Wolves vs Aston Villa
Molinuex Stadium, West Midlands
Saturday, 12-12-2020 @3:30pm
Ref: Mike Dean
Wolves have no reported fresh injury problems ahead of the West Midlands derby with Aston Villa. Forward Raul Jimenez has left hospital after surgery on his fractured skull, while defender Jonny is also a long-term absentee with a knee injury.
Aston Villa midfielder Ross Barkley remains out with a hamstring injury. Winger Trezeguet is available despite suffering a cut to his head against West Ham and Bjorn Engels is fit after a long-term thigh injury.
Wolves did the double over Aston Villa last season, winning 1-0 at Villa Park after a 2-1 victory at Molineux. They haven’t won three league games in a row against Villa since a run of seven between 1957 and 1960. Wolves have lost just one of the past six league meetings, winning three in a row at Molineux.
Wolves have 17 points, which is their highest tally after 11 matches of a Premier League season. They are unbeaten in all six games they have played against teams below them. Wolves are on a four-match home league run without defeat (W2, D2). They have the division’s best defensive record at home, conceding five goals. Nuno Espirito Santo’s side have kept eight clean sheets in their past 12 Premier League games at Molineux.
Villa have lost four of their past five league matches. However, they have won three of their four away matches in this season’s Premier League, keeping a clean sheet in all three victories. Only Tottenham and Chelsea have kept more than Villa’s four clean sheets in this season’s top flight. Aston Villa’s tally of 20 goals is their highest after nine matches of a top-flight campaign since 1960-61. Ollie Watkins has scored six goals in nine Premier League appearances. Trezeguet has had 22 attempts on goal without scoring in the Premier League this season, more than any other player. Ruben Neves of Wolves is next, with 17 shots. Both players scored in this fixture last season.
Newcastle United vs West Bromwich Albion
St. James Park, Newcastle upon Tyne
Saturday, 12-12-2020 @6pm
Ref: Darren England
Newcastle have won just one of the past five league meetings, although they also triumphed 3-2 when the teams met at The Hawthorns in March’s FA Cup fifth-round tie. West Brom are vying to win successive away league games against the Magpies for the first time since 1966. The next goal scored by the Baggies will be their 200th in the league versus Newcastle.
Newcastle manager Steve Bruce has revealed he will be without “a big chunk” of first-team players because of the COVID-19 outbreak at the club. However, three unnamed players are back in training after negative tests.
West Brom head coach Slaven Bilic is expected to make changes following last week’s 5-1 defeat by Crystal Palace. Jake Livermore, Kieran Gibbs and Filip Krovinovic are among the favourites to come in but Matheus Pereira begins a three-game suspension.
Newcastle’s 14-point haul after 10 matches is two more than they had at the same stage of the past two seasons combined. The Magpies have lost five and won just two of their seven most recent home league fixtures. Seven of the 15 goals conceded by Newcastle have been scored in the final 10 minutes of matches. They have only had 86 attempts on goal, with 28 on target – both are the lowest figures in the division. Steve Bruce has lost a Premier League record 28 games as a manager against promoted teams. Callum Wilson has been involved in nine of Newcastle’s 12 league goals, scoring seven and setting up two.
West Brom’s tally of six points is their lowest after 11 fixtures of a Premier League campaign. Albion have lost four of their five away league fixtures this season, with their solitary point coming at Brighton. The Baggies have the division’s worst records for goals conceded (23), shots faced (167) and shots on target against (68). They have scored in only three of their past eight games and failed to find the net in a league-high six matches. Conor Gallagher could become the first West Brom player to score in three successive Premier League fixtures since ex-Newcastle forward Salomon Rondon did so between May and August 2016.
Man United vs Man City
Old Trafford, Manchester
Saturday, 12-12-2020 @8:30pm
Ref: Chris Kavanagh
Manchester United’s Anthony Martial is fit again after missing the midweek Champions League defeat by RB Leipzig with a minor injury. Fellow forward Edinson Cavani, who also did not travel for that game, will be assessed.
Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero will be on the bench after making a scoring return in Europe in midweek. Ilkay Gundogan, who picked up a knock in that Champions League match, trained on Friday but Eric Garcia is out.
Manchester United won three of the four meetings last season, including doing the Premier League double over their neighbours for the first time in a decade. The Red Devils could win three consecutive Manchester derbies in all competitions for the first time since 2009. Six of the past eight Manchester derbies in all competitions have been won by the away team, while there have only been three home wins in 13. Manchester City have won seven Premier League away games at Old Trafford, more than any other visiting side. There have been 150 top-flight Manchester derbies – United have won 58 and City 45, with 47 draws.
United could win five consecutive league matches for the first time since they won Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s first six in charge between December 2018 and January 2019. Four of Manchester United’s 19 league points have come at home this season, along with only three of their 19 goals. They have conceded 10 league goals at Old Trafford. United can lose at least four of their opening six home league fixtures for just the second time, having suffered five defeats in 1930-31. They have only twice lost more than three Premier League home games in an entire season: 2001-02 and 2013-14. Manchester United have won a league-high 15 points from losing positions this season – but all these comebacks have come away from home. Bruno Fernandes has been involved in more Premier League goals than any other player since his United debut in February, scoring 15 and contributing 11 assists in just 24 games.
City are looking to win three league matches in a row for the first time this season. They scored seven goals without reply in their previous two league games. Pep Guardiola’s side haven’t kept three clean sheets in a row in the league since May 2019. Manchester City dropped points in seven of their past 12 Premier League away fixtures (W5, D2, L5). They have lost six of their past eight away league fixtures against other established top-six sides, including each of the last four. Raheem Sterling has never scored in 16 Premier League appearances against Manchester United. The most recent English player to score in a Premier League Manchester derby for City was James Milner in 2013.
Everton vs Chelsea
Goodison Park, Liverpool
Saturday, 12-12-2020 @11pm
Ref: Jonathan Moss
Everton can win three successive Premier League home games against Chelsea for the first time since February 2012. Chelsea have kept a clean sheet in six of the past eight league meetings. Chelsea’s 4-0 Premier League home victory in March last season ended a four-match winless run against the Toffees (D2, L2).
Everton midfielder James Rodriguez has been ruled out after sustaining a calf injury against Burnley. Fabian Delph is sidelined with a hamstring problem, while captain Seamus Coleman will miss a fourth match with a similar injury.
Chelsea winger Christian Pulisic, who was rested for Tuesday’s Champions League game against Krasnodar as a precaution after recent hamstring issues, is available. Hakim Ziyech and Callum Hudson-Odoi are both sidelined for two weeks.
Everton won their opening seven fixtures in all competitions this season but have triumphed in just one of the subsequent seven (D2, L4). They could equal the club Premier League record of three successive home defeats, last set in March 2016. It would also match Carlo Ancelotti’s longest losing streak at home as a manager, with AC Milan in 2006. The Toffees could fail to keep a clean sheet in 10 straight home league matches for the first time since 1959. Everton have conceded in 10 consecutive Premier League games, home and away – their longest run without a clean sheet for three years. Jordan Pickford has conceded an unrivalled five Premier League goals from outside the penalty area this season. Dominic Calvert-Lewin has scored 19 goals in 31 league games under Ancelotti, with 17 of those coming via one-touch finishes. Calvert-Lewin needs just one goal to match his total tally of 15 from 41 appearances last season. Ancelotti took charge of 76 Premier League games with Chelsea from 2009 to 2011, averaging 2.07 points per game.
Chelsea are unbeaten in nine Premier League games, the division’s joint-longest current run, and in 17 matches in all competitions since a 2-0 home defeat against Liverpool on 20 September (W10, D7). They are undefeated in all nine away fixtures in all competitions, winning six and drawing three. Chelsea can go four successive Premier League away matches without conceding for the first time since February 2016. The Blues have scored 25 Premier League goals, a tally bettered only by Liverpool’s 26. Chelsea’s goals have been scored by 13 players, four more than any other side. They are unbeaten in their past eight Premier League matches versus the club’s former managers. Olivier Giroud could become only the second Chelsea player in Premier League history to score in seven successive starts. Mark Stein did so between December 1993 and February 1994.
The upcoming Premier League games
Sunday, 13-12-2020
-Southampton vs Sheffield United @3pm
-Crystal Palace vs Tottenham Hotspur @5:15pm
-Fulham vs Liverpool @7:30pm
-Arsenal vs Burnley @10:15pm
-Leicester City vs Brighton and Hove Albion @10:15pm
Premier League latest results
-Leeds United 1-2 West Ham United
