The Manchester derby, Leicester’s impressive form and Wolves’ unbeaten run are some of the major talking points of Matchweek 15 of the Premier League. Here are Things to look out for. Bet on the Premier League here.
Manchester derby
Reigning Premier League champions Manchester City host bitter rivals Manchester United in the 179th instalment of the Manchester derby. City are 11 points adrift of Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool who sit top of the league. It’s reached a point where City can ill afford to drop any points, therefore, this derby is a must-win match if they want to have the chance to three-peat. City have dropped 13 points so far which are three fewer than last season’s title-winning campaign. United meanwhile head into this huge clash after a massive 2-1 win over top-four rivals Tottenham Hotspur. A win at the Etihad Stadium would be a bonus for a United side who are having the worst start in a season for over 30 years. However, strangely enough, the Red Devils have lost just twice away to City since 2014, meaning this won’t be a walkover for City.
Duncan Ferguson debut as Everton interim manager
Following Marco Silva’s dismissal as Everton boss on Thursday, former striker Duncan Ferguson has been put in temporary charge and will manage the side against Chelsea on Saturday. The Toffees are in one of their worst runs of form. The shambolic 5-2 loss at Anfield in the Merseyside derby was their 9th league defeat this season which left them 18th in the table. Ferguson has been a first-team coach under several Everton managers and will hope for a swift response from the players. Good news is Chelsea have not scored against Everton in the Premier League since a 2-0 home victory in August 2017. The Toffees also beat the Blues 2-0 at home last season.
Goals galore: Bournemouth v Liverpool
League leaders Liverpool travel to face an out-of-form Bournemouth this Saturday in a bid to win their 15th game of the season. There have been 25 goals in the last six meetings between these two, with an average of more than four goals a game. Liverpool have won the last four meetings between the teams, scoring 14 goals without reply. Given how the Merseyside derby went on Wednesday, it is fair to say that the Vitality Stadium could host another exciting match with plenty of goals.
Leicester City’s impressive form
Leicester City travel to Aston Villa on Sunday aiming to make it eight successive wins in the Premier League. The 2015/16 champions have been astonishing in recent weeks. They have the best defence in the league having conceded just nine goals in 15 games. A win against Aston Villa will achieve their longest ever winning run in the top-flight. The Foxes are eight points adrift of Liverpool, and a chance of repeating the 2016 historic title win look remote but not impossible. However, a top-four finish looks likely. Can Aston Villa stop the rampant Brendan Rodgers side?
Wolves unbeaten run
A poor start to their second season after promotion from Wolves seems like a distant memory now. Nuno Espirito Santo’s team are quietly on a roll. They are unbeaten since the 5-2 home loss against Chelsea in mid-September and occupy 5th position in the league. They earned a reputation last season of beating the top six teams. They are playing in the Europa League this season and have shown they can balance it with the league. If they continue like this, a top-four is certainly possible.
West Ham v Arsenal: Clash of two underperforming teams
Both West Ham and Arsenal suffered soul-crushing defeats in midweek and will be looking to bounce back when they meet on Monday. Freddie Ljungberg is still looking for his first win as Arsenal’s interim manager while Manuel Pellegrini is fighting to save his job after a poor run of form. The Gunners away form in London derbies reads two wins from 12 which also doesn’t bode well for them, considering the Hammers not only beat Chelsea a few days ago but defeated the Gunners 1-0 in January.