Chelsea v Southampton
Sunday 13:30,
Match Odds: Chelsea 1.62, Southampton 7.0, The Draw 4.1.
One of Chelsea's few problems this season has been their tendency to throw away leads with sloppy late concessions, and the midweek elimination from the Champions League at the hands of PSG was another example.
The reverse fixture between these sides, however, was entirely the opposite, with Sadio Mane putting Southampton ahead, and Chelsea piling on the pressure for the remainder of the game in an eventual 1-1 draw. It was unusual to see Southampton defending so deep for so long - interestingly, it's the only time this season they've dropped any points from a winning position.
Chelsea are again likely to be dominant here. On home soil at Stamford Bridge they're unbeaten in the league this season, and Jose Mourinho has emphasised how much he's looking forward to the game, to get over the Champions League exit. Chelsea can now concentrate solely upon the Premier League.
Mourinho is likely to make a couple of changes from the side which lost to PSG. Kurt Zouma might be in line for a recall, and Willian or Juan Cuadrado could come into the side on the right, perhaps in place of Ramires. Otherwise, it's likely to be a very familiar Chelsea side - and that's arguably why they've dipped in the second half of the season, because Mourinho hasn't rotated much this season.
Ronald Koeman could also name an unchanged side, although it seems more likely he'll look to beef up his midfield. Last time out against Crystal Palace, he played Mane, Filip Djuricic and Elijero Elia behind Graziano Pelle - a highly attack-minded shape which could leave the defence exposed at Stamford Bridge. Expect Steven Davis or James Ward-Prowse to come into a midfield trio, which should help Southampton compete in that zone.
In terms of key battles, it's become customary to look at Eden Hazard's contest with the opposition right-back, and his meeting with Nathaniel Clyne will be particularly interesting. Clyne has been amongst the most solid right-backs in the Premier League this season and will look to stick tight to Hazard - although the Belgian performed well in the reverse fixture, scoring Chelsea's equaliser on the stroke of half-time.
It's often tempting to back Hazard's direct opponent to be booked, but Clyne has only collected three yellow cards in 26 games this season, so it might be worth steering clear.
With Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas struggling to recreate their early season form, and Nemanja Matic not fully fit, it feels like Chelsea need someone to step up and become a leader. Oscar, Willian and Cuadrado are all options, and the latter could do with a good performance following his January move from Fiorentina.
Chelsea's right-sided player will be up against Ryan Bertrandback at his former club, however. He's been in fine form this season, and Chelsea might struggle to get much joy down the flanks. Direct balls to Costa, who will run the channels against a high defensive line, might be the order of the day.
If Costa's form has declined since Christmas, the same can be said of Southampton forward Pelle. All of his eight league goals this season came in 2014 - he's now gone 11 Premier League matches without scoring. Furthermore, he might not be well-suited to this game: he always comes deep, whereas Chelsea's backline is more worried by pace.
That's why Mane, who opened the scoring in the reverse game, is probably the Saints' biggest threat. All six of his Premier League goals this season have been openers - how about backing him at 13.0 to repeat the trick?
I don't expect many goals here, however. These two sides have the best defensive records in the division, and furthermore, the attacking players for both teams are lacking form. I'm going to back Under 1.5 goals, at 3.5.
Recommended Bets
Back Sadio Mane as First Goalscorer at 13.0
Back Under 1.5 Goals at 1.5
Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur
These two sides played out a disappointing goalless draw over the Christmas period - but goals are expected this time around. Michael Cox looks at Louis van Gaal and Mauricio Pochettino's tactical decisions, while Alan Thompson assesses the best trades...
Manchester United v Tottenham
Sunday, 16:00,
Match Odds: Manchester United 1.95, Tottenham 4.4, The Draw 3.8.
Manchester United might be above Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League table but, while it's still difficult to work out whatLouis van Gaal is trying to achieve, Mauricio Pochettino's gameplan is much more obvious. Expect Tottenham to play proactively at Old Trafford on Sunday and give Van Gaal's side - who are odds-on favourites - a fright.
Van Gaal's formation is, yet again, up for question. The three-man defence seems to have been consigned to the dustbin, and the question is now about the midfield format. The trio ofDaley Blind, Ander Herrera and Marouane Fellaini started in the 2-1 FA Cup defeat to Arsenal on Monday night, and while they started reasonably well, Van Gaal decided he needed to introduce Michael Carrick alongside Blind to get a grip on the centre of the pitch. Carrick might get another start here against his old side. Spurs attempt to dominate the central area through heavy pressing, however, which Carrick can struggle against.
Van Gaal could bring back Radamel Falcao and Juan Mata - who didn't even get off the bench on Monday night - and the latter will hope to start in the absence of the suspended Angel Di Maria.
Mata doesn't seem to fit into Van Gaal's style particularly well, but he's surely still a better bet than Adnan Januzaj on the right.Wayne Rooney, deployed in midfield regularly over the past couple of months, has been in fine goalscoring form upfront and should continue in his favoured position.
If Van Gaal's starting XI is as unpredictable as ever, few Premier League sides have as settled a starting XI as Spurs. Expect few surprises in defence, holding midfield or upfront, and the only question mark is how Pochettino plays in the attacking midfield zone.
Christian Eriksen will probably start centrally with Erik Lamelaand Nacer Chadli either side, although there's a chance Andros Townsend could start on the right. Alternatively, Eriksen could move left with Mousa Dembele coming into midfield if Pochettino wants to beef up the spine of his side - Dembele often plays well at Old Trafford.
The most interesting battle on the pitch will be the clash between two technical ex-Ajax players. Blind and Eriksen were once teammates in an Eredivisie-winning side, but will be trying to outwit one another and dominate the centre of the pitch. The teams play in different ways - Van Gaal wants the good passing tempo to start from deep from Blind, whereas Spurs win the ball high up the pitch and rely on Eriksen to provide incision in the final third. Whoever gets the better of this clash will be crucial in determining which side dominates the match.
Spurs' other major threat is obviously Harry Kane, who will probably look to play on the shoulder of the Manchester United defence and make runs in behind. Chris Smalling and Marcos Rojo have performed well in recent weeks, and yet you always sense there's a mistake waiting to happen from either of them, and Kane is the type of willing, hungry striker that could force them into errors.
Chadli will hope to exploit Antonio Valencia's poor defensive ability, while Lamela - or Townsend - will fancy their chances of outwitting Luke Shaw, who struggled badly against Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on Monday evening.
Manchester United don't appear to have the same wing threat -Ashley Young has been playing well but Kyle Walker has the pace to cope. The same would be true of Danny Rose against Januzaj - Mata might cause more problems by drifting infield.
Manchester United still aren't convincing, and yet they've won eight of their last nine Premier League games at Old Trafford - and have scored at least twice in seven of those matches too. Rooney's on form, and there's a good chance of him scoring again here.
Yet it's tough to imagine Spurs not scoring, with their heavy pressing style likely to dominate the midfield, and United appearing extremely flimsy in the defeat to Arsenal. Both teams to score looks a good bet.
Recommended Bet
Back Both Teams to Score at 1.75
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