Its Matchday 1…and its Matchday 18….and Its Matchday 11…basically loads of matches for the Premier League to catch up on mid week and we could not be happier! Here is what you can look forward to over the coming days.
Tuesday 19th January
18:00 West Ham United v West Bromwich Albion on BT Sport 1
Sam Allardyce is back at his former club and will no doubt be looking for all three points for his new one. The Baggies will be delighted with their win against Wolves agiving them hope of a similar result against the Hammers. This is the fifth time Allardyce has been appointed manager of a Premier League club midway through a season, and he has managed to save the previous four from the drop. West Ham will be weary of their former manager but can take confidence in the fact they Hammers are undefeated in their last five games and are coming off a victory at the weekend after defeating West Brom’s fellow Premier League relegation contenders Burnley.
20:15 Leicester City v Chelsea On Sky
I have seen it suggested that Frank Lampard could get the sack if he does not manage a win tonight. I have even seen it suggested that former Chelsea academy coach and current Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers is who they would want to replace him! It’s going to be a tough task for Chelsea to go to the King Power stadium and come away with full points. Leicester City are afterall flying high in the table and undefeated in their last six games in all competitions. Chelsea did manage to rescue themselves from a truly rotten spell with a win over Fulham, so maybe they could be coming into form
Wednesday 20th January
PP Leeds United v Southampton Postponed
Leeds United and Southampton’s Premier League game has been postponed to allow the Saints to fulfill their FA Cup third round tie with Shrewsbury Town which was initially called off due to Covid reasons.
18:00 Manchester City v Aston Villa on BT Sport 1
This game was due to open the new campaign for both sides but was postponed due to Man City being involved in the latter stages of the Champions League last year. Looking back Villa may have preferred to play the game then, considering Man City are now unbeaten in their last 15 games in all competitions. Any doubt over their goal scoring ability was silenced against Crystal Palace with a four nil victory at the weekend. Despite this a new striker would still be hugely valued by Pep Guardiola and a shock move for Romelu Lukaku who has scored 51 goals in 73 matches for Inter Milan is apparently on the cards. Aston Villa’s fullly fit squad may either be rested or rusted as they have not played since their defeat to Man United on February 1st, so it will be interesting to see what team Dean Smith can field.
20:15 Fulham v Manchester United On BT Sport 1
Man United will hope to get back to their winning ways with a victory against Fulham. A disappointing draw game at the weekend against the Champions Liverpool is not a cause for concern however a draw in Craven Cottage would be. Man City and Leicester are snatching at the heels of Solskjaer , so every game is an important fixture. Fulham have carved out five successive draws in recent times, against teams like Liverpool and Spurs. They did eventually fall at the hands of London rivals Chelsea most recently. Just like United, Fulham have people chasing them at the bottom of the table, so both teams have everything to play for.
Thursday 21st January
20:00 Liverpool v Burnley On Sky
Much has been said of Liverpool’s make shift defence, however all things considered they have done quite well recently. The same cannot be said for their attackers, with The Reds failing to score in their last three encounters. Thinking rationally though Mohammed Salah is still top of the Premier League goalscoring charts with 13 goals, so the Anfield side should not expect this barren spell to continue for much longer. Burnley will be striving not to make it three defeats in a row after losing to West Ham last time out. Generally Sean Dyche comes up short against Jurgen Klopp , with he Clarets not registering a win against the current Premier League champions since 2016.
Saturday 23rd January
20:00 Aston Villa v Newcastle United On Sky
With most teams in FA Cup action, the Premier League thought it would run off this fixture. In Newcastle’s last nine games they have been knocked out of the Fa Cup, The Carabao Cup and only picked up two points from a possible 21 in the Premier League. Steve Bruce’s men badly need a victory as they are edging dangerously close to the drop zone after every fixture. Aston Villa will have only three days rest after playing Man City midweek.
