Grosvenor Sport ambassador Jamie O’Hara is back after the international break to break down the three big Premier League matches this weekend, including Tottenham’s visit to the Etihad Stadium on Saturday night.
Leicester vs Chelsea – Saturday 12:30pm
I think Leicester are doing well so far. They’re not in the bottom three and I would say that would have been their target after 11 games. They have got enough to stay in the Premier League, I like the midfield of Oliver Skipp and Harry Winks, with a goalscorer in Jamie Vardy up front. I think they have shown enough to stay in the league.
I’m not totally convinced by Steve Cooper; I don’t know if he’s the guy that the fans can fully get behind but they’re ticking over, and he’s got them in a nice position. I’m not saying they’re safe, but it’s so hard to say who’s going to get relegated at this point.
It’s a big game for Chelsea, the King Power stadium is a tough place to go. They are third in the table and they’re looking a great side – Enzo Maresca seems to have got it right at Stamford Bridge. They must start to win some of the big games if they are to progress further but it’s a young squad and I back them to win away at Leicester comfortably this weekend.
Prediction: Leicester 0-2 Chelsea (15/2)
Manchester City vs Tottenham – Saturday 5:30pm
This appears to be a great time to play Manchester City for Tottenham, they’ve looked massively vulnerable. Off the back of an international break where Pep Guardiola hasn’t had the chance to work with the squad much, they have lost four on the bounce and they’re struggling.
Tottenham are a bogey team for City, they always seem to turn up and play well against them but don’t get me wrong, Spurs have been causing their own problems so far this season. It seems any team can get a result against them now; they’ve lost against Crystal Palace and Ipswich. City need a result badly but so do Spurs.
Micky Van de Ven’s absence is a big miss for Spurs, the way that Ange Postecoglou sets the team up with little attention given to being defensive and compact, Van de Ven gets you out of so much trouble. Cristian Romero often just goes streaking forward and the pace of Van de Ven covers him – the fact he’s injured is a big blow for the Tottenham defence.
I think Tottenham can take advantage of City’s bad form here and get a result.
Prediction: Manchester City 1-2 Tottenham (15/1)
O’Hara’s Hotspots – Manchester City vs Tottenham
- Tottenham double chance
- Dominic Solanke to score
- Over 4.5 cards
Ipswich vs Manchester United – Sunday 4:30pm
This is no easy first game for Ruben Amorim – Ipswich can hurt you. They played really well against Tottenham and they surprised me, so full credit to Kieran McKenna and the squad – let’s see if they can back up that good performance.
I really like Liam Delap up top. He’s got a bit about him – he’s strong on the ball and on both feet, he was brilliant against Tottenham. Ipswich will have to stay up to keep him, he’s a Premier League striker no doubt.
I’m really interested to see how Ruven Amorim is going to set up here. There’s been rumours over Marcus Rashford and the formation, but he doesn’t look like he’s playing with confidence now – he needs to get that fire back to be the best player on the pitch. I think that’s hard to do when you’re on £350k a week, that fire may have gone out. Amorim needs to get a tune out of him, or he should be sold.
Ruben Amorim looks a top manager; he needs to find the formula that works at Old Trafford. There are talented players in that squad and if they can get a roll, why can’t they look at silverware?
Prediction: Ipswich 1-2 Manchester United (13/2)