GAME PREVIEWS….

Saturday Games
English Premier League
6:00 Crystal Palace vs Burnley
6:00 Huddersfield vs West Ham
6:00 Chelsea vs Leicester
6:00 Newcastle United vs Swansea
6:00 West Bromwich Albion vs Brighton
6:00 Watford vs Southampton
8:30 Tottenham vs Everton
Sunday games
4:30 Bournemouth vs Arsenal
7:00 Liverpool vs Manchester City

6:00 Chelsea vs Leicester
Chelsea head coach Antonio Conte has no fresh injury concerns ahead of Saturday’s visit of Leicester. New signing Ross Barkley is working his way back to fitness and could make his Chelsea debut in the FA Cup third-round replay against Norwich in midweek.
Leicester’s leading goalscorer Jamie Vardy has recovered from the groin injury which caused him to miss the last two matches. Defenders Wes Morgan and Danny Simpson remain out with hamstring problems.
It looks like N’Golo Kanté will not be getting a third successive Premier League winner’s medal this May, but the Frenchman remains vital to the reigning champions Chelsea and very much missed by their predecessors, Leicester. Claude Puel has revitalised the Foxes and in particular Jamie Vardy, who will look to exploit a Chelsea defence feeling the strain of being in four competitions.

Venue Stamford Bridge
Last season Chelsea 3 Leicester City 0
Referee Mike Jones
This season G9, Y29, R0, 3.22 cards per game
Chelsea
Subs from Caballero, Eduardo, Scott, David Luiz, Rüdiger, Clarke-Salter, Moses, Musonda, Drinkwater, Ampadu, Sterling, Kenedy, Willian, Batshuayi
Doubtful Barkley (match fitness)
Injured None
Suspended None
Form WWDWWD
Discipline Y26 R3
Leading scorer Morata 10

Leicester City
Subs from Hamer, Jakupovic, James, Huth, Chilwell, Okazaki, Iheanacho, King, Slimani, Ulloa, Musa, Benalouane
Doubtful None
Injured Morgan (hamstring, 27 Jan), Simpson (hamstring, 27 Jan)
Suspended None
Form WLDLLW
Discipline Y28 R2
Leading scorer Vardy 9

8:30 Tottenham vs Everton
Defensive stability? Yes. Free-flowing, attacking prowess? No. Sam Allardyce has done what he needed to do and what was expected of him since taking charge at Everton but even he says his team have not been good enough in the final third. The manager hopes the £27m signing of Cenk Tosun can help – the striker scored against Tottenham for his previous club, Besiktas, in the Europa League in 2014. Tottenham, by contrast, are in form and scoring goals.

Venue Wembley Stadium
Last season Tottenham Hotspur 3 Everton 2
Referee Craig Pawson
This season G16, Y61, R4, 4.31 cards per game
Tottenham Hotspur
Subs from Vorm, Gazzaniga, Trippier, Walker-Peters, Foyth, Wanyama, Dembélé, Lamela, Llorente
Doubtful None
Injured Winks (ankle, 27 Jan), Rose (knee, 31 Jan), Alderweireld (hamstring, 10 Feb)
Suspended None
Form WLWWWD
Discipline Y28 R2
Leading scorer Kane 18

Everton
Subs from Stekelenburg, Robles, Calvert-Lewin, Williams, Davies, Lennon, Niasse, Lookman, Sandro, Klaassen, Besic, Vlasic, Baningime
Doubtful None
Injured Keane (foot, 20 Jan), Baines (calf, Feb), Coleman (leg, Feb), Funes Mori (knee, Mar), Gueye (hamstring, unknown)
Suspended None
Form WWDDLL
Discipline Y39 R2
Leading scorer Rooney 10

4:30 Bournemouth vs Arsenal
How Arsène Wenger, who will again be peering from the stands, would love a victory after the nightmare in Nottingham. Arsenal are winless in four in all competitions – their longest barren run since a streak of five starting in February 2016 – and that could easily continue. Eddie Howe can count on making chances with ease against Wenger’s notional defence and that could be enough as the burden of Arsenal’s successes may no longer be able to lie squarely on Alexis Sánchez’s shoulders. The dream of an easier life in Manchester may prove too much of a distraction even if he does play.

Venue Vitality Stadium
Last season Bournemouth 3 Arsenal 3
Referee Kevin Friend
This season G11, Y26, R0, 2.36 cards per game

Bournemouth
Subs from Boruc, Federici, Ramsdale, Pugh, Afobe, Hyndman, Mahoney, Simpson, Mousset, A Smith, Ibe, L Cook, Gosling, B Smith
Doubtful King (hamstring), Stanislas (hamstring)
Injured Defoe (ankle, Feb), Mings (back, unknown)
Suspended None
Form LLLDWD
Discipline Y36 R1
Leading scorer Wilson 5

Arsenal
Subs from Ospina, Macey, Iliev, Debuchy, Mavropanos, Mertesacker, Elneny, Ramsey, Nelson, Akpom, Walcott, Sánchez, Özil
Doubtful Özil (knee), Wilshere (ankle)
Injured Koscielny (achilles, 20 Jan), Kolasinac (ankle, 24 Jan), Giroud (hamstring, 27 Jan), Monreal (ankle, 27 Jan), Cazorla (achilles, unknown)
Suspended None
Form DWDWDD
Discipline Y34 R0
Leading scorers Lacazette, Sánchez 7

7:00 Liverpool vs Manchester City
Having had a brief break for the two domestic cup competitions, the Premier League returns this weekend with a huge clash as Manchester City travel to Anfield. While Pep Guardiola’s men continued their dominance in both the FA and EFL Cups, recording comfortable wins over Burnley and Bristol City, they will be looking to reinforce their league title ambitions on Sunday afternoon.

They head into the weekend holding a 15-point lead at the top of the table, but also boasting the top flight’s highest pass completion rate (88.8%), its most possession (66.4%) and having averaged more shots (18) than any other side. That City have also scored the most goals (64) and conceded the fewest (13) after 22 rounds of action simply underlines how incredible they have been thus far.

Guardiola’s 4-3-3 formation allows them to retain the ball while playing intricate passes around opponents, yet it also enables his pacy front three to strike on the counter-attack. That formation will be mirrored by Liverpool in this clash, the side’s first since Philippe Coutinho completed his move to Barcelona.

That will rob the Reds of their creator-in-chief, the Brazilian leading the team with six assists while he also made more key passes per game (2.9) than any other player, yet it seems they were already preparing for life after him with their moves this past summer. The arrival of Mohamed Salah saw Jurgen Klopp’s gameplay rely less and less on Coutinho, and now the former AS Roma man will need to play and even greater role.

Facing City now will be difficult, as it is expected that Liverpool will reinvest a large portion of the £142million fee in filling the void in central midfield. That cannot happen soon enough, and Guardiola will almost certainly look to take full advantage, particularly after his own playmaker David Silva returned to the lineup.

Liverpool have only lost three league games in 2017/18, but the 5-0 mauling they received at the Etihad Stadium was certainly the most comprehensive and it will be intriguing to see how much both sides have developed since then. City – who have recorded 19 wins and draw in their last 20 Premier League games – will of course put their incredible unbeaten run on the line, but their opponents have not lost any of their last 13 home games in this competition and have not lost to City at Anfield since 2003.

Klopp is expected to maintain his approach even without Coutinho, with Adam Lallana the man nominally stepping into his role. Right back Nathaniel Clyne, goalkeeper Adam Bogdan, and left-back Alberto Moreno remain sidelined due to injuries, but otherwise the German boss should have a full complement of players at his disposal. For City, left-back Benjamin Mendy and forward Gabriel Jesus remain the only ones unavailable, their long-term issues meaning they will once again be absent.

Last season Liverpool 1 Manchester City 0
Referee Andre Marriner
This season G15, Y36, R2, 2.67 cards per game
Liverpool
Subs from Karius, Alexander-Arnold, Lallana, Lovren, Klavan, Milner, Flanagan, Grujic, Woodburn, Solanke, Markovic, Ings
Doubtful None
Injured Moreno (ankle, 22 Jan), Henderson (hamstring, 22 Jan), Sturridge (hamstring, 22 Jan), Ward (back), Clyne (back, Feb)
Suspended None
Form DWDWWW
Discipline Y26 R1
Leading scorer Salah 17

Manchester City
Subs from Bravo, Touré, Adarabioyo, Díaz, B Silva, Danilo, Gündogan, Mangala, Kompany, Zinchenko
Doubtful Kompany (calf)
Injured Jesus (knee, Feb), Foden (ankle, Mar), Mendy (knee, Apr)
Suspended None
Form WWWWDW
Discipline Y38 R2
Leading scorer Sterling 14
11:00 Manchester United vs Stoke

José Mourinho, fresh from Manchester United’s break in Dubai, was in relaxed form before Stoke City’s visit. Yet by Monday night his team could be a gaping 18 points behind Manchester City should Pep Guardiola’s side defeat Liverpool. If so, the rest of the season could start to feel particularly embarrassing for Mourinho and his club should City continue to stretch their lead.

Venue Old Trafford
Last season Manchester United 1 Stoke City 1
Referee Anthony Taylor
This season G15, Y61, R0, 4.07 cards per game

Manchester United
Subs from J Pereira, Romero, Tuanzebe, Lindelof, McTominay, Mitchell, Blind, Mkhitaryan, Herrera, Fellaini, Young, Rojo
Doubtful Martial (match fitness)
Injured Carrick (heart, Feb), Ibrahimovic (knee, Feb), Bailly (groin, Mar), Valencia (hamstring, unknown)
Suspended None
Form WWDDDW
Discipline Y36 R1
Leading scorer Lukaku 10

Stoke City
Subs from Grant, Haugaard, Afellay, Berahino, Diouf, Tymon, Fletcher, Sobhi, Martins-Indi, Shawcross
Doubtful Martins-Indi (groin), Pieters (hamstring), Shawcross (calf)
Injured Johnson (knee, unknown)
Suspended None
Form LLWDLL
Discipline Y27 R0
Leading scorers Diouf, Shaqiri 4

German Bundesliga
5:30 Eintracht Frankfurt vs Freiburg
5:30 Augsburg vs Hamburger SV
5:30 Hannover 96 vs Mainz 05
5:30 VfB Stuttgart vs Hertha Berlin
5:30 Werder Bremen vs Hoffenheim
8:30 RasenBallsport Leipzig vs Schalke 04

Sunday Games
5:30 FC Cologne vs Borussia M.Gladbach
8:00 Borussia Dortmund vs Wolfsburg
— Leipzig vs Schalke 04: The Bundesliga is back and the standout game of the first matchday after the winter break is second-placed Schalke’s visit to fifth-placed RB Leipzig, a game that has all the ingredients for a classic. Leipzig’s Bundesliga form has suffered under the dual demands of domestic and Champions League football and from some untimely injuries to key players, while rumors about the future of Naby Keita may also have an unsettling effect. Ralph Hasenhüttl’s side are already 13 points adrift of leaders Bayern Munich and are looking to end a run of four league games without a win. While Leipzig have been a little short of their best, the team that have replaced them as the winter runners-up are not flying high by accident. Schalke have improved markedly under Dominic Tedesco, not least in tightening up a defense which is now the second best in the Bundesliga. But Tedesco is now looking to the other end of the pitch.

— Wolfsburg vs. Borussia Dortmund: The last game of the weekend could be one of the most intriguing. Borussia Dortmund showed signs of life immediately after Peter Stöger took over from Peter Bosz, but the pressure is on them to string together a few wins. They face a Wolfsburg side who are winless in three and ended the year by becoming the first — and so far only — side to lose to Cologne in the league this season.

— Cologne vs Borussia Mönchengladbach: For the aforementioned Cologne, the winter break came at a bad time as they finally recorded that Bundesliga win. They desperately need another to generate some kind of momentum to close that huge nine-point gap to Hamburg. The problem is that they are facing Mönchengladbach, who have won eight of their last 11 Bundesliga meetings with the Carnival club.

Spanish La Liga
3:00 Girona vs Las Palmas
6:15 Real Madrid vs Villarreal
8:30 Eibar vs Atletico Madrid
10:45 Deportivo La Coruna vs Valencia
Sunday Games
10:00 Levante vs Celta Vigo
4:15 Alaves vs Sevilla
8:30 Espanyol vs Athletic Bilbao
10:45 Real Sociedad vs Barcelona

Barca to put Anoeta curse to bed

If there’s one stadium guaranteed to get Barcelona’s players and supporters worried, it’s Real Sociedad’s Anoeta. The Blaugrana’s recent record there is horrific, and in complete contrast to when the teams play at the Camp Nou. We have to go back to May 2007 for the last time that Barca won in San Sebastian in the league, though on January 19th last year, the Catalans were victorious there in the Copa del Rey.
Hoodoo or not, the fortunes of both clubs coming into the match couldn’t be more different.
Ernesto Valverde’s side are still unbeaten in all competitions, and whilst that run will end at some stage, the coach has come up with the solution every time he’s been posed a question.
Other than their recent win against a Sevilla side in transition, a defeat of Eibar back in early November is La Real’s last La Liga victory.
Shorn of the talent and creativity of Carlos Vela, Eusebio Sacristan’s side are going to have to be at their very best to win this one. With Barca far too good right now, I don’t see that happening.

Yellow peril for Real Madrid
Villarreal, Las Palmas, Borussia Dortmund… in the past, teams in yellow have been a thorn in the side of Real Madrid. On current form, Los Blancos can well do without more dropped points. Nothing seems to be going right for the team from the Santiago Bernabeu, home or away.
One win in four, against lowly Numancia in the Copa del Rey, isn’t the form of reigning league and Champions League winners, and the sooner Zinedine Zidane can find the formula for success again, the better.
Against Villarreal, their run is set to continue. Real have won only four of the last nine against the Yellow Submarine and only one of the last three at the Bernabeu.
Without Sergio Ramos again, they are devoid of defensive organisation when they need it most.
In two of Villarreal’s last three league games – at Celta and Valencia – the visitors have won. This will be a confidence-boosting hat-trick for them.

Resurgent Eibar to dent Atleti progress
Had this game been played a couple of months ago, there’s little doubt that Atletico Madrid would’ve departed Ipurua with a handsome win in their pockets. However, since their last league defeat in the Basque derby against Real Sociedad, Eibar have been reborn.
Eight games in all competitions; one loss, one draw and six wins. In the league, Los Armeros have taken 19 points from the last 21 available, pushing them up to seventh in the table and tucked nicely behind the pack of clubs chasing the top four.
Indeed, at the time of writing, Eibar are just five points behind Real Madrid. Atleti are without Diego Costa, Gabi and Stefan Savic through suspension and Filipe Luis with injury. Therefore, a revitalised Eibar, who’ve not conceded more than one goal a game since the Sociedad loss, have plenty of areas to attack and where Diego Simeone’s side will be weakened.

Montella’s second league defeat on the bounce?
Having won five of their last six at home, Alaves are another team to have turned the corner recently, and full credit must be given to new coach, Abelardo. For a team that looked doomed to the drop into the Segunda not so long ago, their resurgence has given them real hope of pulling themselves back up the table.
Still in the bottom three, they’re no longer adrift of the teams above them, and four points clear of Malaga and Las Palmas. Against a Sevilla side still finding their feet under new manager Vincenzo Montella, this is the perfect opportunity to pick up another win.
A lot of excitement surrounded Montella’s appointment at Sevilla but that was dispelled as soon as Real Betis took the lead in the first minute of the Seville derby. Five goals conceded sent them straight back to the drawing board, which is not what they need at this point of the season, especially against a well-drilled Alaves side.

Valencia to go back up to second?
Strange as it may seem, Deportivo have just two La Liga wins against Valencia since their fixture in March 2004, and only one has come at the Riazor. Of the 11 games played at home in that time period, the team from A Coruna have lost six and drawn four.
On current form, a lucky seventh win shouldn’t be beyond Marcelino’s troops. Though Los Che have stuttered a little after their hugely impressive early season form, Depor have only won twice in the league since September. An extensive injury list doesn’t help the hosts either, and they’ll be without front-man Lucas Perez again too. These are precisely the games that Valencia have to win to keep in contention at the top of the table, and with that in mind, we can expect a full-on assault from the visitors from the first whistle.

English Championship
3:30 Cardiff vs Sunderland
6:00 Birmingham vs Derby
6:00 Ipswich vs Leeds
6:00 Barnsley vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
6:00 Brentford vs Bolton
6:00 Millwall vs Preston
6:00 Hull vs Reading
6:00 Middlesbrough vs Fulham
6:00 Bristol City vs Norwich
6:00 Burton vs Queens Park Rangers
8:30 Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa

Portugal Liga NOS
7:15 Pacos de Ferreira vs Maritimo
9:30 Braga vs Benfica

Sunday Games
7:00 Tondela vs Feirense
7:00 Boavista vs Portimonense
9:00 Belenenses vs Rio Ave
11:15 Sporting CP vs Aves

French Ligue 1
7:00 Rennes vs Marseille
10:00 Montpellier vs Monaco
10:00 Caen vs Lille
10:00 Nice vs Amiens
10:00 Troyes vs Bordeaux
10:00 Dijon vs Metz

Sunday Games
5:00 Saint-Etienne vs Toulouse
7:00 Lyon vs Angers
11:00 Nantes vs Paris Saint Germain

Neymar and Paris Saint-Germain resume their relentless drive towards the French Ligue 1 title after the traditional three-week winter break at fifth-placed Nantes this weekend. PSG head to the Loire on the back of a 6-1 rout of Ligue 1 rivals Rennes in the French Cup and a 2-0 midweek defeat of Amiens to reach the League Cup semi-finals. Neymar was on target in both of those victories but the league’s leading scorer Edinson Cavani was absent after returning late from his Christmas and New Year break back home in Uruguay. Argentine Javier Pastore was also overlooked for Wednesday’s outing after returning late from his holiday with both players talked to about their tardiness by coach Unai Emery.

With next month’s heavyweight Champions League date with Real Madrid looming Emery’s side visit Nantes enjoying a nine-point lead over defending Ligue 1 title-holders Monaco and Lyon. And given that Nantes haven’t managed to better PSG in Ligue 1 since 2005, the Qatari-backed visitors are on target to add another three points to the 50 they have already banked.

PSG are not playing until Sunday night which gives Monaco the opportunity to reduce that gap for 24 hours at least with victory at Montpellier on Saturday. Leonardo Jardim’s team resume league duties also having secured their ticket to the League Cup last four as goals from Thomas Lemar and Adama Diakhaby lifted them to a 2-1 defeat of Cote d’Azur rivals Nice on Tuesday. But they look set to be without their captain, Radamel Falcao, who is recovering from a thigh injury.

Multiple former champions Lyon host second from bottom Angers. Under performing Bordeaux meanwhile approach their trip to Troyes boosted by an unusual show of support. Jocelyn Gourvennec’s side, precariously placed one point above the relegation zone, trained on Friday watched by the club’s workforce who left their desks to give the team a much needed boost.

BETTING TIPS….

Premier League
Chelsea – Leicester-1/over/gg
Crystal Palace – Burnley-X/gg
Huddersfield – West Ham Utd-
Newcastle Utd – Swansea-1/gg
Watford – Southampton-1
West Brom – Brighton-2
Tottenham – Everton-1/over/gg
England – Championship
Cardiff City – Sunderland-1
Barnsley – Wolves-2
Birmingham – Derby-2
Brentford – Bolton-1
Bristol City – Norwich City-2
Burton Albion – QPR-1

France – Ligue 1
Rennes – Marseille-X
Caen – Lille-X
Dijon – Metz-1/over
Montpellier – Monaco-2/under
Nice – Amiens-1
Troyes – Bordeaux-2

Germany – Bundesliga
Werder Bremen – Hoffenheim-X
Eintracht Frankfurt – Freiburg-X
Augsburg – Hamburger SV-X
Hannover – Mainz-1
Stuttgart – Hertha-X
RB Leipzig – Schalke-1

Spain – La Liga 

Girona – Las Palmas-1
Real Madrid – Villarreal-1/over
Eibar – Atlético Madrid-X
Deportivo – Valencia-2/over/gg

By Kussam Kalema