After the November international break, Liverpool sit at the top of the league, boasting the highest number of clean sheets. Arne Slot has made the Reds a solid defensive outfit, yet there are some surprising contenders trailing them in the clean sheet rankings.
At the other end of the spectrum, Manchester City have had their defensive struggles. The champions are five points behind Liverpool and have a battle on their hands.
Premier League Market
Odds
Ipswich vs Manchester United – Under 0.5 Goals For Ipswich
Manchester City vs Tottenham – Both Teams To Score & Over 2.5 Goals
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace – Both Teams To Score
Nottingham Forest vs Ipswich – Under 0.5 Goals For Ipswich
Odds courtesy of Stake. Correct at time of publishing and subject to change.
Nottingham Forest have been the surprise package of the season so far. They sit 15th in the table heading into Matchday 12 after collecting 19 points, the same as Arsenal and Chelsea. Appointed in December 2023, Nuno Espirito Santo has clearly helped the team improve, as evidenced by their strong performance following a pre-season under his leadership.
Forest have done reasonably well going forward but their defence has been the backbone of their success. They have conceded the second-fewest goals in the league, with an average of 0.91 per game. Their four clean sheets means they rank 3rd in that regard but with Arsenal up next, it’s best to wait until their clash with Ipswich on November 30th, to back another.
Ruben Amorim will become Manchester United’s third manager of the season on Sunday, making their five clean sheets even more surprising than Forest’s impressive performance. Erik Ten Hag was sacked after the 2-1 loss against West Ham, but the team did keep four clean sheets under the Dutchman. Interim boss Ruud Van Nistelrooy guided United to a 3-0 win over Leicester in their last game.
Ipswich have the lowest xG in the Premier League with 10.24. They have overperformed this metric by scoring an average of 1.09 goals per game, although this figure drops to 0.8 per game at Portman Road.
Manchester City are currently 2nd in the league, but it’s clear they’ve faced some struggles. Rodri’s injury has left Pep Guardiola with a midfield conundrum.
As a Ballon d’Or winner, Rodri plays a crucial role in disrupting opposition attacks and maintaining City’s own momentum. Without him, the champions have appeared more susceptible to counterattacks.
Heading into the weekend, City are on a four-match losing streak in competitive play and have managed just one clean sheet in five Premier League home games.
Pep Guardiola’s side take on Tottenham this weekend. Ange Postecoglou’s side knocked City out of the EFL Cup in October and scored two goals. Spurs have also scored eight goals across their last three visits to the Etihad, suggesting this match could be high-scoring, especially with City maintaining their reputation as a formidable attacking force.
Aston Villa have also been surprisingly poor defensively. They have kept just one clean sheet so far, the same as Wolves, Southampton, Leicester, Ipswich and Bournemouth. Unai Emery’s side are conceding an average of 1.55 goals per game, and take on Crystal Palace this weekend.
The Villains’ only clean sheet came at home against Manchester United. In their other outings at Villa Park, they have conceded against Wolves and Everton, both of whom are slugging it out at the bottom with Saturday’s opponents. Crystal Palace beat Villa at this ground in the EFL Cup last month and scored in this fixture last season.