It’s the latest installment of the Predict360 league and after little movement following the midweek fixtures, our UAE-based armchair experts will be determined to pick up some vital points this week.
Undoubtedly the clash of the weekend takes place tomorrow as Manchester City host Liverpool in what could prove crucial to the ambitions of the Premier League champions retaining their title come May.
In the Predict360 league, Manchester United have edged ahead of City thanks to the win over Southampton and their rivals’ inability to score at Queens Park Rangers.
As always, it remains extremely tight so a correct prediction this week has the potential to shake up the league table.
Good luck gents…
CURRENT LEAGUE TABLE (after 20 rounds)
Man United (Moe) – 18pts
Man City (Darren) – 17
Liverpool (Obaydah) – 15
Tottenham (Simon) – 14
Chelsea (Shivam) - 13
Everton (Mark) – 13
Arsenal (Ted) – 11
TED TOTSIDIS - @TedTots (Arsenal)
What went wrong last match? Well for one thing, my prediction, again! It's always been difficult to predict an Arsenal scoreline, but this season it's borderline ridiculous and unless I start channeling my inner savant asap, there's no chance I'm going to be able to catch up to the rest of the pack.
At this point I'd also like to welcome Nacho Monreal to Arsenal. Who, you ask? Exactly! Thanks Arsene, once again you have failed to deliver in the transfer window and now, all of a sudden, I'm craving Mexican food too! So I guess I should recap the Liverpool match from the other night, but really what's to say? We should have been down 3-0 at half time because again we forgot that we were playing football and should have won 6-4 in the end. In other words, much of the same really.
This week’s prediction: This weekend we welcome Stoke City to the Emirates. They'll put up a fight, as all teams do when they visit us and I even have a feeling Peter Crouch will annoy our defense and even get on the score sheet, however I feel we'll be able to overcome the Potters advances and walk away from this one with another three points on the table. Arsenal 3 - 1 Stoke
SHIVAM MANGHNANI - @ShivamLM (Chelsea)
What went wrong last week: Following the farce at Reading I am surprised Rafa Benitez is still in charge. Taking off Juan Mata for Yossi Benayoun when we were winning and needed to protect a lead was staggering and further proof of his inability to manage a top side.
John Terry should have played some part due to Gary Cahill being very poor this season and yet again Ryan Bertrand playing as a defensive winger against a side we should be beating. Bertrand away to Munich worked but away to Reading is slightly different. I would have gone for both Demba Ba and Fernando Torres to start but Benitez shows that he can't change the system. One silver lining, if any, is that Torres looked good and much more up for it than he has this season.
This week: Newcastle looked very good against Aston Villa (but then again so did we with Benitez) and they will be on a high with excellent signings so it will be a difficult away game. All three of our scorers in the 3-0 win at St James' Park last season are no longer at the club and with no win in three from our last away matches (indeed no win our last three matches full stop) it is going to be very difficult to escape Newcastle with a point.
But if there is hope it is in the shape of the trouble Christian Benteke caused the Newcastle defence on Tuesday and if we start with Demba Ba it could prove very fruitful. But Juan Mata went off injured against Reading, without him we are nothing - in fact you could say we are a Juan Man Team and we desperately need him to start tomorrow. Newcastle 1-2 Chelsea
MARK SCHUMANN - @MarkSchuey (Everton)
What happened last week: A good result in midweek for Everton, coming out 2-1 winners against West Brom. Should have been a bigger winning margin but another three points secured to take us closer to that 4th Premier league spot. Personally, I was yet again 1 Everton goal away from my own 3 pts, which is becoming a habit.
This week: We welcome Aston Villa to Goodison today and I cannot see anything other than another win for Everton. Villa are poor this season and I'll be surprised if they stay in the Premier League. Everton 2 - 0 Aston Villa
OBAYDAH AL-NAMER - @LFCArabia (Liverpool)
What went wrong last week: Before the game we would have taken a point and we were very unlucky to leave the Emirates with only one point. The lads bounced back from the shock FA Cup exit in great fashion. Suarez played brilliantly on the flanks and should have scored a deserved winner at the death, while Henderson is improving and was man of the match had it not been for Walcott's thunder bolt.
This week: Lady Luck was very unfair to us pairing us with last year’s top three in three consecutive games, and from the corresponding home fixtures we were unlucky to get one point and I will be disappointed to get one point this time. I believe with Suarez's current form and the huge improvement from the men in red, coupled with City's lacklustre displays recently, I am going for a draw. I guess City won't be crowned champions this year, but they will not surrender their crown to their fierce rivals easily. Manchester City 2-2 Liverpool
DARREN BALL - @AbuDhabiDaz (Man City)
What happened last week: Our midweek visit to QPR proved to be very frustrating. QPR played a defensive formation of 9-1 in an attempt to throw any football qualities out of the window and play to just stop City from scoring. QPR need the points as do all teams but when they play at home and put a performance like they did against City, I hope they are doing the same style next season in the championship.
City failed to score but came close with Barry and Zabaleta along with some world class saves from Julio Cesar there was nothing much to get excited about in this very one sided boring game.
This week: Hopefully with the visit of Liverpool this weekend we might be able to see a footballing display but then again if Downing is playing we may not. City could well be 10 points behind the league leaders when they kick off against on Sunday. With Balotelli now gone and the transfer window shut, City will need to do something exciting to grab the headlines. They are still without key defenders Kompany and Kolo but a decent display was shown by Garcia, albeit against QPR, in his temporary central defence role.
Liverpool will be a difficult game for City and they will be looking to boost their own confidence after the Oldham game and losing a 2 goal lead to Arsenal. City old boy Sturridge will also be out looking to prove his worth. I still think City will be too strong for Liverpool and run out winners. Manchester City 3-1 Liverpool
MOHAMMED ANABTAWI - @MoeAnabtawi (Manchester United)
Last week: We were absolutely brilliant in the first half, played some decent football and created a great amount of chances. Second half we came out a completely different side! We allowed Southampton to put pressure on the ball and pile up one attack after the other. Credit to Southampton for trying to get at least a point, and they could have definitely got one. But our defense in the second half was just amazing. It was testament to the fact that maybe our defensive line is becoming better and this comes just in a time where we play Madrid next week. My only concern is that I do not want us to sit back, defend and perhaps play on the counter if we have a lead at half time.
This week: We have one game then the boys in Red have no fixtures until Sunday where we warm up for Real Madrid with a fixture against Everton. Fulham will be without Berbatov this fixture, but that just might be a blessing in disguise. This means we might see more pace and urgency from Fulham especially considering the 4-1 defeat is still fresh in the back of their minds. I am not going to get carried away, because our record at Craven Cottage has not been all that great. Yet I always believe in our squad and the depth we have so this will be a Manchester United win. Manchester United 2 – 0 Fulham
SIMON THURSTON - @SimonPThurston (Tottenham)
What went wrong last time out? Were it not for the woodwork and a world class save from 'keeper Mark Bunn, I would have gotten back-to-back perfect predictions -- but such are the margins in which games are won and lost -- or in this case drawn. Spurs were sluggish for the first 60 mins and only really got going following the introduction of new signing Lewis Holtby. On the evidence I've seen from this and his career at Schalke, AVB has signed a true replacement for Luca Modric.
This week: Another away trip, this time to the Hawthorns, and in recent years it's not been a happy hunting ground for Tottenham with only two wins in their past six visits. Both teams are not exactly in a rich vein of form either, with the Baggies only winning two of their last nine, and Spurs on a run of three consecutive draws.
It will interesting to see how much the Peter Odemwingie episode from transfer deadline day has upset the spirit in the dressing room. As for the Londoners, their bid to bring in a striker at the last minute was foiled, and so with Emmanuel Adebayor still on AFCON duty, the pressure is on Jermaine Defoe (who is not 100% fit) to deliver the goods. Although West Brom have a good home record, I think the creativity and pace we have may prove the difference, but I don't think there will be a lot in it. West Brom 1-2 Tottenham
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Read more... http://www.chelseamashup.com/2013/02/02/predict360-man-utd-go-top-as-man-city-liverpool-face-off/
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