TheCable

Numbers four and five are the new “ringing tones” in this Manchester derby as the two key stats going into Sunday’s game revolves around the numbers.  

Five:

Manchester City could become the first side in Barclays Premier League (BPL) history to record five consecutive victories against Manchester United.

Four:

No Manchester City manager has lost four successive BPL away games since Stuart Pearce in September 2006.

Three:

Our three soccer analysts – Kayode Tijani, Aisha Falode, and Sunday Omeike – have based their analyses and predictions on those two numbers.

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SWANSEA CITY V EVERTON

Everton are going into this match on the back of three successive victories, which is the first time they have achieved that this season. Sunday, can they make four in a row?

Sunday: The form book has this tie down to be a tantalising duel and hopefully it will be. Everton are on a three-game winning streak- their first this season like you said, while Swansea have won two consecutive games too but have never managed a trio this season. Another positive news for the Toffees is that they have never lost to Swansea in 19 BPL games and this would be put to the test on Saturday against a Welsh side that has striker Bafetimbi Gomis roaring like the panther he mimics in his goal celebrations. The Frenchman has returned from his collapse to lead the line excellently again, scoring a peach of a goal last weekend and also added a poacher’s goal too. More worrisome, however, is Everton’s rag-tag midfield of off-form Gareth Barry, Darren Gibson, Ross Barkley et al which gets overwhelmed and Swansea are known to dominate this area of the pitch. Swansea seldom disappoint against teams in the lower half of the league – a place Everton have found themselves unfortunately –  while Everton, on the other hand, find it difficult to score against top half opponents while also shipping goals in the process. Although Romelu Lukaku should feature in this game, it should end as a win for the Swans with Gomis likely to continue his scoring form. 2-1

Aisha: It’s strange that Everton have not had a better season going by the quality they possess. However, I expect that they will be safe given that they already have 37 points. Swansea, on the other hand, have done really well and are pushing for European qualification. This should be a draw. 1-1

Kayode: I am expecting an entertaining game from two sides in good form. Swansea will nick it though being at home and looking to overtake the teams above them. There will be plenty of goals here! 4-3

SOUTHAMPTON V HULL CITY

Hull have collected only two points from a possible 15 in their last five league games (D2 L3). Aisha, they should also stumble at St Mary’s.

Aisha: The Saints have stumbled a bit recently, but they have still had a good season which would become remarkable if they qualify for Europe. Hull are still not safe and I think their season is about to get worse. Southampton to win this 2-0

Sunday: Southampton’s form has been out-of-sorts since February, picking up only 11 points while Hull City have briefly improved during that period to take 9 points. Although their points haul says they should match each other in this tie, I see Southampton using this game as a springboard to challenge for Europa place – as targeted by coach Ronald Koeman. However, the Dutch coach needs to sort out an ailing forward line which has scored a miserly five goals in nine BPL games and epitomised by Graziano Pelle’s lengthy goals drought. The statistics do not make good reading for Steve Bruce’s Hull City either – it is actually worse. While Southampton are on a two-game winning streak at home without conceding, Hull City have not won in six away games and conceded 9 goals in the process. Aside a surprise loss to Swansea on February 1, only Liverpool has defeated them in 8 home games and they do not lose or draw against relegation-threatened teams: a certain home win for the hosts. 2-0

Kayode: Both sides need the points for different reasons. Southampton can’t afford any points dropped as they chase a Champions League spot or at least Europa League place. Hull know the drop zone will be theirs with drop points. So, it’s survival of the fittest and bravest. I expect honours to be shared. 1-1

SUNDERLAND V CRYSTAL PALACE

Sunderland are undefeated in their last six matches against Crystal Palace in all competitions. However, Palace have won their last three league matches. Sunday, who wins this?

Sunday: Sunderland would be boosted by their 1-0 derby win at home to arch-rivals Newcastle United and they should give a resurgent Palace a game to remember. New manager Dick Advocaat has stuck to the survival fight with resilience, but any chance of getting something out of this encounter rests on curbing Palace’s well-advertised wingers –  Bolasie and Zaha. Alan Pardew’s men have travelled to relegation-threatened teams in recent weeks and have not lost all three games, winning two of them. They are currently on a three-game winning streak and have lost just once in their last six games. Sunderland, on the other hand, have been dire. Two goals in six games and just one win in 8 say it all. In Jermain Defoe, they have a striker who can score at any time but without an efficient midfield and a leaky defence, it could be a long day for the Mackems. Sunderland won the reverse fixture, but they would struggle to claim a point here, a draw would be the ideal result. 1-1

Aisha: Sunderland are still basking in the euphoria of their 1-0 win over Newcastle United while Crystal Palace claimed their biggest scalp of the season beating champions Manchester City 2-1. The two teams will go into this game full of confidence. I expect an exciting 2-2 draw

Kayode: Sunderland’s win over rivals Newcastle last week should boost their morale ahead of this tie. Palace also beat champions City so they are on a “high” as well. One side will remain in that “state” after this game while the other will face reality after losing. Reality will bite Palace. 2-0

TOTTENHAM V ASTON VILLA

Spurs are unbeaten at White Hart Lane against Villa in their last 5 visits. Aisha, do you see the trend continuing?

Aisha: Aston Villa scored three goals in their last game but still failed to win against fellow relegation threatened QPR. The Champions League aspirations of Tottenham Hotspur are fading but they have realistic chances of making Europe. Spurs would want this badly and I fancy them to win it 2-1

Sunday: As Tim Sherwood returns to White Hart Lane for a visit of his Aston Villa side to his former employers Tottenham, he should note these statistics: Tottenham have won their last five league games against Villa by two or more goals while Villa have scored more than one goal in a single game against Spurs in 12 outings; Spurs love coming from a goal down to win, while Villa do not win once they concede the first goal. Tottenham have not lost a home game in six matches, winning five, while their recent form shows that only Man United defeated them in their last six league games. Aston Villa’s wretched form away from home is set to continue and although Christian Benteke will likely score, Spurs will win to dent Villa’s survival chances. 3-1

Kayode: Spurs should be looking to bounce back after they could only pick a draw away at Burnley. With a mathematical chance of qualifying for the Champions League, they can’t afford to let it slip against another relegation battling side. 2-0

WEST BROM V LEICESTER CITY

West Brom have won their last four matches against Leicester in all competitions. Sunday, five times lucky for Ideye and co.?

Sunday: This is another opportunity for manager Tony Pulis to right the abject display of last weekend when they were torn apart by relegation-threatened QPR. Leicester are another bottom team and I think lightening will definitely not strike twice: Pulis has not lost consecutive home matches since taking over at the Hawthorns. Leicester’s win over West Ham halted a run of no win in 8 games to boost their survival chances. However, this game will resume their losing streak to consign them to relegation. 2-0

Aisha: West Brom got spanked 4-1 at home by QPR last time and they would want an immediate response. Against Leicester, they will see a good chance of pulling further away from the relegation zone. I predict a 2-1 win for the home side

Kayode: It is a must win for the hosts after the shock 4-1 defeat to QPR last week as they entertain bottom club Leicester City. Also, their last six games are tough fixtures that include matches against the original “Big Four” sides – Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United. It’s surely a must-win against Leicester and I see them achieving it. 2-1

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WEST HAM V STOKE CITY

West Ham have won only one of their last nine BPL games (D3 L5). Aisha, can Stoke add to their misery?

Aisha: West Ham are 9th on the table and Stoke City 10th. Both teams have 42 points and are safe. This game has all the trappings of a draw. I would say 1-1

Sunday: West Ham have been out-of-sorts for a while and it seems the season has taken its toll on the players. Stoke too seem to have hit the home stretch, with three straight losses following a good run of form. This game could be a dull affair low on goals with West Ham scoring more than one goal once in their last eight games, while Stoke have managed it twice in the same period. Mark Hughes also has a good record of no loss in nine meetings against Sam Allardyce’s team but 10 might be the lucky number for Allardyce. The fans should help West Ham win this game. 2-1

Kayode: West Ham have been in poor form lately. They have managed to scrape a measly 4 points out of a possible 15 in the last 6 games. And for a side who looked a sure candidate for Europe some months back it’s quite a stark change in fortune. The Hammers and Stoke are tied on 42 points in the 9th and 10th spot respectively. The match could go either way. I see a draw, though.

BURNLEY V ARSENAL

Arsenal have won each of their last seven BPL games, the best current run in the division. No side has won eight in a row at any point this season. Sunday, can they achieve it?

Sunday: Who can stop the Gunners? Arsene Wenger’s boys are on a run of 7 consecutive wins – scoring at least two goals in each game – and could make it eight against a Burnley team that seems to raise its game against the top sides. The Clarets do not score much – three goals in seven – but the Gunners do not have an impenetrable defence with only two clean sheets in their run of wins.  Burnley shocked an out-of-form Manchester City last month and shared the spoils with Chelsea in February, but an Arsenal team with Sanchez, Bellerin, Cazorla, Ozil and Giroud all on form should be too much to handle. 1-3

Aisha: The Gunners are in blistering form and are gunning down opponents. There couldn’t have been a worse time for relegation candidates Burnley to play them. I can only see one winner here. And It’s Arsenal. 1-3

Kayode: Olivier Giroud has scored 10 goals in his last 10 matches for Arsenal in all competitions and he should increase his tally against Burnley. The Frenchman is the first player to score in six consecutive BPL games for the Gunners since Emmanuel Adebayor in 2008. The Burnley defence would need to step up their game if they hope to stop him. I’m tempted to go for a 3-1 score line like Aisha and Sunday predicted but I think it will be closer than that. 1-2

QPR V CHELSEA

QPR have lost 49 BPL home games in their time in the elite division. Aisha, your Chelsea should make it number 50. No?

Aisha: Seven goals and 4 points from two games gives an indication that QPR could yet escape relegation. Too bad they have to face leaders and title chasing Chelsea. The Blues haven’t been very convincing in recent matches but they are getting the results. Even without Diego Costa, I think Chelsea will win this, 1-2

Sunday: Following a run of five straight losses, QPR surprised the BPL last week with a 4-1 win away at a sturdy West Brom and also battled Aston Villa to a 3-3 draw in mid-week. The last time they scored two or more goals in consecutive matches was October last year before a 2-1 loss at Chelsea. The Blues are around once again a similar score line should ensue. The break has done both teams some good and it would be exciting to see who wins this London derby. Diego Costa is definitely out while Fabregas is gradually coming back to form. Eden Hazard is however expected to shine and manager Jose Mourinho would want a win to ride on a crest through the league title as other teams try to sneak back into the race. 1-2

Kayode: Chelsea are without Diego Costa at QPR following the striker’s hamstring injury but I doubt if they will miss him. The Blues are grinding out results despite not playing too well. I will nick this as well. 0-1

MANCHESTER UNITED V MANCHESTER CITY

No point bringing up the stats. Sunday, who wins this?

Sunday: The game of the week, and on the red side of town it is the game they have been waiting for. Manchester United look cohesive in recent weeks and they have won five straight games with excellent displays against Tottenham and Liverpool. City on the other hand have lost three of five and against the top teams, they seem to miss an extra bit of inspiration. Stars such as Dzeko, Yaya Toure, Fernandinho, Fernando, Kompany are off form while Aguero and Silva are laborious in recent times. Wayne Rooney loves scoring at the Etihad stadium – which is not the venue of this match, though – while Sergio Aguero hits form against United, making this a potentially entertaining encounter. City have not lost four away matches on the trot (they are on a run of three straight losses away from home), while United have never lost five straight games to City (currently lost four straight Manchester derbies). The managers are also enjoying contrasting fortunes with van Gaal in boisterous mood while Manuel Pellegrini looks like a man that has resigned to fate. Captain Rooney to lead United to the derby win. 3-1

Aisha: I think City relinquished the title when they lost 2-1 to Crystal Palace on Monday. Manchester United know that they may not have a better opportunity of beating their fierce rivals for some time than now. However, Man City would want to salvage some pride and win. If they lose, it could be the end of Pellegrini as City boss. I think this will be a draw. 2-2

Kayode: As a biased umpire – being a United fan – I will say the Red corner of Manchester will smile after the game. But then, current form backs my prediction. However, the derby throws all that to the waste bin. City have been unconvincing lately and I doubt if they will escape defeat at Old Trafford. 3-1

LIVERPOOL V NEWCASTLE UNITED

Newcastle have lost four successive BPL games. Sunday, will your team make it five in five?

Sunday: Talks of rancour at Anfield, talks of sitting-duck at St. James’ Park. Both headlines are out of the window when Newcastle and Liverpool lock horns and what fans would remember are Stan Collymore’s last minute winner and Kevin Keegan’s dejected posture in 1996 which led to Newcastle’s crumble. It is almost two decades but an unforgettable one and Liverpool have been the better side since then. This looks to be a straightforward win for the Kop who have won four of their last six at home and only recently crumbled to Man United and Arsenal. The FA Cup replay win at Blackburn in midweek should have given the team a much-needed kick on the back side, while Newcastle United’s derby loss to Sunderland would be a stinker for the fans who would now be resigned to fate. John Carver needs to find an identity for this Newcastle side and against Liverpool who should welcome back Martin SKrtel and Steven Gerrard from suspension, they’d leave Anfield empty-handed. 3-1

Aisha: Liverpool recovered a bit from the 4-1 spanking by Arsenal to qualify for the semi-final of the FA Cup courtesy of a 1-0 win over Blackburn. The Reds’ Champions League hope is almost gone but they would want to finish as high as possible. Newcastle will be tough but Liverpool should win this 3-1

Kayode: I really can’t see how Newcastle won’t end up losing this game. They have been in abysmal form and the derby loss to Sunderland will continue to rankle as they visit Anfield on Sunday. An easy win for the Reds. 3-0

WEEK 30 PREDICTIONS

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