The 2022–2023 European football season is about to reach a crucial phase as games get ready to flow thick and fast across various competitions as we get closer to the FIFA World Cup in 2022. It’s always been the case with the so-called bigger teams, but I believe managers will try to rotate their teams to keep their top players healthy.
The smaller teams, however, could struggle at this time because their rosters aren’t large enough to rotate players without suffering a major decline in quality. Over the weekend, there was plenty of drama as Manchester City overcame a two-goal lead against We witnessed our fair share of drama over the weekend as Liverpool made their presence known after a mediocre start with a 9-0 thumping of Bournemouth and Manchester City overcame a two-goal lead against Crystal Palace due to a hat-trick from Erling Haaland.
Southampton vs Chelsea
Chelsea will win in this match, and the reason I make that claim is because I believe they exceeded all expectations in their victory over Leicester City following Conor Gallagher’s dismissal. It was a fairly nice outcome for them because they entered that game coming off a 3-0 loss to Leeds United.
While Manchester United held on for a narrow 1-0 victory, Southampton struggled against the Red Devils despite their best efforts. I’m picking Chelsea to easily defeat Southampton because I believe the home team will be far superior than them in this match.
I said it last week, and I’ll say it again: these Anthony Gordon links make no sense to me. The young youngster is talented, but the transfer fee mentioned is astronomical! If I were the manager of Everton and was given the option to trade Gordon for Armando Broja or Conor Gallagher, I would think it was the bargain of the century and accept it.
Prediction: Chelsea 3-0 Southampton
Manchester City vs Nottingham Forest
Choose a score! What sort of score are you aiming for, I don’t know? We don’t need to say much about Manchester City, and I anticipate that they will easily win this match. Troubling Forest, it’s concerning to see that despite playing admirably against Tottenham, they lost.
This season, Dean Henderson has made more saves than any other goalkeeper in the Premier League. If you look at their hiring practices, they are bringing in every Tom, Dick, and Harry. But is it actually working? Although it’s too early in the season to make conclusions, Steve Cooper will be hoping that his new players integrate quickly as he searches for the best starting XI.
Prediction: Manchester City 5-0 Nottingham Forest
Arsenal vs Aston Villa
It will be a little tougher than they would anticipate, but I think Arsenal will win. Steven Gerrard will undoubtedly feel the strain because Aston Villa is now having a terrible time, and Manchester City will be playing right after this. If you’re a Villa fan, this is concerning because there are many things wrong with his squad right now and he doesn’t know his best starting lineup.
I have been impressed with Martin Odegaard thus far this season. I don’t see how Real Madrid could have let a player of his level to leave for as little as €30 million. He is a very excellent footballer and has a true footballing brain.
Prediction: Arsenal 2-1 Aston Villa
Liverpool vs Newcastle United
Allan Saint-amazing Maximin’s last-second goal helped Newcastle United, who have had a strong start to the season, get a draw against Wolves last weekend. Liverpool, on the other hand, finally found their groove following a stretch of three straight losses as they absolutely stormed out of the gate to destroy Bournemouth 9-0.
It was only a matter of time before Liverpool returned to their best and I expect them to build on it with another win. Eddie Howe is a good tactician and his teams usually don’t get blown away, so I’m going for a tight 2-0 win for Liverpool.
Bobby Firmino was the star of the show for Liverpool against Bournemouth and I saw shades of the player who knitted that iconic front three for Liverpool two or three years ago.
He enabled the likes of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane to get into dangerous positions and score goals, so we all know what a good player he is. It’s been a struggle for him over the past 12 months or so, but he could be a key player for Jurgen Klopp if he carries on like this.
Prediction: Liverpool 2-0 Newcastle United
Leicester City vs Manchester United
In their 1-0 victory over Southampton, Manchester United did in a sense ride their luck. Although they didn’t play especially well, Southampton didn’t really come close to earning even a point, thus that argument might also be made.
Due to Gallagher’s red card, Leicester City’s performance against ten-man Chelsea was poor, and they will be regretting themselves for failing to earn at least a point.
Wesley Fofana is moving to Chelsea, and other players like Youri Tielemans and James Maddison might follow before the transfer window closes, making the situation worse. Although Brendan Rodgers is a top-notch manager, Leicester may have a difficult season if they lose important players before to the transfer deadline.
Prediction: Leicester City 2-2 Manchester United
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