A flurry of games this week with our third prediction’s article in 7 days! We would not have it any other way! December is really treating us to mouth-watering football! As usual, 1 point is awarded for the correct outcome and 3 points for a perfect score.

December has brought us more good fortune with our podcast finally on iTunes. Check it out and subscribe:
https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/under-the-cosh-coshcast/id767743946

Here’s a reminder of last week’s scores and the overall points tally for the three of us so far. Something we don’t see very often; Rishay with the best result! He is slowly but surely clawing his way back.

Previous Matchday Scores:

Saturday December 7th:

Manchester United vs Newcastle:

Bernie: United fans all over the world, including myself, lost their minds after the defeat to Everton. In fact at first I predicted a 1-0 win for the magpies. Rooney is out and Van Persie is a maybe. The defense is creaky and Michael Carrick is injured. However, Jones should come back in to provide solidity in the center. I don’t rate Cleverley but he does keep the ball. I think Van Persie will play with Kagawa behind him and as long as Moyes doesn’t revert to a 4-4-2 United should be fine, but we know he will. Newcastle won at Old Trafford recently with Ba and Cabaye leading the way this could repeat itself if the Reds aren’t careful. Newcaslte aren’t solid enough at the back for me. 1-1  Remy will score

Mohaned: Im not sure how to go with this one. United are without Rooney but RVP may be back. At the same time, Newcastle just came off a 3-0 loss to Swansea. Its a tough one as both United and Newcastle can be so hot and cold. At Old trafford you expect United to always step up but they just lost to Everton there. I think a draw here would be a reasonable prediction according to the teams’ forms. Ill go with a 1-1 draw.

Rishay: The United camp will not be happy with the home loss to Everton. A great game for both teams but failing to convert their chances came back costly. They have conceded a few late goals this season and will need to pick up their form to close out games with more determination. Their confidence might be shaken but they will have home field advantage in this one. Newcastle are coming off a thrashing at Swansea, and will be there for the taking. 3-1 United. 

Southampton vs ManCity:

Bernie: Southampton have been a breath of fresh air for the league but the wheels have started to come off in recent weeks. I believe they will slip to mid table from here. City’s title push is picking up speed and escaping from the hawthorns with 3 points will boost confidence. I think City will take care of business here. 3-1 City.

Mohaned: Southampton are a good strong side who have slipped in recent games. The losses to Arsenal and Chelsea were acceptable but not the one to Aston Villa. Im not sure playing City right now will help them but at least they are getting the big games all out the way at the same time. City on the other hand are gaining momentum. Their center defense is still shaky so i feel they will concede. Ill go with a 2-1 City win.

Rishay: City finally got a win away from home, and will have some confidence going into this one. Southampton’s early season defensive solidarity has evaporated, but they will be ready to show their resilience for the arrival of the best attack in the premier league this season. City have been leaking goals sloppily recently, and this might be an area that Southampton will exploit. City will outscore them and get the result. 4-2 City.

Stoke vs Chelsea:

Bernie: Every time I predict an easy Chelsea victory they go and do something like a goal down inside a minute vs the saints and squeak out a 4-3 win against Sunderland. So I think this will be tough for them. I’m going for 3-1 Chelsea despite their woeful strike force.

Mohaned: Hazard is on fire right now. If he can keep that up then he should fill the gap left by Oscar’s injury. Lampard is doing OK while the rest of the team don’t feel like a goal scoring threat. Mata, Torres and so on don’t seem to provide enough goals. That being said Chelsea’s centre backs contribute a lot to their goals. Stoke should not score! I’ll go with a 3-0 Chelsea win.

Rishay: Strange away form for Chelsea in their last couple of fixtures, Losing 1-0 to Basel and conceding 3 goals away to Sunderland, even though the latter resulted in a win. Stoke are coming off a 4-0 hammering to Everton and a 0-0 stalemate at home to Cardiff. Chelsea should be able to get a result here, with Mourinho quietly getting them into second place in the table, they seem like a quietly confident bunch with room to improve. 2-0 Chelsea.

Liverpool vs West Ham:

Bernie: Suarez oh dear Suarez. The most irritating footballer in the world (or is that Mario Balotelli). He’s also one the most glorious players to watch. What a performance vs Norwich. West Ham are in for a world of pain. 3-0 Liverpool

Mohaned: Sturridge who? Yeah yeah, Suarez has been great. *Insert waxing lyrical here*. That being said he is probably the most naturally gifted player in the league. Liverpool’s TEAM need to step up and give him more support. West Ham are currently playing without a striker and have been low on goals. At Anfield, Liverpool should not complicate this game what so ever. 2-0 Liverpool.

Rishay: What a stunning quartet from Suarez, and Norwich will not know what to do about it. Hard to imagine he missed the first five games of the season as well, only to be the clear leading scorer at this stage. I expect him to be on the score sheet here again, and he could be on there a few times. West Ham have taken some beatings in the past couple of weeks and with a 1-0 loss to Crystal Palace, that is no confidence boost for a trip to Anfield. It could get ugly. 3-0 Liverpool.

Sunderland vs Tottenham:

Bernie: Sunderland were combative against Chelsea and Tottenham squeaked past the worst team in the league in my opinion in Fulham. Some pressure has been removed from AVB’s shoulders but spurs are still no where near a fluid unit. I can see a Sunderland upset here but I’ll keep it conservative. Maybe I’m not brave enough but 2-1 Spurs.

Mohaned: Tottenham for back to back away wins? I think its possible. The last one at Fulham required two outstanding finishes. That worries me as the team isn’t able to keep it simple and score by orthodox means. That shows a lack of implemented game plan and more reliance on individual brilliance which can be hit and miss. I think Sunderland will not be back to their goal scoring prowess that we saw against Chelsea. 1-0 Tottenham.

Rishay: Spurs can’t take this one lightly, since they were forced to mount a late comeback against Fulham last week courtesy of some sublime finishing. Sunderland managed to put three past Chelsea and still end up on the losing end. They will definitely take some encouragement from their performance and get themselves in the game here. Could be a close one. 2-2 draw.

Sunday December 8th:

*Game of the week: Arsenal vs Everton*

In the red corner, weighing in at 1st, its AAAAARSENAL. This game is the start of Arsenal’s very busy December with games against Napoli, City, and Chelsea coming up. They will want to start it off with the three point at home against a very strong Everton side.

In the blue corner, weighing in at 5th, its EEEEEVERTON. Coming off their fresh win at Old Trafford they will be in high spirits and believe another big scalp is there for the taking. Another 3 points here for Everton and they can cement their top 4 credentials!

Lets get ready to rumble!

Arsenal vs Everton:

Bernie: Everton will not finish in the top 4 but what a team. Yes Moyes once got them into the champions league but this team is playing like they are free from the shackles of their former Scottish dictator. Beating this version of Man United is one thing but beating Arsenal is a totally different kettle of fish. Arsenal will take their chances and will make you sweat. If Lukaku keeps up his standards then anything can happen. The key for the blues is stopping Ozil and Ramsey. Easier said than done! 2-1 Arsenal.

Mohaned: This will be a tough tight game. Almost impossible to apply logic to. My thinking is Arsenal’s strategy here, and against all “good” teams, is to just hold on to the ball for long periods of the game and suffocate the opposition. If they do that against Everton then they can win. If the game turns into a back and forth counterattacking duel then Everton has every chance. Tough but ill go with a 1-0 Arsenal win.

Rishay: The Gunners have established themselves as the best defence in England, impressively. Any qualms about Ozil’s form has been dispelled with his recent displays of precision passing and finishing. They’ll be the clear favourites from this one. Everton have been absolutely outstanding in recent weeks, and Martinez’s boys will be fearless for this trip. Coming off a massive 1-0 win at Old Trafford in midweek, its hard to say whether or not Everton will be able to repeat their performance. Arsenal better not take this one lightly. Everton’s attack has been looking very good and they have quality in all areas of the park, there will be no clean sheets in this one. 2-2 Draw.