Premier League Predictions with Mark Young and Hayley Mcqueen: Manchester United to sink Queens Park Rangers

Another week of Premier League fixtures means another week of predictions for the Offside Rule to get their teeth into.

Hayley McQueen and Mark Young takes a closer look at the liver fixtures this weekend including Arsenal’s crunch trip to the Etihad and Everton’s home game with West Brom. Also included is Manchester United’s trip to Loftus Road in an intriguing Saturday contest.

Aguero’s Gunning for Arsenal

Manchester City 3-0 Arsenal

Arsenal are finally starting to find their feet and their form again so surely there is no better way to test that than away at the champions.

The problem for Arsenal and Wenger is that their well publicised inability to win the big matches comes true time and time again but the positive sign is that they are coming out of a recent injury crisis with players beginning to return to the Arsenal line up.

The negative is that so are City. They will be without Yaya Toure and new signing Wilfried Bony as they kick off their African Cup of Nations campaign but Vincent Kompany could return and Sergio Aguero will.

Aguero, when fit is deadly and the best striker in the Premier League and will be looking at the defensive partnership of Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny with glee as he looks for a brilliant return to action.

Alexis Sanchez is a danger for Arsenal and City will have to be on their guard but City are full of match winners. Frank Lampard, David Silva and ex gunner Samir Nasri can win games from nothing as well as Aguero can and those attacking options should give City a comfortable victory on Sunday evening.

Hayley McQueen’s Prediction
Manchester City 3-1 Arsenal

City aren’t losing this one at home & if Aguero plays & Kompany returns Wenger’s side could be in for a rough day. Arsenal’s away form this season in the league is four wins from 11 so things aren’t looking promising on that front against a team who are unbeaten in their last 12 league matches. I do think Arsenal will provide us with a good game & goals as city have conceded at least two in each of their last two home matches in the top flight.

Best Odds (All correct from OddsChecker 15/01)
Match Result: Manchester City 4/5
Correct Score: Man City 3-0 18/1

The Pulis Effect

Everton 0-1 West Brom

Everton lost to West ham in the Fa Cup on Tuesday night after 120 minutes of a replay and a penalty shoot out with ten men and won’t have it any easier when West Brom come to town on Monday night.

West Brom have scored eight goals without reply since Tony Pulis took charge and Saido Berahino is finding the net once again. Ex Toffee Joleon Lescott looks like the perfect Pulis centre back as well and will be looking for a positive result at one of his former clubs on Monday night.

It is the kind of result that the ex Stoke manager loves to pull out of the bag. An unexpected upturn of a favourite but on recent form Everton are far from being able to take seriously as home bankers.

Drawing with Man City and narrowly losing out to West Ham are positives but they lack pace at centre back and creation from wide positions to be able to feed the talent of Romelu Lukaku.

John Stones coming back into the side is a boost but with Berahino once again looking like the main man in this team, I would back West Brom to pick up all three points on Merseyside.

Hayley McQueen’s Prediction
Everton 1-1 West Brom

Everton’s last win came on 15th December! & West Brom are buoyed on by the 7-0 win in FA Cup & against Hull so West Brom are of course favourites here even though it’s at Goodison. Lukaku is enjoying himself at the moment though & the team who have begun pumping the ball forward more often to him & he’s likely to score at home so I’m plumping for a draw.

Best Odds
Match Result: West Brom 4/1
Correct Score: West Brom 1-0 12/1

Van Gaal’s perfect remedy

QPR 1-3 Manchester United

Southampton tactically outclassed Manchester United at Old Trafford last Sunday but a Saturday trip to Loftus Road should prove the perfect remedy for these recent ills.

Louis Van Gaal had an embarrassment of riches to choose from last weekend with only one player in Ashley Young injured but still couldn’t find a way through the Saints fantastic team performance.

They will get more chances from the Hoops this weekend who despite having Charlie Austin scoring seemingly every week, leave holes at the back and in midfield at all times.

The daunting prospect for QPR fans must be that regular right back Clint Hill could be up against Angel Di Maria for 90 minutes on Saturday. With Robin Van Persie a doubt, Van Gaal could be looking for a reaction from Radamel Falcao who was controversially left out of the squad for last week’s match.

QPR have been impressive at home but still face a host of tough fixtures on their home patch, that run of games will not start well as United should win this fairly comfortably.

Hayley McQueen’s Prediction
QPR 0-4 Manchester United

Plenty of chances & plenty of goals. Sorry QPR but I predict the same scoreline as the reverse fixture earlier in the season at Old Trafford.

Best Odds
Match Result: Man United 8/13
Correct Score Man United 3-1 14/1

Carroll Head and Shoulders Above Blunt Tigers

West Ham 2-0 Hull City

Sam Allardyce’s West Ham will be buoyed by finally getting past Everton in the FA Cup on Tuesday and the should spell danger for Hull City on Sunday.

The Tigers lost at West Brom by a single goal last week but more worrying is that strikers Nikica Jelavic and Abel Hernandez both went off injured and will certainly miss this game at the Boleyn Ground.

The Hammers on the other hand seem to not be missing Diafra Sakho as Enner Valencia and Andy Carroll are doing a great job of filling in and scoring goals.

Carroll’s solo effort last week in their 1-1 draw at Swansea was world class and he is currently enjoying the form of his West Ham career. A fully fit Carroll is lethal and he could be the difference between the Hammers and the Tigers this weekend.

Hull will have to try and rely on Sone Aluko and Yannick Sagbo up top on Sunday and that alone should give the Hammers defence no reason to panic as their winless run of six in all competitions will more than likely come to an end.

Hayley McQueen’s Prediction
West Ham 2-0 Hull City

4 draws in a row for West Ham but this could be the game to get them back on track with all 3 points. As if things couldn’t get any worse for lowly Hull, they created few chances after strikers Nikica Jelavic and Abel Hernandez both suffered first-half injuries in their defeat to West Brom last weekend &. they will be without their 2 strikers for this away trip & it’s going to be a tough fixture. The tigers have just 2 wins in their last 15 games in all competitions & I predict another defeat.

Best Odds
Match Result: West Ham 8/11
Correct Score: West Ham 2-0 15/2

The Saints Go Marching On

Newcastle United 0-1 Southampton

Saturday’s evening kick off rounds off a week of away fixtures for Southampton as they travel to Newcastle.
The Saints won 1-0 at Old Trafford on Sunday and beat Ipswich Town in their FA Cup replay by the same score line and that great week should be rounded off by a win of the same score line and troubled Newcastle.

John Carver’s team were impressive at Chelsea before losing 2-0 and without Papiss Cisse available they miss someone clinical up top that could dent a defence as good as Southampton’s.

Remy Cabella looked a danger after the leash had been removed at Stamford Bridge and if he performs then the Magpies have a chance but Southampton’s midfield nullified Manchester United’s stars and will do the same to this United even without the services of Morgan Schneiderlin.

The Saints have the best defence in the Premier League and they have a fantastic chance of keeping that record after their trip to the North East.

Hayley McQueen’s Prediction
Newcastle United 1-0 Southampton

Whilst I can’t decide who is going to score for Newcastle I predict an upset. The magpies might be having a bad time of things but they are due a result at home soon even under caretaker manager John Carver & seem to be a little more settled. It’s another long away trip for the south coast club & they only played midweek in the FA Cup so something has to give. They will definitely make life difficult very for a Newcastle defence who’ve conceded 14 goals in 10 games at home.

Best Odds
Match Result: Southampton 13/10
Correct Score: Southampton 1-0 7/1

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