Premier League preview: Saturday’s action including Nottingham Forest vs Man Utd
Luton vs Chelsea
Chelsea edged a win against Palace mid-week, albeit through a late penalty, but the Blues are still a shadow of their world-conquering former selves. It could well be worth taking a punt on Luton to be the latest side to leave Poch perturbed.
The Hatters have won back-to-back matches against Newcastle and Sheffield United, and have given good accounts of themselves at home to Arsenal and Man City. It would be no shock to see Chelsea come unstuck in this lunchtime kick-off; Luton or the Draw in the Double Chance market is 27/20.
Aston Villa vs Burnley
Unai Emery may rue the way his side let Man Utd get back into the game at Old Trafford on Boxing Day. But Villa will expect to return to business as usual at Villa Park – even if their home winning run was ended, improbably, by Sheffield United last week.
The Villans have a great opportunity to finish the festive period with a win; Burnley did pick up a win themselves at the weekend against Fulham, but should struggle to repeat that feat if the Birmingham team are anything like at their best.
Combine Villa to win and over 2.5 goals in a double at 17/20.
Crystal Palace vs Brentford
Both these sides are enduring slumps, with the Bees having lost six of their last seven matches now; they shipped four goals against Wolves on Wednesday.
But Palace are winless in their last eight, with Roy Hodgson’s role at Selhurst Park supposedly at risk.
How does this one pan out, then? Well, the last five meetings between these sides have ended in stalemate, a couple of goalless draws, and more recently a trio of back-to-back 1-1s.
With each of these sides possibly more preoccupied with not losing than with going full pelt for glory, slightly unremarkable history may repeat itself here. The draw is a 9/4 shot.
Man City vs Sheffield United
City have drawn their last three home games in the Prem, but that undistinguished streak surely ends with the Blades visit to the Etihad. Sheffield United are rock bottom of the Prem, and unlikely to salvage anything in Manchester, even if City have not been at their best of late.
City are always capable of dealing out a drubbing – but with the side not quite at their most relentless lately, maybe the hosts will settle for an unshowy victory.
Similarly, Sheffield United have kept it relatively tight since Chris Wilder’s return – at least before the 3-2 loss to Luton most recently. Before that, Wilder’s four games in charge had seen a total of seven goals scored.
In lieu of anything else standing out, maybe it’s worth backing under 2.5 goals here. That’s a 9/4 shot. In the Blades’ previous Prem fixtures against City between 2019 and 2021, while City unsurprisingly won each game, only one of those matches saw more than a single goal scored (a 2-0 win in 2019).
Wolves vs Everton
With Wolves and Everton each in decent shape, will these two sides cancel each other out or go at it like Roddy Piper and Keith David in their They Live pomp?
Everton may have lost their last two – against Spurs and Man City – but Sean Dyche’s side have impressed when not facing the Prem’s more dangerous opponents.
The Toffees have been lively on the road, winning four on the bounce away from home before being undone by Tottenham just before Christmas.
But Wolves beat Chelsea on Christmas Eve, then stuck four past Brentford earlier this week. In short, both sides should be up for this one.
BTTS is a 10/13 shot; over 2.5 goals is available at evens, and looks a good bet, given both teams currently seem to be in the mood for a scrap.
Nottingham Forest vs Man Utd
Few Forest fans seemed enthused when Steve Cooper was replaced by Nuno Espirito Santo earlier this month. But give the new man his due, in just his second game in charge he’s guided the Tricky Trees to an eye-catching victory over Newcastle.
And fair enough, everyone’s beating Newcastle at the moment. Still, Forest supporters may well be warming to their new man – and victory at the City Ground over Man Utd will go a long way to convincing the unbelievers.
If Nuno has given his new team a metaphorical kick up the arse, they may well believe United can be felled here. Although Ten Hag’s side may be feeling similarly positive, having fought back against Villa a few days ago to prove that not all the Red Devils’ fire has been diminished.
Who knows if the Villa comeback is a false dawn or a stepping stone to the real deal. But presumably both teams are feeling relatively upbeat ahead of this encounter. Will that translate into a giddy thrill-ride of footballing grandeur for this tea-time kick-off? The reverse fixture ended 3-2 in United’s favour back in August – maybe this will be a similarly ding-dong battle. With that in mind, over 3.5 goals at 19/10 seems feasible.
Less scientifically, I fancy Forest to win at 11/5, just because United exude unreliability even when it seems they’ve turned a corner. Last month, Ten Hag was named Premier League manager of the month; in December, his side has already lost on the road to Newcastle and West Ham…
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