Not quite squeaky bum time, as Sir Alex Ferguson once described it, but now that we’re into February the nerves are starting to show among English Premiership teams, writes GARY LEMKE.

It might well become a case of who blinks first, and the midweek fixtures threw some light on what to expect. Who could realistically have predicted that Newcastle would beat Manchester City, that Bournemouth would thrash Chelsea 4-0, Manchester United would have to come from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 in added time at Old Trafford to Burnley, and that Liverpool would be unable to see off Leicester City. If you were, then you’re in the wrong job. Drop everything you’re doing and become a professional punter if you could see those results coming.

All of which means that Liverpool dropped points (two), Man City (three), Chelsea (three), Man United (two), with the net result that the big winners of the week were Arsenal and Tottenham, both nervy 2-1 winners themselves.

So, on to this weekend where the marquee fixture is Man City hosting Arsenal, a match taking on extra significance given those midweek results and what they’ve done to the table.

Fresh from holding Liverpool at Anfield, Leicester host Man United, and after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s eight opening victories he encountered his first draw. Perhaps more disturbingly, his team leaked two goals, which was something of a trait under Jose Mourinho. For Chelsea, defeat at home to struggling Huddersfield would surely seal Maurizio Sarri’s fate as manager, especially after he candidly remarked that he seemed unable to motivate his players in their 4-0 setback at Bournemouth. Has he ‘lost the dressing room’? Have these pampered £200k-a-week millionaires now decided to down tools, like they did with Mourinho?

There is a gap of four points from 17th to relegation-threatened 18th, so all of Cardiff and Fulham simply need to pick up points this weekend before the gap becomes too big. As for Huddersfield, they look doomed, irrespective of what happens at Stamford Bridge.

Tottenham at home, which is Wembley, is an interesting one. Without Harry Kane, Spurs are lacking their customary bite up front, and although they saw off Watford in midweek, they trailed 1-0 before two late goals turned things around. They are up against a Newcastle team that will still be bouncing after coming from behind to stun Manchester City. It’s a difficult set of events to assess. Was this the turning of the corner for the Magpies, or will they revert to the team that battled to find the net in the first half of the season? I’ll be going for a Tottenham win, although the odds (9-20) on offer for a victory seems too short to take in a sure-fire accumulator.

The most common scorelines so far this season are:
45 times: 2-1
35 times: 2-0
34 times: 1-0
24 times: 3-1
19 times: 1-1
16 times: 0-0
14 times: 3-0
11 times: 2-2
10 times: 3-2
8 times: 4-0
6 times: 4-2
5 times: 4-1
4 times: 5-1
3 times: 5-0
2 times: 6-1, 4-3
1 time: 6-2, 3-3

Here are the SportsClub team’s predictions for this week’s round of fixtures.

Tottenham vs Newcastle
Dylan Appolis (138/240): 2-1
Gary Lemke (131/240): 2-1
Juandre Joubert (131/240): 1-1
Wade Pretorius: (130/240): 2-0
Dean Workman (124/240): 3-1

Everton vs Wolves
Dylan Appolis: 2-2
Gary Lemke: 1-1
Wade Pretorius: 2-1
Juandre Joubert: 1-1
Dean Workman: 2-1

Chelsea vs Huddersfield
Dylan Appolis: 2-0
Gary Lemke: 3-0
Juandre Joubert: 2-0
Wade Pretorius: 2-0
Dean Workman: 3-1

Brighton vs Watford
Dylan Appolis: 0-1
Gary Lemke: 1-1
Juandre Joubert: 1-2
Wade Pretorius: 1-1
Dean Workman: 2-1

Burnley vs Southampton
Dylan Appolis: 1-1
Gary Lemke: 2-1
Juandre Joubert: 1-2
Wade Pretorius: 2-1
Dean Workman: 1-1

Crystal Palace vs Fulham
Dylan Appolis: 2-0
Gary Lemke: 2-1
Juandre Joubert: 2-0
Wade Pretorius: 1-1
Dean Workman: 1-0

Cardiff City vs Bournemouth
Dylan Appolis:
Gary Lemke: 1-2
Juandre Joubert: 1-1
Wade Pretorius: 1-2
Dean Workman:

Leicester vs Man United
Dylan Appolis: 1-2
Gary Lemke: 1-2
Juandre Joubert: 1-2
Wade Pretorius: 1-2
Dean Workman: 1-3

Man City vs Arsenal
Dylan Appolis: 3-1
Gary Lemke: 2-0
Juandre Joubert: 3-1
Wade Pretorius: 2-0
Dean Workman: 3-1

West Ham vs Liverpool
Dylan Appolis: 0-2
Gary Lemke: 0-2
Juandre Joubert: 1-2
Wade Pretorius: 1-1
Dean Workman: 0-2

Lemke is the 2017/18 EPL Superbru Global champion