Here is the latest look at the fans forums to see how those with a terrace-eye view see this weekend’s games pan out. Their views are particularly interesting during the busy festive fixture pile-up to gauge which players may be due a rest.
Fans Predictions
– West Ham fans are glad to get Dmitri Payet back. They also think another returning player Manuel Lanzini will have a good game. A lot are expecting a nice win but some think Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp could flood the midfield and press high up the pitch that would expose Angelo Ogbonna.
– Liverpool fans are quite pessimistic about their chances having only two days rest. But some seem to think they can get a win. They still aren’t keen on Christian Benteke, despite scoring in back to back games already over Christmas, but he could do well in this game.
– Arsenal fans notice they have a good record against Steve McClaren teams and don’t think much of him as a manager. They see nothing less than a win. Some think Olivier Giroud should get a rest but others say he should definitely play because of his good record against Newcastle.
– Newcastle fans are pessimistic about their chances to say the least with guesses of conceding four and over mainly. Arsenal will be camped on Newcastle’s penalty area and they also think Giroud will score many. Any hope of an upset, as they achieved against Spurs and Liverpool in recent weeks, look unlikely as many consider those victories as flukes.
– Leicester fans are happy they can revert back to 4-4-2 and expect a tricky game as the cherries shouldn’t be underestimated. The way Bournemouth play though could be good for Leicester’s counter attacking style.
– Bournemouth were tired against Arsenal and did well considering. The fans are more concerned with future fixtures against relegation rivals. But they think they can draw against Leicester.
– Man United have noticed that Louis Van Gaal has lost all his three matches against Swansea and they could lose again. But most predict a 0-0 bore draw and Van Gaal to be sacked.
– Swansea fans agree.
– Most Norwich fans hope for a draw.
– While it may look like Southampton has turned a corner, their fans are still downbeat. They think their players are unfit and the defense is still full of mistakes. They were happy with their first half performances but they still see a season of irregular results with fatigue set to cost them dear as matches wear on. They expect either a draw or a win with no clean sheets in sight.
– Sunderland will be tired after their game against Liverpool and the fans say they need a miracle to survive in the premier league and even to beat relegation rivals Villa.
– Aston Villa fans think Sunderland will be tired too but they are worried where their own goals will come from. Villa have quite a few key players out, especially in defence. It’s a big game and Villa hope to get a win but are worried about Jermaine Defoe.
– West Brom fans are confident of a win against Stoke. Tony Pulis has beaten Stoke two out of two since he became manager. Looks a lot like a cleansheet for the Baggies.
– Stoke fans would like to see a few players get a rest and they also predict West Brom to win 1-0.
– Watford fans are surprised that some pundits are predicting them to draw with Man City with some believing this game is winnable, albeit by a slender 2-1 margin.
– Man City see this as a difficult game but they need to start picking up points away from home. They kept Jamie Vardy quiet in Gameweek 19, perhaps they can keep Odion Ighalo quiet too? Man City have to be more clinical at finishing as well as their away record is terrible at the moment.
– Crystal Palace have many players out, mainly in the forward positions so they are expecting another low scoring game as they struggle to score and will have to defend well to get a result.
– Chelsea fans mostly expect a dire 0-0 or they might get lucky with a win.
– Everton‘s supporters think they could be the better team on the day but will probably lose in a high-scoring game. They have a few players out and think they’ll concede around three goals.
– Spurs fans think they’ll win in a high-scoring game too. Don’t play any defenders in this match is their suggested advice.
Conclusion
The fans have similar predictions to most other forecasts this week, though I can sense a big win for Liverpool if their pressing game works. In other games, if nothing goes wrong Arsenal will score lots, and an exciting game between Everton and Tottenham is in store.
Who to captain? Mesut Ozil obviously. But I think Giroud is a good bet for a big score, which is good as most of the assists to him will probably come from Ozil.
To read more about what the fans think you can use the quick links to the forums from this article.
