Liverpool battle Newcastle this weekend
Newcastle - Liverpool: 0:30 on Sunday, February 19, Hanoi time.
Newcastle are only fourth, less points than Man City, Arsenal and Man Utd, but they have only lost one game after 22 rounds. That only defeat came at Anfield at the end of August. At that time, Fabio Carvalho's goal in the seventh minute of injury time helped Liverpool win back after being conceded first by Alexander Isak.
The above defeat made Newcastle extend their unbeaten streak against Liverpool in the Premier League to 12. The last time they beat this opponent was in December 2015 under Steve McClaren. Liverpool are also unbeaten in the last five visits to St James' Park and are facing the opportunity for the first time in history to extend this streak to six.
The problem with Newcastle is that their force is relatively thin in midfield when Bruno Guimaraes is suspended and rookie Anthony Gordon has not yet integrated. Eddie Howe may have to rely on young talent Elliot Anderson. Newcastle are pursuing big goals this season with a place in the Champions League and the League Cup final against Man Utd on February 26. This is an opportunity for Anderson to prove his ability and reach his career.
Liverpool are showing signs of recovery when they broke the circuit of four games without winning in the Premier League with a 2-0 victory in the derby against Everton. Coach Klopp admitted to being more relieved when the team won again and the number one star Mo Salah scored his first Premier League goal at Anfield since October 2022. But the ability to keep stable is still a question mark for Liverpool and makes Klopp worried. Today's Newcastle match is therefore a test to see if Liverpool have really shaken off their meager form or just suddenly flashed and regained their level in the last derby.
Besides Guimaraes, Newcastle lacks Javier Manquillo, Matt Targett, Emil Krafth and Joe Willock. The home team could lose more Miguel Almiron, Callum Wilson and Allan Saint-Maximin. Liverpool continue without Thiago, Arthur, Luis Diaz and Ibrahima Konate.
Aston Villa - Arsenal: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, February 18
After losing to Man City in the first match in the middle of the week, Arsenal went to Villa Park with the goal of winning to create a gap with the opponent. At this time, the Premier League two-horse race is still very attractive when the two teams are equal on points, but Man City kicks more than one match.
Like Arsenal, Villa lost to Man City in the last round with a score of 1-3. It was their second consecutive defeat after losing to Leicester 2-4, causing teachers and students Unai Emery to drop to the bottom half of the scoreboard. Before that, Villa went through four consecutive matches unbeaten (won three), including a 2-0 victory over Tottenham.
This is a promised emotional reunion between Emery and Arsenal. The Spanish coach was fired by the Emirates Stadium team in November 2019, in his second season working at this club. Building on the foundation laid by Emery, Mikel Arteta has developed Arsenal into a team that can compete for the title this season.
Arsenal's force has not had many changes recently when Gabriel Jesus, Mohamed Elneny and Emile Smith Rowe have not been able to return. Arteta's only worry is probably Thomas Partey after the Ghana midfielder was absent from the defeat to Man City. Villa without Diego Carlos and Jed Steer. Bertrand Traore and Tyrone Mings are unlikely to be able to play.
Chelsea - Southampton: 22:00 Saturday, February 18
Stamford Bridge this weekend witnessed a match between two teams thirsty for points. After the 0-1 loss to Dortmund in the Champions League, cruel reality continued to appear for Chelsea in the English Premier League when they won only two of the last 13 rounds.
Despite the leadership's support, great pressure is on Graham Potter. His Chelsea showed positive traits in the game, but that was probably only an effect after spending up to $ 398 million in the January transfer window. Therefore, next to the bottom team Southampton will be a must-win match with Potter.
Meanwhile, Southampton still has no official coach after sacking Nathan Jones. There is news that the home team of St Mary's wants to appoint the new manager who was fired by Leeds, Jesse Marsch. Southampton are four points behind safety. One of the four wins they have won in the Premier League so far is a 2-1 home win over Chelsea in August.
Chelsea are without four players Armando Broja, Christian Pulisic, N'Golo Kante and Edouard Mendy. Raheem Sterling, missing the last two matches, along with Ben Chilwell need to wait for a medical check to determine their ability to play. Tino Livramento, Juan Larios and Alex McCarthy are all absent from the Southampton side, but Kyle Walker-Peters could return.
Nottingham Forest - Man City: 22h Saturday, 18/2
The 3-1 victory over Arsenal helps Man City take control of the championship race. Although the two teams are equal on points and Pep Guardiola's teachers and students play more than one game, Man City still has a match against Arsenal at home and if they win, the championship door will open for them.
In the last six rounds, Man City lost two to Man Utd and Tottenham, both away from home. Therefore, the Etihad Stadium team needs to turn the victory against Arsenal into a momentum to improve this. Being a guest at the City Ground of the 14th team Nottingham Forest is not a difficult challenge, but Guardiola's teachers and students should note that Nottingham has been unbeaten in the last seven matches at home, winning 15 of the maximum 21 points.
Losing Fulham 0-2 last week was Nottingham's first defeat in the Premier League in 2023. That statistic shows how well Steve Cooper's men are in good form and they certainly do not give up easily. at home even though the opponent is strong. The last time Nottingham lost at home was last September, but they need to overcome all defeats in the last seven encounters with Man City.
John Stones is the only case absent from the Man City side. In contrast, Nottingham's injury list is long, including: Moussa Niakhate, Dean Henderson, Taiwo Awoniyi, Giulian Biancone, Willy Boly, Scott McKenna, Omar Richards, Cheikhou Kouyate and Ryan Yates. Jesse Lingard's ability to play is also unclear.
Man Utd - Leicester: 9pm Sunday, 19/2
Man Utd received many compliments after drawing 2-2 at Barca in the Europa League in the middle of the week. It was a match where Erik ten Hag's teachers and students played better and could leave with a win if they took the chance. Anyway, the draw at the opponent's field is not bad and the match against Leicester will be a stepping stone before Man Utd take on Barca in the middle of next week.
Not many people think that Man Utd is capable of ending six years without a title this season when Ten Hag has just taken charge. But after two consecutive defeats at the beginning of the season, Man Utd went through the next 21 rounds with only three defeats. In fact, since winning the first match of this season against Liverpool on August 22, the "Red Devils" have won more points than any team in the Premier League.
The first leg of this match has a 1-0 result in favor of Man Utd. That score helped the "Red Devils" end the four-match series without winning (two draws, two losses) against the "Foxes". However, Leicester are unbeaten in the last two times marching to Old Trafford. A sign of the revival of the "Foxes" is the last two matches, winning Aston Villa 4-2 and Tottenham 4-1, they both conceded first but then won back.
Casemiro continues to be suspended after the red card in the win against Crystal Palace on 2/2. The home team is also without Donny van de Beek, Christian Eriksen, Anthony Martial and Antony while Scott McTominay's opportunity to play is still open. Leicester are without James Justin and Ryan Bertrand and Boubakary Soumare and Jonny Evan need to wait for test results to see if they can play.
Tottenham - West Ham: 23:30 Sunday, February 19
With Antonio Conte continuing his recovery from gallbladder surgery, assistant Cristian Stellini will continue to replace the Italian coach to direct this match. Tottenham take on neighboring West Ham after two consecutive defeats against Leicester and Milan in the Champions League.
The 1-4 defeat to Leicester saw the disastrous debut of rookie Pedro Porro. The new defender moved from Sporting Lisbon then had to sit out against Milan but most likely, he will be given the opportunity to start again this weekend.
In the last eight seasons, only once has West Ham avoided losing to Tottenham in both seasons. It was in the 2020-2021 season, when they were 0-3 down but scored three goals in the last 10 minutes to draw 3-3 at the opponent's field. However, this statistic points to West Ham's poor performance in London derbies. "The sledgehammer" lost all of the last five times as a guest to rivals in the same city. The last time they won at a London club was on January 1, 2022 when they beat Crystal Palace 3-2.
Yves Bissouma, Hugo Lloris, Rodrigo Bentancur and Ryan Sessegnon have not been able to return to the Tottenham side. Compared to the opponent, West Ham suffered more losses when Maxwel Cornet, Kurt Zouma, Alphonse Areola and Lucas Paqueta were out, while Aaron Cresswell, Gianluca Scamacca and Nayef Aguerd were not sure to play.
Osasuna - Real: 3pm Sunday, February 19
Returning after winning the Club World Cup, Real regained the feeling of winning in La Liga when defeating Elche 4-0. This victory is very important for Real when it helps them close the gap with Barca to eight points. Now, teachers and teachers Carlo Ancelotti need to save every point if they want to defend the championship.
The trip to Osasuna is also the last practice for Real before facing Liverpool in the Champions League in the middle of next week. This is the opponent that they have won three, drawn one of the last four times as a guest. Osasuna has not won Real in the last 15 matches in La Liga (draw five, lose 10). However, in the last five encounters, they held Real three times.
Due to playing against Barca one day, victory will help Real put pressure on the opponent. In the first leg, Real was held 1-1 by Osasuna at home and they certainly do not want that result to be repeated. A notable statistic is that Osasuna has not drawn a match at home this season (won six, lost four).
Thibaut Courtois, Eden Hazard and Ferland Mendy are absent due to injury while Toni Kroos is also unavailable due to stomach pain. The home team is without Nacho Vidal, Ruben Pena and Aimar Oroz.
Barca - Cadiz: 3pm on Monday, February 20
After drawing Man Utd 2-2 in the Europa League in the middle of last week, Barca hopes to regain the feeling of victory when receiving Cadiz, thereby creating a push for the return leg. Three points will also help Xavi's teachers and students firmly build the first place when they have created a safe enough gap with Real.
All statistics are on Barca's side. While the opponent is 16th, only two points away from the group holding the red light, Barca has won the last seven matches in La Liga. They have not lost to any opponent since being beaten 1-3 by Real at the Bernabeu last October.
However, Barca only won one of the last five times against Cadiz. It was a 2-0 win last September. The Catalan team lost only one of the last 14 times against Cadiz in La Liga, but that defeat took place in the last time with a score of 0-1 in April 2022. That was the only time Cadiz kept a clean sheet when facing Barca in Spain's number one league.
Apart from the suspension of Ronald Araujo, Barca do not have a group of injured players Ousmane Dembele, Pedri and Sergio Busquets. Cadiz lost three players to knee injuries: Jon Ander Garrido, Jose Mari and Joseba Zaldua. Victor Chust, Juan Cala, Alvaro Negredo and David Gil are unlikely to be available and Alfonso Espino is suspended.
Spezia - Juventus: 0:00 Monday, February 20
Juventus regained form in February when experiencing three consecutive wins in all competitions. However, Max Allegri's teachers and students dropped the victory against Nantes in the Europa League in the middle of the week. Although Dusan Vlahovic opened the scoring, they let the opponent hold a 1-1 draw and promised to face many difficulties when kicking the second leg in France in the middle of next week.
Confronting the relegation team Spezia this weekend is an opportunity to "Old lady: find the winning streak. Juventus have won all of the last five times they have faced this opponent, including three clean sheets. In fact, Juventus and Lazio are the opponents that make Spezia "bored" the most because they have lost since joining Serie A.
The penalty of 15 points deduction due to financial violations caused Juventus to fall in the middle of the scoreboard. They still make efforts to rise, but the distance of 12 points to fourth place is probably too far for "Old Lady". Therefore, Juventus' number one goal this season may be to win the Europa League, thereby winning tickets to the Champions League next season.
Both teams suffered heavy losses in terms of force. Juventus are without Leonardo Bonucci, Arkadiusz Milik, Kaio Jorge, Fabio Miretti and Paul Pogba due to injuries. Spezia is missing Jeroen Zoet, Simone Bastoni, Joao Moutinho and Szymon Zurkowski while Salvatore Esposito is suspended.
Gladbach - Bayern: 21:30 Saturday, February 18
Bayern once again proved their strength when they won 1-0 at PSG in the Champions League in the middle of last week. It was the fourth victory in a row in all competitions for the "Bavarian Gray Lobster". Previously, the Bundesliga champions drew three consecutive matches after the World Cup, creating conditions for the opponents to close.
At the moment, the race for the Bundesliga title is very intense. Bayern is just one point ahead of Union Berlin. The gap between the top six teams is only six points and the order can change quickly if there are any surprises.
This is the 110th meeting between Gladbach and Bayern in the Bundesliga. This long-standing match is only behind Bayern - Werder Bremen (111 matches). Gladbach is the team that has beaten Bayern most times in the history of the tournament (27 times). In fact, they are unbeaten in the last four encounters (won three). So although Gladbach has only won one of five Bundesliga matches in 2023, they are still a formidable opponent for Bayern.
Lucas Hernandez, Manuel Neuer, Sadio Mane and Noussair Mazraoui are absent from Bayern in this match. Goalkeeper Yann Sommer will have the opportunity to meet his old club after moving to Bayern to replace Neuer in January. Gladbach needed to wait for the results to see if Joe Scally and Marcus Thuram could play but Ramy Bensebaini could return.
PSG - Lille: 19h Sunday, 19/2
PSG's Champions League ambition is once again in danger of falling apart after losing 0-1 to Bayern at home. This defeat put more pressure on Christophe Galtier because it was PSG's third consecutive loss in all competitions. First, they were knocked out of the National Cup by Marseille, lost 1-3 to Monaco and then lost to Bayern.
The last time PSG lost three matches in a row was 11 years ago, under Antoine Kombouare. If the team's performance does not improve, the prospect of Galtier having to leave is entirely possible when the candidate to replace Zinedine Zidane has been revealed.
Although still leading the second team of Marseille by five points, PSG have not kept a clean sheet in the last six matches. The home team of Parc des Princes is owning a series of terrible achievements at home with 33 unbeaten matches. However, what is interesting is that the last team to make PSG fail at home was Lille in April 2021, then led by Galtier himself.
PSG without Renato Sanches. Lionel Messi, Presnel Kimpembe and Kylian Mbappe are not quite full yet. Most likely, Galtier will not risk using these three players, save for the match against Marseille. Lille is missing Adam Ounas and Ismaily.
