Saturday football

[Coffee]

"CHELSEA vs BRENTFORD (1230) Two-nil up against Arsenal and seemingly coasting to victory Arsenal, the Blues ended up sharing the points. How unfortunate. The Bees will present another tough assignment although their season hasn’t yet shifted into top gear. There’s little to choose between these two – on paper anyway. Home win. ARSENAL vs SHEFFIELD UNITED (1500) Second from top but for goal difference versus deservedly bottom. Not even Lord Griffith can extricate the Blades from their sad predicament, which is set to become sadder still this afternoon. There should be some goals in this that could take Arsenal above City for a week. Arteta will be well aware of that. Home win. BOURNEMOUTH vs BURNLEY (1500) Two of the current favourites for the drop. Nineteenth and eighteenth respectively, which makes this a genuine six-pointer. It’s hard to pick a likely winner, so home advantage gets the nod. Home win. WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS vs NEWCASTLE UNITED (1730) For all their lofty aspirations, the Barcodes’ lead today’s hosts by just five points. A portion of midweek humble pie may cause them to vomit it belatedly all over their hosts, but could equally result in seconds. Still, you’d expect them to be too good for a resurgent Wolves. Away win. *SUNDAY* WEST HAM UNITED vs EVERTON (1300) Northwest football is in mourning, but in Everton’s case that mourning is perhaps not insurmountably deep. The tenants of the London Stadium may not be mourning, but will certainly be pissed off at the far from encouraging performance and result in Athens on Thursday. The Toffees are in familiar territory near the foot of the table and whatever their off-field woes they should be there for the taking. We have to recover from the journey and exertion, which hasn’t always been readily achievable. Still, victory could catapult us back into the European places. Home win. ASTON VILLA vs LUTON TOWN (1400) Villa’s star is shining brighter than it has for many a year. Luton’s star sits one place above the dotted line – the lower one – and they’ll be more than delighted if it finishes there when the whistle finally blows on this season. By the final whistle today, however, it will probably be back below it. A dead cert of a result if ever there was one. Home win. BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION vs FULHAM (1400) The Seagulls continued their astonishing flight with their first ever win in Europe on Thursday. Will that affect them against thirteenth-placed Fulham? No. Home win. LIVERPOOL vs NOTTINGHAM FOREST (1400) Another dead cert in the offing at Anfield, although Forest won’t make it easy for their hosts. Home win. MANCHESTER UNITED vs MANCHESTER CITY (1530) This should be a really good game. Man U still look unconvincing, while City have slipped up recently. Bobby Charlton’s death will certainly raise the self-belief of the home fans, but to what extent will that transfer to the players? It won’t be a walkover for City. Draw. *CHAMPIONSHIP* Under Pep Guardiola’s former assistant, Enzo Maresca, Leicester have become a Championship phenomenon. They’ve dropped just three points all season, at home to Hull in early September. Like Man City, the Foxes’ hallmarks are patient possession and build-up. Although still early in the season, it will take a turnaround of catastrophic proportions for them not to get promoted at the first attempt and, probably, win the title with time – a lot of time – to spare. Not so far behind them, Ipswich have been accumulating points becoming of runners-up. Then there’s a gap of nine points to Leeds in third, which is where the table gets truly constipated, with just another four points from there to Bristol City in 13th spot. A very late equaliser at former leaders Preston (now fourth) saw Southampton return to the play-off zone, with West Brom completing that group of four on goal difference. The big game of the day, also the early kick-off, sees Leeds host Huddersfield – ee by gum – while Middlesboro who, as predicted and as anyone who actually reads this will recall, have shot up the table from bottom to within goal difference from the play-off places. They take on Stoke today. Coventry, another prediction for achievement this season, are faring less well, having lost to lowly Rotherham in midweek and now occupying 20th place. There is, as ever, much to play for in this excellent division."

[Mike Oxsaw]

"And just to think....millions of pounds of licence payers' money was used to fund the Israel-friendly BBC's move to Manchester, driven by the fact that some prat with spend authority in the organisation thought that Ferguson's Manchester United was the be-all and end-all of British football and they had better get there PDQ and hang on to their glory-bound shirt tails as they conquered the world... ,,,Tut, tut, Still, there's always the Arabs and Manchester City to adopt as your works team. BBC look better in blue, too."

[twoleftfeet]

Man Utd need a morale boosting win. When do they play us?

[pdbis]

"CAN'T DEFEND, CAN'T ATTACK, CAN'T BOSS MIDFIELD. The losing run will be at least the next 3 games under Moyes."

[Mike Oxsaw]

"Villa are on fire at the moment and getting points on the table, ready for when it matters. Can see them replacing spurs as challengers for one of the better European competitions next season once spurs go, well, all spursy. Two good things from the weekend: 1 - my acca came in; a massive 23 quid from an 11 pound stake, and, 2 - Man U getting torn yet another new arse."

[Fauxstralian]

12 home Premier league wins in a row for Villa under Emery Said to someone that we should have taken him last October ... reckon the 4 time Europa League winner could have managed winning the Conference too. Man City absolutely dominating Man U but needing a soft pen to be ahead. Need that second goal and then could run riot but you could imagine Man U sneaking back with one chance.

[goose]

"You’re a proper simpleton joyo son. Supporting a team doesn’t mean blind optimism. It’s possible to support a team and still think we will get beat. As a poster you’re a complete personality vacuum. I don’t think you’ve got an original thought in your head, you just moan about what everyone else posts."

[joyo]

Everton to record the only PL away win over the weekend Really?What about Brentford? I think we will win tomorrow and it will piss you off you miserable prick

[goose]

joyo you‚Äôre one weird cսnt. It‚Äôs a thread about the weekend games and people‚Äôs predictions. Unless you can see into the future you‚Äôve no idea if we win or lose tomorrow. But then having no idea is a familiar feeling to you.

[onsideman]

I like O'Neil

[Sir Alf]

"Gary O’Neill seems to improve teams he raise over ? They try to play nice football too. He even played for us so is an ex player ? Ok, let’s see how it goes this season but he could ge an option to replace Moyes if he continues to impress ?"

[twoleftfeet]

Nice to see the woeful Karen Carnegie still getting work despite being found guilty of telling a player to “ Fuck off back home to Spain “.

[lowlife]

"As soon as they said it’s Gillett on the VAR I knew there was no chance it would be overturned. Wolves look great in the second half, but have just lost Neto to what looks like a bad hamstring injury."

[claretandbluedagger]

Didn’t realise it was Gillett on VAR. All makes sense now. How the man is still in a job is beyond me

[lowlife]

"Shay Given is a twat. Anyway, great equalising goal by Wolves. Hope they push on and win."

[onsideman]

The hopeless Jared Gillet on VAR We know what a useless cսnt he is

[Sir Alf]

Yep Premiership and Refs now acknowledging Newcastle wealth and influence by giving them dodgy decisions

[Fauxstralian]

Those pens when an attacker just puts his foot in the way of a clearance are always deeply suspect. Looks like a deliberate tactic so not surprised Newcastle are at it

[twoleftfeet]

When goose indicated that Everton would beat us I knew then that we would win.

[claretandbluedagger]

"Judging by the decisions Newcastle have been getting recently, I can only assume that the PL and FA have decided that they’re one of the big teams now"

[joyo]

"goose 11.30..why do you bother to get up in the morning let alone support West Ham,miserable prick As per usual you're wrong"

[Percy Dalton]

Thank christ Bellingham didn't choose Man City

[Percy Dalton]

Thank christ Bellingham didn't choose Man City

[swindon hammer]

Jude Bellingham just scored 2 goals to beat Barcelona. An incredible talent. 13 goals in 13 games for Madrid.

[Coffee]

"Leicester keep winning, as do Ipswich."

[Mike Oxsaw]

"I see that Leicester have a player called Winks. If ever a footballer was destined to score 5 minutes before the end of the first half, it's him."