Premier League match previews, team news, stats, predictions, kick-off time and how to follow | Football News

Team news, stats, predictions and how to follow the Premier League on Saturday as Arsenal host Man Utd, while Spurs visit Brentford live on Sky Sports.

Arsenal vs Man Utd – Saturday, kick-off 12.30pm

Team News: Arsenal captain Alexandre Lacazette could return for Saturday’s Premier League visit of Manchester United.

The striker is back in full training after testing positive for coronavirus but could find himself on the bench after his replacement Eddie Nketiah hit a brace in the 4-2 win at Chelsea.

Takehiro Tomiyasu (calf) is closing in on a return while Kieran Tierney (knee) and Thomas Partey (thigh) are long-term absentees.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Raphael Varane are set to return as Manchester United head to the Emirates without a number of other key players.

The pair missed the 4-0 loss at Liverpool and Scott McTominay is fit after only being included as an emergency substitute at Anfield, where Paul Pogba picked up a calf injury that is set to rule him out for the rest of the season.

Fred, Edinson Cavani and Luke Shaw are sidelined. Mason Greenwood remains suspended by the club.

Jones Knows prediction…

Looking at the Manchester United price of 5/2 for an away win, the markets still have slight faith in them – but their season is over. Heads have gone. Minds are elsewhere. I’d be stunned if they win this game and I wouldn’t even back them at 6/1 let alone 5/2. Arsenal at a shade of odds-against (11/10 with Sky Bet) will be a popular selection. I wouldn’t put anyone off.

The stage is set for a fully-fit Emile Smith Rowe to showcase his talent on Saturday – he is a huge price in the various goalscorer markets considering he comes into this game on the back of his goal at Chelsea and the simple argument he is playing in an attacking front three against the Manchester United defence.

The 21-year-old has showcased his ability in dribs and drabs this season for Arsenal with injuries hampering his progress. When he is on it he is equally as dangerous as Bukayo Saka, but he has yet to command respect in the goalscorer markets. In the last month, he is averaging an expected goals figure per 90 minutes of 0.42 which marks him out as one of the most dangerous attackers in the league for chances falling his way. He possesses the quality to finish them, too.

A continuation of these types of numbers should result in Smith Rowe standing a fair chance of scoring again this weekend. And confidence should be flowing. His prices of 13/2 to score first and 5/2 anytime are worth following. As is the 7/2 for Arsenal to win with him scoring in the match.

SCORE PREDICTION: 2-0 | BETTING ANGLE: Arsenal to win and Emile Smith Rowe to score (7/2 with Sky Bet – Bet Here!)

Opta stats…

• Arsenal are unbeaten in their last three Premier League home games against Man Utd (W2 D1), keeping a clean sheet each time – they’ve never kept a clean sheet in four consecutive home league games against the Red Devils.
• Manchester United won the reverse fixture 3-2 against Arsenal in December, ending a six-game winless run against the Gunners in the Premier League. They’re looking to complete their first league double over Arsenal since 2017-18.
• Arsenal have won just three of their 15 Premier League games against Manchester United on Saturdays (D5 L7) and are winless in seven since a 2-1 home win in November 2008. However, two of the Gunners’ three such victories against the Red Devils have been in an early kick-off slot (11:15 in March 1998, 12:45 in November 2008).
• Manchester United are unbeaten in their last 13 Premier League games in London (W8 D5), since a 2-0 loss at Arsenal in January 2020. The last top-flight side from outside the capital to have a longer unbeaten run in London was Liverpool – 16 games between May 1987 and October 1989.
• Manchester United have the best 100% win rate in Premier League games played on St George’s Day, winning all three such matches without conceding a single goal.

How to follow: Follow Arsenal vs Manchester United in our dedicated live match blog. Highlights will also be published on the Sky Sports digital platforms and the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel from 5.15pm.

Leicester vs Aston Villa – Saturday, kick-off 3pm – PLAY SUPER SIX TO WIN £1m!

Team News: Jamie Vardy will return to Leicester‘s squad for the visit of Aston Villa.

The striker has been sidelined after suffering a knee injury against Leeds last month – his first match back having been out since December with hamstring trouble.

But Leicester remain without Boubakary Soumare for personal reasons while Wilfred Ndidi, Danny Ward and Ryan Bertrand are all sidelined with knee problems.

Aston Villa go to the King Power Stadium without Bertrand Traore after the winger pulled out of training on Thursday.

He was due to have a scan on a groin problem and is definitely sidelined for Steven Gerrard’s side.

Kortney Hause is also unavailable along with midfielder Morgan Sanson and Lucas Digne.

Jones Knows prediction…

If you gave me a match bet for who will finish higher next season – Leicester or Aston Villa – I’d be all over Brendan Rodgers’ side. This blip of a season could still end in triumph with the Europa Conference League and there have been signs of late that the core of an exciting side remains very much there. A few shrewd additions in the summer could see them challenge back towards the top four.

Everton should have been buried long before Richarlison’s dramatic stoppage-time equaliser on Wednesday, and City were unfortunate to lose 2-1 at Newcastle, too. The attacking flair and slick build-up that Rodgers craves has been there, with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and James Maddison looking in great form.

Aston Villa can be a fiddly team to knock down away from home as they defend in numbers and compete in midfield, but the balance in their team looks miles off where Steven Gerrard would like it – as evidenced by a run of four straight defeats. I think Leicester, who can be backed at 17/10 for the win with Sky Bet, can make it five in pretty convincing fashion.

SCORE PREDICTION: 3-0 | BETTING ANGLE: Leicester to win (17/10 with Sky Bet – Bet Here!)

Opta stats…

• Leicester lost this exact fixture 1-0 last season, with Ross Barkley netting the winner in the 90th minute. They’ve not lost consecutive home league games to Aston Villa since April 1981.
• Aston Villa are looking to complete the league double over Leicester for the first time since 2003-04, following their 2-1 win at Villa Park in the reverse fixture.
• Of all teams Leicester have faced at least 20 times in the Premier League, only against Leeds (45%) do they have a higher win rate than they do against Aston Villa (40% – 10 wins from 25 games).
• Aston Villa have played more Premier League games on St George’s Day without ever winning than any other side in the competition (4 – D2 L2).
• Aston Villa have lost their last four Premier League matches, last losing five in a row in October and November under Dean Smith. If they lose this match, it would be the second time this season a side has lost five in a row under two different managers, along with Norwich (Dean Smith and Daniel Farke).

How to follow: Follow Aston Villa vs Leicester in our dedicated live match blog. Highlights will also be published on the Sky Sports digital platforms and the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel from 5.15pm.

Man City vs Watford – Saturday, kick-off 3pm – PLAY SUPER SIX TO WIN £1m!

Team News: Manchester City will assess the fitness of three defenders before Saturday’s Premier League visit of Watford.

Centre-backs John Stones and Nathan Ake picked up knocks in the midweek victory over Brighton.

Right-back Kyle Walker is nearing a return after two matches out with an ankle problem but he may not be risked ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid.

Visiting Watford remain without forward Cucho Hernandez, who could miss the rest of the season with a hamstring issue.

Defender William Troost-Ekong could return this weekend. The Nigeria captain has not played for the Hornets since New Year’s Day but returned to training following a hamstring strain this week.

Francisco Sierralta (calf) and Samuel Kalu (ankle) are both set to miss out again for the relegation-threatened side.

Jones Knows prediction…

Roy Hodgson has a fair enough record against Pep Guardiola to make the 1/12 with Sky Bet for a Manchester City win look very short. Many big-hitters will see it as a potential for their ‘buying money’ strategy but surely there are stronger 1/12 shots out there this weekend. The Hodgson defensive block saw his Crystal Palace side come away with a 2-2 and a 3-2 win in four meetings at the Etihad. However, does this Watford side have the fight, quality and belief to really upset a team who have lost just one of their last 22 games? Most certainly not.

They are unbackable, but City will obviously win, so we don’t need to be getting involved in those types of markets.

My main betting attack on the match will centre around the goalscoring of Joao Cancelo.

What a player he is. His link play with his teammates is seriously impressive and results in the full-back enjoying plenty of space to work with in the final third.

And once he gets into these dangerous positions, he’s happy to fire shots at goal – 64, to be precise, over the season. No other Manchester City player has posted more, so it’s surprising to note he’s only scored one goal in the Premier League this term. I’d expect him to go close to doubling that return between now and the end of the season.

SCORE PREDICTION: 2-0 | BETTING ANGLE: Joao Cancelo to score (13/2 with Sky Bet – Bet Here!)

Opta stats…

• Manchester City have won their last 14 meetings with Watford in all competitions and could become the first English league side in history to win 15 consecutive competitive games against an opponent.
• Watford have lost 11 of their last 12 away games against Man City in all competitions, with the exception being a 0-0 draw in December 2006. Their last away win against the Citizens was in the top-flight in April 1987 (2-1).
• Manchester City have won 15 of their last 16 Premier League games against sides in the relegation zone (D1) since a 3-2 loss against Norwich in September 2019.
• Since drawing 1-1 with West Bromwich Albion in December 2020, the Citizens have won their last nine such matches by an aggregate score of 31-0.
• Watford have taken just one point from 39 available in away league games against reigning top-flight champions (W0 D1 L12), drawing 2-2 at Chelsea in December 2015. The Hornets have conceded 45 goals in these 13 games, losing 8-0 at Man City last time out.

How to follow: Follow Man City vs Watford in our dedicated live match blog. Highlights will also be published on the Sky Sports digital platforms and the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel from 5.15pm.

Norwich vs Newcastle – Saturday, kick-off 3pm – PLAY SUPER SIX TO WIN £1m!

Team news: Norwich will have on-loan Manchester United full-back Brandon Williams available for the Premier League clash against Newcastle after he sat out last weekend’s defeat at his parent club.

Scotland midfielder Kenny McLean is set to play through the pain barrier with a fractured toe, while Pierre Lees-Melou has resumed full training after being forced off with cramp during the closing stages against United.

Midfielder Lukas Rupp is out with a minor knee issue, while American forward Josh Sargent (ankle) should be available again next week. Adam Idah (knee) and defender Andrew Omobamidele (back) are long-term absentees while on loan Shalke defender Ozan Kabak (hamstring) is out for the season.

Newcastle winger Ryan Fraser will miss out once again and faces a race against time to return before the end of the season.

The Scotland international has undergone a second scan on the hamstring injury he suffered against Wolves on April 8 and while there is no serious damage, he faces a spell on the sidelines.

Head coach Eddie Howe has hinted he may freshen things up after hard-fought wins over Leicester and Crystal Palace in the last week, but full-back Kieran Trippier (fractured metatarsal) and striker Callum Wilson (Achilles/calf) are still out.

Jones Knows prediction…

Eddie Howe’s side will be a popular selection to beat the basement boys at 21/20 with Sky Bet after winning nine of their last 13 Premier League games. However, seven of those wins have only come by one goal and their overall expected goals data does have them overperforming their results output. Although Norwich will be playing Championship football next season they are a much harder team to beat under Dean Smith and did win their last home game 2-0 against Burnley. I think they can get a point.

Regular readers will know it requires patience to stick with some of my theories at attacking big prices. And that’s the case with Dan Burn to score again, especially against a Norwich team that ship a huge amount of chances from set pieces. Burn’s going to pop up before the end of the campaign.

Good quality chances have fallen Burn’s way in his 10 starts for Newcastle which have equated to an expected goals figure of 0.97, including three shots on goal in his last three games, where he has been the target for every set piece pumped into the box. He’s the value play to score against a side that have faced the most shots and conceded the highest amount of expected goals from set pieces.

SCORE PREDICTION: 1-1 | BETTING ANGLE: Dan Burn to score first (33/1 with Sky Bet – Bet Here!)

Opta stats…

• Norwich are unbeaten in their last four Premier League games against Newcastle (W2 D2), having been winless in six against them previously (D2 L4).
• Having won their first away Premier League game against Norwich 2-1 in January 1994, Newcastle are winless in their last seven top-flight visits to Carrow Road (D2 L5). All five of Norwich’s Premier League wins against Newcastle have come in home games – no side have they beaten more at Carrow Road in the competition than the Magpies (also 5 vs Southampton).
• Norwich are looking to win consecutive Premier League home games for the first time since August 2019, the second game of which was against Newcastle. They last won back-to-back Premier League games at Carrow Road within the same season in January 2016.
• Newcastle have lost each of their last three Premier League away games, last losing more consecutively in January 2021 (5). 10 of the Magpies’ 13 points on the road this season came in a four-game spell between January and March (W3 D1).

How to follow: Follow Norwich vs Newcastle in our dedicated live match blog. Highlights will also be published on the Sky Sports digital platforms and the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel from 5.15pm.

Brentford vs Tottenham – Saturday, kick-off 5.30pm, live on Sky Sports

Team News: Brentford will be without Ethan Pinnock for the visit of Tottenham in the Premier League on Saturday.

Pinnock was forced off against Watford with a hamstring problem and will be sidelined for a few weeks, with Sergi Canos also absent with a hamstring injury.

Mathias Jorgensen will join him on the treatment table with an abductor problem, with Frank Onyeka out with an ankle ligament issue.

Tottenham have no fresh injuries for the visit across the capital. Antonio Conte will pick from the same squad as Spurs look to get their Champions League qualification bid back on track.

Oliver Skipp (groin), Japhet Tanganga and Matt Doherty (both knee) are the injured players.

Jones Knows prediction…

I’m happy to back the theory that this game could be a slow burner. Brentford have only scored four goals in the first half of their home games this season – no team have netted fewer. This early defensive solidity in matches is giving Thomas Frank’s side a platform to build from as the match progresses. It could be a smart move, too, with Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son being such a dangerous partnership when space is afforded. As Brighton showed last weekend, if you restrict space for those two, Spurs don’t carry much attacking quality in other areas of the pitch.

In five of Brentford’s last six home matches the teams have gone in goalless at the break, and with Tottenham’s confidence perhaps a little shaky after last weekend, this game could go the same way.

SCORE PREDICTION: 1-1 BETTING ANGLE: Half-time correct score to be 0-0 (2/1 with Sky Bet – Bet Here!)

Opta stats…

• Brentford are hosting Tottenham for the first time in any competition since a 0-0 draw in the League Cup in September 2000, and for the first time in a league match since August 1949 (a 4-1 defeat).
• Following their 2-0 win in the reverse fixture, Tottenham are looking to complete their first ever league double over Brentford, though this is just the fourth different campaign in which they’ve met.
• The Brentford Community Stadium will be the 60th different stadium Tottenham have played at in the Premier League. They’ve won at 53 of the previous 59, with only Liverpool (57) and Man Utd (55) winning at more. However, no side have lost at more different Premier League venues than Spurs (51, level with Everton).
• Only Chelsea have won more points in Premier League London derbies this season than Brentford (14). Only three London teams have ever earned more such points in their maiden Premier League campaign, with all of them doing so in the inaugural campaign of 1992-93 (Chelsea 19, Tottenham 16, Wimbledon 15).

How to follow: Brentford vs Tottenham is live on Sky Sports Premier League from 5pm; kick-off 5.30pm. Sky Sports customers can watch in-game clips in the live match blog on the Sky Sports website and app. Highlights will also be published on the Sky Sports digital platforms and the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel shortly after the final whistle.

How the table stands

How to watch Premier League highlights on Sky Sports Digital

Anybody in the UK can watch highlights for free on the Sky Sports app or the Score Centre app on your iPhone or Android:

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Sky Sports’ digital platforms are the home of live blogs for every Premier League game, including commentary, analysis and team line-ups. Users with a free Sky ID can watch in-game clips from Sky live games in our dedicated live blogs.

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