Premier League match previews, team news, stats, predictions, kick-off times and how to follow | Football News

Team news, stats, predictions and how to follow the Premier League on Wednesday as Tottenham travel to Burnley, Watford play Crystal Palace and Liverpool host Leeds.

Burnley vs Tottenham – Wednesday; kick-off 7.30pm

Team News: Burnley boss Sean Dyche is confident Maxwel Cornet and Wout Weghorst will be fit for the visit of Tottenham despite being forced off in Saturday’s resounding win at Brighton.

James Tarkowski and Ashley Westwood are in line to return for the Clarets after missing the 3-0 win at the Amex, but Johann Berg Gudmundsson, Charlie Taylor and Matej Vydra remain out.

Harry Kane will start for Tottenham at Burnley even if he had only one leg, according to head coach Antonio Conte.

The England captain suffered a knock to his back during Saturday’s impressive 3-2 win at champions Manchester City, but Conte has no intention of sitting him out of the trip to Turf Moor.

“Harry had a hit on his back but he has to play. Even if he has one leg, he has to play,” Conte said. “He is good. He knows the importance he has to our team.”

Oliver Skipp (groin) and Japhet Tanganga (knee) are out while Sergio Reguilon (coronavirus) is a doubt.

Jones Knows prediction

Despite both these teams securing fantastic wins at the weekend you get the feeling this will be a cautious game. Both will be looking to protect their defence first and foremost before being clinical with their chances up the other end. In their last nine fixtures with teams in the top eight, Burnley have seen eight of those matches fall under the 2.5 goal line.

The presence of Eric Dier should help to keep Burnley away from the Tottenham goal and keep the scores down too.

In nine games where Dier has started in the Premier League as the central defender in a back three, Spurs are unbeaten (W6, D3) and have conceded just six goals, keeping five clean sheets. That run includes matches against Liverpool and Man City. With Harry Kane in top form, Spurs certainly have the edge in both boxes and they can win a tight encounter.

That’s not my angle of attack though. My eyes are drawn to the cards market, where I want to back a card-friendless game involving two teams that are likely to sit off one another. Only Liverpool commit less fouls per 90 minutes than Burnley (8.5), while Tottenham are averaging just over 10.5 per game since Antonio Conte took charge which is below the overall average of all Premier League teams.

The overall card count per 90 minutes in matches involving both teams since Conte took charge has this game averaging about 2.8 cards but that can be lowered slightly when assessing Burnley’s home games against teams challenging for the European spots.

In the last 13 fixtures that fit that criteria every game has produced three cards or fewer. That’s why I am happy to back under 40 match booking points (10 for a yellow, 25 for a red) at 5/6 with Sky Bet.

SCORE PREDICTION: 0-1 | BETTING ANGLE: Back under 40 booking points (5/6 with Sky Bet – Bet Here!)

Opta stats…

• Burnley have won just one of their last 12 Premier League games against Spurs (D3 L8), winning 2-1 at Turf Moor in February 2019.
• Tottenham have only failed to score in one of their 14 Premier League games against Burnley, a 0-0 draw in April 2015. Meanwhile, they’ve kept eight clean sheets against the Clarets in the competition.
• Spurs have lost just one of their last 20 Premier League games against sides starting the day in the relegation zone (W15 D4), winning each of the last six in a row. Their only defeat in this run came at home to Newcastle in August 2019.
• Burnley have won just one of their last 20 Premier League home games (D11 L8), beating Brentford 3-1 in October. The Clarets have scored just 15 goals in these 20 matches, failing to score on nine occasions.
• Burnley are looking to secure back-to-back Premier League victories for the first time since January 2021 following their 3-0 win at Brighton last time out. The Clarets netted as many goals in that victory at Brighton as they had in their previous nine league games combined.

How to follow: Follow Burnley vs Tottenham in our dedicated live match blog. Highlights will also be published on the Sky Sports digital platforms and the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel shortly after the final whistle.

Watford vs Crystal Palace – Wednesday; kick-off 7.30pm

Team News: Watford expect Samir to be fit for Roy Hodgson’s reunion with former club Crystal Palace at Vicarage Road.

Samir was forced off in the closing stages of Saturday’s 1-0 win at Aston Villa with a head injury, but boss Hodgson said there were no concussion issues and the Brazilian centre-back trained on Monday.

Joao Pedro and Juraj Kucka, who missed the Villa Park victory through injury, will both be assessed.

Conor Gallagher will return to the Crystal Palace squad for the trip.

The on-loan Chelsea midfielder was ineligible to play against parent club Chelsea on Saturday, but is available once again.

Goalkeeper Vicente Guaita, who was substituted at half-time at the weekend, is expected to be fit, but full-back Joel Ward – who sat out against the Blues with a knock – will be missing once again, as will fellow defender Nathan Ferguson (thigh)

Jones Knows prediction

I remain lukewarm about backing Crystal Palace to win football matches when fancied by the markets. In their last 14 games, they have landed the odds twice and have won just one of their last 14 away matches – at Manchester City of all places. Watford, under former Palace boss Roy Hodgson, will be making Palace work for this victory, so swerving the match result market in what looks set to be a cagey, low-scoring affair looks the way to go.

Hodgson should have an edge here having worked with most of the Palace players. I will be stunned if he’s not encouraging his players to ruffle the feathers of Wilfried Zaha. The Palace winger plays on the edge more so now than ever with his prickly reactions to getting fouled leaving him vulnerable to an aggressive coming together with the opposition. Confrontation follows Zaha around, especially when playing against Watford. He has been booked in all five appearances at Vicarage Road where the crowd are happy to dish out some special treatment.

He was shown a yellow card for simulation in a 1-1 Premier League draw vs Watford in 2016 and then became engaged in a heated exchange with Watford mascot Harry the Hornet who mocked him by diving to the ground. I will be backing Zaha to be the first man carded at 12/1 and to receive a card at 16/5 with Sky Bet.

SCORE PREDICTION: 1-1 | BETTING ANGLE: Wilfried Zaha to be carded (16/5 with Sky Bet – Bet Here!)

Opta stats…

• Watford have won four of their last six meetings with Crystal Palace in all competitions (D1 L1), as many as they had in their previous 20 against them. They’ve already won a home match against the Eagles this season, winning 1-0 in the League Cup second round.
• After winning their first Premier League away game against Watford 1-0 in September 2015, Crystal Palace have failed to win any of their last four visits to Vicarage Road in the competition (D3 L1).
• None of the seven victories in Premier League games between Crystal Palace and Watford have been by more than a one-goal margin – it’s the most victories a Premier League fixture has seen without any of them being by more than one goal.
• Watford have conceded at least once in each of their last 17 Premier League home games – no team has ever failed to keep a clean sheet in 18 consecutive home matches in the competition. The last top-flight side to do so were Blackpool, who went 20 top-flight home games without a shutout between April 1971 and April 2011 (17 in the Premier League).

How to follow: Follow Watford vs Crystal Palace in our dedicated live match blog. Highlights will also be published on the Sky Sports digital platforms and the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel shortly after the final whistle.

Liverpool vs Leeds – Wednesday; kick-off 7.45pm

Team News: Liverpool forwards Roberto Firmino and Diogo Jota will miss the Premier League visit of Leeds to Anfield on Wednesday night.

The pair both missed the weekend win over Norwich – Jota with an ankle problem and Firmino a thigh muscle issue – and both players are major doubts for this weekend’s Carabao Cup final against Chelsea.

But Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, whose side have won eight matches in a row in all competitions, has no other injury or suspension concerns.

Leeds will be without Robin Koch, who was forced out of Sunday’s home defeat to Manchester United with concussion.

The Germany defender has been deployed as a deep-lying midfielder in the absence of Kalvin Phillips and it is likely Adam Forshaw will assume that role at Anfield.

Phillips and skipper Liam Cooper are not expected to return until next month as they recover from respective hamstring injuries, while Patrick Bamford (foot) remains a long-term absentee.

Jones Knows prediction

So, the gap could be down to just three.

Even a cynical old goat like me is starting to become a little excited over the prospect of Manchester City and Liverpool going at it between now and May.

There should not be too many problems on the horizon here for Liverpool either. I am actually afraid for a Leeds defence that has conceded an average of three goals per game over the last 10 Premier League fixtures. Gulp.

Leeds showed yet again at the weekend that they cannot be trusted defending set-pieces properly and no team has scored more goals from corners than Liverpool this season (11). So, it really does not take a genius to decipher backing the Liverpool centre-backs to score is a fine angle of attack. Virgil van Dijk is the obvious starting point but I would much rather back Joel Matip at a bigger price in the anytime market at 17/2 with Sky Bet as he actually averages a higher return in shots, expected goals and touches in the opposition box per 90 minutes than the Dutchman.

SCORE PREDICTION: 4-1 | BETTING ANGLE: Joel Matip to score (17/2 with Sky Bet – Bet Here!)

Opta stats…

• Liverpool have won their last three Premier League home games against Leeds, netting 10 goals in the process. They last won more consecutively against them at Anfield in the league between 1973 and 1978 (6).
• Leeds have lost both Premier League meetings with Liverpool in a season on four previous occasions (1996-97, 1997-98, 1999-00 and 2002-03). Only in 1996-97 did the Whites fail to score in either meeting with the Reds in a season in the competition.
• Liverpool have only failed to score in one of their last 23 meetings with Leeds in all competitions, netting in each of their last 16 in a row since a goalless draw in April 1999.
• Liverpool are the only side unbeaten at home in the Premier League this season (W9 D3), and have conceded a league-low seven goals at Anfield so far this term.

How to follow: Follow Liverpool vs Leeds in our dedicated live match blog. Highlights will also be published on the Sky Sports digital platforms and the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel shortly after the final whistle.

Arsenal vs Wolves – Thursday; kick-off 7.45pm

Arsenal and Wolves Team News: To follow…

Jones Knows prediction

Wolves have another chance to seriously throw their hat into the ring for the top-four race here. I said the same in the corresponding fixture which Arsenal won 1-0, but two straight wins for Bruno Lage’s men have kept hopes of a European adventure very much alive.

Arsenal are perhaps a tad short in the market at 4/6 for the home win considering Wolves have beaten Tottenham, Manchester United and Southampton away from home this season without conceding.

I have got my eye on Bukayo Saka opening the scoring in what is likely to be a low-scoring affair settled by a moment of inspiration.

Saka is becoming Arsenal’s go-to guy in the final third. Since December 17 no player in the Premier League has averaged a better goals per game ratio than him with a return of a goal every 0.92 games. Those five goals in that period suggest Saka is Arsenal’s most likely route to goal. That isn’t mirrored by his 11/2 first goalscorer odds. They should be snapped up.

SCORE PREDICTION: 1-1 | BETTING ANGLE: Bukayo Saka to score first (11/2 with Sky Bet – Bet Here!)

Opta stats…

• Arsenal have lost just one of their last 10 home league games against Wolves (W5 D4), though that defeat did come in this exact fixture last season. The Gunners are looking to complete their first league double over Wolves since 2010-11.
• Wolves won this exact fixture 2-1 last season – they’ve not won back-to-back away league games against Arsenal since September 1979.
• Arsenal have scored in each of their last 28 games against Wolves in all competitions, since a 1-0 home loss in February 1979. It’s the Gunners’ second longest current scoring streak against a specific opponent, after a 32-game ongoing run against West Bromwich Albion.
• Having lost consecutive league games at the start of December, conceding five goals in the process, Arsenal have lost just one of their last eight in the Premier League (W6 D1), conceding just four goals and keeping five clean sheets in this run.
• 26% of Wolves’ Premier League goals this season have come from outside the box (6/23), the highest share of any side in the competition this term.

How to follow: Follow Arsenal vs Wolves in our dedicated live match blog. Highlights will also be published on the Sky Sports digital platforms and the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel shortly after the final whistle.

How to watch Premier League highlights on Sky Sports Digital

Anybody in the UK can watch highlights for free on the Sky Sports app or the Score Centre app on your iPhone or Android.

To watch the highlights on the Sky Sports App, download the app:

Sky Sports’ digital platforms are the home of live blogs for every Premier League game, including commentary, analysis and team line-ups. Users with a free Sky ID can watch in-game clips from Sky live games in our dedicated live blogs.

Latest Essential Football Podcast

Premier League Review: The title race is on! Harry Kane’s goals, Romelu Lukaku’s questions, Luis Diaz’s start and a big win for Man Utd

In the latest Football Essential Podcast, host Ron Walker is joined by Sky Sports features writer Nick Wright, digital football journalist and resident tipster Lewis Jones and Sky Sports News reporter Michael Bridge to discuss a huge twist in the title race and more drama at the top and bottom of the Premier League table across the weekend’s games.

PART ONE | Where else to start than the Etihad Stadium? Harry Kane’s masterclass, what Spurs got right and Man City got wrong, and how the City vs Liverpool showdown in April is looking a title decider are all discussed, as well as Luis Diaz’s role in Liverpool’s win over Norwich, and the momentum shift around Anfield.

PART TWO | Why is Romelu Lukaku breaking records for the wrong reasons, after his seven touches across 90 minutes against Crystal Palace? How big was Manchester United’s win over Leeds, how do Arsenal and Wolves fare in the battle for the top four and are there positives for Leicester, despite another defeat?

PART THREE | Newcastle’s unbeaten run is assessed as well as West Ham’s recent form, as well as another alarming weekend for Everton and new boss Frank Lampard. Who can stay up, with Watford and Burnley both winning, and Norwich’s recent resurgence? And what has happened to Aston Villa’s form?

Watch free highlights of the four midweek Premier League games – including Liverpool vs Leeds and Burnley vs Spurs on Wednesday – on SkySports.com and the Sky Sports App shortly after full-time.