there’s a fear among Eagles fans that he was the glue holding everything together.

Seeing as Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus fit are finally fit at the same time, City should have too much firepower.

Don’t discount the influence of midfield veteran Yaya Toure either. The Ivorian sees Palace as his lucky team, scoring seven goals in his last seven starts against them.

If I were in Guardiola’s shoes, Toure would be inked on my team sheet already.

 

Prediction:

They’ve been brilliant in recent weeks, but this feels like one tough test too many for a side that’s now all but guaranteed their top-flight survival.

The Eagles will present a threat on counters, but without star man Sakho to soak up the pressure in defence I don’t fancy them to be sturdy enough to cope with City’s all-star front line.

Score call: Manchester City 3 Crystal Palace 1

 

Swansea v Everton: Be on Williams watch (Sunday; Ch102 & Ch227; 12.30am)

Call me what you like, but don’t question my integrity.

That’s the standpoint every footballer I’ve ever met would take if doubts were cast over their professionalism or loyalty.

They can take name-calling, but that would anger them. It would rankle. And it would only serve to fuel their desire to prove the doubters wrong.

That’s why anyone who thinks Ashley Williams will do his former club a favour on his first return to South Wales today – by gifting them a priceless goal or two - is living in cloud cuckoo land.

Of course the ex-Swansea City captain, who made over 350 appearances for the club before joining Everton last summer, doesn’t want his former club to go down. He left on great terms, and has many friends at the Liberty Stadium.

But he’ll try even HARDER to foil them, than he would against any other opponent.

Knowing millions of eyes will be trained on his every move, waiting for a deliberate slip-up, I’m convinced Swansea fans will witness the best of Williams in this must-win clash for their relegation-threatened side.

Based on Swansea’s superb display at Old Trafford last weekend, and the Toffees’ limp form on their travels, there might not be too much Williams will be able to do to prevent a home win anyway.

Confident, fired up, and with the most criminally under-rated player in the Premier League, Gylfi Sigurdsson, on song, I give Paul Clement’s men more than a fighting chance.

 

Prediction:

The Swans have shipped an average of three goals per game at home to Top 6 sides this season, but this is the point of no return. They have to focus.

Aerially they can pose Everton serious problems with Fernando Llorente and Alfie Mawson two big danger men, and in Sigurdsson (second only to Romelu Lukaku for most shots on target this season) they have a quality match winner in waiting. They must win, and I believe they will.

Score call: Swansea 2 Everton 1

 

Liverpool v Southampton: It’s payback time for the Reds (Sunday; Ch102 & Ch227; 8.30pm)

Denied a place at Wembley in this season’s League Cup Final by an inspired Southampton side that mercilessly shut them out over two legs, the Reds will have vengeance on their minds.

Jurgen Klopp, never one to shy away from grabbing a motivational tool when it’s on offer, will have his boys pumped up at Anfield.

Victory would put them within touching distance of the Champions League, but can they seize the moment?

Liverpool are boosted by the return of Adam Lallana, a re-energizing presence within the dressing room who would also love to send fans of his former club (who now delight in booing him) home with their tails between their legs.

It feels like a good time to face Southampton too. From the outside, they appear low on morale and vibrancy.

The supporters certainly aren’t happy with Claude Puel’s ‘negative’ tactics, perhaps unfairly heckling the Frenchman in his dugout last weekend.

And reports of dressing room unrest, including blazing rows between senior players and Puel, refuse to die down.

There’s rarely smoke without fire, and if the manager really has lost the trust of his players, Anfield is not the best place for them to be this weekend.

 

Prediction:

Klopp has asked his players to apply the handbrake in recent outings, ditching the fluid attacking style that saw them caught out by a string of counters earlier on in the campaign.

His fullbacks aren’t showing as much ambition, the midfielders are performing with more restraint, and in general they are ‘grinding down’ opponents instead of flying forward at will.

Against a demotivated Saints outfit that are strictly mid-table with nothing to play for, I can only see a solid, professional home win.

Score call: Liverpool 2 Southampton 0

 

Arsenal v Manchester United: Don’t fall for Jose’s nonsense (Sunday; Ch102 & Ch227; 11pm)

Don’t be seduced by the Special One.

If you’ll let him, the Manchester United manager would have you believe he’s got no choice but to lace his own boots up and take a place on the bench this weekend, such is the severity of his injury crisis, during this super-busy spell for the Red Devils.

But it’s all smoke and mirrors.

Mourinho has a beefy squad, and the luxury of bringing David De Gea, Chris Smalling, Juan Mata, Wayne Rooney, Michael Carrick and Anthony Martial back into his starting XI (all were subs against Celta Vigo on Friday morning), leaving just five starters from their Europa League victory to make up the numbers.

Six changes, none of them inadequate, doesn’t constitute a ‘weakened side’, and whoever he fields will be more than a match for the Gunners.

Arsenal blew United away 3-0 on their last visit to Emirates Stadium 18 months ago, but it’s hard to imagine a repeat.

Arsene Wenger’s side comes into this contest low on confidence, and they traditionally struggle to break down Mourinho sides.

 

Prediction:

Gunners fans haven’t had too much to smile about this season, but they would temporarily put their frowns on hold if they could shatter Manchester United’s long unbeaten run in the Premier League.

They despise Mourinho in North London, but the script feels like it is relatively predictable.

United will be set up to keep a clean sheet, and Arsenal will toil away in futile fashion trying to break down the defensive wall.

It’s hard to envisage a goal fest.

Score call: Arsenal 0 Manchester United 0

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