Premier League preview: Chelsea vs Fulham & Newcastle vs Man City
Chelsea vs Fulham
Both these sides are trying to brush off midweek defeats in the Carabao Cup in this west London derby.
Chelsea are attempting to put a 1-0 loss to Middlesbrough behind them. As for Fulham, they took a one-goal lead against Liverpool at Anfield – before the hosts fought back to take a 2-1 win in the semi-final first leg.
Traditionally Chelsea tend to overshadow local rivals Fulham. But in this meeting last season, the Cottagers earned a point by holding Chelsea to a goalless draw. Could Marco Silva induce similar frustration in the Blues this week?
Perhaps, but Chelsea’s defeat to Boro came about largely because of the visitor’s failure to convert chances – plenty of them, too.
Even if neither team are reliable, Pochettino’s side should still be able to best a Fulham team that rarely seem to flourish on the road.
The Blues might sometimes have a problem scoring, but they’re unbeaten in their last four league matches at Stamford Bridge, winning three of those.
As for Fulham, they’ve lost each of their last four away games in the Prem, conceding at least three goals in each defeat. So, assuming Chelsea can actually convert a few chances on Saturday, it’s difficult to see anything but a home win. Whether you want to bet on that outcome at an odds-on price is another matter.
Maybe it’s better to take our cues from past games between these two sides. In Fulham’s last five visits to Stamford Bridge they’ve failed to score.
Backing BTTS No would have come off in each of those previous matches – and could be a decent bet at 59/50 on Saturday, too. Especially since it provides protection if Chelsea have another off-day in front of goal…
Newcastle vs Man City
Newcastle enjoyed a straightforward win over fierce rivals Sunderland in the FA Cup last weekend. But the Toon may find this week’s opponent a rather trickier customer – particularly now Kevin de Bruyne is back.
De Bruyne made an appearance from the bench against Huddersfield last week, and promptly provided an assist. The Belgian may have a bigger role to play this week.
Even if Kev isn’t fully up to speed yet, Newcastle have other worries. The win over Sunderland was just their second in nine games in all competitions; in the Prem, the Magpies have lost five of their last six outings.
City haven’t quite been their relentless old selves either – but if they’ve underperformed by their own high standards, they’ve still won seven of their last eight games in all comps.
Pep Guardiola’s team are five points behind Liverpool with a game in hand; we’ve seen City go on to triumph from tougher spots than this.
Newcastle’s own record against this team is unexceptional; the Mags have won just one of their last 32 Premier League games against City. That said, Eddie Howe’s team did knock City out of the League Cup back in September. It’s fair to say performances have declined since then, however.
Newcastle’s last home game saw them beaten 3-1 by Nottingham Forest; City may be able to ease to a similarly comfortable win here. You can combine City to win and over 2.5 goals in a double at 26/25. If that price doesn’t appeal, Phil Foden has four goals in his last four appearances for City. If he starts, he may be able to deliver the goods again; Foden is 43/20 to find the net.
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