New Delhi: Matchday 12 of the Premier League is upon us and we have some interesting fixtures with some of England’s finest teams taking on each other. With Chelsea, Arsenal and Aston Villa all preparing for their fixtures against Leicester, Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace respectively, the main highlight of tonight’s fixtures would certainly be the clash between Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur at Etihad. A game that promises great excitement, it will be interesting to see how Pep prepares his side to get back on winning terms after four consecutive losses.
On the other hand, Ange Postecoglu will also be looking to get the job done against a shaky Manchester City side. Besides we also have Fulham taking on Wolves, Everton clashing with Brentford and Bournemouth looking to continue their great start against a confident Brighton side.
Leicester City vs Chelsea (6:00 pm IST)
Facing the Foxes. 🦊#CFC | #LEICHE pic.twitter.com/duS4m0gGME
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) November 23, 2024
On Saturday, Enzo Maresca will make his first appearance at the King Power Stadium since leaving for Chelsea when his revamped Blues take on Leicester City in the Premier League. The Italian led the Foxes back to the Premier League last season, but he left the team in the summer after Chelsea called. Steve Cooper, Maresca’s successor, will be anxious to make sure his opposite number has an unpleasant return.
When club football resumes after the November international break, Chelsea is currently ranked third in the Premier League standings. After a rough start, the Blues have performed well this season, although they have only won once in their last five league games. Despite their fierce rivalry at the opposite end of the table, Leicester has shown signs of improvement under Cooper. They moved up the table and are now three points above the relegation zone after winning back-to-back games before and during the October international break.
Predicted Lineups:
Leicester City (4-3-3): Hermansen; Justin, Faes, Vestergaard, Kristiansen; Soumare, Ndidi, Winks; McAteer, Vardy, Mavididi.
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Sanchez; Gusto, Fofana, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Madueke, Palmer, Neto; Jackson.
Prediction- LEI 1-2 CHE
Fulham vs Wolves (8:30 pm IST)
Set for a challenge. 👊
— Fulham Football Club (@FulhamFC) November 22, 2024
Fulham will be hopeful of achieving a strong outcome here because they enter the match against Wolves having won two straight league games. Wolves, meanwhile, have performed admirably in their most recent games. With two draws and a victory in their previous three league games, they have snapped their losing streak. Whether they can improve on their prior performance and grind out the three points here will be interesting to see.
The Black Country team will undoubtedly be confident in their chances here, having defeated Fulham in five of their previous six meetings. Although Fulham and Wolves appear to be very evenly matched on paper, the visitors haven’t played well this year. With the morale-boosting outcome today, it will be intriguing to see if they can get their faltering campaign back on track. It will be challenging to differentiate the two teams because they will both have gained some confidence from their most recent games.
Predicted Lineups:
Fulham (4-2-3-1): Leno; Castagne, Andersen, Bassey, Robinson; Cairney, Pereira; Traore, Rowe, Iwobi; Jimenez
Wolves (4-4-1-1): Johnstone; Semedo, Bueno, Dawson, Toti Gomes; Bellegarde, Joao Gomes, Lemina, Ait Nouri; Cunha; Larsen
Prediction- FUL 1-1 WOL
Everton vs Brentford (8:30 pm IST)
Goodison then. Goodison now. 💙
Our matchday programme cover series continues to honour The Grand Old Lady’s final season. Get your #EVEBRE copy at the ground tomorrow! 🏟️
— Everton (@Everton) November 22, 2024
Brentford will make their final trip to Goodison Park in an attempt to snap their road losing streak against Everton. Two teams in England’s top seven divisions have failed to earn a single point away from home this season, including the Bees, who, on the other hand, have the best home record in the Premier League this season with 16 points.
Though their stoppage-time loss to Fulham will have the team eager to exorcise their demons by obtaining a much-needed victory this weekend, their consecutive games against Liverpool, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, and Manchester United left little cause for disappointment.
However, Everton has already shown themselves to be fierce rivals, winning four of their six Premier League encounters, including their most recent meeting in May, which saw the Toffees secure their place in the top division for another season. The hosts this weekend had a rough start to the new season, giving up 13 goals in their first four games.
The only setback on the record is a loss to Southampton. Sean Dyche has since steadied the ship and guided his club to two victories and four draws in the next seven league games.
Everton (4-2-3-1): Pickford; Young, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Gueye, Mangala; McNeil, Doucoure, Ndiaye; Calvert-Lewin.
Brentford (4-2-3-1): Flekken; Roerslev, Collins, Pinnock, van den Berg; Norgaard, Janelt; Mbeumo, Damsgaard, Lewis-Potter; Wissa.
Prediction- EVE 3-2 BRE
Bournemouth vs Brighton (8:30 pm IST)
Onto tomorrow 👊 pic.twitter.com/mUukcCXbAZ
— AFC Bournemouth 🍒 (@afcbournemouth) November 22, 2024
Bournemouth had a strong first season under Andoni Iraola and would have hoped to contend for a top-half position. However, with third-place Chelsea only four points ahead, the club’s supporters may not have anticipated a possible top-four contest. The Cherries’ only loss in their last four Premier League games was in the match prior to the international break.
Brighton & Hove Albion, on the other hand, is solidly in the running for a top-four finish and is tied with Chelsea and two other teams on points. With his charges losing just twice in their first 11 games, Fabian Hurzeler has not wasted any time in getting his point across. Additionally, the Seagulls surprised everyone by defeating Manchester City ahead of the international break, completely opening the top-four hunt.
Predicted Lineups:
Bournemouth (4-2-3-1): Kepa; Smith, Zabarnyi, Senesi, Kerkez; Adams, Cook; Semenyo, Kluivert, Tavernier; Evanilson
Brighton (4-4-2): Verbruggen; Veltman, van Hecke, Igor, Estupinan; Adingra, O’Riley, Baleba, Mitoma; Pedro, Welbeck
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace (8:30 pm IST)
Back to it 🫡 pic.twitter.com/VMcPKUekqR
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) November 23, 2024
Prior to their visit from Crystal Palace, Aston Villa had lost four straight games and had lost five straight games in all competitions, raising severe concerns about their credibility. Villa have struggled in the Premier League after a respectable start to the season, earning only one point from the final nine games. They lost their next two league games, both away from home, to Tottenham and Liverpool, after giving up an equalizer late against Bournemouth to start the losing streak.
In relation to getting their season back on track, Crystal Palace appeared to have regained their footing following a dismal start to the new campaign, but they reverted to their old practices prior to the break. Oliver Glasner was under a lot of strain following a string of close losses and thrilling draws before they managed to defeat Tottenham and earn their first victory of the year.
After defeating Aston Villa in the League Cup, Crystal Palace quickly reverted to their previous patterns, losing to Fulham and Wolves, respectively, and drawing with Wolves. After Palace dropped back into the bottom three due to the results of the previous two games and Ipswich Town’s victory over Spurs, Glasner is once again under pressure to perform.
Predicted Lineups
Aston Villa (4-4-1-1): Martinez; Konsa, Carlos, Torres, Digne; Bailey, Onana, Tielemans, McGinn; Rogers; Watkins
Crystal Palace (3-4-2-1): Henderson; Chalobah, Lacroix, Guehi; Munoz, Doucoure, Devenny, Mitchell; Sarr, Eze; Mateta
Arsenal vs Nottingham Forest (8:30 pm IST)
🔴 𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗖𝗛𝘿𝘼𝙔 ⚪️
🆚 Nottingham Forest
🕒 3pm (UK)
🏆 Premier League
🏟 Emirates Stadium pic.twitter.com/SZlgFFLQ5G
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) November 23, 2024
When Arsenal hosts Nottingham Forest, who are currently playing well in the Premier League, on Saturday afternoon, they hope to end their three-game losing streak. The Gunners are currently nine points behind table-toppers Liverpool and are going through a rare difficult period under Mikel Arteta at the start of the 2024–25 season.
They were far from their best in the 1-1 draw with Chelsea before the international break, and they had lost all four of their previous Premier League games. Arsenal will be relieved to be back at the Emirates Stadium this weekend after playing their last four games away from home. They are aware, though, that a surprise visit from Nottingham Forest will not be easy.
Currently sitting fifth and tied with Saturday’s opponents on points, Forest has defied expectations under Nuno Espirito Santo at the start of the season. Their defensive organization will irritate an Arsenal team that is having trouble in the final third, as their loss to Newcastle United prior to the international break was only their second Premier League loss this season.
Predicted lineups
Arsenal (4-3-3): Raya; Partey, Saliba, Gabriel, Timber; Odegaard, Rice, Merino; Saka, Havertz, Martinelli.
Nottingham Forest (4-2-3-1): Sels; Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Moreno; Yates, Dominguez; Anderson, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Wood.
Prediction- ARS 4-0 NOT
Manchester City vs Tottenham (11:00 pm IST)
All in for Spurs! 💪
🤝 #AsahiSuperDry pic.twitter.com/X9ADKlZXHY
— Manchester City (@ManCity) November 22, 2024
Pep Guardiola, who recently signed a new contract at the Etihad, has now managed four consecutive losses across all competitions for the first time in his managerial career. The run began against Tottenham in the Carabao Cup fourth round. Following disappointing defeats to Brighton & Hove Albion, Sporting CP, and Bournemouth, the reigning Premier League champions are currently experiencing an uncommon dilemma.
The Cityzens, who are currently five points behind Liverpool at the top of the Premier League, need to get back to winning ways this weekend, but they will need to defeat nightmare team Spurs first. The Lilywhites, who have won four of the previous 10 games, have been a pain in City’s side in recent years.
Spurs are going through their own difficult time, meanwhile, as their confidence has been damaged by back-to-back losses. A significantly altered starting lineup could help offset the 3-2 loss to Galatasaray, but there were no justifications for the team’s 2-1 home loss to lowly Ipswich Town last time out.
Predicted Lineups
Man City (4-2-3-1): Ederson; Walker, Stones, Akanji, Gvardiol; De Bruyne, Gundogan; Silva, Foden, Savinho; Haaland.
Tottenham (4-3-3): Vicario; Porro, Dragusin, Davies, Udogie; Kulusevski, Bissouma, Sarr; Johnson, Solanke, Son.
Prediction- MCI 4-1 TOT
Check out the detailed preview and predicted lineups of Premier League Matchday 12 Saturday fixtures where top teams prepare for intense battles. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
