GW20 Premier League Preview: Salah & Co. to Thump The Red Devils

Welcome back to the weekly Gameweek Premier League Preview. As we cross the halfway point of what has been a gnarly top-flight season so far, we cast our eyes to the juicy fixtures that are coming up this weekend.

The Meaty One:

Liverpool vs Manchester United 16:30 05/01

As I'm writing this I'm currently reciting prayer after prayer in anticipation of United getting destroyed by one of their fiercest rivals. The Red Devils come into this game in horrendous form, winning just 1 match in 5 since their unbeaten start under Ruben Amorim. They've shipped 14 goals under Amorim so far, looking extremely shaky across the pitch, and this is only in the Premier League.

Last game against high-flying Newcastle saw United completely torn apart by a fitter, hungrier and more confident Newcastle side. The Magpies should have won the game by about 4 or 5 goals, but they controlled the game superbly in the second half to secure the victory.

What really concerned me was Amorim's team selection. The Portuguese opted for a midfield duo of Casemiro and Eriksen, two aging and slow players, to combat the energetic Newcastle midfield trio of Joelinton, Bruno Guimarães and Tonali. The trio found it alarmingly easily to play around them in fast one-twos which took both the midfielders out the game. This prompted Amorim to take off Zirkzee for Mainoo on 30 minutes, with the former being jeered off by the home crowd after a poor start to the game.

The fan's reaction, whilst not ideal for encouraging their young players, is worthy due to the poor performances across the pitch. Amorim has a huge job on his hands, perhaps even harder than he thought. He has to change an attitude problem - exhibited by benched senior players playing one touch as they messed around on the pitch - and choose his team selections based on opposition as well as behaviour and form on the training ground and on the pitch. For instance, a midfield 3 of Mainoo, Casemiro and Eriksen from the get go, using 2 strikers, would've been more suited to the game.

Their counterparts, Liverpool, are on top of the world right now following their 5-0 demolition of West Ham. Honestly, due to a mixture of incredible Liverpool build-up play and poor Hammers defending, Liverpool could've won the game 10-0. Notably, Mo Salah delivered another superb performance, becoming the fastest player to reach 30 goal involvements after just 18 games - outstanding. If the Egyptian doesn't get the Balon d'Or next year I'll be flabbergasted. He is by far the best player on the planet right now.

United fans, prepare yourselves for a battering. Liverpool are imperious at home, boasting an excellent record at Anfield. Amorim has to modify his team selection to suit the opponent, i.e. get every man behind the ball and hope Garnacho or Diallo can find some space on the counterattack. As a Spurs fan going through unmeasurable pain with my team right now, United fans, I sympathise with you.

Jack's Prediction: Liverpool 4-0 Manchester United

The Goals Fest:

Aston Villa vs Leicester 15:00 04/01

In up and down form currently due to tricky fixtures, Aston Villa narrowly lost out on a big 3 points following their 2-2 draw with out-of-form Brighton. As a result of Jhon Durán's suspension, Ollie Watkins was recalled to the starting XI for the first time in 4 Premier League games, immediately registering a goal and assist. Durán is set to miss one more Premier League game, providing Watkins with another chance to impress Emery and consolidate his starting spot.

The Villains are also set to be without key man Morgan Rogers after he picked up his 5th yellow card of the season. He too delivered a goal and won the penalty which Watkins tucked away. I'm a big fan of Rogers who has been playing excellently this season.

Leicester will feel disappointed that they didn't come away with anything following their 2-0 defeat to Manchester City. The scoreline flattered the visitors as Leicester looked by far the better team, as Pep Guardiola opted to play more counterattacking football in order to pick up City's first win in 5 matches!

Ruud van Nistelrooy will take positives from the game from an attacking perspective, lacking just the finishing. However, defensively they still look very suspect. The Foxes have conceded a whopping 115 shots in just 6 matches. It certainly looks like the Dutchman is leading Leicester to inevitable relegation with this damming statistic. Indeed, if you can score goals for fun it makes your defensive numbers easier to swallow, yet his side is doing neither right now.

Villa will see this match as a great opportunity to back to winning ways playing a relegation certainty in Leicester. Van Nistelrooy will employ his side to play on the counterattack against Villa's high line, which should bring some success. Not enough however to keep out Villa's attacking threat.

Jack's Prediction: Aston Villa 4-1 Leicester

The Six-Pointer:

Southampton vs Brentford 15:00 04/01

Desperate for their first points under Juric, Southampton take on Brentford on Saturday. An agonising 2-1 loss to Crystal Palace means it is 2 losses in 2 for Ivan Juric, as he looks to somehow find a way to prevent Southampton's inevitable relegation.

The positive for Saints fans is the early signs of improvement under the Croatian. Albeit easy to do, Juric has improved Saints' defensive numbers, making them harder to break down. They've also looked more creative in front of goal, creating 3 big chances and 23 shots in 2 games so far. However, they are rock bottom and 8 points adrift of their closest relegation rival Leicester.

The silver lining for Southampton is Brentford's recent poor form. The Bees are without a win in 4 Premier League matches. In an expected 3-1 loss to Arsenal at home on New Year's Day, Brentford now must find a way to improve their dreadful away form.

Brentford have only picked up 2 points out of a possible 27 away from home, a damming statistic for Frank's side. They need to get their act together to start picking up crucial points away from home. Indeed, The Bees are not in danger of relegation, but they'll be wanting to finish in the top half of the table, a certainly achievable objective.

This will be an interesting game, one which is not necessarily obvious to call due to both sides poor form for varying reasons. I expect Brentford to come away with 3 points here, but I wouldn't be surprised if Southampton manage to grab a vital point whilst they frustrate The Bees.

Jack's Prediction: Southampton 1-2 Brentford