MY ACCOUNT
A relegation six-pointer and a London derby are among a thrilling set of Premier League fixtures this weekend.
Struggling Norwich can leapfrog Watford with a victory over them tonight, while Tottenham will climb into the top four if they can get one over old foes Chelsea on Sunday.
Watford vs Norwich (Friday, 8pm, Sky Sports Main Event)
Kicking off our Premier League weekend are two strugglers who know the winners of this contest will end Matchday 23 outside of the bottom three.
Both sides ended miserable six-game losing streaks last time out but are still in the midst of a relegation battle with just one point separating them in 17th and 18th respectively — making this clash at Vicarage Road a true six-pointer.
Previous form points in the direction of a Hornets victory, with the Hertfordshire outfit winning the last five league meetings between the pair.
Adam Idah scored his first Premier League goal for Norwich last time out against Everton — the last player from the Republic of Ireland and aged younger than 21 to score in back-to-back Premier League appearances was Shane Long in October 2007.
Everton vs Aston Villa (Saturday, 12.30pm, BT Sport 1)
Saturday’s lunchtime clash has an added edge as managerless Everton host Aston Villa, who have former Liverpool great Steven Gerrard in the dugout.
As a player, Gerrard beat the Toffees more than any other opponent in the Premier League (16), while only against Villa (12) did he score more goals than in games with the Reds’ Merseyside rivals (nine).
A haul of just five points in their last 12 matches saw Rafa Benitez axed last weekend as Everton boss and interim manager Duncan Ferguson will hope for better fortunes on Saturday.
Following their 3-0 home victory in September, the Villans are looking to do the double over Everton for the first time since the 2000-01 season.
Brentford vs Wolves (Saturday, 3pm)
After five defeats in their last six Premier League games, Brentford are desperately looking to recapture their impressive early-season form against high-flying Wolves.
The Bees are looking to become only the second promoted side to complete a double over the men from Molineux after Birmingham City in the 2009-10 season.
But the visiting side Wolves will be no easy opponent with Bruno Lage’s troops having gone four games unbeaten, leaving them sitting pretty in eighth.
The West Midlands outfit are known for their resolute defence, with a Divock Origi strike in December the only goal from open play they have conceded in their last nine matches — the other two being a Raheem Sterling penalty and James Ward-Prowse’s stunning free-kick last weekend.
Leeds vs Newcastle (Saturday, 3pm)
Leeds will hope to continue their mini resurgence when they come up against struggling Newcastle.
After winning just three of their first 18 Premier League games this term, the Whites have triumphed in their last two and are looking to record three straight victories for the first time since a run of four at the end of last season.
Eddie Howe still has a real job on his hands to keep the Magpies up with a record of just one win in 20 games this campaign — only one of the last 12 sides with a similar record at this point of the season has survived relegation.
And Howe’s past matches against the Yorkshire outfit do not make for good reading either, having lost six of his seven meetings.
Manchester United vs West Ham (Saturday, 3pm)
Two teams with ambitions of making the Premier League top four this season meet at Old Trafford as Manchester United host West Ham.
The Hammers currently occupy that spot but with just two points separating the pair, things could look a lot different after Saturday’s result.
The Red Devils have an exceptional home record against the East Londoners after winning 20 of their 25 meetings in the Premier League, while they are unbeaten in their last 13 games against them at the Theatre of Dreams.
Cristiano Ronaldo has been involved in seven goals in his last five Premier League games versus West Ham, while Jarrod Bowen is currently on a run of 13 goal involvements in his last 18 appearances.
Southampton vs Manchester City (Saturday, 5.30pm, Sky Sports Main Event)
Manchester City’s title charge is in very healthy shape as they look to maintain a 11-point lead at the top of the Premier League with another victory against Southampton.
The Saints held City to a 0-0 draw in the reverse fixture but have not avoided defeat in both league meetings with them since the 2002-03 campaign.
Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men are unbeaten in their last seven home games — their best run at St Mary’s since a run of nine between March and October 2016.
City’s Kevin De Bruyne has been involved in 11 goals in his last 14 Premier League starts (nine goals and two assists), while he has assisted in all three of his previous league starts against the South Coast outfit.
Arsenal vs Burnley (Sunday, 2pm)
Another team firmly in the race for the top four are Arsenal, who face a Burnley side playing their first Premier League game for 21 days.
Since then, the Clarets have slipped down to the foot of the table so they will be desperate to end their winless run of 11 away outings in the league this term.
But Burnley were victorious in this fixture last season and are looking to win consecutive away games versus the Gunners for just the third time — previously doing so in 1950 and 1960.
Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka has been directly involved in a goal in each of his last five Premier League matches, scoring four and assisting twice.
Crystal Palace vs Liverpool (Sunday, 2pm, Sky Sports Main Event)
Liverpool will want to show the title race is not over for them just yet as they head to South London to face Crystal Palace.
The Reds have won the last six in this fixture — including a 7-0 thumping at Selhurst Park last term — but Palace are a different proposition under Patrick Vieira’s tutelage this season.
They are yet to lose consecutive home games under the Frenchman and will look to continue that run after being edged out by West Ham earlier this month.
Since the start of the 2018-19 season, visiting wing-back Trent Alexander-Arnold has 42 Premier League assists — six more than any other player.
Leicester vs Brighton (Sunday, 2pm)
Inconsistency continues to plague Leicester as they look to put a midweek injury-time time collapse against Tottenham behind them when welcoming ninth-placed Brighton to the King Power Stadium.
That result means the Foxes have alternated between losing and winning in their last five games, leaving them lagging behind the Seagulls in 10th place.
But Leicester have a decent record against Sunday’s opponents, losing only three of their last 17 meetings — though Graham Potter’s men did win 2-1 in the reverse fixture in September.
Scoring in that game was Danny Welbeck, who has netted three in eight against the Foxes overall.
Chelsea vs Tottenham (Sunday, 4.30pm, Sky Sports Main Event)
Coming out on top of that 3-2 epic in the East Midlands on Wednesday were Spurs, who are now looking well-placed for an assault on the top four as they visit struggling London rivals Chelsea.
Antonio Conte returns to Stamford Bridge knowing his side can go within five points of the Blues with a victory while still having four games in hand.
Meanwhile, while the home team are looking for their first league win since Boxing Day.
But Tottenham have a miserable record in trips to West London, winning just one of their last 31 away games against Chelsea — a 3-1 victory in April 2018 when Conte was still in charge of the Blues.
