Watch Premier League highlights this weekend on Sky Sports; highlights will be published on the Sky Sports digital platforms and the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel shortly after the final whistle
Saturday 5 March 2022 17:38, UK
Team news, stats, predictions and how to follow the Premier League on Saturday as Liverpool host West Ham, live on Sky Sports.
Team News: Leicester have injury concerns over James Maddison and Ricardo Pereira for the Premier League visit of Leeds.
Maddison is struggling with a back problem while Pereira has an unspecified issue and both players are doubts.
James Justin is around a week away from returning while Wesley Fofana, Jonny Evans, Timothy Castagne and Ryan Bertrand remain sidelined.
Leeds' new head coach Jesse Marsch could be boosted by the return of Patrick Bamford in his first game in charge.
Marsch, appointed as Marcelo Bielsa's successor on Monday, confirmed Bamford (foot) had an outside chance of ending his latest three-month injury lay-off by returning to the bench.
Diego Llorente, who recently returned from a hamstring injury, is doubtful, while Kalvin Phillips and skipper Liam Cooper are still out with similar respective injuries.
Leeds provisional squad: Meslier, Ayling, Dallas, Koch, Struijk, Klich, Harrison, Raphinha, James, Roberts, Rodrigo, Shackleton, Forshaw, Bamford, Gelhardt, Summerville, Bate, Klaesson, McCarron, Jenkins, Moore, Cresswell.
Jones Knows prediction
Leeds United's chances of competing in this football match rest largely on which stage of grief they find themselves in after Bielsa's departure. The five stages are denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. The quicker the club can get to the final stage, the better.
Marsch has the tricky task of filling Bielsa's boots and although he's promised a similar style to the former boss, we await evidence on that promise before making a judgement on how to approach Leeds from a prediction-betting perspective.
"The balance is important but you have to have some patience, you have to be willing to take a beating sometimes," Marsch told my colleague Adam Bate in an interview in 2020 when talking about his approach to management. Read into that what you will about the potential for him to make an immediate impact.
Meanwhile, Leicester's attack is purring, and I'm keen on giving them plenty of my backing in the second half of the season, including in this encounter. The Foxes have scored 45 goals in their last 20 games - over two goals per 90 minutes - across all competitions and that has included fixtures against Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea. I think they'll hit that average here in a home win.
SCORE PREDICTION: 3-1 | BETTING ANGLE: Leicester to win and over 2.5 goals (11/8 with Sky Bet - Bet Here!)
Leicester are winless in their last three Premier League home games (D2 L1), dropping a total of seven points from winning positions in these games. Only two teams have ever failed to win four consecutive Premier League home games despite leading each time - Norwich City (5 in January 2020) and Chelsea (4 in April 1996).
Leeds have lost each of their last four Premier League games. They last lost more consecutive league games in April 2015 (5 in the Championship), while they last did so in the top-flight between December 2003 and February 2004 (6).
This will be Jesse Marsch's first Premier League game in charge of Leeds; including caretakers, six of the last seven managers to take charge of Leeds in the Premier League have lost their first game in charge in the competition, with the exception being Terry Venables in August 2002 (3-0 vs Manchester City). Marsch is the third American to manage in the Premier League, after Bob Bradley (11 games with Swansea in 2016) and David Wagner (60 games with Huddersfield, 2017-19).
Leeds goalkeeper Illan Meslier has conceded 60 goals in 26 appearances this season, conceding once on average every 39 minutes. Over the course of a season, no goalkeeper to play at least 20 times has had a worse minutes per goal conceded ratio in the competition.
How to follow: Follow Leicester vs Leeds in our dedicated live match blog. Highlights will also be published on the Sky Sports digital platforms and the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel shortly after the final whistle.
Aston Villa forward Bertrand Traore could return to the squad for the visit of Southampton.
Traore has been sidelined with a hamstring injury but has taken part in full training for two days and will be assessed before manager Steven Gerrard names his squad.
Carney Chukwuemeka remains out of action with a minor injury but Gerrard hopes the midfielder will be available to face Leeds next Thursday.
Southampton will check on several players following their midweek FA Cup win over West Ham, when boss Ralph Hasenhuttl made nine changes.
Defender Mohammed Salisu (hamstring) and midfielder Mohamed Elyounoussi (heel) were not included in the squad because of fitness concerns, while defender Kyle Walker-Peters (hamstring) and striker Shane Long also both picked up knocks during the tie.
Goalkeeper Alex McCarthy (thigh), midfielder Nathan Tella (hip) and defender Lyanco (thigh) all continue their own recovery.
Jones Knows prediction
It's easy to see why the 2/1 with Sky Bet for an away win could tempt a few in. Swashbuckling Southampton are moving and shaking under Ralph Hasenhuttl.
They are unbeaten in their last seven games in all competitions, winning five. And, four of those fixtures have come against teams in the top seven. If you conjured up a Premier League table since Boxing Day, Saints would be fourth with only Manchester City, Manchester United and Liverpool above them.
Southampton also have an excellent recent record against Villa, winning five of the last six meetings. But I can't back them.
At Brighton, Villa got back to what they were good at in the early days of Steven Gerrard's reign. They were organised, they defended their box with great authority and competed very aggressively in midfield. In other words, they were hard to beat, so I'll play the draw.
Villa shifted their shape slightly to play much narrower in the win at Brighton. That restricted their ability to win corners as Brighton smashed them up in the corner race 7-2. In fact, since Gerrard took charge and decided to play without much width, Villa have lost the corner race in 10 of their 14 encounters.
Here, they face a corner winning machine in Southampton, who we have profited from on multiple occasions this season. Only Liverpool, Man City and Chelsea have won more corners than Saints (155) this season and Hasenhuttl's men have won the corner race in 13 of their last 18 Premier League games. The Evens for them to win it again makes plenty of appeal.
Southampton are unbeaten in five Premier League games (W3 D2), winning both of their last two by a 2-0 scoreline. Saints last won three consecutive league games without conceding in January 2016.
Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard has lost three of his last six Premier League home games (W1 D2). He had only lost three of his first 60 home league games in charge at Rangers and Aston Villa combined.
Southampton's James Ward-Prowse has been involved in five goals in his last six Premier League games against Aston Villa (2 goals, 3 assists), scoring twice and assisting another in Saints' 4-3 victory in this exact fixture last season.
Aston Villa's Philippe Coutinho has been involved in five goals in nine Premier League appearances against Southampton (4 goals, 1 assist). Against no side has the Brazilian either scored or been involved in more goals in the competition.
How to follow: Follow Aston Villa vs Southampton in our dedicated live match blog. Highlights will also be published on the Sky Sports digital platforms and the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel shortly after the final whistle.
Team News: Burnley captain Ben Mee is a doubt for Saturday's Premier League clash with Chelsea at Turf Moor.
The defender was being assessed after coming off in the first half of the 2-0 loss to Leicester on Tuesday due to what boss Sean Dyche has said was "more of a knock than a twist".
Erik Pieters and Dale Stephens remain sidelined, along with Matej Vydra and Johann Berg Gudmundsson.
Cesar Azpilicueta is expected to miss out for Chelsea due to the leg issue that kept him out of Wednesday's FA Cup fifth-round win at Luton.
Hakim Ziyech, Andreas Christensen, Thiago Silva and Trevoh Chalobah all returned to training on Friday though, and will be in contention to feature at Turf Moor.
Reece James has not suffered any adverse reaction two games into his comeback from hamstring trouble, so should be available for selection.
Jones Knows prediction
There shouldn't be too many issues for Chelsea in this one, despite the obvious distractions off the field. Footballers rarely get too involved with issues in the boardroom, so the chances of the Roman Abramovich situation affecting the focus of the Chelsea players is slim.
What is a relevant factor to this game that can be measured is the likelihood that Ben Mee misses out for Burnley due to an injury picked up against Leicester. Without their organiser and defensive lynchpin they have failed to win in their last 12 fixtures, losing eight of those and that's including shipping two goals with Mee off the pitch in midweek in that defeat to the Foxes.
Chelsea look back to somewhere near their best under Thomas Tuchel, winning seven of their last eight games in all competitions. Remember, this was a team in the early part of the season that won eight of their first 12 Premier League matches without conceding. And one that still has the joint-best away defence in the Premier League, along with Manchester City. A Chelsea win to nil at an odds-against price of 6/5 with Sky Bet looks juicy.
Chelsea defenders are likely to be on top in the match and without Mee, the chances of those Chelsea defenders scoring from a set-piece are worth a look. In five of those 12 games where Mee has been missing, Burnley have conceded from a corner, including in a 3-0 defeat to Chelsea last season where Kurt Zouma scored, pointing towards a lack of organisation without their skipper.
Antonio Rudiger is Chelsea's biggest threat from such situations, scoring three goals this season and averaging 1.12 shots per 90 minutes. The 12/1 with Sky Bet for him to score a header will do just nicely.
Burnley have won just one of their 15 Premier League games against Chelsea (D4 L10), with that victory coming at Stamford Bridge on the opening weekend of the 2017-18 campaign.
Following their 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge in the reverse fixture, Burnley are looking to avoid defeat in both league meetings with Chelsea in a single campaign for the first time since 1970-71.
Chelsea have kept a clean sheet in each of their last two Premier League games, having kept just two in their previous 13 in the competition. However, away from home no side has kept more clean sheets than the Blues in the top-flight this term (7).
Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku has either scored or assisted a goal in all four of his Premier League away games against Burnley, scoring three and assisting two in total at Turf Moor in the competition.
Chelsea's Hakim Ziyech has scored in each of his last three Premier League appearances and could become the first Moroccan player to score in four in a row; his fellow countryman Marouane Chamakh also scored in three in a row in December 2013 for Crystal Palace.
How to follow: Follow Burnley vs Chelsea in our dedicated live match blog. Highlights will also be published on the Sky Sports digital platforms and the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel shortly after the final whistle.
Newcastle could have Allan Saint-Maximin back for their Premier League clash with Brighton on Saturday.
The French winger has missed the last two matches with a calf injury but boss Eddie Howe was hopeful he would be able to return to training on Friday.
Matt Ritchie is closing in on a return from his knee injury but Isaac Hayden, Kieran Trippier, Callum Wilson and Jamal Lewis all remain sidelined.
Brighton could welcome back Adam Lallana and Jeremy Sarmiento following spells out injured.
Enock Mwepu is also back in training but Saturday is likely to come too soon.
Adam Webster has suffered a slight setback with his groin injury and is unlikely to return before the international break.
Jones Knows prediction
Brighton's attack looks very rusty at the moment as similar problems to last season in forward areas are restricting their progress. They haven't scored in their last three fixtures - a worrying trend backed up by their expected goals data which is averaging out at 0.6 per match over the last three 90 minutes. Newcastle will fancy their chances here.
I've headed to the cards market here for a potential angle in what looks likely to be a close, low scoring game settled by fine margins. Since the start of November, no team has drawn more yellow cards from their opponents than Brighton. They have seen 38 yellow cards awarded to opposition players as the likes of Tariq Lamptey and Marc Cucurella play with such pace and trickery.
Initially I was digging for value in the overall booking points for both teams but with the extra lenient Martin Atkinson in charge, who has shown just five cards in his last four Premier League games, that dampened my enthusiasm.
So instead I've landed on the prospect of Newcastle being shown more cards than Brighton at 13/8 with Sky Bet to cover myself if the card count is low. It's a bet that has landed for the opposition in seven of Brighton's last eight Premier League matches.
Newcastle have never won in nine previous Premier League meetings with Brighton (D5 L4), more often than they've faced any other side without a victory in the competition.
Newcastle have failed to score in any of their four Premier League home games against Brighton - it is the Magpies' longest run without a home goal against an opponent in their league history.
Newcastle are unbeaten in their last seven Premier League games (W4 D3), with only Manchester United currently on a longer run than the Magpies (8). It's Newcastle's longest run without defeat in the top-flight since a run of 14 between May and November 2011.
Brighton have lost each of their last three Premier League games, as many as they had in their previous 20. They have not lost four in a row in the competition since April 2019.
Neal Maupay has scored 26 goals in the Premier League for Brighton - one more strike will see him become the Seagulls' highest goalscorer in the competition (currently level with Glenn Murray).
How to follow: Follow Newcastle vs Brighton in our dedicated live match blog. Highlights will also be published on the Sky Sports digital platforms and the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel shortly after the final whistle.
Norwich will have full-backs Max Aarons and Brandon Williams available for Saturday's Premier League match against Brentford.
The pair both missed the midweek FA Cup defeat at Liverpool with minor knocks, but have resumed training along with defender Ozan Kabak (shoulder).
Captain Grant Hanley was suspended for the FA Cup tie, so should return to the side, while fit-again goalkeeper Tim Krul will be hoping to get the nod ahead of Angus Gunn. Forward Adam Idah (knee) and defender Andrew Omobamidele (back) remain sidelined.
Brentford midfielder Josh Dasilva misses the trip to Norwich because of suspension.
Dasilva begins a three-match ban for his tackle on Newcastle defender Matt Targett in last weekend's 2-0 defeat.
Boss Thomas Frank revealed that Christian Eriksen could start and that there are no fresh injury concerns following the Magpies setback.
Jones Knows prediction
There are two angles that make significant appeal in this monstrous relegation fixture. A lack of goals and lots of shots for Norwich.
If you collate all such 'six-pointer' Premier League fixtures to be played after January 1 in the last five years, the average goals per game average is 2.15, way below the normal average for a Premier League game which stands at 2.9 goals this season. Also, five of the six games between two relegation-threatened teams after November 29 this season have seen the game produce less than 2.5 goals. The only game that went over that line was Norwich's 3-0 win over Watford - a game where they created an expected goals figure of just 0.97.
These types of games can be relied upon to produce plenty of attacking intent, though, with so much jeopardy and desperation for a result in play. The six 'six-pointer' clashes this season have seen an average of 27.3 shots per 90 minutes. My view is that Norwich come into this clash with greater confidence in the final third than Brentford, whose defensive style away from home does see the opposition rack up the shots. In their last 10 away games, they have averaged a shots-faced figure of 17.3 per 90 minutes. Newcastle managed 23, Burnley registered 15.
I think Norwich can hit their 13 or more shots line that is being priced up at 5/4 with Sky Bet.
Norwich have lost each of their last three Premier League games, having been unbeaten in their three before that (W2 D1). 40% of the Canaries' total league goals this season came in that three game unbeaten run in January/February (6/15).
Brentford have picked up just one point from their last 24 available in the Premier League (W0 D1 L7) since beating Aston Villa 2-1 in January. The Bees' run of eight games without a win is the longest current winless run in the competition.
Brentford have lost each of their last five away league games, last losing more consecutively on the road between October 2006 and January 2007 in League One (9).
Norwich manager Dean Smith took charge of Brentford 143 times between 2015 and 2018 - he has never won against sides he has previously managed in all competitions, drawing one and losing three of his four such games.
Brentford are winless in their last six league games against Norwich (D2 L4) since a 2-1 win at Carrow Road in December 2017 in the Championship.
How to follow: Follow Norwich vs Brentford in our dedicated live match blog. Highlights will also be published on the Sky Sports digital platforms and the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel shortly after the final whistle.
Wolves will be without key defender Nelson Semedo for their home game against Crystal Palace after he was ruled out for at least a month.
The Portugal right-back missed last Sunday's 1-0 defeat at West Ham after being forced out of the loss at Arsenal three days earlier due to a hamstring injury.
Ki-Jana Hoever and Jonny provide defensive cover. Boss Bruno Lage has no other injury concerns, while winger Pedro Neto is hoping to feature again after recently returning from a broken kneecap.
Crystal Palace remain without Joel Ward for the trip to Molineux, with the right-back still struggling with a groin injury.
Fellow defender Nathan Ferguson is also sidelined with another hamstring issue but the Eagles have no other concerns.
First-choice goalkeeper Vicente Guaita was on the bench for the midweek FA Cup tie with Stoke and is expected to be recalled despite the good recent form of Jack Butland.
Jones Knows prediction
A slow burner is predicted.
Wolves have conceded just two goals in the first half of their last 18 Premier League games while Crystal Palace have failed to score in the first half of 10 of their 13 away games this season. I have no strong view on the match outcome but surely this game will be uneventful for the opening 45 minutes. The 11/8 with Sky Bet for a 0-0 at half-time looks a nice bet for the brave souls that can stomach that kind of a play. Cue a 3-3 thriller, then.
An opposition centre back has managed a shot on goal against Palace in six of their last seven fixtures with two goals conceded from corners in that period taking their overall tally to 10 goals conceded from corners this season - only Leicester have shipped more. Wolves are a big threat from set-pieces but siding with which of their centre-backs to back in the shots market is always a tricky conundrum. Max Kilman gets the nod at a juicy 11/8 with Sky Bet for this one. He's managed a shot on goal every two games this season.
Wolves have lost their last two league games against Crystal Palace, though both have been away from home - they have never lost three in a row against the Eagles in their league history.
Wolves have lost their last two Premier League games, having lost just one of their previous eight in the competition (W6 D1). Each of their last three defeats have been against London sides (vs Arsenal x2 and vs West Ham).
Crystal Palace have won just one of their last eight Premier League games (D4 L3), winning 4-1 at Watford in their last away game. The Eagles haven't won consecutive league games on the road since June 2020.
Crystal Palace are averaging 1.4 goals per game in the Premier League under Patrick Vieira (37 goals in 27 games), the best rate of any permanent manager for the Eagles in the competition.
Wolves' Hwang Hee-Chan has scored five goals from just seven shots on target in the Premier League this season. This conversion rate of 71% is the highest in the competition this term among players with at least five non-penalty goals.
How to follow: Follow Wolves vs Crystal Palace in our dedicated live match blog. Highlights will also be published on the Sky Sports digital platforms and the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel shortly after the final whistle.
Liverpool centre-back Joel Matip will miss Saturday's visit of West Ham through a non-Covid-related illness.
That is likely to mean Ibrahima Konate, who started in the midweek FA Cup win over Norwich, comes in to partner Virgil Van Dijk.
Midfielder Thiago Alcantara is not yet ready to return after a tight hamstring forced him out of last weekend's Carabao Cup final win, midfielders Curtis Jones and Naby Keita face late fitness tests but forward Roberto Firmino will not resume training until Sunday after a muscle injury.
West Ham's Ukraine international Andriy Yarmolenko will not feature due to the continuing crisis in his homeland.
Midfielder Tomas Soucek is a doubt after having stitches in a head wound during the FA Cup loss to Southampton in midweek.
Mark Noble and Aaron Cresswell will hope to return while defenders Ryan Fredericks (groin) and Arthur Masuaku (knee) could also be in contention after lay-offs.
Jones Knows prediction
David Moyes has never won a Premier League game as a manager at Anfield in 16 attempts while West Ham have won just one of their last 51 visits to the famous old ground. Statistics like that rarely get too embedded in my thinking for when assessing a match but that wretched record hardly helps matters for a West Ham side that are facing one of the great Liverpool teams of any era.
Jurgen Klopp's men have won their last 11 games in all competitions, scoring 27 goals, including the last six in the Premier League. It's a relentless charge.
Liverpool are 2/7 with Sky Bet to put more pressure on Manchester City with a victory. That is too short for my liking, so, I've gone hunting to boost that price for a Liverpool focused bet by backing West Ham not to score at Anfield.
Moyes even said himself after the FA Cup defeat in midweek how frustrated he is with the Hammers' attacking output at the moment. And backing up so quickly from Wednesday to face a full-throttle Liverpool isn't the ideal scenario for the overworked Michail Antonio, who remains so crucial to the way West Ham set their attacks.
Here, the West Ham striker faces a defence which is the best at home in English football, conceding just seven goals all season. When you factor in that 14 of Liverpool's 18 wins this season have come while keeping a clean sheet, it makes backing the 6/5 for Klopp's men to win to nil much more appealing than taking the short odds for just a home win.
Liverpool have only lost one of their last 48 home league games against West Ham (W35 D12), going down 3-0 under Brendan Rodgers in August 2015.
Liverpool have scored in each of their last 11 Premier League games against West Ham, netting at least twice in 10 of these meetings (31 goals in total).
Jarrod Bowen has played in each of West Ham's last 78 Premier League matches - should he feature in this game, he will surpass Steve Potts (April 1994-March 1996) as the player to appear in the most Premier League games consecutively for the Hammers.
Liverpool have won their last six Premier League games by an aggregate score of 18-2. At home, the Reds are unbeaten in 17 league games (W13 D4), winning the last eight by an aggregate score of 26-2.
Liverpool's Mohamed Salah has netted nine goals in his nine Premier League games against West Ham, scoring once in all four of his games against them at Anfield. Against no side has he scored more goals in the competition (also nine vs Watford), and he could become the second African player to net 10 Premier League goals against an opponent, after Sadio Mané vs Crystal Palace (13).
How to follow: Liverpool vs West Ham is live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League, or follow in our dedicated live match blog featuring in-game highlights. Full match highlights will also be published on the Sky Sports digital platforms and the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel at the final whistle.
Anybody in the UK can watch highlights for free on the Sky Sports app or the Score Centre app on your iPhone or Android:
To watch the highlights on the Sky Sports App, download the app:
Sky Sports' digital platforms are the home of live blogs for every Premier League game, including commentary, analysis and team line-ups. Users with a free Sky ID can watch in-game clips from Sky live games in our dedicated live blogs.
In the latest Football Essential Podcast, host Ron Walker is joined by Sky Sports senior football journalist Charlotte Marsh, Sky Sports News' Ben Ransom and Sky Sports Football data editor Adam Smith ahead of a weekend where the eyes of the Premier League will be on Manchester.
PART ONE | How do Manchester United turn the tide from such a woeful defeat at Old Trafford earlier in the season - and how does Cristiano Ronaldo get back into form? Could this be a 'statement win' for City, and perhaps a 'statement performance' from £100m man Jack Grealish too? Then again, could Riyad Mahrez prove the difference?
PART TWO | Who needs the victory more? Will Manchester United's April, facing City and Liverpool, hold the keys to the title race, and will they make it into the top four? Can City lift the treble, and are they better placed than Liverpool to rack up a trophy haul this season? Plus, our combined XI - including one big absentee.
