All eyes will be on Southampton this weekend as two of the top four teams in the Premier League clash in a game that will have major implications. Southampton has lost just twice all year and is only six points back of Chelsea, near the top of the table after last week’s draw against Aston Villa. Now they will clash with a Manchester City team that is desperate to leapfrog them in to second in the most highly anticipated match of the week.
Manchester United vs. Hull
Saturday, 10:00 AM ET
Odds: Manchester United -393, Hull +957, Draw +462
City is the last team to hand Manchester United a loss as they are coming off back-to-back wins over Crystal Palace and Arsenal to climb in to the top four in the standings. David de Gea has played an integral role in their recent success and last week’s 2-1 win over Arsenal could have been even bigger had Angel di Maria capitalized on a couple of excellent chances. The fact that he has contributed has made United that much more dangerous up front. Their offensive success should continue against an opponent they beat twice last year. If they can gain another three points, they could potentially close the gap to two points behind their Manchester rivals. Pick: Manchester United[divider]Sunderland vs. Chelsea
Saturday, 12:30 PM ET
Odds: Chelsea -309, Sunderland +856, Draw +378
One team that has no reason to look at the standings is Chelsea as they remain in complete control of their own destiny atop the Premier League table. Another 2-0 win over West Brom last week helped the Blues extend their lead to six points. At this point, it seems clear that as long as they remain healthy there will not be any other team that can stop them. Cesc Fabregas, Eden Hazard and Oscar make up the most dynamic group of midfielders in the league and with Diego Costa set to play this weekend, they should have no problem earning another three points on the road against a Sunderland team that has only two wins to show through 12 games played. Pick: Chelsea[divider]Southampton vs. Manchester City
Sunday, 8:30 AM ET
Odds: Manchester City +116, Southampton +221, Draw +238
Southampton boss Ronald Koeman admitted the pressure that comes with battling a team as talented as City for position in the table, but that he feels his squad is ready for the challenge. Gabriel Agbonlahor will need to create a little more magic to pace their attack up front after it stalled following the opening goal against Aston Villa as there are no shortage of weapons on the City roster.
Sergio Aguero has been absolutely dominant and continues to pace the Premier League in goals and while there has been talk that City is more than a one-man team, the reality is they need more contributions from other players. The fact that Chelsea could pull eight points clear at the top of the Premier League table will provide added incentive for both teams to fight for more than a draw. That should make for an exciting game with the better team coming out on top. Pick: Manchester City
