Manchester City v Sunderland

Manchester City have won eight and lost none of their 10 previous Premier League home games against the Black Cats.

James Milner has scored more goals against Sunderland (5) than he has versus any other Premier League opponent.

Manchester City have won six and lost just one of their last nine Premier League games on New Year’s Day. The one defeat was a 0-1 loss to Sunderland in 2012.

Connor Wickham has scored three goals in two Premier League appearances against Man City.

Sunderland have already drawn six games 0-0 this season, more than they have in any of their 13 previous Premier League campaigns.

Sunderland have kept four successive clean sheets away from home for the first time in their Premier League history.

Liverpool v Leicester City

Liverpool have won their last three meetings with the Foxes at Anfield; this after a run of three successive defeats there.

Adam Lallana has two goals and an assist in his last two Premier League games at Anfield and scored in the reverse fixture against the Foxes last month.

Liverpool are looking to win three Premier League games in a row for the first time since their run of 11 successive wins in the spring.

Liverpool, along with Arsenal and Stoke, are the only teams to win all their games in the festive period so far (Boxing Day + Dec 28-29).

While three members of the current Leicester squad (Taylor-Fletcher, Nugent, Konchesky) have scored a PL goal against Liverpool; no one has scored one at Anfield.

Hull City v Everton

Romelu Lukaku (pictured) has scored in two of his three meetings with Hull City as an Everton player.

Everton have won four of the seven Premier League meetings with Hull (W4 D2 L1).

Everton have won only three and lost seven of their 12 Premier League games played on New Year’s Day.

Hull scored from their only shots on target as they drew 1-1 with Everton at Goodison Park back in early December.

The Tigers have collected three red cards in their last eight Premier League games.

Hull have scored four goals in their last seven Premier League games, and three of those came in the win versus Sunderland on Boxing Day.

Aston Villa v Crystal Palace

Aston Villa have only scored two goals their last five league meetings with Crystal Palace combined.

Aston Villa scored only 11 goals in the first half of the 2014-15 Premier League season. The lowest scorers in an entire Premier League season are Derby in 2007-08 with 20.

Gabriel Agbonlahor (pictured) has scored against 32 of the 35 different teams that he has faced in the Premier League; but Palace are one of the three sides he is yet to score against (in three Premier League appearances). The other teams he’s failed to net against in the PL are Cardiff and Leicester.

Neil Warnock posted a win percentage of 19 percent in the Premier League at Palace, compared to Tony Pulis’s rate of 42 percent.

The Eagles have scored exactly once in each of their last four league trips to Villa Park.
Crystal Palace have won just one of their last 13 Premier League matches (W1 D5 L7).

Premier League Preview: January 1

Opta's stat gurus have analysed the matches taking place on the first day of 2015 in the Premier League.

Stoke City v Manchester United

Manchester United have won 11 and lost just one of the 13 Premier League meetings with Stoke City.

Wayne Rooney (pictured) needs two more goals to become the first player in Premier League history to score 10+ goals in 11 consecutive seasons.

The Red Devils have won six and lost just two of their 11 Premier League matches played on New Year’s Day.

Stoke are looking to record three successive Premier League clean sheets for only the second time (after April 2010).

Peter Crouch has scored only twice in 20 Premier League appearances against Man Utd but both have come for Stoke.
Former Manchester United forward Mame Biram Diouf scored a brace for Stoke on Sunday, the first player to score multiple goals for the Potters in a Premier League game since Jonathan Walters on Boxing Day 2012.

Grace is an unexpected surprise

“Babette’s Feast” is a short story written by Isak Dinesen that was made into a film and won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film in 1987. “Babette’s Feast” tells of a minister’s two daughters from a remote village in Denmark called Norre Vosburg who give up love and fame to remain in service to their tiny, strict Lutheran church. In spite of the women’s intentions, the years take their toll on the people of the church, which begins to deteriorate – consumed with rules and regulations and plagued by bitter feuds among the congregation members. 

Out of pity, the two sisters reluctantly take in a woman refugee from Paris who knocks on their door one rainy day. She has an accompanying note with her that concludes with the simple statement, “Babette can cook.” Babette settles in and obediently cooks for the two sisters, fixing only what their pleasure-denying palettes would allow – bland cod and gruel. 

Twelve years go by, and one day Babette receives surprising news in the mail that she holds the winning French lottery ticket, redeemable for 10,000 francs. Upon hearing this news, the two sisters, who’ve grown attached to and dependent upon Babette over the years, realize that Babette will leave them soon. 

Around this time, the tiny church holds an anniversary celebration in honour of its founder, so Babette asks the sisters if she can prepare a special French meal for this event. To the sisters, the thought of a French meal seems worldly and self-indulgent, perhaps even originating from Satan himself. However, Babette has never asked for anything before, so the two sisters feel compelled to agree to her request in spite of their fears. After Babette receives her prize money, she begins to purchase supplies for the meal, and the sisters watch in horror as Babette brings in champagne, chocolate, turtles, pheasants, and even a cow’s head. The duo meet secretly with the other members of the congregation, and they all conspire to eat the meal out of duty, but won’t enjoy it or even speak of the meal to each other. 

The night of the celebration comes, and the congregation sits down to dinner. A church member’s nephew, a high-ranking, cosmopolitan general, joins them; as the meal starts, the congregation eats and drinks without comment, but the general is amazed – he is drinking the finest Amontillado he’s ever had and eating real turtle soup, a delicacy never found in remote Denmark. Later, when he tastes the main course, the general announces that the only place he’d ever had this one-of-a-kind dish was at Cafe Anglais, a famous Parisian restaurant that was once well-known for its female chef. Throughout much of the meal, the general’s unbridled enthusiasm stands out against the stark silence of the rest of the dinner guests. 

As the meal continues, the feast has a transforming effect, and the church members gradually loosen up and begin to enjoy the meal. They begin to laugh and talk of good times in the past. Feuds that had gone on for years are dealt with and buried. Finally, at the evening’s conclusion, they go outside together, form a circle under the stars, and sing a hymn together. What was, hours before, a decaying, feuding congregation is now a unified, joyful one, transformed by Babette’s feast. 

The story ends with two bombshells. Babette first tells the two sisters that she was, in fact, the famous chef at Cafe Anglais (which the general had spoken of earlier in the evening). She then adds that she’ll be staying with the two in Norre Vosburg permanently. When the sisters ask about the prize money, Babette reveals that she spent the entire sum on the celebration meal. After all, that’s what a dinner for twelve costs at Cafe Anglais! 

Grace versus mercy: Knowing the difference

 

Although the terms grace and mercy are often used interchangeably, there’s a subtle difference in meaning between the two: Grace is receiving something that’s undeserved, while mercy isn’t receiving punishment that’s deserved. For example, in Les Miserables, the bishop’s mercy saves Valjean from life imprisonment, and his grace gives Valjean a new life. In the same way, God shows humans grace by giving the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ, and he shows mercy by not punishing for their sin those who accept his gift.

Sanogo on verge of Bordeaux loan deal

Arsenal are expected to send striker Yaya Sanogo on loan to French side Bordeaux in order to give the youngster a chance to play regular football. The France Under-21 player has not got enough minutes on the field and the Gunners want to send him to the Ligue 1 outfit.