By Robert Wheeler
- City face United in the Manchester Derby
- Arsenal plays Spurs in the North London Derby
- Everton meets Southampton in a relegation six-pointer
UK – Matchweek 20 of the Premier League sees two feisty local derbies and a massive game in the fight for survival.
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Manchester United vs Manchester City, Saturday January 14, kick-off 12:30
When the two sides met earlier in the season, the game finished in a humiliating 6-3 defeat for Manchester United. It was a match where Eric ten Hag did not bring on Cristiano Ronaldo out of respect for his career. Now Ronaldo is out of the club, ten Hag has been relieved of a big thorn in his side.
United has won its last four league games and is currently fourth in the division. They also advanced in the FA Cup and EFL Cup beating Everton and Charlton Athletic respectively.
Marcus Rashford looks back to his best and his two goals against the Addicks on Tuesday night reflected this. He has now scored seven goals since the World Cup.
City on the other hand beat Chelsea in the FA Cup but suffered a shock defeat to Southampton in the League Cup on Wednesday night. Pep Guardiola was unable to rest Kevin de Bruyne and Erling Haaland as he brought them off the bench to try and rescue the tie.
Their league form has been mixed of late, City has beaten Leeds and Chelsea but only managed a draw with a struggling Everton side. With their complacency, it is a good time for United to play City and ten Hag‘s side has improved massively since the two sides last met.
Score prediction: Manchester United 2-1 Manchester City
Tottenham vs Arsenal, Sunday January 15, kick-off 16:30
Arsenal dropped points in their last game against Newcastle. However, Mikel Arteta‘s side returned to winning ways on Monday with a 3-0 win over Oxford United in the FA Cup.
The Gunners are still five points clear of Manchester City but that could be reduced to just two by Sunday, providing City beat United in the Manchester derby.
Arteta’s side has a derby of their own to focus on. This game will not be easy with Tottenham Hotspur coming into it on the back of beating Crystal Palace 4-0 in the league and Portsmouth 1-0 in the FA Cup.
Harry Kane netted the winner against Pompey, which put him one behind the great Jimmy Greaves’ all-time Spurs record. How Kane would like to equal or pass that record against fierce rivals Arsenal.
The England captain, however, is not the only striker in form. Spurs will be facing Eddie Nketiah who has scored four in his last four games. The young forward is showing that Arsenal may not need to sign another player in the transfer window to replace the injured Gabriel Jesus.
The North London derby is always a feisty affair and this weekend Spurs will be even more driven to try and put a dent in Arsenal’s title hopes.
Score prediction: Tottenham 2-2 Arsenal
Everton vs Southampton, Saturday January 14, kick-off 15:00
Southampton was buoyed midweek with a fantastic victory over Manchester City in the EFL Cup. Nathan Jones‘ side also beat Crystal Palace in the FA Cup last weekend. However, they need to start translating their cup form into Premier League action. The Saints have lost their four league games under Jones and this weekend’s fixture at Goodison Park is a real six-pointer.
Everton suffered a heavy 4-1 defeat to Brighton after they claimed a point against Manchester City. This followed a 3-1 loss to Manchester United in the FA Cup. The pressure is on Frank Lampard who was given the dreaded vote of confidence by the club’s majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri this week.
Moshiri has publicly backed Everton managers in the past but in the cases of Marco Silva and Rafael Benitez – they were swiftly shown the door. There have been six managers in the seven years that Moshiri has been at the club, which has reflected the instability at the club.
The mood around the Toffees is not very good, with fans demanding changes to their hierarchy. There are likely to be more protests at the game on Saturday.
Southampton is likely to hand a Premier League debut to Mislav Orsic. The Croatian winger made a cameo appearance against City in the League Cup.
Score prediction: Everton 1-2 Southampton
Last Matchweek’s predictions vs actual results:
| Chris’ prediction | Actual result |
| Arsenal 2-2 Newcastle United | Arsenal 0-0 Newcastle |
| Southampton 1-1 Nottingham Forest | Southampton 0-1 Nottingham Forest |
| Chelsea 1-2 Manchester City | Chelsea 0-1 Manchester City |
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