SOCCER FOOTBALL 24H

Man United  1.58  v Swansea  7.20 ; The Draw  4.30 Saturday, 15:00 Man United The winless count in all competitions is now up to eight games, which is the longest it has been since January 1990, but there was a slight increase in optimism after a 0-0 draw with Chelsea last time out which, if nothing else, brought an end to a four-match losing streak. Louis van Gaal said that the players' effort ensured there he had no need to consider resigning, and it doesn't appear as though fans will force his exit either. They  resisted the bait  of the Jose Mourinho scarves being sold outside the ground, with many instead applauding the current boss at the start and finish. Another positive for the Dutchman is that his injury list has been trimmed rather than extended by the hectic Christmas schedule. The number of players sidelined has dropped to four, yet unfortunately they are all wide men: Luke Shaw, Marcos Rojo, Antonio Valencia and Jesse Lingard. Swans...

Arsenal  1.31  v Newcastle  12.50 ; The Draw  6.20 Following wins over Liverpool and Tottenham just before Christmas Newcastle have been brought firmly back down to earth with 'just' a home draw with hapless Aston Villa and  back-to-back defeats  to Everton and West Brom. Steve McClaren's men are third bottom in the table, two points from safety, so they're not in the greatest frame of mind as they travel to an Arsenal side that has recorded  eight consecutive victories  over them. The Magpies probably won't want reminding either that on their last three visits to the Emirates Stadium they've conceded a massive 14 goals (4-1, 3-0, and 7-3 defeats). So it's easy to fancy the Gunners here after they returned to the  top of the table  on Monday night with a routine 2-0 win over Bournemouth. Arsene Wenger is steadily starting to get some of his more influential players back to fitness too, though no-one in the Premier League is in b...

Sunderland v Liverpool Wednesday 30th December, 19:45 Live on Sky Sports 1 Sunderland In a strange sort of way, Sunderland's recent run of poor form might do them some long-term good. Earlier this week in his pre-match press conference  Sam Allardyce  stressed that he would be looking to strengthen his squad in January, but interestingly he also said that following back-to-back wins against Palace and Stoke he had thought that maybe he wouldn't need to do so. And so it is perhaps a blessing in disguise that the squad's deficiencies have been reconfirmed ahead of the transfer window. It's no secret that Big Sam will look to strengthen defensively first and foremost; no team in the division has  conceded more goals  and all three wins from the Black Cats in the Premier League this season have come when they've kept clean sheets - it's abundantly clear what they need to do more of if they are to turn this around. One gets the feeling that the Black Cats ar...

Real Madrid v Real Sociedad Wednesday 15:00  (Live on Sky Sports 1) Real   1.13 , Sociedad  26.00 , The Draw  11.50 Real Madrid are two points behind Barcelona, having played a game more, and  Rafa Benitez  is feeling the heat. To curb some of the calls for his head, he has let his team off the leash at the  Bernabeu . Playing with more attacking freedom,  Los Blancos  have scored 18 times in winning their last two Liga and Champions League home games. Over the last five seasons, Real Sociedad have made 11 trips to the Big Two and lost on every occasion. Their defeats in the capital have been 4-1, 5-1, 4-3, 5-1 and 4-1. We backed Over 4.5 Goals for the visit of Rayo Vallecano just before Christmas and, with Sociedad's  Imanol Agirretxe  in good form (12 goals in 14 Liga appearances this term), Wednesday's visitors can do their bit to get this fixture over the same line for a sixth consecutive season. Recommended Bet Back ...

Leeds v Derby Tuesday, 19:45 Live on Sky Sports 1 Leeds Steve Evans' side did us a very nice turn on Sunday evening with  Sam Byram's third goal  in three games earning United a 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest and us a  very nice 10pt profit . That point also lifted them into the  top half  of the table on goal difference. Under Evans, the Whites have lost  just three out of 12 matches  and have won three of their last four at Elland Road. This larger-than-life character has been ranting and raving in the press about his side having to play again  barely 48 hours  after that clash at the City Ground but we can guarantee he's using the perceived injustice to fire up his side. Derby County come to Elland Road either  top or second , depending on Middlesbrough's result on Monday, and will have revenge of their mind following September's televised 2-1 defeat at the iPro Stadium, which left Paul Clement without a win from his first f...

Leicester v Man City Tuesday December 29, 19:45 GMT Live on BT Sport 1 Leicester A victory for Arsenal over Bournemouth last night means that Leicester require a win to go into the new year on top of the table. The Foxes suffered only their second defeat of the season on Boxing Day at Anfield. They weren't as good as usual that day and  Claudio Ranieiri  admitted that he got his tactics wrong. Bouncing back will be the key and their critics have been saying all year that once their fantastic run  ends, all their momentum will stop and their slide down the division will commence. Jamie Vardy and  Riyad Mahrez  were both subbed off early at Liverpool but they should be back tonight and the pair will be relishing the chance to go up against a City defence who are again without Vincent Kompany. Manchester City It's been a strange campaign for City as they have mixed some excellent performances in with some pretty poor ones. The fact of the matter is tha...