EPL 2019/20 - Game Week 6

Game Week 5 saw some surprises. Liverpool continued their dominance with an emphatic 3-1 win at Anfield despite going down very early on and now lead by five points. Their front three especially Firmino who came on when Origi was injured were unplayable. Manchester United got a narrow win and climbed to fourth. Tottenham were at their best and shot up to third with a 4-0 win over Crystal Palace. Chelsea were actually awesome with a superb 5-2 win at Wolves. Manchester City were stunned 2-3 at Norwich and was the week's biggest upset. Arsenal led 2-0 but ended up 2-2 due to bad defending. This week, European competition commenced and could affect league performances during the weekend for various reasons. It will be interesting to see how each perform in Europe and the domestic league in Game Week 6. 

Southampton v Bournemouth - The Saints had a great result when they won 1-0 away at Sheffield after previously getting a point from Manchester United. These are crucial points and they could be further boosted with a home win here but the Cherries proved sweeter than the Toffees when Bournemouth got a convincing 3-1 win against Everton. This could ignite their season but they went down 1-3 at Leicester. Can Bournemouth bring back the same level when they travel to the St. Mary's? They are as inconsistent as Everton and this being away and Southampton showing good form, I could see the Saints nicking a result here but Bournemouth showed they are playing well so a draw here. 1-1.

Leicester City v Tottenham Hotspurs - The Foxes were unfortunate to have lost to an 8th minute penalty to Manchester United. They did not play badly but  are capable of playing better and now hosting a resurgent Spurs who cruised to a 4-0 win over Crystal Palace where Son Heung-Min was on fire. Harry Kane did not score but supplied a sublime pass for Lamela to put it into the net. This will be an interesting contest and Brendan Rodgers who has made much progress with his team needs to fashion a home win here. Will Spurs build on their strongest display as they were quite sensational against the Eagles last week but their travels have yielded less as their last win away was quite long ago. They were also sloppy after taking a 2-0 lead at Olympiacos only to end 2-2. Leicester could get a point here on home ground as Spurs have a long journey there and Jamie Vardy just loves to score against top six teams. This is a fact. Son Heung-Min is unstoppable when he is in the mood. I see goals here. Probably a draw. 2-2.

Burnley v Norwich - The Clarets have slipped without a win in their last five matches but should be thankful even for a point last week at Brighton when they equalised in 90+1 minute. It was a point gained rather than lost so they must start making up for more points when playing at home but then the Canaries have achieved the greatest shock of this campaign when they had champions Manchester City beaten 3-2 at Carrow Road. They were leading 2-0 at one point and when Aguero scored to make it 2-1 many were thinking City will surely find their way back but instead Norwich went 3-1 up before City scored in the 88th minute to have the match ended 3-2. Norwich displayed great courage when they took the game to City and played like men possessed. We now know quite a lot about Pukki and a bit more about Todd Cantwell but there is an Argentinian Emiliano Buendia that make Norwich tick. In Teemu Pukki they have one hell of a striker and he has found life in the premier league no different from the lower league as he adjusted himself so easily. He showed his unselfish side when he could have taken a shot but instead cleverly slided the ball to Todd Cantwell who netted. Pukki went on to score their third to show he is up there with the best. Todd Cantwell, the 21 year old England U-21 midfielder who looks like a cross between Steve McManaman and Tom Davies with that hairstyle, facial feature and the way he runs do have a bright future if he keeps on. His clever run allowed Pukki to feed him for that crucial goal. It  is hard not to imagine that Norwich could win again but this is away to Burnley which can be a hard place. Oh yes, Ashley Barnes is likely to score too. 2-2.

Everton v Sheffield United - I told you last week Everton would lose at Bournemouth where many including experts were picking the Toffees to win. It will be tough for Sheffield United here at Goodison Park after a narrow 0-1 home defeat to Southampton. Marco Silva is finding it hard to maintain a winning momentum for the Evertonians. Though poorer travellers, Everton are quite different at home so a return to winning ways against Sheffield United is on the cards. 2-0.

Manchester City v Watford - An angry perfectionist in Guardiola may see City storming back for a victory that they will badly need after that slip at Carrow Road in the 2-3 defeat by Norwich but the Hornets are more stable now and you saw how they came back from 0-2 down to Arsenal to grab their point in a 2-2 draw. Kevin De Bruyne will be key as he was on the bench at Carrow Road and by the time he came on City were already 1-3 down. He is Europe's finest as he contributes to a goal every 49 minutes when he plays. City just strolled past Shakhtar Donetsk 3-0 away while resting Sergio Aguero and left with only one fit centre back in Otamendi, slotted in Fernandinho as his partner. This is an area that Watford could exploit. Not only Watford but the rest of the Premier League teams. Or will Fernandinho be a blessing in disguise? The last time they met, the Hornets were stung a proper 6-0 in the F.A. Cup final. Will Watford restore some pride here at the Etihad? City will go with all guns blazing after the Norwich humiliation. 3-1. 

Newcastle v Brighton - The Magpies did not play badly in last week's 1-3 loss to Liverpool despite scoring first. Liverpool were just too good. The Seagulls are still smarting from conceding a last minute equalizer to Burnley. Brighton are not that good or really that bad and this being away from home, they may hope for a point but I feel Newcastle could win here. 1-0.

Crystal Palace v Wolves - Palace were really poor at Tottenham last week and were soundly spanked 0-4. Wolves have serious problems. They were so good last season and are still without a win after five matches and stayed in 19th. It seems like the Beatles' song "Yesterday" was for them...all my troubles seem so far away, now it looks like there are here to stay..." They got walloped by Chelsea 2-5 at the Molineux. The Eagles are  strong at home and they may yet get a win here capitalizing on Wolves's poor form. 2-1. 

West Ham v Manchester United - The Hammers are in a good place despite playing to a 0-0 draw at Villa Park. Manchester United are 4th for now after a narrow 1-0 home win over Leicester. They fought hard but still are not too convincing if they could stay within the top four this season. The Red Devils were celebrating a 1-0 home win over Astana FC, third in the Kazakhstan League with a Mason Greenwood goal. Good for the youngster but this is how far Manchester United has fallen from their perch. They should still be better than the Hammers but there is nothing to strongly suggest that West Ham will be playing with fear at home and I would think they are capable of at least not losing. 1-1.

Arsenal v Aston Villa - The Gunners have a big imbalance. Aubameyang continued with his wonderful strike rate and were cruising 2-0 but somehow found they self-destruct button yet again. It seemed like David Luiz were sent by Chelsea as a saboteur. Playing Villa at the Emirates at this point allow them to have a good opportunity to salvage their pride from a home win. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is the real deal. A waste that Liverpool didn't sign in especially he was Klopp's player at Dortmund. He is just so clinical. Last season's joint top scorer with Slaha and Mane, he will be right up there at the end of the season. Villa has found life tougher in the premier league. The Gunners will score and win here. It is important for them to win because I wagered 5 beers for them to win by two clear goals. Come on Gunners! 3-1.

Chelsea v Liverpool - This could be one helluva match for the weekend. Lampard has shown courage blooding youngsters into his team in particular Mason Mount and Tammy Abraham. Abraham was a Chelsea man loan to Aston Villa where he netted 25 goals in the lower Championship. This season he has seven now after his hattrick last week at the Molineux. He is eligible for both Nigeria and England and Gareth Southgate must be watching closely. The 21 year old 1.91m forward has been quite a revelation and always a handful. Chelsea may have turned a corner by now and Lampard will know at the end of this match if they are at the right level. This Chelsea team has been scoring freely but were shocked in mid-week Champions League tie when they went down 0-1 at home to Valencia but in the league they have not been beaten since that dreadful 0-4 loss to Man Utd. Chelsea have not kept a clean sheet this term and will be exploited by Liverpool. This should be Lampard's main concern 

Liverpool will be looking forward to another win and a victory here would extend to consecutive league wins to 15 on the trot. They made premiere league history for being the first team in the top flight to win 14 consecutive games while scoring more than once in each victory. Jurgen Klopps' men look to protect their perfect record so far but this will be a stern test especially when they open accounts in the Champions League with yet another loss - 0-2 away to their jinxed team Napoli despite raining 13 shots and created 11 chances. It should have been a worst a drawn game until that controversial penalty which from watching I thought it was a dive as Robertson didn't touch his opponent. This is where you learn and rise again. Liverpool have kept just one clean sheet this campaign and Chelsea are scoring freely. Chelsea and Tammy Abraham can cause them a few problems. When they last met in the UEFA Super Cup, they drew 2-2 but Liverpool won on penalties. This match could end up a draw and could be close but Liverpool have found a way to win and may just snatch one here. Tammy Abraham is red hot and Virgil Van Dijk has not been at hie imperious best. However, Chelsea's defence have been very porous and their midfield have holes that Firmino will exploit. They have always conceded a few second half goals too. Forget about Napoli. A win here gets me five more beers! YNWA!!! 2-3.