In a rare festive treat, there are a trio of early-evening fixtures for us to indulge in. All three harbour the potential to be barnstormers, but Manchester United’s home clash against Chelsea carries the most weight at the managerial level.
In the wake of the Red Devils’ three successive defeats and five matches without a win, Louis van Gaal is on the brink. Only West Ham United (one) tallied fewer goals than the Red Devils (two) over the last four Gameweeks, underlining their paucity of attacking threat. Conversely, Chelsea ranked second for shots inside the box (42) and joint-second for big chances (10), revealing their recent improvement.
Arsenal will be desperate to make amends for their St Mary’s nightmare when they play host to Bournemouth. Despite grabbing seven goals across the last four Gameweeks, the Gunners ranked fourth-bottom for attempts (40). Furthermore, only three teams shipped more goals (six) than Arsene Wenger’s troops. The Cherries, however, defended diligently across that stretch, conceding just two goals and five big chances.
West Ham are unbeaten in five matches heading into their home clash against Southampton. That being said, the Irons have also failed to secure three points since Gameweek 10 – a product of their attack carding just four goals during that period. The Saints wrong-footed everyone last Gameweek with an astounding victory over Arsenal, which bodes well for their attacking prospects against a Hammers back line that placed top for shots inside the box conceded (43) over the last four Gameweeks.
