Team news, stats, predictions and how to follow the Premier League on Sunday as Chelsea host Newcastle and Arsenal welcome Leicester, both live on Sky Sports.
Chelsea vs Newcastle – Sunday; kick-off 2pm, live on Sky Sports from 1pm
Team News: Christian Pulisic and Cesar Azpilicueta are doubts for Chelsea ahead of Sunday’s match against Newcastle at Stamford Bridge.
Pulisic missed Thursday’s 3-1 win at Norwich because of illness while Azpilicueta was withdrawn at half-time at Carrow Road because of stomach problems, leaving the pair’s involvement against the Magpies uncertain.
Reece James is expected to be unavailable because of the muscular leg strain that saw him miss out against the Canaries.
In-form Newcastle midfielder Joelinton is a doubt after missing Thursday night’s 2-1 win at Southampton with a groin problem.
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The Brazilian, like defender Fabian Schar, has been playing through discomfort, but was unable to play on the South Coast, while striker Allan Saint-Maximin was also absent through illness and both will be assessed.
Midfielder Bruno Guimaraes, who marked his first league start with the winning goal at St Mary’s Stadium, limped off late on with cramp, but is expected to be fit, unlike central defender Federico Fernandez (side strain), full-backs Kieran Tripper (fractured metatarsal) and Jamal Lewis (groin), midfielder Isaac Hayden (knee) and striker Callum Wilson (calf).
Jones Knows prediction
Newcastle are unbeaten in their last nine Premier League games, winning six of those. And with the off-the-field issues at Chelsea, a few may be tempted to take the 9/1 with Sky Bet on offer for an away win. Not me though.
Thomas Tuchel and his players are unlikely to be too badly affected by the Roman Abramovich saga in the short term. Plus, Newcastle are meeting a fully tuned and authoritative Chelsea that have won their last four games. I would be very surprised if they can’t beat Eddie Howe’s men – but their price of 3/10 with Sky Bet does tell you that.
Tuchel, like the astute manager he is, has managed to fix the Romelu Lukaku issue through the middle of Chelsea’s attack by shoehorning the excellent Kai Havertz into that central role. It’s not always obvious how much Havertz affects a game as his style is quite relaxed and he’s not exactly blessed with electric pace. But what a graceful and intelligent player he is – and one that has a significant eye for a goal that will only get deadlier over the next few years the more experience he gets.
He has five goals in his last six appearances for Chelsea in all competitions and he’ll be popular in the goalscoring markets here, although the 10/3 to fire first and 6/5 anytime do look a little skinny against such an improved defence like Newcastle’s.
I’ve stuck my rod in then to go fishing for a bigger price and have caught the 14/1 with Sky Bet for Havertz to score a header – something he has done three times already this season. That works out at a headed goal nearly every four games, so those odds are worth a small play.
SCORE PREDICTION: 2-0 | BETTING ANGLE: Kai Havertz to score a header (14/1 with Sky Bet – Bet Here!)
Opta stats…
Newcastle have won just one of their last 27 away league games against Chelsea (D7 L19), winning 2-0 in May 2012 under Alan Pardew.Chelsea have won each of their last eight Premier League home games against Newcastle. The Blues have only had four longer winning home runs against an opponent in their league history, most recently a run of nine against Bolton between 1976 and 2003.No team has lost more Premier League away games in London than Newcastle United (82). However, the Magpies won on their last visit to the capital 2-0 at Brentford, last winning consecutive trips to London within a top-flight season back in 2013-14 (three in a row against Tottenham, Crystal Palace and West Ham).Chelsea are unbeaten in their last nine Premier League home games (W4 D5), since a 1-0 loss against Manchester City in September. However, the Blues have kept just two clean sheets in this nine game run (22%), having kept a shutout in nine of their first 13 home league games under Thomas Tuchel (69%).Newcastle manager Eddie Howe has won three of his five Premier League away games against Chelsea (L2). Of all visiting managers to have taken charge of at least three Premier League games at Stamford Bridge, Howe has the best win rate (60%).
How to follow: Watch Chelsea vs Newcastle live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League, or follow in our dedicated live match blog featuring in-game highlights. Full match highlights will also be published on the Sky Sports digital platforms and the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel at the final whistle.
Everton vs Wolves – Sunday; kick-off 2pm
Team News: Everton duo Ben Godfrey and Demarai Gray will return to the squad to face Wolves at home.
Defender Godfrey has not played since a hamstring tear in manager Frank Lampard’s first match over a month ago, while forward Gray is back after two matches out with illness.
Centre-back Michael Keane is fit having played in Monday’s 5-0 defeat at Tottenham while unwell.
Ki-Jana Hoever and Nelson Semedo will once again miss out for Wolves with hamstring injuries.
Hoever was brought into the side last weekend to face Crystal Palace after it was confirmed fellow right-back Semedo would be sidelined for a month, but the young Dutchman lasted just 25 minutes before being substituted.
Willy Boly and Jonny made their first Premier League starts this season in Thursday’s win over Watford so Wolves boss Bruno Lage is likely to assess the pair before deciding whether to include them from the off at Goodison Park.
Jones Knows prediction
A huge game for Everton. Home wins are a must if they are to scramble away from danger.
However, from what we’ve seen so far this is going to be a relegation season for the club based on the vital statistics. They have the fewest points (22), most defeats (15) and most goals conceded (46) after 25 games of any of their Premier League campaigns. Frank Lampard must get them believing they are as good as their CVs suggest they are. I can’t back them here, though, against such a hardened team like Wolves.
The big difference between the two teams is the way they defend their box. Everton crack under the smallest of pressure while Wolves can withstand plenty of force – as shown by their defensive record on the road, conceding just 11 away goals – only Man City and Chelsea have conceded fewer. I’d expect Wolves to put pressure on the Toffees from every set-piece situation.
Romain Saiss is a player possessing a good attacking instinct in and around the box – and he has averaged 0.52 shots per 90 minutes this season which ranks him as one of the more dangerous centre-backs in the Premier League when it comes to attacking threat.
With Everton’s inability to defend their box – Max Kilman opened the scoring for Wolves with a header in the reverse fixture – I like Saiss’ odds of 10/11 with Sky Bet to register a shot.
SCORE PREDICTION: 1-1 | BETTING ANGLE: Romain Saiss to have a shot (10/11 with Sky Bet – Bet Here!)
Opta stats…
Following their 2-1 victory at Molineux in November, Wolves are looking to complete the league double over Everton for the first time since 1972-73.Wolves have lost their last two Premier League away games, as many defeats as they’d suffered in their previous 11 league games on the road (W7 D2).Only Tottenham Hotspur (98) have lost more Premier League games on Sundays than Everton (94), while of the eight teams to have played at least 200 Sunday games in the competition, the Toffees have the lowest win rate on this day (34% – 79 wins from 230 games).Everton have lost their last three Premier League matches by an aggregate score of 8-0. They last had a longer run of consecutive league defeats without scoring a single goal between August and October 2005 (6).Collectively, Everton’s players have made eight errors leading to a goal in the Premier League this season, more than any other side in the competition this term.Wolves’ Raul Jimenez has scored in all five of his Premier League appearances against Everton, netting five goals in total.
How to follow: Follow Everton vs Wolves in our dedicated live match blog. Highlights will also be published on the Sky Sports digital platforms and the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel shortly after the final whistle.
Leeds vs Norwich – Sunday; kick-off 2pm
Team News: Leeds striker Patrick Bamford could make his first start since September in Sunday’s home Premier League game against bottom club Norwich.
Bamford stepped off the bench in Thursday’s 3-0 home defeat to Aston Villa after recovering from a foot injury, but left-back Junior Firpo will miss out as he waits to learn the full extent of his knee problem.
Midfielder Kalvin Phillips and defender Liam Cooper (both hamstring) are not ready to return while forward Tyler Roberts will miss the rest of the season after undergoing hamstring surgery.
Norwich will make a late check on full-back Sam Byram ahead of the trip to Elland Road.
Byram missed the 3-1 home defeat by Chelsea on Thursday night because of fatigue, while on-loan Blues midfielder Billy Gilmour should return having been ineligible against his parent club.
Both defender Christoph Zimmermann and midfielder Mathias Normann have trained normally after coming off at half-time, while forward Adam Idah (knee) and defender Andrew Omobamidele (back) remain longer-term absentees.
Jones Knows prediction
Leeds have gone from ‘Bielsa ball’ to ‘boring ball’ in the space of two weeks.
The simply woeful performance against Aston Villa would have made Leeds fans hold their Bielsa bear that little tighter at bedtime.
Even I miss him so I can’t imagine how those season-ticket holders are feeling. Thursday’s showing was stomach turning. I’d go as far to say the worst performance I’ve seen all season by a team. That is mirrored by the fact it was the second-lowest expected goals output produced by a home team in the Premier League this season (0.17).
And, this wasn’t Manchester City or Liverpool they were playing. It was Aston Villa.
Jesse Marsch will be hoping it was just one of those nights. And while making sweeping conclusions about a team on one performance isn’t a shrewd betting tactic, the lack of quality, rhythm in their attacking play and complete downward trajectory of Raphinha’s form makes them so easy to swerve at 1/2 with Sky Bet here.
Leeds have also failed to score in their last four games, it’s their worst run without a goal since 2010. Confidence isn’t exactly raging through the Norwich squad either. They are the lowest scorers in English football with just 17 goals scored and have found the net just seven times on the road – the lowest tally of any side in the top four leagues.
With such a tense, cagey game in prospect where a ‘win at any cost’ mantra will be employed by both teams, the goal line set by the markets does seem high with under 2.5 goals trading at odds against. Perhaps the algorithms have factored in too much of the goal-crazy Bielsa era. That 6/5 with Sky Bet looks best-bet-of-the-weekend material.
SCORE PREDICTION: 0-0 | BETTING ANGLE: Under 2.5 goals (6/5 with Sky Bet – Bet Here!)
Opta stats…
Leeds are looking to complete the league double over Norwich for the first time since 1980-81, following their 2-1 win at Carrow Road earlier this season.This is the first time Leeds are hosting Norwich in a Premier League match since May 1995 – the Whites won 2-1, with Carlton Palmer’s 90th minute winner condemning the Canaries to relegation.Norwich have scored fewer away goals than any other side in the Premier League this season (7). However, they’ve netted four in their last three Premier League away games, as many as they had in their previous 17 on the road in the competition.Patrick Bamford has been involved in seven goals in five Premier League appearances against promoted sides for Leeds, scoring four and assisting three.Norwich won their last away league game against Leeds, 3-1 in February 2019 in the Championship. They’ve never won consecutive league visits to Elland Road before.
How to follow: Follow Leeds vs Norwich in our dedicated live match blog. Highlights will also be published on the Sky Sports digital platforms and the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel shortly after the final whistle.
Southampton vs Watford – Sunday; kick-off 2pm
Team News: Nathan Tella could return to Southampton‘s matchday squad.
The winger has been sidelined since mid-January, missing the Saints’ last nine fixtures, because of a groin injury but he is back in training and now building up his fitness.
Defender Lyanco and goalkeeper Alex McCarthy remain sidelined.
Watford will check on forward Joao Pedro, after the Brazilian missed the 4-0 defeat at Wolves on Thursday night due to Covid-19 protocols.
Samuel Kalu is pressing for a start after coming on for the second half to replace Joshua King, who had just returned to action following his own fitness issues.
Midfielder Peter Etebo made a welcome comeback from a quad problem which had sidelined him since September with a late cameo, while winger Ismaila Sarr (hamstring) and defender William Troost-Ekong (groin) continue their own rehabilitation.
Jones Knows prediction
The corner-winning machine that is Southampton, who we have profited from on multiple occasions this season, including last weekend, is at the top of my punting list again this weekend. Adding a further 12 corners to their tally in midweek against Newcastle means they are now third in the corners table this season, rising above Chelsea on 174.
Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men have won the corner race in 15 of their last 20 Premier League games and deep-defending Watford could be in for a proper thrashing when it comes to the corner count here.
Watford have won the same amount of corners (12) in their last four games as Saints did against the Toon in midweek.
Roy Hodgson’s boys have also lost the corner race in their last six Premier League fixtures. The markets are across this angle by offering just 4/11 with Sky Bet on Saints winning this race but the Evens on them with a -2.0 corner handicap still is worth a follow. For it to land Saints need to win the race by three or more corners.
SCORE PREDICTION: 2-0 | BETTING ANGLE: Southampton -2.0 corners (Evens with Sky Bet – Bet Here!)
Opta stats…
Southampton are unbeaten in their last six Premier League games against Watford, winning each of the last three in a row (D3). Indeed, Saints have lost just two of their 13 meetings with the Hornets overall in the competition (W6 D5).Watford have won just one of their last nine away games against Southampton in the top-flight (D2 L6), winning 2-0 in September 2017.Southampton have lost just three of their last 39 Premier League home games against promoted clubs (W26 D10), with those losses coming against Cardiff in April 2014, Cardiff in February 2019 and Leeds in May 2021.Southampton’s James Ward-Prowse has scored four goals in his last five Premier League starts against Watford. Against no side has he scored more goals in the competition than his four against the Hornets.Watford manager Roy Hodgson has won just three of his 11 Premier League meetings with Southampton (D2 L6). Of all sides he’s faced at least 10 times in the competition, he’s only won fewer against Tottenham (W1 D6 L12).
How to follow: Follow Southampton 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 shortly after the final whistle.
West Ham vs Aston Villa – Sunday; kick-off 2pm
Team News: Jarrod Bowen will definitely miss out for West Ham as they continue their push for European qualification against Aston Villa.
The 25-year-old limped off with a heel injury in last weekend’s defeat to Liverpool and he missed the 1-0 Europa League loss to Sevilla on Thursday night. Hammers boss David Moyes said the former Hull player would not be available against Villa.
Moyes felt the team had come through the trip to Spain unscathed but said the club would assess everyone’s fitness over the weekend.
Aston Villa have no fresh injury concerns following their victory at Leeds on Thursday.
Manager Steven Gerrard may look to keep changes to a minimum after a run of three successive wins in which Villa have scored 10 goals and conceded none.
Midfielder Marvelous Nakamba is the only notable absentee as he continues working towards a return from a knee injury.
Jones Knows prediction
I may sound like a broken record when it comes to West Ham but they are very easy to oppose here for a variety of reasons. Much of the negativity surrounding their chances of winning this match at 6/5 with Sky Bet is due to what is to come next. The Hammers have arguably the biggest fixture in the club’s modern history to look forward to against Sevilla on Thursday.
David Moyes just doesn’t have the squad to fight on both fronts so the likes of Michail Antonio, so important to the way West Ham play, will surely be given this weekend off to reset for Thursday night. The same could be said for Declan Rice and Kurt Zouma while Jarrod Bowen has already been ruled out.
Another reason to take the Hammers on is the opposition they are facing. The balance and shape of Aston Villa looks excellent once again under Steven Gerrard as they’ve put together three straight victories without conceding. The defensive process has backed up those clean sheets with an expected goals against figure of just 1.83 shipped in those fixtures against Brighton, Southampton and Leeds.
You certainly have to earn your goals against this Villa team in this mood and I’ll be amazed if an undercooked West Ham can find a way through. Another win to nil for Gerrard’s boys it is. The 5/1 with Sky Bet looks a cracker.
SCORE PREDICTION: 0-1 | BETTING ANGLE: Aston Villa to win to nil (5/1 with Sky Bet – Bet Here!)
Opta stats…
West Ham have won each of their last three league games against Aston Villa, their longest winning run against them since a run of six between 1964 and 1967.Aston Villa are winless in their last six Premier League away games against West Ham (D3 L3), failing to score on four occasions in that run since a 2-1 victory in April 2011.Aston Villa striker Danny Ings has faced West Ham more often than any other side without scoring in the Premier League (9 games). He’s also been on the losing side in eight of his nine appearances against the Hammers in the competition (D1).West Ham’s Michail Antonio has failed to score in his last eight Premier League appearances, last having a longer such run between November 2019 and February 2020 (9 games).West Ham are one of just two sides – along with Liverpool – to have scored in 100% of their Premier League home games this season. Overall, the Hammers have scored in their last 15 Premier League home games, last having a longer such run in the top-flight between October 1985 and January 1987 (27 games).
How to follow: Follow Southampton 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 shortly after the final whistle.
Arsenal vs Leicester – Sunday; kick-off 4.30pm, live on Sky Sports from 4pm
Team News: Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta expects to have Emile Smith Rowe available for the visit of Leicester in the Premier League on Sunday.
Smith Rowe has not played since February 19 and missed his side’s win at Watford last weekend after he contracted Covid-19.
However, Takehiro Tomiyasu will remain sidelined for the match and Arteta would not be drawn into a return date for the defender.
Ricardo Pereira is hoping to return to action for Leicester after missing the last two games due to a hamstring strain.
Fellow defender James Justin returned from a similar injury in the midweek Europa Conference League win against Rennes and will be assessed, as will James Maddison (back), who was restricted to the bench on Thursday night.
Wesley Fofana is hoping to feature for the first time this season next week after recovering from a broken leg and ankle ligament damage sustained in the summer.
Jamie Vardy (knee), Jonny Evans (hamstring) and Timothy Castagne (thigh/shoulder) are still out.
Jones Knows prediction
Leicester aren’t fooling me with their back-to-back clean sheets. They have shipped an expected goals figure equating to 2.7 goals in those two matches, pointing to a big overperformance and the eyes told you that against Leeds, who somehow failed to score in the 1-0 defeat last weekend.
I’d be stunned if they can keep this flowing Arsenal attack at bay. The Gunners already have more points at home than in all of last season and are unbeaten vs sides outside the top three, winning nine of those 11 Premier League games. Home win.
I’m fully expecting Bukayo Saka to make more noise in front of the Super Sunday cameras. His performance in the win at Watford only further enhanced my view that he’s the best young player in world football. Just watch him. When he’s tasked with making the right final pass, he makes it. His intelligence is off the scale and he has the ability to go with it.
He now has 13 goal involvements this season – the most for Arsenal and also the most by any Premier League player under 21 this season. I’m happy to back him here to score first at 9/2 with Sky Bet.
The regard in which I hold him has triggered a significant interest in his price to win PFA Young Player of the Year, too. Phil Foden currently leads that market at 8/11 with Sky Bet which completely underrates the chances of his England team-mate Saka, who can be backed at a colossal 6/1.
SCORE PREDICTION: 3-1 | BETTING ANGLE: Bukayo Saka to score first (9/2 with Sky Bet – Bet Here!)
Opta stats…
Arsenal are looking to complete the league double over Leicester for the first time since 2015-16, following their 2-0 victory at the King Power Stadium earlier this season.Leicester won this exact fixture 1-0 last season, ending a 23-game winless run away at Arsenal in league competition. They’ve never won back-to-back away league games against the Gunners before.Arsenal have taken 25 points from their last 30 available to them in the Premier League (W8 D1 L1). No side has earned more points over their last 10 Premier League games than the Gunners (level with Manchester City).Bukayo Saka has been involved in more Premier League goals than any other Arsenal player this season (13 – 8 goals, 5 assists). Indeed, the young Englishman has registered nine goal involvements in his last 10 top-flight appearances (6 goals, 3 assists).Leicester striker Jamie Vardy has scored 11 Premier League goals against Arsenal, with only Wayne Rooney (12) netting more against the Gunners in the competition’s history. Vardy is also the joint-highest goalscorer in away Premier League games against Arsenal (5, level with Teddy Sheringham).
How to follow: Watch Arsenal vs Leicester live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League, or follow in our dedicated live match blog featuring in-game highlights. Full match highlights will also be published on the Sky Sports digital platforms and the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel at the final whistle.
How the table stands
How to watch Premier League highlights on Sky Sports Digital
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Latest Essential Football Podcast
Chelsea Q&A special: Transfers, tickets, and what next at Stamford Bridge? Plus Man Utd vs Tottenham in top-four race
In a special edition of the Essential Football Podcast, Sky Sports News chief reporter Kaveh Solhekol joins Ron Walker, Declan Olley and Oli Yew for all the latest updates on everything from Stamford Bridge at the end of a tumultuous week for Chelsea, as well as looking ahead to a big weekend in the Premier League.
PART 1 | Man Utd vs Tottenham – is there extra pressure to bounce back after the hosts’ defeat to Man City last weekend? Who has more riding on the game, and how will Harry Kane’s form play a part? Plus we make the case for a home win, and look at how Spurs can grab a big three points on the road.
PART 2 | Kaveh Solhekol joins us to explain the latest developments around Chelsea following Roman Abramovich was sanctioned by the UK government on Thursday. Where does it leave the club? Can they rescue their transfer plans? Will away fans be allowed in, and who is going to buy the club?