Lawrenson: "Chelsea drew with Arsenal, Man Utd lost their second game"

BBC commentator Mark Lawrenson predicts the results of the Premier League matches taking place this weekend, which are in the sixth round.

Chelsea and Arsenal entered the match with the goal of not losing. Photo: Reuters.

Chelsea 1-1 Arsenal

Many articles have been written about Mourinho and Chelsea this week, most of them making the front page. Looking at the content, there are two possible scenarios at Chelsea right now: signs of improvement, and conversely, continued crisis.

Chelsea have had a terrible start, and the main reason is that the players haven't been able to maintain the form they showed last season. That will have to change, sooner or later.

Mourinho's team has an advantage over Arsenal, as they will be playing at home in the Champions League midweek. Meanwhile, their neighbors will have to travel to Croatia.

Arsenal may have had a better start than Chelsea, but their performances have been only average. The Gunners beat Chelsea in the Super Cup earlier in the season, but that doesn't erase the fact that Wenger has always been the underdog whenever he faces Mourinho. The French manager has never beaten his Portuguese counterpart in an official competition, and that's unlikely to change in their upcoming encounter.

Man City 2-0 West Ham

West Ham have won at Arsenal and Liverpool this season. Therefore, predicting a West Ham loss is difficult given their incredibly impressive away form.

Dimitri Payet looks like a quality player for West Ham, but will he get enough possession to trouble Man City? The big answer is no. Looking at their form in the domestic league, Man City's winning streak is far from over.

In their midweek match, Juventus showed just how much a solid defensive team can trouble Man City. However, West Ham are not that kind of team.

Man Utd lost to Southampton 0-1 in their last meeting. Photo: Reuters.

Southampton 2-1 Man Utd

Luke Shaw's injury is very bad news for Man Utd, even though the defender may make a full recovery. Manager Van Gaal will have to reshuffle a defense that has been stable since the start of the season. Daley Blind could move to the left wing and Marcos Rojo could return to partner Smalling in the center. However, the opposite scenario is considered more likely. Blind is playing consistently well and has a good connection with Smalling at center back.

Besides their defense, Man Utd have other issues to address. They just had an impressive win against Liverpool, but their performance in the first half was only average.

Manchester United's attacking play remains slow, despite possessing speedy players like Memphis and Martial. This makes the match against Southampton more unpredictable. The home team has earned four points in their last two games and is ready to spring a surprise.

Liverpool 2-0 Norwich

After two consecutive defeats in the Premier League, conceding six goals in total, this is a crucial match for Liverpool. A good result is worth far more than how Brendan Rodgers' team plays on the pitch.

Liverpool left a number of stars – Christian Benteke, Martin Skrtel, Dejan Lovren, James Milner, Lucas Leiva, and Nathaniel Clyne – at home for their Europa League away match against Bordeaux. Whatever the reason, this was an ill-advised move by manager Rodgers, especially considering Liverpool needed to demonstrate team unity.

In addition, a team that buys many new players like Liverpool needs time to train together. This helps the players bond and create a positive effect on the pitch.

Norwich are off to a good start after losing their opening match to Crystal Palace. The visitors are playing at a fast pace, which is what they should be doing at Anfield. However, even if they play in their usual style, Norwich will struggle against Liverpool with Coutinho back. Quick counter-attacks with Benteke up front will be enough to secure a victory for Liverpool.

According to VNE