Bundel Insurance v Remo Stars @Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium @4 pm on January 28
The most unlikely clash in Benin City on Saturday when two unbeaten teams with perfect records, Bendel Insurance and Remo Stars, in the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) will be put to the test.
A guarantee that one or both teams will not leave Benin-City unscathed. They have clashed seven times in the last five years, with Remo Stars looking for their first league win against Insurance.
The last time they met in the NPFL was during the shortened 2019 season, where both sides played to a draw in two meetings. Unfortunately, both were relegated that season, with Bendel finishing with 28 points and Remo, 12th with 20 points.
The next matches of the 2020/2021 season ended with two draws and a home win for Bendel Insurance. Based on the notes, this game could be a draw.
Current Form: Bendel Insurance [W-W-W]; Remo Star [W-W-W]
Head-to-head
13/04/19 NPF Insurance 0 – 0 Remo Stars
20/01/19 NPF Remo Stars 1 – 1 Insurance
Prediction: Bendel Insurance 0-0 Remo Stars
Napoli v Roma @Stadion Diego Maradona @ 20:45 on January 29th
The first meeting of the season was won by Victor Osimhen ‘Golazo’ last October, but Jose Mourinho was less happy with his 60th birthday present than the three points against the Serie A leaders under Maradona on Sunday.
Luciano Spalletti’s side have been almost perfect in their Scudetto chase, suffering only one league defeat all season and scoring a lot of goals. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia should return after ruling out Salernitana while Mourinho could restart Leonardo Spinazzola on the left.
Historically, this has been a tight affair, but Roma haven’t beaten the Neapolitans since November 2019 — six games.
Current form: Napoli [W-L-W-W-L]; Rome [W-W-W-D-W]
Head-to-head
23/10/22 SEA Roma 0 – 1 Naples
18/04/22 SEA Naples 1 – 1 Roma
24/10/21 SEA Roma 0 – 0 Naples
21/03/21 SEA Roma 0 – 2 Naples
29/11/20 SEA Naples 4 – 0 Rome
Prediction: Napoli 3-1 Roma
Brighton v Liverpool @AMEX Stadium @2:30 on January 29th
The last time Liverpool were at the AMEX, they put in one of their worst performances under Jurgen Klopp. The Reds aren’t getting any better, but have more legs in their squad with Darwin Nunez ready to start to help the defending FA Cup champions progress to the fifth round.
It is remarkable that Klopp has lost twice against the Seasiders in their last five meetings and won just once. This season Brighton have scored six goals against Liverpool in two league games, meaning defensive solidity will be the watchword for the Reds at the AMEX on Sunday.
Expect Stefan Bajcetic to continue in place for Fabinho while Mohamed Salah needs to spark to life to push the champions forward. Roberto De Zerbi has no worries about his recent injury with Kaoru Mitoma coming up from the left.
Current Form: Brighton [D-W-W-W-L]; Liverpool [D-W-L-D-L]
Head-to-head
14/01/23 PRL Brighton 3 – 0 Liverpool
01/10/22 PRL Liverpool 3 – 3 Brighton
12/03/22 PRL Brighton 0 – 2 Liverpool
30/10/21 PRL Liverpool 2 – 2 Brighton
03/02/21 PRL Liverpool 0 – 1 Brighton
Prediction: Brighton 2-1 Liverpool
Marseille v Monaco @Stade Orange Velodrome @ 21:00 on January 29th
The race for Ligue 1’s third Champions League slot continues to heat up with third-placed Marseille welcoming Monaco to the Velodrome on Saturday. With five points to make in Marseille, expect this to be a fiery encounter.
Marseille is on a winning streak of five matches, and three more points will see them cut the gap on PSG while leapfrogging Rennes to second place, but they have a raft of injuries to some important players to deal with. Igor Tudor will have to do without Amine Harit, Eric Bailly, Jonathan Clauss, Bamba Dieng, and possibly the talisman, Dimitri Payet.
ALSO READ: NPFL: Imade scores again as Bendel Insurance beat Remo Stars
A point to note is that there is no home win in the last three confrontations.
Current form: Marseille [W-W-W-W-W]; Monaco [W-D-L-W-W]
Head-to-head
13/11/22 LI1 Monaco 2 – 3 Marseille
06/03/22 LI1 Marseille 0 – 1 Monaco
11/09/21 LI1 Monaco 0 – 2 Marseille
23/01/21 LI1 Monaco 3 – 1 Marseille
12/12/20 LI1 Marseille 2 – 1 Monaco
Prediction: Marseille 1-1 Monaco
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