⛅ Friday Forecast: A feast for the eyes and Pardew to upset the odds | OneFootball

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Dan Burke·15 December 2017

⛅ Friday Forecast: A feast for the eyes and Pardew to upset the odds

Article image:⛅ Friday Forecast: A feast for the eyes and Pardew to upset the odds

We’ve barely recovered from last weekend, never mind the mid-week action, yet here we are again with another mouth-watering round of Premier League fixtures to get stuck into.

So let’s gaze into our crystal ball and find out what’s going to happen on matchweek 18…


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? Game of the weekend: Manchester City v Tottenham Hotspur

Article image:⛅ Friday Forecast: A feast for the eyes and Pardew to upset the odds

It wasn’t very long ago that many were suggesting Spurs could be Manchester City’s toughest challengers for the Premier League crown this season but an iffy November for the Lilywhites coupled with City’s insatiable form has seen a whopping 18-point gap open up between the two clubs.

But though they’re now extremely unlikely to pip City to the title, Mauricio Pochettino’s men could still provide the Blues with their sternest test of the season so far at the Etihad on Saturday evening.

Last season, it was Spurs who ended Pep Guardiola’s unbeaten start as City manager with a comprehensive victory at White Hart Lane before the two sides played out an absorbing 2-2 draw in the return fixture later in the season.

Article image:⛅ Friday Forecast: A feast for the eyes and Pardew to upset the odds

Of late, Spurs have bounced back to form with back-to-back home wins against Stoke and Brighton in their last two games and though City have showed no signs of slowing down with their recent results, they’d be foolish to expect another comfortable victory this weekend.

Last week’s Manchester derby at Old Trafford was billed as the biggest game of the season so far and it didn’t disappoint, but Guardiola v Pochettino has the potential to be the most entertaining.

Easiest 3️⃣ points: Arsenal v Newcastle

Article image:⛅ Friday Forecast: A feast for the eyes and Pardew to upset the odds

Amanda Staveley’s impending £300m takeover of Newcastle will give the Toon Army a great deal of hope of a brighter future for their club but unless the playing staff buck their ideas up on the pitch soon, there’s a very realistic danger of them finding themselves back in the Championship next season.

But if there is to be a change in fortunes for Rafael Benítez’s struggling side, we can’t see it coming this weekend. The Magpies are on a miserable run of eight games without a win (seven of which have been defeats) and it won’t be a surprise to see that sequence extended on Saturday.

Not that Arsenal are in particularly good form themselves, mind. The Gunners last league win came at the end of November and since then, they’ve been beaten at home by Manchester United and drawn away at both Southampton and West Ham. Not great.

Still, the common refrain about Newcastle this season is that their squad is seriously lacking in Premier League quality and we can’t see past a home win when it comes to this match.

? Potential upset: West Bromwich Albion v Manchester United

Article image:⛅ Friday Forecast: A feast for the eyes and Pardew to upset the odds

United’s unconvincing 1-0 win over Bournemouth in mid-week did little to silence to dissenting voices around Old Trafford at the moment and after being out-classed by Pep Guardiola last weekend, the last thing José Mourinho needs is to be embarrassed by Alan Pardiola on Sunday.

The Baggies began the season with back-to-back Premier League wins but haven’t won since – a remarkable run of 15 miserable matches.

But the law of averages dictates that a change is gonna come sooner or later and though he’s yet to pick up his first win since succeeding Tony Pulis in the Hawthorns hot-seat, Pardew has at least shown glimmering signs of being able to steady the ship.

There’s nothing easy about getting a point at Anfield (unless you’re Sam Allardyce) and the confidence they’ll take from that result on Wednesday could see them spring a surprise this weekend.

Meanwhile, if their local rivals win on Saturday, United could go into this game 14 points off top spot and simply have to take three points if they’re to retain even the most forlorn hope of winning the title.

Of course, they’re more than capable of doing so, but we have a sneaking feeling this one could belong to Pards.

? For the record ??

Serge Aurier’s freak goal against Brighton on Wednesday night saw him become the first ever Ivorian and the 41st different nationality to score for Spurs in the Premier League era.

That puts them level with Man City in terms of that particular record but City will surpass them should an unlikely scorer find the net on Saturday.

Article image:⛅ Friday Forecast: A feast for the eyes and Pardew to upset the odds

Oleksandr Zinchenko made his first Premier League appearance from the bench in City’s 4-0 rout of Swansea in mid-week and should the 20-year-old feature again and score against Spurs, he will become the first Ukrainian goalscorer in the club’s history.

However, Spurs cannot overtake City in the multi-national goalscorer stakes this weekend because Davinson Sánchez – their first ever Colombian player – is suspended.

? We hope to see … Crystal Palace score away

Article image:⛅ Friday Forecast: A feast for the eyes and Pardew to upset the odds

Roy Hodgson’s men travel to face Leicester on Saturday lunch-time having not registered a single league goal on the road all season and we hope, for their travelling supporters’ sake, that torrid run comes to an end sometime soon.

Who knows? Perhaps Christian Benteke can kill two torrid runs with one stone by scoring his first goal of the season (a drought totalling 941 minutes) at the King Power Stadium.

Stranger things have happened.