Oil getting separated from water

Match Forecast

Romelu Lukaku and Ross Barkley are finally living up to the potential they showed as childhood football prodigies. Only Leicester’s Jamie Vardy has scored more than Lukaku, who is clearly benefitting from the excellent tutelage of manager Roberto Martinez.

Aston Villa 0 Watfod 0

Remi Garde was aghast as the shambolic defending as his Villains were walloped 4-0 by a rampant Everton. He will have earmarked this game as an absolute must-win fixture as Watford could be rivals in a relegation slugfest. Unfortunately for him, the Premier League newcomers run harder and have a better stomach for a fight.

Bournemouth 1 Everton 2
Romelu Lukaku and Ross Barkley are finally living up to the potential they showed as childhood football prodigies. Only Jamie Vardy has scored more than Lukaku, who is clearly benefitting from the excellent tutelage of manager Roberto Martinez. Bournemouth pulled a rabbit out of the bag at Swansea but Everton will prove a harder nut to crack.

Crystal Palace 2 Newcastle 0
Alan Pardew must have been miffed by his team’s failure to put Sunderland under sufficient pressure on Monday night. The wing wizardry of Yanick Bolasie, who looks a Champions League player every passing week will be needed if they are to bounce back against hapless Newcastle United.

Man City 3 Southampton 2
Manuel Pellegrini described himself as ‘more than angry’ in the aftermath of his team’s 1-4 capitulation at the hands of Liverpool. A defensive pairing of Eliaquim Mangala and Martin Demichelis simply cannot cut the Premiership grade. Southampton will be on the receiving side of a backlash from Sergio Aguero and Kevin de Bruyne.

Sunderland 1 Stoke 1
Sunderland played with heart as they confounded the pundits to beat Crystal Palace on Monday night. Sam Allardyce justifiably bucked the trend by fielding two strikers at Selhurst Park, with veteran Jermaine Defoe proving the difference. Breaking down a Stoke side that have already won thrice on the road will prove a different kettle of fish.

Leicester 1 Man United 1
Dreams do come true after all. Jamie Vardy has gone from part time footballer to the Premier League’s most prolific goal plunderer in the space of four years. United have the league’s meanest defense, so extending his ten-game scoring streak won’t be easy. Still, I reckon Claudio Ranieri’s stars can claim a share of the spoils in this top of the table clash.
Spurs 1 Chelsea 1
Since the Premier League’s inception, Chelsea have won this fixture more than any other but took a 5-3 drubbing on their last visit to the Lane. They come up against a a high pressing, energetic Spurs that haven’t lost a game since the opening day of the season. Jose Mourinho will play two defensive midfielders to try and nullify Spurs’ exuberant attack.

West Ham 2 West Brom 1
Slaven Bilic must be cursing the gods for the injury suffered by Dmitri Payet. He was the Hammers’ leading player by a country mile, creating an average of five scoring chances per game. His absence was felt as they took a 4-1 drubbing from Spurs on Sunday. I am backing Emmanuel Lanzini and Diafra Sakho to step up to the plate and deliver tomorrow.

Liverpool 3 Swansea 1
Jurgen Klopp has taken the Kop to Cloud 9 by masterminding memorable victories at Stamford Bridge and the Ettihad. A full pitch, high-octane pressing game is doing the business for Liverpool in very much the same way it did for Borussia Dortmund. I don’t like the way Swansea are playing without character, so I am backing the 18-time champions to win.

Norwich 1 Arsenal 2
Everything that could go wrong for Arsenal did so as they fell to West Brom last time round. A Mikel Arteta own goal was followed by Santi Cazorla’s diabolical penalty kick. Championship winning teams do bounce back and I fancy the Gunners to shake off their mid-week Champions League exertions to tame Alex Neil’s Norwich.