By Robert Wheeler
- Arsenal host West Ham in a London Derby
- Man City play relegation-threatened Leicester
- Frank Lampard’s Chelsea faces Brighton
UK – It’s Grand National week and the two-horse race for the Premier League between Arsenal and Manchester City is hotting up.
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Arsenal vs West Ham, Sunday April 16, kick-off 14:00
Arsenal needs to get back to winning ways after dropping points at Anfield last weekend. Manchester City is just six points behind them, so Mikel Arteta‘s side cannot afford any more slip-ups.
The Gunners will be confident of defeating a West Ham United side who are just three points above the drop zone. However, it is a London Derby so the Hammers will step up for this fixture. Arsenal will need to make sure players like Granit Xhaka do not lose their heads. Many believe that Liverpool’s comeback last week was sparked by Xhaka’s tussle with Trent Alexander-Arnold.
West Ham did beat Fulham in the capital last week which was a much-needed three points for David Moyes’ side. It was not a pretty win; the winner was Harrison Reed‘s own goal, but the result was all that mattered.
Moyes is still under a lot of pressure and their performance in the Europa Conference League this week would not have filled many Hammers fans with optimism. West Ham only managed a draw with the Belgian side Gent and was largely outplayed in the fixture.
Score prediction: Arsenal 2-0 West Ham
Manchester City vs Leicester City, Saturday April 15, kick-off 17:30
Manchester City has a realistic chance of making it three back-to-back 4-1 league victories in a row when they take on Leicester City this weekend. Pep Guardiola‘s side will be confident that they can close the gap on Arsenal, especially as they have a game in hand and they meet the Gunners on April 26.
City was phenomenal in the Champions League this week as they thrashed Bayern Munich 3-0. Erling Haaland scored his 45th goal of the season against Bayern and it looks like no one can stop City at the moment.
Leicester has finally replaced Brendan Rodgers with Dean Smith so they will be hoping for a new manager bounce. The Foxes are currently 19th in the Premier League and are one of the favourites to be relegated. Smith may have only been appointed as their manager until the end of the season but he could be the man to try and get them out of the Championship next season. Smith achieved promotion to the Premier League with Aston Villa back in 2019.
After his error that led to Bournemouth’s winner last week, James Maddison deleted his Twitter account. The Leicester captain needs to retain the form that has got him back into the England squad this season.
Score prediction: Manchester City 4-1 Leicester City
Chelsea vs Brighton, Saturday April 15, kick-off 15:00
Chelsea’s first game under Frank Lampard was a disappointing loss to Wolverhampton Wanderers. However, his side impressed against Real Madrid in the week despite also losing that game. This weekend against Brighton will be Lampard’s first game back at Stamford Bridge as caretaker manager so the club legend will be getting a hero’s welcome which will lift the mood of the place.
Joao Felix and Raheem Sterling both had great opportunities to score at the Bernabeu but for the brilliance of the club’s ex-shot stopper Thibaut Courtois. The Blues have now not scored in their last four games and need to desperately change this record soon.
Brighton was robbed against Tottenham Hotspur last week after many key decisions went against the Seagulls. Roberto de Zerbi will be serving a touchline ban following his red card in the fixture but his team will be confident of getting a result against Chelsea. The Blues were the side that Graham Potter left Brighton for and the fans of the South Coast club will be vying to get a result against the team from London.
The Seagulls will also have an eye on their FA Cup semi-final against Manchester United next week. This could affect the players’ focus as none of them would want to miss out on playing at Wembley due to injury or suspension. Brighton still has European football to challenge for in the league, so they cannot afford to be too focused on a cup competition also.
Score prediction: Chelsea 2-1 Brighton
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