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As one Welsh team exits the Premier League, another departs. Cardiff City are out of the Championship after a few years from their short stay beforehand. A poor period for the club seen numerous odd appointments, but under crafty veteran Neil Warnock they came up with some pretty impressive form.

They come into the new season in the top flight ready to show what they are made of. However, the main problem they might have is what got them there in the first place. Warnock is a promotion specialist, but has a pretty mediocre top flight record. That could make it hard for Cardiff to do the ‘right thing’ if things go wrong, which plenty of evidence suggests it will.

Warnock in the Premier League are not great allies. He’s often struggled to mix it with the big names, and with the league further evolving in the last few years he might struggle. While Warnock has plenty of nous himself and is no fool he’s struggled at earlier periods in his management career – and with better squads – to sustain success in the Premier League.

2018/19 Prediction

It all comes down to recruitment. Chairman Vincent Tan runs a tight ship, and will make sure that the money is spent better than last time. This might make getting targets tough, but it might also mean Warnock buys from a more familiar market.
We just can’t see them, unless they have a stellar summer transfer window, having enough to stay up.

It’s been a challenging period of time for Leicester City, both on and off the pitch. Their only win in recent times came after the tragic death of the club owner, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha. The win, a 1-0 win at Cardiff City, was their first since a 2-0 win at Newcastle United in late September. However, the Foxes hosts, Brighton and Hove Albion, have hit a bump in the road after a three-match winning run.

For all the plight at Leicester’ form for the majority of the season so far, and the plaudits for Chris Hughton, Leicester sit two places above and 3 points clear. Will they extend that after the international break?

Brighton News

If there is one thing that Brighton can say about their performances, it’s that they show immense heart. While they give away too many set piece goals for a club of their resources, they regularly come back from losing positions to get back into games.

We expect them to do the same here, with a battling performance and in front of a home crowd they often impress. At the back, Shane Duffy has been very impressive, while Glenn Murray has impressed hugely with 6 goals already.

If they are going to get anything from this game, though, they’ll need to match the heart and desire of an emotionally charged Leicester side.

Leicester News

Leicester have had a confusing season so far, with some very impressive individual performances let down by poor team performances overall. With young James Maddison and Wilfred Ndidi impressing in the middle, with Harry Maguire and Ben Chilwell standing out at the back, there’s a lot to be positive about.

However, results and overall performances have not been great outside of this quarter. The recent tragedy, though, appears to have brought people together again at the club. That fighting spirit has been apparent recently, with some impressive comebacks and also doing well to keep ahead once they get there.

Verdict

If Leicester can get ahead, they do have the record of holding a lead. With Brighton also being one of the best teams at coming back from a losing position, though, this offers some interesting tactical battles. Expect both sides to be direct, with plenty of aggression and width in both sides. This should be a tight game, and we expect it to be an entertaining score draw; two sides who maybe lack the killer touch, but offer plenty of quality and endeavor.

“Anfield Kop End” by Polo Metz (CC  BY-SA 1.0)

 

Going into round four of the Champions League group games, Liverpool put themselves in pole position in group C, and knew a win away in Serbia would further cement that. However, a 2-0 shock defeat at the hands of Red Star Belgrade has completely turned the group on its head, and Liverpool now appear to be in a very tricky position with just two games to go.

As the group stands, Napoli are top with six points, Liverpool join them on the same number while PSG are just one point behind with five. Up next for Liverpool, a trip to face the number one seed in the group, PSG. While that tussle is going on, Napoli will be hoping they can beat Red Star to maintain their lead at the top, although they did draw in Serbia when the sides met for the first time so they have to be wary of that.

A Napoli win would put them onto nine points and, should PSG do the same, they would be on eight, leaving Liverpool in third place with six points on the board. That would leave Liverpool outside of the qualification spots and staring at a Europa League place with just one game to go.

 

“Liverpool Manager Jurgen Klopp” by Дмитрий Голубович (CC BY-SA 3.0)

 

One positive for Liverpool is that their final game is at home against Napoli, and they may need to call upon the crowd to help them recreate a memorable Anfield night if they are to make it to the knockout round.

However, Liverpool should not even be thinking about that game until they have faced PSG, which takes place at the end of the month. The latest football betting has PSG as the 19/20 favourites to win that game, with Liverpool at 5/2. That shows the size of the task ahead for Jurgen Klopp’s men; it certainly isn’t going to be easy for them.

Something that will trouble Liverpool fans is the manner of their defeat in Serbia, which was very disappointing to watch. Liverpool conceded two early goals in their defeat, which was always going to be difficult to recover from, but they failed to create many opportunities.

With players like Mo Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firminho, they have one of the best attacking lineups in the world but, despite having a lot of the ball, Liverpool failed to do much with it. These players are expected to carry Liverpool forward and, when the going gets tough, they are expected to rise to the challenge and find a way through. They didn’t against Red Star Belgrade and they cannot afford for that to happen to them again.

Things looked very promising for Liverpool ahead of the game in week four but, now, heading into week five, they find themselves in a very tricky position and one that could get a whole lot worse with a loss in France. It is time for Liverpool to dig deep and show what they are made of in the Champions League, otherwise, an early exit could be on the cards.

As one of the biggest ties in the Premier League era (and before), Arsenal against Liverpool always carries an electric edge to it. We can see this being a majorly enjoyable tie: Arsenal are on the midst of a fantastic run, while Liverpool have become surprisingly cynical and capable of snatching results.

The bombastic 3-3 at The Emirates last year will live long in the memory: will this game produce the same drama this time around? Can Liverpool prevail?

Arsenal News

With a hugely impressive run of form in recent times, Arsenal have had the form of their strike duo Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to thank. With 11 goals between them, they are in wonderful form in an attacking sense.

24 goals, too, is a good all-round return – though the surprising 13 conceded is a bit of an issue. However, nobody can doubt the quality of a squad that has gone so long unbeaten and is seeing injuries reduce compared to their classic norm.

Liverpool News

Liverpool were in a bit of a tight spot after the international break, with injuries to key players like Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, Naby Keita and Sadio Mane. Three have returned, but the slow-burning Keita is not yet back and has yet to really hit the heights in red.

Games like this, when space will open up and opportunities will present themselves, would have been ideal for him, though. Jürgen Klopp, who has enjoyed a very impressive run of results against the Gunners since he came to Anfield three years ago, might see this as a good time to allow his more precise passers to play, hoping to use that open space to good effect.

Verdict

Score draw. These are two great sides at the moment, but have enough flaws to make it hard to see one as the overriding winner. If we had to for a winner, we would go for the away side – but a pulsating draw, which suits nobody but Manchester City, feels most appropriate.

As one of the most enjoyable fixtures to watch in recent years, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City always provide a very impressive game. Both sides have been around the UEFA Champions League spots for a while, and this game could go a long way to determining their general growth as clubs in the weeks and months to come.

Tottenham Hotspur News

Spurs come into this one after a daunting Champions League tie against PSV Eindhoven knowing that they need a good result. If they use too much energy, though, being able to match an imperious City side might prove tough.

With the impressive form of the likes of Lucas Moura and Kieran Trippier, though, they should have all the skills needed to really hit City where it matters. City often struggle against pace on the break, of which Spurs have plenty.

Manchester City News

City come into this one after a comfortable win in Ukraine against Shakhtar Donetsk. While often a hard opponent to come up against, City manager Pep Guardiola said their first half was the best they have ever played under him – high praise indeed.

They arrive in North London with key players like Raheem Sterling, Sergio Aguero and David Silva in sublime form. Conceding just 3 goals in 9 games, too, they have scored 36 and so shouldn’t feel too worried about either defensive or attacking frailty.

City can come forward knowing they have a structure which keeps the opposition at bay. With tough trips to Anfield and now Wembley out the way, City can look forward to less pressing fixtures after this.

Verdict

City win. They used very little up in dismantling Shakhtar, and should feel plenty good about how they will come into this one. Spurs are a good side, but City are utterly imperious: if they can pass through this test with the 3-points, they’ll already start to look pretty ominous as a club with regards to their title credentials.