Match Week 9 Preview

EPL Match Week 9 Preview

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In Today’s CleanSheet:

• Headlines 📌

• Current Situation📈📉

• Hot Topic 🔥🔥🔥- Match the Manager

• Off Island 🏝️ - Champions & Europa League

• Best Bets 💰

Headlines 📌

• CS Match of the Week. Arsenal +130 v Liverpool +200 SUN 1130a - Feels like this is a must win for the Gunners if they have hopes for a title. OK, it’s not a “must” win, but to lose to a contender at home would definitely be a big setback. Arsenal has lots of injuries, are not playing well, and are in the middle of a very tough schedule. Liverpool has been workmanlike, doing enough to win against the competition. This is just the next test to see where they are at. Both sides played mid-week in the Champions League so should be on equal footing in terms of readiness.

• 1.5.4 Weekend. 1 Friday, 5 Saturday, 4 Sunday.

What 2 Look 4 👀- Match Week 9

Derby’s 🏇🏇 

• Leicester City +180 v Forest +145 FRIDAY 2p - East Midlands Derby. Just 22 miles separate these two sides, and this rivalry gets an added boost when current manager Steve Cooper hosts his old side Forest at the King Power. The Trees are the surprise of the season so far while the Foxes, who were projected to be near the bottom, have scored in every match and have lost just 3 of 8 matches. Forest have been great on the road. Dating back to last season under Nuno Forest are averaging 1.36 goals per match on the road.

• Palace +300 v Tottenham -120 SUN 9a - London Derby. North heading South. Palace have really struggled this season, and Spurs have been either been really good or really bad. Palace have scored just 5 goals all season, Spurs 18. This one seems to come down to which Spurs club will show up. The good, and it will not matter how Palace plays. The bad, and it will be Palace’s for the taking.

Too Close To Call

• West Ham +190 v Man United +125 SUN 9a - Lopetegui v ten Hag. Both fan bases are questioning their leader. ten Hag’s issues have been well documented, yes, he has won cups but the form for United are well below expectations. As for the Hammer’s head man, the natives are getting restless. Suddenly you can hear fans and pundits question the signing of Lopetegui

• Everton +175 v Fulham +160 SAT 1130a - You may not have noticed but Everton have gone 4 matches unbeaten, 2W 2D. Fulham have had recent success against the Toffee’s with 5W 3D in their last 8, including 4 Clean Sheet’s in those 8. There seems to be optimism for the first time in a while at Goodison Park - possibly from the sale of the club to the Friedkin Group and the play of Ndiaye.

• Arsenal +130 v Liverpool +200 SUN 1130a - See Above.

Favorites 🍩🍩🍩🍩🍩

• Man City -901 v Southampton +1800 SUN 9a - Mismatch. City have not lost in 31 PL matches. Southampton have not won in 21 PL matches. City have gained more points from losing positions than any other team, 13. The Saints have played teams tough through 60’ but it’s the final 30’ that’s causing all the problems. Maybe Southampton can keep it close into HT?

• BHA -170 v Wolves +425 SAT 9a - Wolves have been getting battered and it feels like it is starting to affect their mentality. They have quality but it is not gelling. BHA seems to be gelling after getting back-to-back wins against Spurs and Newcastle. Wolves matches have seen more combined goals than any other club - 33 - with Wolves scoring 10 but allowing 23.

• Brentford -135 v Ipswich Town +320 SAT 9a - These two sides have never met in the top level of English Soccer. Combined they have played 1,451 matches in the top level, never against each other. Brentford have scored a lot of goals but also allowed a lot (14,15), Ipswich have allowed a lot but not scored many (17,6). Expect goals.

• Chelsea -125 v Newcastle +300 SUN 9a - Chelsea keeps getting better, both scoring and being balanced. Newcastle is doing it with defense but not scoring. A Magpie win would jump them ahead of the Blues. A Blues win could jump them up to third. After playing well at Anfield, will be a much welcome home match for Chelsea at Samford Bridge.

• Aston Villa -110 v Bournemouth +270 SAT 9a - Two Basque (MW2 Recap) managers going at it. Villa is off to their best start in the PL since 1998 with 17 points in 8 matches. Bournemouth have been shut out in their last two road matches and only a 3-goal outburst after the 86’ at Everton keeps that streak from being three.

Current Situation 📈📉

Hot Topic 🔥🔥🔥

Match the Manager

Seeing Jose Mourinho on the sideline coaching a Turkish club made CS wonder where he stacks up on the list of “recent” great managers. Can you match the picture with the iconic Gaffer? (Answers at Bottom)

Hint: list is structured by - Manager Name, Current Club, Most recent EPL Club.

How many do you know? Submit your number to the CS.

Answer Key

A-3, B-7, C-11, D-17, E-12, F-8, G-9, H-16, I-18, J-6, K-10, L4, M-13, N-2, O-17, P-15, Q-1, R-5

For What It’s Worth - Here is the CS rankings of CURRENT PL managers.

After 8 matches -

Off Island 🏝️

Champions League Results

Good CL MW3 for the EPL and some big surprises.

EPL Team Results

This goal from Haaland, wow.

• Aston Villa 2-0 Bologna. 2 quick goals coming out of the half was enough for the Villain’s at home.

• Red Bull Leipzig 0-1 Liverpool. Nice win in Germany for Liverpool in Leipzig, another workman-like W.

• City 5-0 Sparta Praha. All City.

• Arsenal 1-0 Shakhtar. Gunners were big favorites but needed an own goal to sneak past the visitors.

Other Interesting Results

• Pulisic. AC Milan 3-1 Club Brugge. Milans first win of the CL and Pulisic scored off an Olimpico - a goal directly from a corner.

• 1H v 2H. Real Madrid 5-2 Borussia Dortmund. Dortmund started fast with two 1H goals at 30’ and 34’. In the 2H, it was all Madrid, scoring 5 unanswered with a Vinicius hat trick in the Santiago Bernabeu.

• Stuttgart (ranked 33 of 26 coming into the CL) went to Turin and upset Juventus 1-0.

• Barcelona took it to Harry Kane and Bayern Munich, 4-1.

• Lille beat Atletico Madrid 3-1, in Madrid. They now can claim victor over Madrid - having upset Real Madrid 1-0 earlier in the competition.

All 36 teams were ranked heading into the competition.

Current Standings after 3 Matches.

• EPL currently in the top 3 spots.

• Brest, the last ranked team, sitting 5th.

Europa League

• United traveled to Istanbul to take on Fenerbahce and their manager Jose Mourinho and it was more of the same, a 1-1 Draw in a competition United should be in control of.

  • Goalkeeper Onana was great for United and is having a great season.

  • Jose Mourinho - The former Chelsea & Spurs iconic manager was kicked out of the game versus United, and his post-game presser was classic. Sarcasm.

• Spurs hosted to Eredevisie (Netherlands) and converted a penalty to win 1-0 and be tied at the top of table.

Europa Conference League

In the EUFA Conference League, Chelsea beat Panathinaikos 4-1 in Athens, Greece. Chelsea sit top of the table.

Best Bets 💰

Little by little, bird by bird, just keep swimming.

Match Week 9 - Winners Only Please

General philosophy this week - Value. CS has been looking for the long odds lately. This week, CS is looking for value from the favored teams and good “+” value.

Liverpool to win +180 at Arsenal. $20

Gunners injured, struggling to score and hurt on defense. Liverpool have the veterans to travel well. Although Arsenals backs are against the wall, they don’t have the firepower right now.

Brentford to win -152 v Ipswich Town. $30

Until Ipswich can show they belong, taking the other side.

Villa to win -114 v Bournemouth. $23

Villa is playing great, plays great at home and are undervalued. They have the depth to handle the mid-week match.

City Southampton both teams to score -104. $21

Looking for the Saints to score in the first 60’ but lose.

Leicester City Forest Draw +230. $20

Forest have been solid defensively. The Foxes have scored in every match. Expect a low scoring match, so we will play for 0-0, 1-1 or even 2-2.

Chelsea to Win & both teams to score v Newcastle Draw +140. $20

Value. Chelsea is playing well and will continue to at the Bridge. Can Newcastle score, that is the question.

Spurs to win -125 at Palace. $25

Spurs to keep a Clean Sheet +199 at Palace. $20

Until Palace show they can score, taking the other side.