Premier League Matchday 24 Preview and Prediction
Matchday 24 will see seven fixtures take place on Saturday, with Man City hosting Everton to kick off the action in a match that gives Pep Guardiola’s men the chance to go top.
Sunday once again looks like the most pivotal day as a key London derby between West Ham and title contenders Arsenal is followed up by Aston Villa vs Manchester United.
A match between two under-pressure teams – Crystal Palace and Chelsea – on Monday will round out the matchweek, with Mauricio Pochettino’s men now in the bottom half while Roy Hodgson’s hosts drift closer towards the relegation scrap.
Ahead of what looks set to be another entertaining group of Premier League fixtures, let’s check out the best possible outcomes from selected matches.
Liverpool vs Burnley: Prediction and Preview
Liverpool may enter Matchday 24 top of the Premier League table, but they will be glancing over their shoulders a little more nervously following last Sunday’s 3-1 defeat to Arsenal. With both the Gunners and Manchester City now breathing down their necks, Jürgen Klopp’s men need a response when they welcome struggling Burnley to Anfield on Saturday.
Liverpool must assess the fitness of Dominik Szoboszlai, who missed last week’s game with a hamstring issue, while they will definitely be without the suspended Konaté and long-term absentee Joël Matip. Joe Gomez and Jarell Quansah are competing to start at centre-back, with Andy Robertson eyeing a return to the lineup if Gomez is shifted infield from left-back.
Burnley are the side tasked with breaching the Anfield fortress and facing a likely angry Liverpool. With seven points separating the Clarets from 17th-placed Luton Town, they are running out of time to mount a serious bid for survival. However, Vincent Kompany’s men did give themselves something to build on last week, recovering from two goals down to clinch a 2-2 draw against Fulham.
Liverpool have won eight of their last 10 Premier League games against Burnley (one draw, one defeat), winning the last four in a row by an aggregate score of 8-0.
They took the reverse fixture by a 2-0 scoreline on Boxing Day, with Núñez and Jota on target at Turf Moor.
Burnley have only won one of their last nine away league games against the Reds, drawing two and losing six. However, that victory – a 1-0 triumph in January 2021 – was a memorable one as an Ashley Barnes penalty ended Liverpool’s 68-game unbeaten run at Anfield in the Premier League.
The Clarets, however, have not won any of their last 11 Premier League games against teams starting the day top of the table (five draws, six losses). Liverpool, meanwhile, are unbeaten in their last six against teams starting the day inside the relegation zone (four wins, two draws), though they did lose four of their previous six such matches before this run (two wins).
Burnley’s struggles at Turf Moor have been well-documented, and they have actually won a Premier League-high 62% of their points on the road this season (8/13).
However, Kompany’s men have only won one of their last eight away league games (one draw, six defeats), beating Fulham 2-0 at Craven Cottage in December.
Across all competitions, Burnley are winless in six games since that triumph in west London, recording two draws and four defeats. Liverpool, meanwhile, have won their last four home games overall, scoring four or more goals in three of those matches (4-2 vs Newcastle, 5-2 vs Norwich City and 4-1 vs Chelsea), hitting the net 15 times overall during that run.
PREDICTION: Liverpool to win and Over 2.5 @1.42
Aston Villa vs Manchester United: Prediction and Preview
Manchester United may just be back in the race for UEFA Champions League qualification. With key players returning to fitness and youngsters finding their feet, the Red Devils are unbeaten in five games across all competitions in 2024 (four wins, one draw) and enter Matchday 24 sixth in the Premier League table, eight points adrift of their next opponents – fourth-placed Aston Villa.
They have now won three Premier League games by a margin of four or more goals this season (also 4-0 vs Everton and 6-1 vs Brighton and Hove Albion), as many as they managed in their previous three campaigns combined.
They were brought back down to earth on Wednesday, however, exiting the FA Cup with a 3-1 defeat to Chelsea in a fourth-round replay at Villa Park, with Moussa Diaby’s late strike a mere consolation after Conor Gallagher, Nicolas Jackson and Enzo Fernández struck for the Blues.
Villa have now lost back-to-back home games across all competitions, having lost just one of their previous 22 at Villa Park in a run dating back to last February (20 wins, one draw).
The omens are good for Emery, however, with United coming to town. The Spaniard has won both of his home Premier League games against them, winning 2-0 with Arsenal in March 2019 and 3-1 in his first game in charge of Villa in November 2022. He could now become the first-ever manager to win his first three home Premier League matches against United.
United overturned a 2-0 half-time deficit when the teams last met on Boxing Day, with Garnacho grabbing a second-half brace before Højlund hit the winner at a jubilant Old Trafford.
The Red Devils also have a strong record at Villa Park, winning on 17 of their 28 previous trips there in the Premier League.
Only United themselves – with 19 victories over Everton at Goodison Park – have more away wins over a specific opponent in the competition.
Villa did win this exact fixture 3-1 last season, however, ending a 23-game winless run in the Premier League against United at Villa Park. They last won consecutive home league games against United between 1966 and 1977, posting five victories in a row.
Villa Park has been a fortress for much of Emery’s reign, but the Villans’ home form has tailed off somewhat lately. Since winning 15 straight home league games between March and December 2023, Villa have only won one of their last three, drawing with Sheffield United and losing to Newcastle. They were also defeated on home soil in the FA Cup against Chelsea in midweek.
They have conceded six goals across those three league matches, just one fewer than they shipped during their entire 15-game winning run (seven).
United, meanwhile, have won their last three away games across all competitions, having failed to win any of their previous five on the road beforehand (two draws, three losses).
Sunday’s visitors also tend to enjoy this time of year. They are unbeaten in 24 Premier League games in the month of February (15 wins, 9 draws) since losing 1-0 to Newcastle in 2018 under José Mourinho.
PREDICTION: Aston Villa win or draw @1.34
West Ham vs Arsenal: Prediction and Preview
Having blown the Premier League title race wide open, Arsenal will be aiming to build on their impressive victory over league-leading Liverpool when they visit West Ham at London Stadium for Sunday’s capital-city derby.
Mikel Arteta’s men sliced a five-point deficit with Jürgen Klopp’s Reds to two at the top-flight summit after a 3-1 triumph at Emirates Stadium last Sunday. Bukayo Saka tapped in a simple opener after Alisson denied Kai Havertz’s gilt-edged chance before William Saliba’s miscommunication allowed Luis Díaz to prod against Gabriel Magalhães for a disappointing first-half leveller.
However, Arsenal roared back for a statement victory – reminding Liverpool, Manchester City and Aston Villa of their title credentials – after Alisson, aided by Virgil van Dijk’s error, was twice at fault for second-half strikes from Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard.
As for Sunday’s hosts, West Ham slumped to a 3-0 defeat against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Matchday 23, Alejandro Garnacho scoring twice after Rasmus Højlund’s pinpoint opener. Alphonse Areola was withdrawn at half-time as a precaution for a head injury sustained in a collision with Kurt Zouma, though is expected to return and move Lukasz Fabianski back to the bench.
United’s dominant success over David Moyes’ side last weekend saw Erik ten Hag’s side leapfrog West Ham into sixth, with the Hammers sitting seventh but just eight points behind fifth-placed Tottenham in the league table heading into Matchday 24.
West Ham are looking to complete the Premier League double over Arsenal for the first time since 2006-07 after their 2-0 win at Emirates Stadium in December, where Tomás Soucek and Konstantinos Mavropanos scored in an unlikely win.
Alongside the Premier League triumph, the Hammers have also beaten Arsenal 3-1 in the EFL Cup this season when Ben White’s own goal and strikes from Kudus and Jarrod Bowen proved the difference. The last London side to beat the Gunners three times in the same campaign was Chelsea in 2005-06, while the only time West Ham have done so was in 1924-25.
However, Arsenal have lost just one of their last 15 Premier League away games against West Ham (W9 D5), going down 1-0 in January 2019 thanks to Declan Rice.
Moyes does not enjoy facing Sunday’s opponents either, having lost 22 of his 37 Premier League games against Arsenal (W5 D10), only suffering defeats more often against Liverpool (24). The former Manchester United and Everton manager is yet to beat Arsenal at home as West Ham boss in the competition, drawing three and losing one of his four games.
East London comforts are aplenty for West Ham, who are unbeaten in their last six Premier League home games (W3 D3). They are yet to go seven without defeat at London Stadium in the competition, though, last going longer without a home league defeat in April 2016 at Upton Park under Slaven Bilic (15).
Indeed, West Ham’s last home defeat came in a 1-0 reverse against Everton back in October, although Arteta’s side have started the new year in impressive form.
Having failed to win their final three Premier League games in 2023 – drawing with Liverpool before defeats to West Ham and Fulham – Arsenal won their first three in 2024 against Palace, Nottingham Forest and Liverpool. Only in 1935 have the Gunners ever won each of their first four league games in a calendar year.
Watch out for late drama, too, with no team scoring more goals past the 90th minute in the Premier League this season than Arsenal’s eight heading into MD 24, while Arteta’s men are the only team yet to concede a 90th-minute goal in 2023-24.
PREDICTION: Arsenal to win @1.55
* Man City vs Everton (Man City to win and Over 2.5 @1.40
* Tottenham Hotspur vs Brighton & Hove Albion (Tottenham Hotspur to win or draw and Over 1.5 @1.40)
* Crystal Palace - Chelsea FC (Chelsea to win @1.80)
