Premier League GW24 Preview: Relegation Matchups Dominate

Welcome back to the weekly Premier League Preview. As I'm hitting the slopes this week, in the Premier League an avalanche is set to consume the league as relegation threatened sides face each other in some enticing confrontations. I also wanted to apologise in advance for the amount of coverage Spurs has been getting recently. The way the fixtures have been falling combined with our horrific form, they've been front and centre of the El Chumbazo articles (hint: they're featured again today!).

Article written as of Monday 27th January 5pm

The Meaty One:

Arsenal vs Manchester City 02/02 16:30

Two Premier League giants go face-to-face on Sunday in their pursuit of league leaders Liverpool. Arsenal currently sit six points behind whilst City are languishing 12 points behind the leaders, even with The Reds having an extra game in hand that is set to take place in this Gameweek.

The Gunners continue their resilient form, edging Wolves in a mixed display. Going down to 10-men just before half-time after Lewis-Skelly's surprising red card, Arsenal managed to turn the game in their favour once Wolves' João Gomes received his 2nd yellow card of the game. Arsenal scored just moments later, grabbing a vital 3 points on their travels to The Midlands.

What can be said about Arsenal is that, although they've not been blowing teams away in the Premier League as per their results indicate, Arteta's side do play with an aura of control which distinguishes them from other teams. They should be converting more chances, but if they continue picking up points then they'll keep themselves in a strong position. Unless Liverpool miraculously start dropping points, in my opinion, Arsenal will not win the title. They'll certainly get Top 4 but, Arteta will be thinking of what his team could've been had they had a world-class striker of the ilk of Alexander Isak.

In the blue corner, following a disappointing result midweek in the Champions League, Manchester City delivered a dominant display against Chelsea in a 3-1 win. Despite going a goal down within 2 minutes, as new signing Khusanov had a debut to forget, The Sky Blues quickly took control of the game to turn the game around.

As mentioned last week, City certainly aren't back to their best with a partial rebuild needed as many of their reliable players are now beginning to leave their prime. The signings of Vitor Reis, Khusanov and exciting talent Marmoush highlights how fast City are to rectify themselves with adequate planning.

With Arsenal essentially qualified for the Champions League knockout stages, they'll be able to rotate against a struggling Girona side in the competition who have nothing to play for. City on the other hand will have to play their best side on Wednesday if they want to have any chance of qualifying for the play-off stage for the knockout phase. Arsenal will look to take advantage of City's possible tiredness and push home the home advantage.

Jack's Prediction: Arsenal 2-1 Manchester City

The Goals Fest:

Brentford vs Spurs 02/02 14:00

To keep things short and sweet, Spurs are in an absolute state right now. Losing to one of the worst sides in the league at home spells trouble, as Tottenham Hotspur are currently playing in relegation form. Lethargic, exasperated, lacking confidence and ideas, the team is in a very perilous position.

The problems are well-known: a manager who is stubborn and not adapting sufficiently to manage games and his players, an ownership who refuse to back the manager in order to improve their profit margins and a group of players suffering injuries, being overworked and no leaders is proving costly for Spurs.

The Leicester result genuinely did not surprise me. Leicester need to fight for every point in order to stay in the division and were competing for every single ball. Spurs' lack of cohesion and low levels of energy played right into The Foxes' hands. Both goals came from Bentancur covering defensive mistakes, running from left to right to fill the gaps that Sarr and Bergvall were leaving. Another week of European football and a visit to Brentford, Spurs will be heading to the Gtech stadium on their knees.

Brentford ended a winless run of 3 games in all competitions last weekend with a good display against an in-form Crystal Palace side. Goals from Mbeumo and Schade proved vital as The Bees held off their London rivals to secure a massive win that puts them within touching distance of the top half of the table.

In previous years, a visit from Tottenham would be a tough fixture, but Brentford will be relishing this game. Thomas Frank's attacking style against Ange's defensive frailties will suit Brentford to a tee. In the reverse fixture at the start of the season, Brentford lost 3-1. They were unfortunate to lose due to the brilliance of James Maddison. However, with Frank's developed philosophy now well-embedded in his players, The Bees look set to swarm The Lilywhites, a match which I will certainly not be watching.

Jack's Prediction: Brentford 4-2 Spurs

The Six-Pointer:

Ipswich vs Southampton 01/01 15:00

The bottom two go head-to-head this week in a vital game which could prove decisive come the end of the season. With 17th Leicester travelling to 16th Everton and 18th Wolves going to an Aston Villa side seemingly struggling with the demands of Champions League football, both Ipswich and Southampton will see this game as a must-win given the fixtures of their relegation rivals.

Southampton were in a surprise position against Newcastle last time out as they went into a 1-0 lead early on in the game. However, as has been the case for The Saints this season, individual errors combined with simply being overwhelmed by better sides was their downfall. Alexander Isak was awarded a penalty in the 23rd minute, a massive turning point in the game. From that moment on, The Magpies were in cruise control as Southampton fans' belief continues to fade.

Many fans have now accepted that The Saints will be marching back down to the Championship yet, good performances from young talent Mateus Fernandes and the injured Tyler Dibling will give the fans something to talk about.

For Ipswich, a seemingly impossible task against league leaders Liverpool was confirmed as The Tractor Boys suffered a 4-1 defeat. Ipswich were simply overwhelmed by Liverpool's prowess with Jacob Greaves last minute header the one silver lining in the game.

Kieran McKenna can still feel optimistic about his side's chances of staying up. Compared to Southampton, Wolves and Leicester, it feels like the Northern Irish manager's boys have more of a spine than his relegation rivals. Their dogged nature, similar to Luton from last season will give Ipswich fans hope of staying up. Additionally, shrewd signings of Julio Enciso and Jaden Philogene could end up being superb decisions come the end of the season.

Simply put, this game is a must-win for both sides. For Ipswich, it is a chance to move out of the relegation zone off the back of some tricky games in the last few league games. For Southampton, an opportunity to claw back some points to at least challenge to stay in the Premier League. This will be a very cagey affair though, so don't have high hopes for insane quality to be on display. Points are the priority.

Jack's Prediction: Ipswich 2-1 Southampton