One week after Manchester City failed to capitalize on a chance to close the gap behind Chelsea atop the Premier League standings, they are set to face another cupcake matchup at home against Sunderland this Thursday. Meanwhile, Liverpool has turned things around of late with four wins and a draw over their last five games and now they have a shot to continue their climb in a dream scenario on New Year’s Day.
Here is a quick look at the three best Premier League games for this week.
Liverpool vs. Leicester City – Thursday, 10:00 AM ET
EPL Odds: Liverpool -278, Leicester +697, Draw +379
Manager Brendan Rodgers admitted his team has found its best form of the season lately but at the same time, there is still a lot of work to do. Now they have an excellent opportunity to add another three points against the worst team in the Premier League. Leicester City is coming off a win against Hull but that was their first victory since September 21st when they shockingly routed Manchester United 5-3. This is a layup that Liverpool can ill-afford to miss.
Liverpool could be one of the more active Premier League teams once the transfer window opens in January but for now, they will have to rely on the talent that has helped them earn maximum points in four of their last five contests. Adam Lallana’s presence has provided a huge boost while Steven Gerrard has not missed a game yet, and it will be interesting to see if those two can help propel Liverpool to another big victory this Thursday against a relegation-bound Leicester City side. Pick: Liverpool
Southampton vs. Arsenal – Thursday, 10:00 AM ET
EPL Odds: Arsenal +148, Southampton +176, Draw +229
Two teams that are tied with 33 points will square off in this one as both jockey for position at a critical point in the table. The general perceptions here are that Southampton has overachieved so far and will be trying to fend off an Arsenal team that has underachieved, but is coming on of late.
Arsenal has an excellent opportunity to overtake Southampton for fourth spot in the Premier League table if they can build on their recent form. Southampton will be prove to be a tough road test but Arsene Wenger’s side has some momentum after collecting back-to-back wins over QPR and West Ham. They’ve cleared hit their stride in their last two outings and seeing Danny Welbeck’s arrival with the winner last week is an encouraging sign.
Southampton managed to hang on to a draw versus Chelsea last week despite being reduced to 10 men and that has to be considered a victory. Home advantage could be the difference as they are 6-2-2 at home while Arsenal is just 4-3-3 as the visitor. This looks like the makings of a draw as both teams will be playing a bit conservatively in order not to give up ground to the other. Pick: Draw
Manchester City vs. Sunderland – Sunday, 10:00 AM ET
EPL Odds: Manchester City -551, Sunderland +1350, Draw +549
City failed to capitalize on a chance to close the gap on Chelsea atop the table when they were held to a single point versus Burnley last week. There will be no room for excuses if they fail to earn maximum points again this week. As the odds indicate, Manchester City has a supposedly easy task in front of them while Chelsea will be pushed much harder in their matchup against Tottenham.
Goal scoring hasn’t been an issue for City despite losing Sergio Aguero but consistency at the back end needs to be addressed if this team is going to have any chance of catching the Blues for top spot in the Premier League. Sunderland is coming off a pair of uninspiring efforts, securing a single point from games against Aston Villa and Hull, so it would be unrealistic to think they will pull out a victory on the road this week. Sunderland has just two wins in seven away games this season. Pick: Manchester City
