Lawrenson: "Chelsea won the League Cup, Liverpool tied with Man City"

February 28, 2015 07:37

BBC commentator Mark Lawrenson predicts the results of this weekend's League Cup final and Premier League round 27.

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Mourinho won the League Cup twice with Chelsea. Photo: AFP.

Chelsea 2-0 Tottenham (League Cup Final)

Tottenham have been reliant on Harry Kane and their Premier League draw with West Ham was a mediocre performance. Tottenham have had a good run of games but are floundering and West Ham should have beaten them.

Even with some key players resting for the Europa League clash with Fiorentina in midweek, the Carabao Cup final will be a tough one for Tottenham. If there is anything to know about Chelsea under Mourinho, it is that they have always performed well in big games. Chelsea may have lost to Tottenham in their last Premier League meeting, but the final will be a different story.

Man Utd 2-0 Sunderland

Man Utd need to respond quickly after losing to Swansea and nothing is better than a win as the race for the top 4 is fierce. Man Utd are capable of doing this against Sunderland, a team that is struggling to score goals.

Before losing in Wales, Man Utd had gone 19 games without a defeat. However, the team's performance was not convincing enough. Coach Van Gaal's team played slowly and did not have enough breakthroughs in attack. If they continue to play like that, Man Utd will hardly get good results when entering mid-March with opponents Tottenham, Liverpool, Chelsea and Man City.

Van Gaal showed a lot of brilliance when he took over, but now there is only criticism. The Dutchman could have made simple decisions like returning Di Maria to his preferred position on the right wing and putting Rooney up front, where he has scored crucial goals for Man Utd.

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The match between Man City and Liverpool promises to be fierce as both sides are desperate for points. Photo: Reuters.

Liverpool 1-1 Man City

Many thought Liverpool were great in their win over Southampton last weekend, but their performance was only average. Liverpool did a good job of shutting down their opponents and denying Southampton dangerous counter-attacks. Liverpool have gone 10 games unbeaten in the Premier League and they are motivated to continue that run.

Liverpool's fast-paced attack can certainly make things difficult for Man City, as the away team's most trusted player, centre-back Kompany, is out of form. However, Man City's attack is exploding, scoring nine goals in their last two Premier League games, so Liverpool should be worried.

Man City would love to win, but on the other hand, defeat would be a disaster. A draw doesn’t get them any closer to Chelsea, but at least it keeps them in the title race.

Arsenal 2-0 Everton

A 3-1 defeat to Monaco in the Champions League was a terrible result for Arsenal. Monaco's defence has been solid domestically, but only in Ligue 1, which is a middling league. Arsenal's forwards have had plenty of chances, but they have missed them and their sloppy defence has punished them.

It will be difficult for Arsenal to turn the situation around in the second leg. The artificial turf at Monaco is not favorable for Arsenal's style of play and having to go forward to score will open up the goal for counter-attacks from the opponent.

Luckily for Arsenal, they face Everton this weekend. The Merseyside club are seriously lacking in confidence, as evidenced by their 2-2 draw with bottom-placed Leicester.

MatchLawrenson predicts
West Ham - Crystal Palace2-0
Burnley - Swansea2-1
Man Utd - Sunderland2-0
Newcastle - Aston Villa2-1
Stoke - Hull1-1
West Brom - Southampton1-2
Chelsea - Tottenham2-0
Liverpool - Man City1-1
Arsenal - Everton2-0

According to VNE

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Lawrenson: "Chelsea won the League Cup, Liverpool tied with Man City"
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