The Leading Logic In Sports Handicapping |
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bawlmer
FoxDen Hall of Famer
Registered: Apr 2006
Posts: 2919
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While the top of the table continues to battle week in and week out, the biggest mover and shaker from the weekend was at the bottom of the table, where Hull City picked up their first win in the last ten league matches and just their second since the opening month of the season to jump from the table cellar to the fringes of the relegation zone as we enter Matchday 22 of the English Premier League. With a visit to league leaders Chelsea pending will the three points be for naught? Tune in this weekend to find out with all of the action live on the NBC family of networks or online at NBC Live Extra.
Saturday (all times eastern)
7:30am – Swansea City @ Liverpool – Anfield, NBC Sports Network
Swansea City will have to hope their relegation rivals do not pull off the seemingly impossible when they travel to Chelsea as they now find themselves at the bottom of the table following the Tigers victory over Bournemouth last weekend and their own 4-0 setback against Arsenal, with a similarly daunting road trip pending to kick off the weekend action and a visit to Anfield and Liverpool, who dropped points late and dropped to third place in the table when Zlatan Ibrahimovic equalized in the 84th minute to share the points in their showdown with Manchester United 1-1.
You can count on one hand the number of teams that have been able to stymie the Liverpool offense so far this season but United were able to do just that, although the Reds will fancy their chances of getting the league’s most prolific offense (49 goals) firing against the Swans league worst defense (49 goals), and where they have an enjoyed an impressive history against the Welsh club, running out winners in four of their last five Premier League matches (L1) and in six of their eleven all time league meetings (D3 L2), including seven of their last nine across all competitions at Anfield (D1 L1).
10am – Manchester United @ Stoke City – bet365 Stadium, NBC Sports Network
The draw with Liverpool may have ended Manchester United’s nine game winning run across all competitions, along with any lingering hopes of a late season title charge, but the point kept them well in the race for a top four spot ahead of their trip to the bet365 Stadium to square off with Stoke City, where former Red Devil Mark Hughes has once again guided the Potters back to their all too familiar ninth place position in the table with a brace from Marko Arnautovic getting them started before Peter Crouch added one more before the halftime whistle to easily move them past Sunderland 3-1.
After finishing in ninth place the last three seasons, Stoke City had hoped to get over the hump this year and, following an up and down start to the current campaign, look well on their way whey they play host to United, whom the Potters have taken all three points from in two of the last three league meetings at the bet365 Stadium (D1) although prior to their recent run of good home form had lost twelve of their previous thirteen head to head meetings across all competitions (D1), which included losing streaks of five and seven games respectively on either side of the shared points.
12:30pm – Tottenham @ Manchester City – Etihad Stadium, NBC
While the picture continues to look rosy on the red side of Manchester, Pep Guardiola and Manchester City endured the worst loss of his legendary managerial career as they fell for the second time in their last three games when they were absolutely dismantled by a so far this season up and down Everton side 4-0. It will not get any easier for the preseason title favorites when they welcome Tottenham to the Etihad Stadium in what is now a must win game against the high-flying Spurs, who moved into second place in the table after they made it six wins in a row when they easily moved past West Brom 4-0.
Guardiola is learning first hand why the English Premier League is the toughest league in the world from top to bottom and, with their title hopes for this season now come and gone will have to take something against Spurs who, after losing eight of their previous nine league meetings with City (W1), have won the last three matches including a convincing 2-0 win earlier this season and in this same fixture last season, though their recent visit was the only time they have left the Etihad Stadium with points in their last five trips to the Northwest of England, if they want to keep their top four hopes alive.
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01-20-17 08:50 AM |
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