Aston Villa v Arsenal
Saturday, 12.30pm, BT Sport
Both sides go into the game on the back of 3-1 defeats to Manchester City, with Villa boss Unai Emery up against the club who sacked him after a seven-game winless run in late 2019. After four league and cup matches without a win, Mikel Arteta’s side are off the top for the first time since August. Their strength in depth was always a big question mark in terms of their titles hopes and Thomas Partey, in particular, was missed against City with Jorginho hardly a like-for-like replacement.
3 successive wins for Arsenal against Villa after losing the previous three
Nottingham Forest v Man City
Saturday, 3pm
Having lost 6-0 at the Etihad in August, Forest have every reason to feel some trepidation after City clinically went top on Wednesday. The hosts’ cause was not helped by bizarrely losing both centre-backs Willy Boly and Scott McKenna to hamstring injuries in the early stages of last week’s 2-0 defeat at Fulham. That has left skipper Joe Worrall and new boy Felipe as their own fit players in that position but boss Steve Cooper refuses to complain despite now having ten players sidelined.
4 wins and three draws for Forest since their last home league defeat
Chelsea v Southampton
Saturday, 3pm
Having been knocked back by ex-Leeds boss Jesse Marsch, Saints go into this game under the caretaker charge of Ruben Selles. That may not have been the plan but fans of the Premier League’s bottom side will still find that preferable to Nathan Jones’ incomprehensible reign. Chelsea must see this as a chance to find a cutting edge which was missing again in their 1-0 defeat at Borussia Dortmund. It must be said, though, that Brighton weren’t exactly free-scoring with Graham Potter as boss.
6 goals scored by Chelsea in their last 13 games in all competitions
Everton v Leeds
Saturday, 3pm
Everton could again be without Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who missed the 2-0 defeat at Liverpool on Monday with a hamstring problem. Having beaten Arsenal in his first game in charge, the Anfield performance showed the size of Sean Dyche’s task in keeping third-bottom Everton up. Fans are again planning a pre-match march in protest at the club’s hierarchy. Leeds, just one place above, have been unable to find a quick replacement for Jesse Marsch so Michael Skubala remains caretaker boss.
10 different scores despite Everton having only 16 goals this season
Brighton v Fulham
Saturday, 3pm
This feels like a European qualification six-pointer as sixth host seventh at the Amex Stadium. Brighton may have never qualified for Europe before but a seven-game unbeaten league and cup run since the turn of the year has enhanced their hopes even if they didn’t get the victory they deserved at Selhurst Park last week. Fulham showed what can be achieved by reaching the 2010 Europa League final under Roy Hodgson and won 2-1 when the sides met at Craven Cottage in August.
3 Fulham wins and two draws in the sides’ five Premier League meetings
Wolves v Bournemouth
Saturday, 3pm
Having made it back-to-back wins for the first time this season after coming from behind at Southampton, Wolves are looking to make it three in a row against the other south-coast strugglers. While Bournemouth’s point against Newcastle was just their second since the turn of the year – and since Gary O’Neil became permanent boss – their performance was such that club legend Eddie Howe, now the Magpies chief, insisted the Cherries have the players and manager to stay up.
3 wins in four league games for Wolves after just three in the previous 25
Brentford v Crystal Palace
Saturday, 3pm
The two sides that benefited from VAR blunders to draw 1-1 last week – even if Thomas Frank thought Brentford deserved all three points at Arsenal – meet with Jarred Gillett in the video booth. The same Gillett who was centre of attention for the bemusing red card Wolves’ Mario Lemina received at Southampton. Palace’s Wilfried Zaha returned to training this week after a hamstring injury but Chris Richards, who has impressed as a stand-in for Joachim Andersen, is a doubt with a back issue.
3 previous Premier League meetings between the clubs were all drawn
Newcastle v Liverpool
Saturday, 5.30pm, Sky Sports
Liverpool looked a little more like their old selves in beating Everton 2-0 on Monday, their first league win of the year. It is too soon to write off their top-four hopes just yet but this feels like a must-win game with fourth-placed Newcastle starting nine points ahead. The Magpies are struggling for goals and wins right now and have a growing injury list – with fresh concerns over Joe Willock, Miguel Almiron and Allan Saint-Maximin, who all picked up knocks in last Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Bournemouth.
17 league games without defeat for Newcastle since losing at Anfield
Man United v Leicester
Sunday, 2pm, Sky Sports
James Maddison has become a talismanic figure for Leicester and captained them to last weekend’s 4-1 victory over Tottenham. So, it must be of huge concern to the Foxes that he has hardly trained this week as he still manages the knee trouble which affected him at the World Cup. Even so, Brendan Rodgers’ side are surely too good to be dragged back into relegation trouble as they head to Old Trafford to play a side who faced Europa League exertions in Barcelona less than 72 hours earlier.
1-0 United won in their meeting at Leicester, Jadon Sancho scoring
Tottenham v West Ham
Sunday, 4.30pm, Sky Sports
The fact Tottenham beat Man City in Antonio Conte’s absence, and lost both games since his return, means fans may not be overly worried he will miss this one as he recovers from surgery. Harry Kane cut an isolated figure again in the midweek loss at AC Milan which was hardly the reaction Conte wanted to the 4-1 humbling at Leicester. Having taken a point off Chelsea, there is nothing West Ham would like more than to boost survival hopes against their bitter rivals.
0 goals conceded from corners by West Ham this season, Spurs have scored 11
MORE : Arsenal star Gabriel Martinelli speaks out on his poor form in 2023 after Manchester City defeat
MORE : Luke Shaw explains what ‘extremely important’ Casemiro has brought to Manchester United
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Share your story or advertise with us: Whatsapp: +2347068606071 Email: info@newspotng.com
