New Delhi: After Matchday 9, Man City sits at the top of the standings while Liverpool will be eager to bounce back and reclaim the lead this weekend. Today, the title race heats up as the top contenders take the field. Arsenal will kick off Matchday 10 and will look to extend their strong record against Newcastle United. Man City will aim to solidify their position while Liverpool has their sights set on moving up. Meanwhile, Ipswich Town still hunting for their first win will face newly-promoted Leicester City with hopes of a breakthrough performance.
But before the Matchday 10 action kicks off let’s preview which teams hold the upper hand in this round of action.
Newcastle vs Arsenal (6 pm IST)
🔴 𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗖𝗛𝘿𝘼𝙔 ⚪️
🆚 Newcastle United
🕧 12:30pm (UK)
🏆 Premier League
🏟️ St James’ Park pic.twitter.com/IIsmUTof4D— Arsenal (@Arsenal) November 2, 2024
Third-placed Arsenal will travel to head to St. James’ Park for a lunchtime showdown with 12th-placed Newcastle as they aim for their sixth victory in ten matches. Despite their recent 2-2 draw with Liverpool, the Gunners trail the Premier League leaders by five points but remain hopeful given their strong record, having triumphed in 24 of their last 32 encounters with Newcastle.
Newcastle, under Eddie Howe, have faced an up-and-down season. They have managed only an average of one goal per home game and failed to score in their latest home loss to Brighton. The absence of Sven Botman due to injury has weakened their defense while Kieran Trippier’s recent struggles have further disrupted their defensive cohesion. Arteta has already rested more of his key players for the midweek EFL Cup triumph and those fresh legs could definitely make the difference for the Gunners.
Newcastle: Pope; Livramento, Schar, Burn, Hall; Tonali, Guimaraes, Joelinton; Barnes, Isak, Gordon
Arsenal: Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Timber; Rice, Partey; Saka, Trossard, Martinelli; Havertz
Prediction: Newcastle United 1-2 Arsenal
Liverpool vs Brighton (8:30 pm IST)
🔴 MATCHDAY 🔴
All set for #PL action against the Seagulls ✊#LIVBHA | #WalkOn pic.twitter.com/dWlQaQD9Gj
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) November 2, 2024
Liverpool will host Brighton at Anfield. The two sides will meet for the second time this week after the EFL Cup encounter where Arne Slot’s side edge passed Fabian Hurzeler’s side 3-2 and qualified for the quarter-finals. Slot will be hoping for a more controlled display from Liverpool as they aim to stay competitive with Manchester City at the top of the Premier League. After last weekend’s draw with Arsenal, the Redslost their place at the summit but could overtake City this weekend if they manage a win over Brighton.
Under Fabian Hurzeler, Brighton had been performing well though recent results have been disappointing. Wednesday’s loss to Liverpool followed a late collapse against Wolverhampton Wanderers where the Seagulls conceded in the 88th and 93rd minutes, turning a potential win into a 2-2 draw. Brighton’s defense have looked shaky as they have conceded two or more goals in five of their last six games and Slot will look to capitalize over the same.
Liverpool: Kelleher; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Mac Allister, Gravenberch; Salah, Szoboszlai, Gakpo; Nunez
Brighton: Verbruggen; Veltman, Van Hecke, Igor, Estupinan; Adingra, Hinshelwood, Baleba, Mitoma; Rutter, Welbeck
Prediction: Liverpool 3-1 Brighton
Ipswich Town vs Leicester City (8:30 pm IST)
A big matchday ahead 🦊#IPSLEI pic.twitter.com/NXRUdTCxCy
— Leicester City (@LCFC) November 2, 2024
Ipswich Town host Leicester at Portman Road in a match that could see the Tractor Boys secure their first Premier League win if they score early. The Foxes have proven vulnerable when conceding first, averaging only 0.71 points per game in such situations compared to 2 points per game when scoring first. This trend gives the Tractor Boys an incentive to start strong despite facing an injury crisis. Key fringe players including ex-Leicester striker George Hirst, may get their chance to shine at this level.
Encounters between lower-ranked teams often lead to higher goal counts as both sides push for a crucial victory. Since last season matches involving two relegation-threatened teams or clashes among Leicester, Southampton, and Ipswich have averaged 3.8 goals across eight games which reflects the intensity and stakes of these “six-pointer” fixtures.
Ipswich Town: Muric; O’Shea, Woolfenden, Burgess, Davis; Phillips, Cajuste; Burns, Chaplin, Szmodics; Delap
Leicester City: ermansen; Pereira, Okoli, Faes, Justin; Ndidi, Winks; De Cordova-Reid, Buonanotte, Mavididi; Vardy
Prediction: Ipswich Town 2-2 Leicester City
Bournemouth vs Manchester City (8:30 pm IST)
Who’s looking forward to Saturday? 👊 pic.twitter.com/78crdPNbe0
— AFC Bournemouth 🍒 (@afcbournemouth) October 31, 2024
Injury-hit Pep Guardiola’s Man City will look to maintain their position at the tabletop when they travel to face Bournemouth at Vitality Stadium. The two teams will lock horns for the first time after February when the Citizens secured a 1-0 victory. The Cherries are getting their form back as picked up four points in their last two fixtures against Arsenal and Aston Villa. They beat the 10-man Gunners by a scoreline of 2-0 followed by a 1-1 draw against Villa.
Though Bournemouth have lost all 11 of their Premier League matches against City, they can put on a strong fight and capitalise on the injury-riddled Man City side. City were condemned to their first loss of the campaign when they lost 2-1 to Tottenham Hotspurs and could not qualify for the quarter-final of the EFL Cup. The Citizens are understrength but there is still quality at Guardiola’s disposal and he knows very well how to utilize his assets.
Bournemouth: Kepa; Smith, Zabarnyi, Senesi, Kerkez; Cook, Christie; Semenyo, Tavernier, Kluivert; Evanilson
Man City: Ederson; Stones, Dias, Gvardiol; Lewis, Kovacic; Bernardo, Gundogan, Foden, Nunes; Haaland
Prediction: Bournemouth 1-2 Man City
Southampton vs Everton (8:30 pm IST)
Taking on the Toffees 🍬
You REDS ❤️ pic.twitter.com/Fvr2pxf5Td
— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) November 2, 2024
Southampton will face Everton at St. Mary’s Stadium, marking Sean Dyche’s first league visit to the Saints as Everton’s manager. Despite a challenging league campaign that has left Southampton with just one point from nine games, Russell Martin has led his side to the quarter-finals of the EFL Cup, with three wins in that competition including a 3-2 success over Stoke City. However, they remain winless in the league for 22 matches with late collapses undermining their efforts.
Everton, sitting 16th in the standings arrives with cautious optimism after breaking a 14-game winless away streak with a 2-0 win over Ipswich. Although they have struggled at St. Mary’s historically but they did secure a 2-1 victory there last season. With a recent point against Fulham and an unbeaten streak, a win on Saturday could help Everton climb toward the top half of the table.
Southampton: Ramsdale; Sugawara, Harwood-Bellis, Bednarek, Manning, Walker-Peters; Dibling, Aribo, Downes, Mateus Fernandes; Archer
Everton: Pickford; Young, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Gueye, Doucoure; Harrison, Lindstrom, Ndiaye; Calvert-Lewin
Prediction: Southampton 1-2 Everton
Nottingham Forest vs West Ham (8:30 pm IST)
Matchday against West Ham. COYR! ❤️ pic.twitter.com/wnVw198Qks
— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) November 2, 2024
Nottingham Forest will aim for a third consecutive Premier League win as they welcome West Ham United to the City ground. The two sides will be locking horns for the first time after February when the Tricky Tress won by a scoreline of 2-0 over the Hammers.
Nottingham Forest sits in sixth place and have suffered only one defeat in their first nine matches. Under Nuno Espirito Santo, Forest boasts the league’s second-strongest defense, allowing just seven goals all season. On the other hand, West Ham have struggled with consistency under Julen Lopetegui, winning three, drawing two, and losing four of their nine Premier League games. Despite a recent 4-1 defeat to Tottenham, they’ve claimed home victories over Ipswich (4-1) and Manchester United (2-1), the latter with a late Jarrod Bowen penalty. Sitting 13th, the Hammers aim to improve their away form, having won just three of 13 road games in 2024.
Nottingham Forest: Sels; Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Moreno; Yates, Dominguez; Elanga, Anderson, Hudson-Odoi; Wood
West Ham: Fabianski; Wan-Bissaka, Todibo, Kilman, Emerson; Alvarez, Soucek; Bowen, Paqueta, Summerville; Antonio
Prediction: Nottm Forest 2-1 West Ham
Wolves vs Crystal Palace (11 pm IST)
It’s Palace up next.
COYW 👊 pic.twitter.com/po3D6ntkJi
— Wolves (@Wolves) October 30, 2024
Gary O’Neil has implemented a tactical switch to a back five that has made Wolves more resilient defensively and that could prove frustrating for Crystal Palace. While their back-to-back victories against Tottenham and Aston Villa demonstrate their potential although scoring goals remains a challenge for Wolves. Palace currently holds the record for the least effective attack in the league, struggling with the fewest goals scored, the lowest shot conversion rate, and generating the least threatening chances.
However, Oliver Glasner’s teams are known for their competitiveness, often leading to tight scorelines. In the nine matches played by Crystal Palace this season that resulted in a win for one side, the victory margin has consistently been a single goal. Both Wolverhampton Wanderers and Crystal Palace are looking to capitalize on recent positive results as they prepare for their evening kickoff in the Premier League. Wolves recently even staged an impressive comeback drawing 2-2 with Brighton & Hove Albion while the Eagles secured a place in the EFL Cup quarter-finals by defeating Aston Villa.
Wolves: Sa; S. Bueno, Toti, Dawson; Semedo, Lemina, Doyle, Ait-Nouri; Gomes, Cunha; Larsen
Crystal Palace: Henderson; Chalobah, Lacroix, Guehi; Munoz, Kamada, Hughes, Mitchell; Sarr, Mateta, Nketiah
Prediction: Wolves 2-1 Crystal Palace
