EPL Matchday 15: Leicester City vs Manchester United, And Arsenal vs Chelsea.
We've got a continuation of the amazing fixtures we got last week as 2nd placed Leicester City welcome 3rd placed Manchester United to the King power stadium, and Chelsea face off against Arsenal in their(Chelsea) 2nd consecutive London derby.
It's going to be a cracker between the Foxes and the red devils with the former bouncing back from their loss to Everton with a classical win away from home over Tottenham. Manchester United as well have been tremendous so far. The last time they tasted defeat was against Arsenal, after which, they've been on 7 games unbeaten run as long as the EPL is concerned, drawing just 2 of these games to top sides such as Chelsea and Manchester City. I really must say, it isn't a good time to face Manchester United, but Leicester will definitely put up a fight though.
Although it will be very difficult to choose a side, I still feel the red devils will take the day, and here are my reasons:
Leicester City's Inconsistentency: Truth be told, I was shocked to see Leicester get a win over Jose Mourinho's Tottenham, however, this doesn't proof that they(Leicester) are extraordinary as United. We've seen them(Liecester City) lose games we can barely imagine them to lose eg Loss to Everton at home, and loss to lowly side Fulham. This is one big problem I have with them. They put up an excellent show when you least expect them and vice versa. United on the other hand have looked consistent over time, they even went as far as defeating an in form Everton at Goodison Park for the 2nd time in a row this season. You really can't take it from United.
Head To Head: It's no mere saying that this is United's major strength, and I bet this will, coupled with their excellent performance lately, give them a huge advantage over Leicester. In their last 8 meetings, Leicester have only been able to manage a draw, whilst losing the remaining 7. Funny enough, their last 4 games have been in favour of Manchester United, and these are games when Manchester United were really not in form(bar their last meeting of course).
However, there is one thing I am certain of, and that's United conceding at least, a goal. They where able to hold themselves against Everton in the EFL Cup, but this area is a major weakness for United.
Moving on to the next game, Arsenal hosting Chelsea at the emirates. This would have been a very big game for me if Arsenal's performance this season hasn't been awry as long as the EPL is concerned. I bet many will take Chelsea to take the day. Well, I would too, but I've got my reservations, and here they are:
Although Chelsea got back to winning ways having lost 2 consecutive games to Everton and Wolves respectively wit a 3 nil victory over West Ham, the scoreline of the game( Chelsea vs West Ham) didn't depict their struggles in the game. It was a huge struggle for the blues, luckily for them, their backline looked extremely sharp, and they also took some of the opportunities they got at the front. For me, the victory over West Ham wasn't a convincing one.
Head To Head: I really must say that Arsenal have been a huge thorn in Chelsea's flesh. Even with a better team strength than the Gunners in their laat 8 meetings, both teams have shared equal numbers of win(3 each) and draws(2), with the last victory going in favour of the Gunners in the FA Cup final last this year.
Last Home Loss On Boxing Day: Arsenal have an unbeaten home run of 12 games whaugh dates back to as early as 1987 after their 2 nil lost to Nothingham Forest. This looks more like a fun fact, but it definitely will have a huge psychological impact on the players.
Good as it might seem for the Gunners in terms of stat, their dismal run of games can't be overlooked though. I bet Chelsea will be looking to have their own share of the spoil as well. Chelsea also know a win is highly important if they want to have a shot at the title, I bet they will really want to avoid a slip, and here's just another good opportunity.
Mouth watering games I must say. A good show after Christmas. Let's enjoy them.
Feel free to drop your opinions and comments, they will be greatly appreciated.
Much Love