JASON MCATEER – BIG GAME PREVIEW

JASON MCATEER – BIG GAME PREVIEW

Jason McAteer Big Game Preview

Manchester United v Manchester City

I was looking at the fixtures before, and we’re coming up to a crucial month leading up to the Champions League, and you see that all of the top teams are playing each other, and there is no room for movement there. It’s certainly tight at the top. 

Manchester City still sit five points adrift from Arsenal, who are going well at the top. I have been impressed with Manchester City but they obviously got Manchester United at the weekend. Both teams are in form. City have dropped a couple of points along the way, but Haaland’s still scoring goals. We all wondered how he will come back after the World Cup but he’s netted a couple of times already. 

Also, I have been impressed with Manchester United’s five games since the World Cup. They have won all five, and their star man, Marcus Rashford, has been absolutely incredible for them. He has benefitted well from the World Cup, giving him great confidence and scoring goals for fun for his team. You can’t rule him out of scoring against Manchester City over the weekend. 

Manchester City has the edge at Old Trafford, but of late, United have played patiently, especially in their build-up play. Erik ten Hag has really found a way of playing for Manchester United. The midfield and attacking players – Casemiro, Eriksen, Rashford on the left, Antony and Martial have been his mainstay in the last five games. The back four is a little bit of a concern for United as, for some games, Shaw had to slot in at centre-back, Lisandro Martinez is back from the World Cup, and it would be interesting to see who plays at centre-back in the weekend.

It will be a very fascinating game of football, and it could be one of the closest Manchester derbies in recent years, so it’s a difficult one to predict. 

I am gonna go with a draw and a scoring draw, if there is a concern for Manchester City, it’s that they dont keep clean sheets – out of their last six they only had two.

Again I am gonna go for a scored draw with Marcus Rashford to score just because of the great form he is in and the final score for me would be 2-2 

Tottenham V Arsenal

Massive London derby. 

A difficult one, really, certainly with Spurs as it has all been about the second half with them and it seems to me that it’s a team that defends for their lives in the first half. Antonio Conte has come under a bit of pressure, not for the way they are playing but the manner they are starting games. 

In the second half they really go for it looking at the last six games they scored 11 goals and 10 of them have come in the second half, which is phenomenal, to be honest. 

Obviously the talisman Harry Kane is still scoring goals up to 15 in the Premier League this season, so he has been a bit of a blessing for Conte. They are out of the top four, and they have some big games coming up, he’s under a bit of pressure and this is no easy game. 

Arsenal, we wondered how they come back after the World Cup break certainly since losing Gabriel Jesus, but Nketiah has stepped up to the mark and scored big goals. He is another player that is fulfilling his potential and has slotted in well, and not worrying about the loss of Jesus. 

It’s a difficult game to call, I still think Arsenal are the real deal, I am gonna go for Tottenham to score and it will be in the second half, but I am gonna go for an Arsenal win, a quite convincing one 3-1 Arsenal and Bukayo Saka to score anytime in the match.

Treble 

My LV BET for this weekend’s fixtures, Manchester United v Manchester City, I am gonna go for a draw, Arsenal who take on Spurs, I am gonna go for a 3-1 win for Arsenal and Brighton versus Liverpool, I am gonna go for a draw again in this one. 

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