Four days to wait until the Premier League restarts, on Boxing Day, when we kick off with seven mouth-watering clashes, including leaders Arsenal versus London rivals West Ham.
But Manchester United fans will have to wait for another day to see their heroes, as they host relegation threatened Nottingham Forest on the 27th December. The SBOTOP odds are at 1.28 on the Red Devils to win their opener and, sitting fifth in the table and three points behind Spurs with a game in hand, an expected victory will keep them in the Champions League mix.
Head coach Erik Ten Hag has made steady progress at Old Trafford and the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo will increase his authority further, while stars including Christian Eriksen and Marcus Rashford put in an impressive first half of the campaign. Rashford was one of a number of Manchester United players who shone at the World Cup and his form has been a revelation this season. He was a promising youngster who seemed to have stalled over the past two or three seasons but Rashford is currently playing the best football of his life.
His direct running and quick feet have always had defenders on edge but he has added coolness in front of goal, a quality that deserted him in previous seasons. Rashford scored three goals in England’s World Cup campaign, making him the nation’s joint top scorer despite playing just over two hours of football in the five games combined. He scored a brilliant solo goal in the Red Devils’ 2-0 Carabao Cup winner over Burnley on Wednesday while Eriksen scored the opener, and Rashford looks primed and ready for action when the league restarts next week.
Across the road at the Etihad, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has said that star striker Erling Braut Haaland, and others who sat the World Cup out, may take longer to get up to speed than their team-mates recently returned from Qatar. While Julian Alvarez was helping Argentina to World Cup Glory, scoring four goals along the way, Haaland and Riyad Mahrez watched on the telly: “I have players from the World Cup in better condition,” said Guardiola. “The players who came back have competed and trained every day. It’s normal to keep the rhythm.”
But one former Premier League striker, Thierry Henry, has said in the UK press that Haaland will have no trouble getting up to speed and he has backed the giant Norwegian to be the first player to score six goals in a Premier League game. Former City legend Sergio Aguero is one of four men to score five in a single match and, with 18 goals from his first 14 matches, Haaland could score 50 in a season (in all competitions) according to Henry.
The latest Premier League 2022 betting odds back the Sky Blues at odds of 1.45 to retain their title and, if Henry is right this season, that tip will be on the money.
Chelsea and Liverpool set to duel for Caicedo
Brighton and Hove Albion star Moses Caicedo could be in the middle of a tug of war as Chelsea and Liverpool are both keen to capture the Ecuadorian’s signature; the Seagulls value their man at £79m. Liverpool were at the head of the queue and were rumoured to be ready to plash £70m on the 21 year old, but Graham Potter’s Chelsea may be willing to meet the asking price. Blues owner Todd Boehly wants his club to buy younger talents and, with defensive midfielder N’golo Kante in the last year of his contract and likely to head for Barcelona in the summer, he is looking for reinforcements.
Kante missed out on the World Cup and has been dogged by injuries recently so Caicedo could be Chelsea’s ready made replacement.
Elsewhere, Newcastle United’s Premier League 2022 results have been mightily impressive and manager Eddie Howe deserves a lot of credit, moulding an effective unit from a previously dysfunctional team; also adding a few shrewd buys, notably England wingback Kieran Trippier and goalkeeper Nick Pope. But Howe is struggling to add marquee signings to the mix with Leicester City attacking midfielder James Maddison proving hard to land. And Chelsea’s recruitment policy might have thrown another spanner in the Magpies’ works as the Blues are closing in on the signing of Newcastle target Andrey Santos.
The Geordies thought they had clinched a deal for the 18 year old Brazilian, but latest reports in the UK suggest that Chelsea have reached a verbal agreement with the player and his club, Vasco da Gama, is ready to cash in. Newcastle may be the richest club on the planet but they are not yet sitting at the top table…though I doubt it will be long.
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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