With less than two weeks to go of the Premier League season, there is still so much to play for at both ends of the table.
The title race took a huge turn over the weekend when Manchester City opened up a three point gap over Liverpool, but there could be more twists and turns with both sides in action in midweek. The Reds travel to Aston Villa on Tuesday, while City visit Wolves on Wednesday.
Meanwhile there is still the threat of relegation looming for several sides at the bottom, with Watford and Norwich City ’s demotions to the Championship the only things determined thus far. And former Liverpool, Manchester United and Newcastle United striker Michael Owen has given his verdict ahead of this upcoming midweek action in another exciting round of fixtures.
Liverpool suffered a huge setback in their quest to win the quadruple this season when they dropped points at home to Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, with Luis Diaz rescuing a point in the 1-1 draw at Anfield. They now face a tough midweek trip away to Steven Gerrard’s Aston Villa, who have won their last two fixtures, but Owen predicts the Reds to come away with a win.
He told BetVictor : “That was an impressive win for Villa at Turf Moor on Saturday. Burnley have been in good form, so to go and score three shows how dangerous this Villa side can be. Outside the top six, there’s not many sides who have the quality and the options that Villa do in attack.
“Liverpool didn’t play badly against Spurs, but it was a draw nonetheless. They’ve been winning so many games that it was inevitable they would drop points at some point. Liverpool just have to win their remaining games and see where that takes them. I can’t see them dropping points here, I’m predicting a 3-1 win.”
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Should Jurgen Klopp’s side pick up all three points, then the pressure will once again be on Man City to retain their three-point lead at the top of the table. City comfortably beat Newcastle 5-0 on Sunday, but a Wednesday night trip to Wolves is certain to provide a tougher test, especially as the hosts secured a 2-2 draw away to Chelsea on Saturday.
Nonetheless, Pep Guardiola’s side won’t let their guard slip that easily, and Owen predicts another win for the league leaders here. He said: “I didn’t see Wolves’ draw with Chelsea coming, particularly with 15 minutes to go! To come from two goals down was really impressive and showed what a good side they can be.
“All eyes were on City against Newcastle to see how they would react after that defeat in Madrid. Pep couldn’t have asked for a better response from his side, they dominated the game. They scored five, which could have been more. You wouldn’t have known City lost in midweek. I’ve got to fancy them again here. 2-0 City.”
A victory on Tuesday night for Liverpool would see them draw level on 86 points with Man City with two games to play, and should they win by at least four goals, they will return to the top of the table. However, should they win, then City can reestablish that three-point gap with a victory at Wolves just 24 hours later, but anything besides a win for the Reds could effectively end their title hopes.
Elsewhere on Wednesday night, Chelsea travel to Leeds United looking to pick up their first win in four matches and take one step closer to officially securing their place in the UEFA Champions League for next season. However, Leeds dropped into the relegation zone over the weekend and are fighting for their lives, so this one won’t be easy for the Blues.
Also in action on the same night is Everton, who travel to already relegated Watford for a chance to further distance themselves from the bottom three after their 2-1 defeat of Leicester City on Sunday, while the Foxes themselves host the other relegated team in Norwich, where they’ll hope to reignite their chances of a top half finish with three points.
Owen’s Premier League predictions
Aston Villa 1-3 Liverpool
Leeds 0-2 Chelsea
Leicester 3-1 Norwich
Watford 1-2 Everton
Wolves 0-2 Man City
