Premier League match previews, team news, stats, predictions, kick-off time and how to follow
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
Sunday 6 March 2022 17:30, UK
Team news, stats, predictions and how to follow the Premier League on Super Sunday as Watford take on Arsenal before the Manchester derby, both live on Sky Sports.
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Watford vs Arsenal - Sunday; kick-off 2pm, live on Sky Sports from 1pm
Team news: Watford will be without Ismaila Sarr for the visit of Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday.
The Senegal winger picked up a hamstring problem during last weekend's 0-0 draw at Manchester United and he joins defender William Troost-Ekong, who has sustained a similar injury, on the sidelines.
Kiko Femenia is back in contention while Nicolas Nkoulou is closing in on a return having been out since November with a hamstring problem.
Takehiro Tomiyasu remains a doubt for Arsenal.
The Japan full-back has been struggling with calf injuries in recent weeks and could miss out once again.
Emile Smith Rowe is available having missed the win over Wolves through illness.
Jones Knows prediction...
Watford should not offer too much for Aaron Ramsdale to be worried about as Arsenal's record under Mikel Arteta against relegation-threatened teams should instil plenty of confidence in a comfortable win without conceding.
The Gunners beat all the relegated teams away from home without conceding last season to an aggregate score of 8-0 and have already seen off Burnley, Newcastle, Watford and Norwich (twice) while keeping clean sheets this season. The home win to nil at 6/5 with Sky Bet is a confident selection.
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Martin Odegaard is becoming a key player for Arteta but has done so without registering a goal or an assist in 2022. That's not for the want of trying though.
As my colleague Nick Wright pointed out in his assessment of Odegaard's man-of-the-match performance against Wolves, although he wasn't directly involved in both of Arsenal's goals they wouldn't have occurred without his influence. With such confidence flowing through his veins playing just behind the lone Arsenal striker, Odegaard could be set to take centre stage on Super Sunday against a Watford side Arsenal should brush aside quite readily. I want to back him across a variety of markets.
Odegaard hasn't scored since the win over Southampton but has been racking up the shots and expected goals data, especially in matches against relegation-threatened teams. In matches against Burnley, Brentford and Norwich, Odegaard registered nine shots and an expected goals total of 0.93 which showcases his actual goalscoring threat when Arsenal roam forward.
He is 3/1 with Sky Bet to find the net this weekend and 4/6 to have two or more shots at goal. Both prices I'm on board with.
But the real standout part of Odegaard's game lies in his creative work. Since December 17, only Michael Olise and Trent Alexander-Arnold have created a higher expected assist return per 90 minutes than Odegaard in the Premier League. From which he has produced three actual assists. With Arsenal likely to dominate most areas of this match, I'm happy to throw in Odegaard to record another assist at 2/1 with Sky Bet.
For those that want to back the Odegaard masterclass, you can get 20/1 on him scoring, having two shots at goal and recording an assist.
SCORE PREDICTION: 0-2 | BETTING ANGLE: Arsenal to win to nil (6/5 with Sky Bet - Bet Here!)
JONES KNOWS BEST BET: Martin Odegaard to score, have two shots at goal and record an assist (20/1 with Sky Bet - Bet Here!)
Opta stats
- Watford have earned just seven points from 45 available against Arsenal in the Premier League (W2 D1 L12), though four of these have come in their last three home games against them (W1 D1 L1).
- Arsenal have scored in all 15 of their Premier League games against Watford - only against West Brom (26/26) do the Gunners have a better 100% scoring rate in the competition.
- Arsenal have scored the first goal in 14 of their 15 Premier League meetings with Watford, with the exception being a 2-1 defeat at the Emirates Stadium in January 2017..
- Watford manager Roy Hodgson has won just one of his 12 Premier League home games against Arsenal (D4 L7), winning 1-0 with Fulham in August 2008. His final home match in charge of Crystal Palace ended in a 3-1 defeat to the Gunners in May last season.
- Since losing consecutive league games against Manchester United and Everton at the start of December, Arsenal have taken 22 points from 27 available to them in the Premier League (W7 D1 L1). Their only dropped points in that run have come in home games (1-2 vs Man City, 0-0 vs Burnley).
How to follow: Watch Watford vs Arsenal 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.
Live Renault Super Sunday
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Manchester City vs Manchester United - Sunday; kick-off 4.30pm, live on Sky Sports from 4pm
City will have John Stones and Aymeric Laporte as their only fit central defenders for Sunday's Premier League derby against United with Ruben Dias facing an extended spell on the sidelines.
The Portugal international could be out for up to six weeks after suffering a hamstring injury in Tuesday's 2-0 FA Cup win over Peterborough, the same match in which fellow defender Nathan Ake suffered a less serious injury which will also keep him out on Sunday.
But manager Pep Guardiola reported no other issues and said that forward Cole Palmer is nearing a return.
United striker Edinson Cavani is set to feature for the first time in almost a month.
The 35-year-old striker has not featured since the 1-1 draw at Burnley on February 8, with a groin issue ruling him out of five straight matches.
Scott McTominay has missed two matches through illness, with interim boss Ralf Rangnick saying United "have two or three question marks behind some players". Mason Greenwood remains suspended by the club.
Jones Knows prediction...
Manchester United will have some new 'first-time' fans this weekend. Here is that list:
- Liverpool fans
- Me
One of my starting points for dissecting a match stems from running key performance data from the last six weeks. From runs of fixtures that have seen them play a similar level of opposition (average league position has been 12th), Manchester United are actually coming out on top in some important metrics over Manchester City, which did surprise me.
United are creating an average of 13 chances per 90 minutes, City are working at 11.5. But how does that metric align against the quality of chance being created? Well, United come out on top there too.
Ralf Rangnick's side are posting an attacking non-penalty expected goals figure of 2.17 per 90 minutes. City's is averaging out at 1.82 during the same period.
And even if you just run the basic results data in that period we have United coming out on top in the points per game battle with 2.15 per game to City's 2.00.
Of course, City have shown exceptional metrics over a deep timeframe of sample size to make them the most likely winners of this encounter, especially against such a flaky and at times stodgy Manchester United side. But I'm here to try and assess probabilities and analyse where there might be an edge to be had in the market. In this case, Manchester City are simply too short at 4/11 which gives them a 73 per cent chance of winning this match.
United have only lost one of their last 20 games (not including penalty shootouts) in all competitions since sacking Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. I'm happy to back them at 2/1 with Sky Bet to avoid defeat here.
SCORE PREDICTION: 1-1 | BETTING ANGLE: Manchester United to win or draw vs Manchester City (2/1 with Sky Bet - Bet Here!)
Opta stats
- Manchester United are looking to win four consecutive away games in all competitions against Man City for the first time since a run of four between November 1993 and November 2000.
- In his managerial career, Man City boss Pep Guardiola has lost more home games against Manchester United in all competitions than he has versus any other opponent (4).
- Premier League meetings between Manchester City and Manchester United have seen the away team win more often than in any other fixture in the competition's history (21).
- Man City's Riyad Mahrez has been involved in nine goals in his last eight Premier League appearances, scoring six and assisting three. However, against no side has the Algerian faced more in the competition without scoring than Manchester United (11)
- Man City's Raheem Sterling is still yet to score in 18 Premier League appearances against Manchester United - there are six other opponents Sterling has failed to score against in the competition, facing them 16 times in total combined. Indeed, the last Englishman to score for Man City in this fixture was James Milner in April 2013.
How to follow: Watch Manchester City vs Manchester United 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.
Live Renault Super Sunday
How the table stands
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Latest Essential Football Podcast
Manchester derby preview: Can United upset the odds? Can Ronaldo get back to form? And who makes our combined XI
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.
