We are officially halfway through one of the most shocking Premier League seasons the world of football has ever seen. Would anyone have believed that Watford, Crystal Palace, and Leicester City would find their way in the top half of the table? Could anyone have guessed there would be five managers sacked by their respected clubs? How is it that the top four goal scorers would be Romelu Lukaku, Jamie Vardy, Odion Ighalo, and Ryiad Mahrez? Well, better believe it. Now, teams are open to the transfer market for this month, and one signing or sale could make or break a team’s season. Every team has played each other once, and if the first half had any indication, we’re going to have a great conclusion to the Barclays Premier League, but first we have to worry about week twenty’s matchups.
The early game has Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool heading to London to take on West Ham United. Both teams are missing their top players, Dmitry Payet still out after a slide tackle from James McCarthy, and Daniel Sturridge missing from Liverpool. The Reds are coming off a tight game on Wednesday against Sunderland, in which Christian Benteke scored twenty two seconds into the second half, but could not do much after. For the East London side, the phrase “no Payet, no party” has finally worn off after a 2-1 win at Upton Park against Southampton. Although his new hairstyle has caught the criticism of NBCSN’s Kyle Martino, Andy Carroll yet again delivered the game-winning goal on a header. It looks like a good matchup on paper, but Liverpool have had a short week, so Klopp may be forced to have either a poor or tired eleven. The Irons will get a 3-1 win with goals from Michail Antonio, two from Mauro Zárate, and Jordan Henderson for the Reds.
After that game goes final, six games start at ten. First, a battle of teams in the relegation zone, as Aston Villa head to the Northeast to face Sunderland. Villa’s season seems destined for relegation, with just eight points in nineteen games. To make matters worse, club top scorer Jordin Ayew will not play, serving a one-match ban for excess of yellow cards, and Gabriel Agbonlahor is struggling for fitness, so it looks like the ex-Blackburn player Rudy Gestede will be getting the start up front for the Villains. Villa have not won with new manager Rémi Garde, but this may be their best chance, playing an exhausted Sunderland side. Sunderland gave their full effort, but failed to put one past Simon Mignolet. Their defense must improve, last game was a very poor showing from center backs Sebastian Coates and Wes Brown. There may not be the most top-class players in either team’s lineup, but both will be desperate for the points, but with Villa’s energy, they’ll come out on top in a narrow 1-0, Jordan Veretout getting the goal.
Emirates Stadium has become a fortress for the Gooners, as they have only lost once at home, against West Ham on opening weekend. Now, Arsenal are top of the league, and look to start a strong second half of the season as they host Newcastle. Arsenal are plagued with injuries, with Danny Welbeck, Santi Cazorla, Jack Wilshere, and Francis Coquelin the big names on Arsenal’s IR list. But others have stepped up in their place, Aaron Ramsey, Mesut Ozil, Laurent Koscielny, and Olivier Giroud all in top form. Ozil only needs four more assists to break the Premier League assist record in one season. That record currently belongs to Arsenal legend Thierry Henry. Newcastle started December on form, besting top clubs Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur, but ended the month poorly, being held goalless by Everton and West Bromwich Albion. One of the reasons has been new signing Aleksandar Mitrovic struggling to find the net, as well as ex-PSV midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum failing to score since the beginning of December. To make matters worse, Newcastle will face the new Premier League clean-sheet record goalkeeper of all time, Petr Cech. Cech held AFC Bournemouth to zero goals, and he will shut down Newcastle as well, as Arsenal will cruise to a 3-0 win with Joel Cambell, Olivier Giroud, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlin scoring.
“Glory, Glory Man United” has been a hard song to sing at Old Trafford this season. Louis Van Gaal’s Red Devils have been knocked out of the UEFA Champions League, have failed to get the best out of their players, and find themselves in sixth place. Now, Van Gaal has a must win game on Saturday, as the Swans head to the Theatre of Dreams. Manchester United “did not have luck” on Monday against Chelsea, according to manager Louis Van Gaal, but it saved him his job. Manchester United have had trouble scoring all season, Wayne Rooney’s form has reached rock bottom, and young stars Memphis and Anthony Martial have disappointed the United faithful. However, Swansea fans are dreaming they could be in Manchester United’s position, after such a strong 2014-15 campaign, the Swans find themselves in a hole. French striker Bafetimbi Gomis has failed to score since August, and only four players have scored other than Gomis. Gary Monk was sacked after a 3-0 loss at home to Leicester City, but interim manager Alan Curtis has got the Swans five points in four games. The Red Devils have not beaten Swansea since January 11th, 2014, that came on a 2-0 victory at Old Trafford, only five of those Red Devils are still playing in the famous red shirt(De Gea, Smalling, Carrick, Valencia, Lingard). But, with some alterations to the lineup, the Red Devils will score, but not win, it will be a 2-2 draw with goals from Ki Sung-yeung, Ander Herrera, Bastian Schweinsteiger, and Gylfi Sigurdsson.
There are also three other games starting at ten. Leicester will top AFC Bournemouth 2-0 on goals from Riyad Mahrez and Gohkan Inler. Stoke will take down Brom 4-1 with goals from Marko Arnautovic twice, Charlie Adam, Stephane Sessegnon, and Joselu. The last site for a ten o’clock game is Carrow Road, where Norwich City and Southampton will draw 0-0
The late game on NBC will be a top table clash at Vicarage Road, as ninth place Watford host third place Manchester City. The Hornets have been led by Nigerian forward Odion Ighalo, scoring twelve goals on the year, which has him in third in Premier League goalscorers. Odion was shut down by the Man City defense last time out, as the Hornets fell 2-0 at Etihad Stadium conceding two second half goals from Raheem Sterling and Fernandinho. The Hornets have had tough luck at home, losing draws in the 90th minute to Manchester United, and in the 89th on a Heung-min Son goal for Spurs on Monday. City’s form has dipped as of late, winning just two of their last five. With Vincent Kompany yet again missing with injury, Joe Hart will have a hard time shutting down the tag-team of Odion Ighalo and captain Troy Deeney. It will be a dogfight in Watford, with the final score finishing 3-3 with goals from Odion Ighalo, Abmen Abdi, and Etienne Capoue for Watford, and Nicolas Otamendi, Yaya Toure, and Raheem Sterling for City.
Sunday consists of two intriguing top half versus bottom half games. First at 8:30 Eastern, a London derby, South London meets West London as Chelsea head to Selhurst Park to take on Crystal Palace. Chelsea have played well under new interim manager Guus Hiddink, with five points in three games, beating Sunderland, and drawing Watford and Manchester United. Diego Costa may have flipped the goal scoring switch to on, after scoring two goals Saturday against Watford, but Chelsea were unlucky as Oscar missed a vital penalty with just ten minutes to go. Crystal Palace have shocked many, as they have jumped to fifth in the Premier League standings with help from French midfielder Yohan Cabaye, however Cabaye is suspended for Sunday’s clash from excessive yellow cards. Palace may not have the same spark without him, unless Lee Chung-yong or Marouane Chamahk can step up to the attacking midfielder role. Look for a very physical game with not many goals, as both sides were held goalless on Monday. In the end, with the form the Blues are in, Chelsea will get the one goal from Eden Hazard, who needs to recover his form to boost his transfer value, which will earn Guus Hiddink’s side a 1-0 win over Alan Pardew’s Eagles.
One more game remains, at Goodison Park in Liverpool, where at eleven o’clock eleventh placed Everton will play host to Tottenham Hotspur. The form Everton are in is quite poor considering they have the leading goalscorer in the BPL, Romelu Lukaku, but the Toffees cannot hold on to their points, last week losing to a controversial penalty call by Mark Clattenburg, where center back John Stones allegedly tackled Austrian winger Marko Arnautovic in the 90th minute, handing Everton the loss. Goalkeeper Tim Howard is at blame for many of the conceded goals, with just five clean sheets all season, but one of those is against Tottenham. Meanwhile the North London side have had lots of success in the 2015-16 campaign, with just two loses to Manchester United and Newcastle. Young prospects Dele Alli, Erik Lamela, Toby Alderweireld, and Eric Dier all having the season of their young careers. Spurs would qualify for the Champions League if the table were to remain the same for the rest of the season, which it most likely will not. Can this be the year the Spurs finally finish top four, or even more importantly, surpass rivals Arsenal? All will be answered soon enough. But for now, so little splits these two sides, and it will end 1-1 with Arouna Kone scoring for Everton, and Toby Alderwiereld for Spurs.
It will be an exciting week in the Premier League, the next Premier League action will take place on Tuesday, January twelfth, see you then!
Beyond The Grandstand 