Kano Pillars vs. Enyimba @Sani Abacha Stadium @4 4 p.m. on 11 November
Both Kano Pillars and Enyimba have strong historical standings in the league, but their recent performances do not match this history. Pillars were disappointing in Lagos against Sporting Lagos and will now gear up for a redemption match at home against Enyimba. Enyimba, too, faced struggles at home against Kwara United in their recent fixture.
Pillars’ vulnerability has been apparent in their last three away games, conceding eight goals and scoring only once against Enugu Rangers. Despite their struggles on the road, they have maintained dominance at home, remaining undefeated and scoring five goals without conceding.
Enyimba will seek to secure another away point after their recent draw with Niger Tornadoes. However, they face the challenge of breaking Kano Pillars’ home dominance, considering their last away point in Kano dates back to 2018.
Current Form: Kano Pillars [L-W-L-W-L]; Enyimba [W-D-L-L-W]
Head-to-head
21/04/22 NPF Enyimba 4 – 0 Pillars
02/01/22 NPF Pillars 2 – 0 Enyimba
06/06/21 NPF Pillars 2 – 1 Enyimba
17/01/21 NPF Enyimba 2 – 1 Pillars
07/06/19 NPF Pillars 2 – 0 Enyimba
Prediction: Kano Pillars 2 – 1 Enyimba
Chelsea vs. Man. City @Stamford Bridge @5:30 p.m on 12 November
The Blues secured an unexpected victory against Tottenham on Monday, despite a lackluster performance whilst benefiting from two red cards to Spurs. The question now arises whether they can replicate this success against the defending champions, Manchester City, on Sunday.
Injury concerns persist for both teams, with Manuel Akanji joining John Stones, Kevin De Bruyne, and Sergio Gomez on the treatment table for City, while Mauricio Pochettino remains without Wesley Fofana, Christopher Nkunku, Romeo Lavia, Ben Chilwell, Carney Chukwuemeka, Trevoh Chalobah, and Armando Broja.
While City are the favorites, Chelsea, having previously drawn against top-six contenders Liverpool and Arsenal, will be determined to secure a positive result from the match.
Current Form: Chelsea [W-W-L-D-W]; Man City [W-W-W-W-W]
Head-to-head
21/05/23 PRL Man City 1 – 0 Chelsea
08/01/23 FAC Man City 4 – 0 Chelsea
05/01/23 PRL Chelsea 0 – 1 Man City
09/11/22 LEC Man City 2 – 0 Chelsea
15/01/22 PRL Man City 1 – 0 Chelsea
Prediction: Chelsea 0 – 3 Man City
Lazio vs. Roma @Stadio Olimpico @6 p.m on 12 November
The tension has been stoked in this Rome derby after Lazio boss Maurizio Sarri described Roma’s trip to Prague on Thursday as a friendly. There were contrasting fortunes for both. While Lazio eked out a 1-0 victory over Feyenoord in the Champions League, Jose Mourinho’s Roma faltered and lost 2-0 to Slavia Prague in the Europa League.
ALSO READ: EPL Roundup: Arsenal hold Chelsea in London derby as Adebayo, Chiedozie shine
As the weekend commenced, Roma occupied the seventh position in the standings, with Lazio trailing by a point and two places. Mourinho is likely to express his grievances about the impact of injuries on key players such as Tammy Abraham, Lorenzo Pellegrini, Chris Smalling, and the recently returned Leonardo Spinazzola, which he believes has hindered the team’s performance this season.
Who needs a win more between Sarri and Mourinho?
Current Form: Lazio [W-L-W-L-W]; Roma [L-W-L-W-W]
Head-to-head
19/03/23 SEA Lazio 1 – 0 Roma
06/11/22 SEA Roma 0 – 1 Lazio
20/03/22 SEA Roma 3 – 0 Lazio
26/09/21 SEA Lazio 3 – 2 Roma
15/05/21 SEA Roma 2 – 0 Lazio
Prediction: Lazio 2 – 1 Roma
Reims vs. PSG @Stade Auguste-Delaune II @5 p.m on 11 November
PSG can take over leadership of Ligue 1 this weekend after current league leaders Nice could only manage a point away to beleaguered Montpellier on Friday night. After the painful Champions League loss away to Milan on Wednesday, Luis Enrique needs his players to stand up and be counted away to Reims who have a shaky home form.
Enrique knows his team must improve and he said as much to Ligue 1’s official website. “I hope that we’ll be able to bounce back as we have already shown we can. We have to have the right attitude to turn things around as of Saturday. It’s clear that we’re still not leaders in the league or the Champions League. So we still have to improve.”
The home team has already lost to Brest and Monaco at the Stade Auguste-Delaune II and have to improve their head-to-head record against the defending champions. Reims’ manager Will Still said, “We’re going to face Paris on Saturday and we’ll try to cause them problems by forcing them to do things that they don’t necessarily want to do“
Current Form: Reims [W-W-D-L-W]; PSG [L-W-W-W-W]
Head-to-head
29/01/23 LI1 PSG 1 – 1 Reims
08/10/22 LI1 Reims 0 – 0 PSG
23/01/22 LI1 PSG 4 – 0 Reims
29/08/21 LI1 Reims 0 – 2 PSG
16/05/21 LI1 PSG 4 – 0 Reims
Prediction: Reims 1 – 3 PSG
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