Enock Sakyi sees problems for Tottenham and Manchester City this weekend as he unleashes his analysis on the 10 Premier League fixtures.
Bournemouth vs Liverpool, Saturday 12.30pm
You know when Liverpool are in a confident mood, as their ability to catch players offside spikes.
There is logic to it as the higher the team press, which is affected by confidence, the more Jurgen Klopp's side can pin a team in and create good quality chances.
In the three seasons they amassed more than 91 points, they topped the charts for offsides against, averaging around 3.5 per match.
That average dropped to 2.50 per match when they picked up just 69 points in the disappointing 2020/21 season and has dropped to just 2.4 per match this season as Klopp's men sit off the pace.
However, there is a fair argument to declare that Liverpool have turned the corner and consistent positive results and performances are on the horizon for the remainder of this season. That is seen through their rocketing offside against numbers.
Every opposition in the Premier League in their last five fixtures have been caught offside at least three times with Wolves and Palace racking up four offsides. Bournemouth showed at Arsenal that their counter-attacking can be direct and full of pace in behind so I'd expect them to be posting a similar average akin to the last five Liverpool games.
SCORE PREDICTION: Bournemoth 1-2 Liverpool
Everton vs Brentford, Saturday 3pm
Despite the 16 points difference between these two in the Premier League table, the market has this as an even game.
Brentford win looking particularly attractive but Everton are much more than relegation fodder under Sean Dyche. They were superb at Nottingham Forest last weekend, posing a threat going forward and offering little for Forest to work with. It was just unfortunate they bumped into a red-hot Brennan Johnson.
Those looking for a betting angle should be alerted to Brentford's desire to defend deep without the ball which does leave them exposed to facing shots on their goal from outside the box. They have conceded 54 shots on target from outside the box season - the most shopped by any Premier League team.
The winger played with a freedom at Nottingham Forest in a fluid forward line that saw him interchange with Demarai Gray. He struck the target from range in that 2-2 draw and will be afforded space by the Brentford backline to repeat the feat.
SCORE PREDICTION: Everton 1-1 Brentford
Leeds vs Brighton, Saturday 3pm
Brighton are being priced up by the market like a genuine top-four contender with odds-on quotes being chalked up and undoubtedly backed for them to record an away win at Elland Road. It's hard to back against them in such rampant and confident mood.
Alexis Mac Allister has been thrust into a greater attacking role in recent weeks, playing off Evan Ferguson who likes to drop deep and provide teammates with service.
The World Cup winner has posted 14 shots in his last three Premier League starts to a backdrop of a whopping 3.10 expected goals, including his penalty against West Ham last weekend.
SCORE PREDICTION:Leeds 1-3 Brighton
Leicester vs Chelsea, Saturday 3pm
A theory around calling Chelsea's result right revolves around the availability and form of Ben Chilwell and Reece James.
In 21 games since the start of last season when both have started as wing-backs, Chelsea have won 15 of those games with the two key wide men racking up 12 goal involvements (goal or assist) in those matches from the 38 goals scored, including Chilwell's assist in the win over Dortmund in midweek.
Chilwell's prices to make a significant mark in this match against his former club do stand out. He's had four shots in his last two starts, missing two good chances in both matches as he's been given lots of licence down the left.
SCORE PREDICTION:Leicester 0-2 Chelsea
Tottenham vs Nottingham Forest, Saturday 3pm
Antonio Conte looked a shell of his best self as Spurs crashed out of the Champions League on Wednesday. So did his team.
Conte, remember, is still dealing with losing two of his closest friends and recovering from his own health issues, as he returns to the day-to-day running of Spurs.
With the club lacking any long-term plan, doubts surrounding the futures of Conte and Harry Kane and a rightly frustrated fan-base, this could be the perfect time for Nottingham Forest to head to north London.
Spurs are the only team in the Premier League not to draw a home game this season, in fact it's been 23 games since the last league draw at home.
SCORE PREDICTION: Tottenham 1-1 Nottingham
Crystal Palace vs Manchester City, Saturday 5.30pm
when Palace play under the lights at Selhurst Park, my tendency is to get them on my side - the great old ground can rock like no other can and genuinely can make a huge difference.
Since Patrick Vieira took charge, Palace have played 13 fixtures at home in games kicking off at 5.30pm or later and they have lost just three times, including avoiding defeat to Manchester City last season in a 0-0 draw.
Newcastle, Liverpool and Manchester United also all failed to beat Palace under those conditions this season so the market may have failed to give Palace the respect they probably deserve at home.
Backing the draw and under 2.5 goals.
SCORE PREDICTION: Crystal Palace 1-1 Manchester City
Fulham vs Arsenal, Sunday 2pm
This fixture has fallen at the perfect time for Arsenal and I'm expecting them to dispatch Fulham without too much fuss.
Joao Palhinha is missing with suspension again for the hosts and his influence was sorely missed at Brentford last Monday whilst Aleksandar Mitrovic didn't look overly interested in that encounter. It was a performance more in keeping with Fulham's underlying numbers this season that have pointed to a huge overachievement in terms of their results.
Fulham's expected goals against record remains the worst in the Premier League (44.2), pointing towards high-quality chances being offered up.
You can't be that generous to teams towards the top of the Premier League as perhaps it explains why Fulham have taken just one point from eight games against teams in the top six this season.
Arsenal to win.
SCORE PREDICTION: Fulham 0-3 Arsenal
Manchester United vs Southampton, Sunday 2pm
When a team is on the end of a hiding there is a theory that their next few fixtures will be all about being defensively secure.
Manchester United can be forgiven for their bad second half at the office at Liverpool, where individual errors and huge amounts of fatigue can start to explain the extraordinary collapse rather than too many collective issues.
I'm treating that result as an anomaly and not reading too much into it.
Erik ten Hag will be demanding safety-first defending and a clean-sheet mentality here where their attacking game might be sacrificed slightly to make sure Southampton aren't even given a sniff of an upset.
Although three games is a small sample size to be making too many sweeping statements, Southampton's physical and defensive output has been improved under Ruben Selles, conceding just one goal as their defensive structure and commitment to the cause seems revigorated.
With all that in mind, a low scoring encounter does seem the likely avenue this match will meander down.
SCORE PREDICTION:Manchester United 1-0 Southampton
West Ham vs Aston Villa, Sunday 2pm
I am going to roll out a staple bet on West Ham home games regarding their slow starting nature, especially when the atmosphere is flat.
Opposition teams have managed to post two or more shots on target in nine of the last 10 first halves of Premier League games at The London Stadium.
The only team that failed to manage that was Everton in their final game under Lampard.
Villa are known for fast starts, having scored nine goals in the opening 15 minutes of Premier League games this season - that's the joint-most with Brighton.
And with another prickly home atmosphere predicted and the potential for the Hammers to be sleepy out of the traps again following their Thursday night trip to Cyprus.
SCORE PREDICTION: West Ham 1-1 Aston Villa
Newcastle vs Wolves, Sunday 4.30pm
This could be a season-defining game for Newcastle. Eddie Howe's side are low on confidence, low on goals and arrive at a crossroads for whether they'll be taking the expressway to the Champions League or a more bumpy route south.They are easily opposable
Based on their malfunctioning attacking performances of late, having scored just three goals in their last eight Premier League games. Teams may have worked them out.
And they don't come more tactically aware than Julen Lopetegui, who has overseen a huge improvement and has taken 17 points from his 11 Premier League games in charge of Wolves.
He'll have a plan to stifle Howe's attack, much in the way Bournemouth, Crystal Palace, Leeds and West Ham have all restricted the Toon to just two goals in a set of fixtures a European contender should be posting a much higher return of goals in.
SCORE PREDICTION: Newcastle 1-1 Wolves
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