Grosvenor Sport ambassador Jamie O’Hara is on hand to break down two must-watch matchups in the upcoming Premier League weekend, as well as Sunday’s Carabao Cup final between Liverpool and Newcastle.
Arsenal vs Chelsea, Premier League – Sunday 13:30
Arsenal had a walk in the park against PSV on Wednesday, but Real Madrid will be a completely different test. I can’t see them getting through against them to be honest, I don’t think they have the mentality to beat a big European team like them just yet.
Mikel Arteta may as well put all his eggs in the Champions League basket – they won’t win the Premier League, so there’s nothing else to play for. We’ll see if they can play with the same intensity in their remaining league fixtures.
At the start of the season, teams allowed Cole Palmer to get on the ball, he was getting into dangerous areas and he was a magician. All of a sudden, teams worked out that marking Palmer out the game was the way to stop Chelsea; he’s the difference maker for them. The tempo is slow, because Cole Palmer isn’t able to get on the ball.
I think Arsenal win this game. Chelsea are sluggish, they’re not really getting away from teams and they’re conceding a lot of goals.
Prediction: Arsenal 3-1 Chelsea (12/1)
Leicester City vs Manchester United, Premier League – Sunday 19:00
Ruud van Nistelrooy is probably more suited to being the Manchester United manager than the Leicester manager. He’s more accustomed to the biggest clubs in the world, with ambitions set on trophies. When has Van Nistelrooy ever been in a relegation fight or had to pick players up off the floor? He’s never had to deal with type of atmosphere at a football club and you can tell by the results that he’s not used to it.
I really like Ruben Amorim, but I’m not sure about him at Manchester United. I don’t think the 3-4-3 formation is ever going to work for them in the Premier League; I just can’t see it. Nor can I see them going into next season having signed five or six players to suit that system in the summer – they have a stadium to build! I think what we’re seeing from Man United this season will be the same next season.
With Leicester fighting for their lives and Jamie Vardy likely looking to make a statement, I’m thinking draw. I can’t see Man United going there and winning.
Prediction: Leicester City 1-1 Manchester United (23/4)
Liverpool vs Newcastle, Carabao Cup Final – Sunday 16:30
Liverpool’s Champions League tie against PSG would have massively affected them. Trent Alexander-Arnold is injured, which is a big loss for them because he’s someone who can produce a moment of brilliance if the team isn’t playing well. Ibrahima Konate came off in that game too – I know it was seemingly just cramp, but getting cramp in 120 minutes of football means you need to take time to recover. The worst thing that could have happened for Liverpool ahead of this game is what happened against PSG on Tuesday.
For Newcastle, it’s the best possible thing that could have happened – it was absolute gold for them. Darwin Nunez missed a penalty, Mohamed Salah wasn’t great and they’ve had to run themselves into the ground for a result that didn’t even go their way. Anthony Gordon will be a big miss for Newcastle as Wembley is a big pitch and he has the legs to get the team up the pitch, but they still have Alexander Isak, who’s an absolute menace for defenders at the moment.
I think Liverpool have the mentality to bounce back on Sunday, but because of what happened midweek I think this is going to be a lot closer than people anticipate. I reckon this will go all the way – I’m going to go with Newcastle to win on penalties.
Prediction: Liverpool 1-1(P) Newcastle (6/1)
O’Hara’s Hotspots: Carabao Cup Final Bet Builder
- Full Time Draw
- BTTS
- Alexander Isak to have Over 0.5 Shots on Target