Arsenal set for revenge over Chelsea and Costa

Match to catch

When Arsene Wenger finally got the better of Jose Mourinho at the 14th attempt as Arsenal beat champions Chelsea 1-0 in the season-opening Community Shield back in August, pundits and fans alike suspected it was a key indicator that the Gunners were finally ready to compete for their first league title since 2004. What few people foresaw, however, was the scale of the problems Mourinho and his side would face in the following months, culminating in the Portuguese’s sacking in December and the return of Guus Hiddink until the end of the season. The Blues go into Sunday’s meeting between the sides all of 19 points and 13 places below the league leaders, although they did at least beat Arsenal in the return fixture at Stamford Bridge, where Wenger was left fuming after a clash between Gabriel and Diego Costa saw his defender sent off and the Spanish striker lucky to be reprieved. That sense of injustice could help inspire Arsenal to a first league win over Chelsea since 2011.

Prediction: Arsenal 3 Chelsea 1.

Keep an eye on

Another side keen to taste revenge this weekend is Manchester City, who visit West Ham looking to make up for a shock 2-1 home loss to the Hammers in September. But this is likely to be a difficult hurdle for Manuel Pellegrini’s team, who have been short of goals on the road all season, while the Hammers are solid at the Boleyn Ground as they enjoy an excellent first season under Slaven Bilic.

Prediction: West Ham 2 Man City 2.

For the purists

West Brom were abysmal for most of their last league game, which they lost 3-0 away to Southampton with a performance as bad as any you’re likely to see from a Tony Pulis team. The Baggies were also unconvincing as they edged past Championship strugglers Bristol City in the FA Cup in midweek, so the uncompromising Pulis will be expecting a response against rock-bottom Midlands rivals Aston Villa on Saturday. Finding a regular goalscorer is his main problem, however, as nobody at the club has found the net more than three times in the league this season.

Prediction: West Brom 0 Aston Villa 0.

Showing form

Such are the levels of unpredictability and inconsistency in the EPL this season, no team is currently on a run of more than two successive wins and it’s only mid-table Southampton who have back-to-back successes to their name. The Saints’ mini-recovery after a run of one victory in 10, however, faces a major test at the hands of Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday. The Red Devils are unbeaten in five in all competitions following their dismal performances in December and, while they are still far from their best, last week’s narrow win at Liverpool and Wayne Rooney’s return to scoring form should stand them in good stead.

Prediction: Man United 2 Southampton 1.

Need a win

Watford have felt the full force of the EPL’s monthly awards curse after seeing Quique Sanchez Flores take the managers’ prize and striker Odion Ighalo the players’ gong for their efforts in December. Since the new year, they have lost three out of three league games and Ighalo has failed to find the net, meaning the Hornets look set to fall back among the also-rans despite their impressive first half of the season. Flores will hope the signing of Moroccan forward Nordin Amrabat will inspire the team to better things, starting at home against Newcastle on Saturday.

Prediction: Watford 1 Newcastle 0.

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Think I’m way off the mark? Tweet me your English Premier League predictions via @MartinDownerGN.

— The writer is a freelance journalist based in the UK