MY ACCOUNT
A reduced Premier League slate this weekend will still see an intriguing bunch of crucial games in the top-four race and relegation scrap.
Arsenal will look to bounce back from midweek defeat when they head to Aston Villa, while Tottenham and West Ham hope to keep themselves in Champions League contention when they face off on Sunday.
At the bottom, Leeds and Brentford aim to distance themselves from the relegation zone against Wolves and Leicester respectively.
Wolves vs Leeds (Friday, 8pm, Sky Sports)
After Jesse Marsch’s first win as Leeds boss ended a run of six straight defeats, the Whites can record consecutive league victories for only the second time this season when they travel to Wolves.
The men from Molineux pose much more of a threat than struggling Norwich did last Sunday, with Bruno Lage’s men exceeding expectations and pushing for Europe this term.
Leeds’ last top-flight win at Wolves came way back in September 1973 and they have lost on five of their nine trips since then.
Wolves have also won four of their last five games played on a Friday, a run which includes a 1-0 win over the Yorkshire side in this fixture last season.
Assisting the winner against the Canaries was Brazilian star Raphinha and since Leeds’ promotion back to the Premier League, only Patrick Bamford (28) has been involved in more goals for the Elland Road club than the 25-year-old (27).
Shoring up the defence could be key for American boss Marsch though, with Leeds without a clean sheet in their last 15 Premier League games — their longest such run for 17 years in the English top flight.
Aston Villa vs Arsenal (Saturday, 12.30pm, BT Sport 1)
A 2-0 defeat to Liverpool on Wednesday ended a five-game winning streak for Arsenal and they will be determined to get back on track on a tricky away trip to Villa.
The North Londoners have won 12 Premier League away games at Villa Park — though the Villans have been victorious in the last two meetings with them at their home ground.
Villa have also found joy in recent Saturday lunchtime games, winning their last four all by a 1-0 scoreline — including last term’s encounter with Mikel Arteta’s men.
Arsenal’s Emile Smith Rowe scored and assisted in the reverse fixture earlier this season, a 3-1 victory for his side. The 21-year-old also has four goals in his last six away league games with no Gunners player netting more on the road this term (four).
On the other side, Philippe Coutinho has scored more Premier League goals against Arsenal (four) than he has against any other team. He has also been involved in at least two more goals at home than any of his Villa team-mates since arriving in January (three goals, three assists).
Leicester vs Brentford (Sunday, 2pm)
A recent upturn in form has eased Brentford’s relegation fears as they head to Leicester with a chance of earning three straight top-flight victories for the first time since 1946.
The Foxes lost 2-0 against Arsenal last Sunday but have only lost consecutive league matches once this season, doing so against Manchester City and Brighton in September.
The Bees have only ever lost one of their 10 away games against the East Midlands club, though this is their first visit since 1992.
Leicester have scored 798 Premier League goals, meaning they could become the 13th team to reach 800 in the competition — but they will have to do so without injured striker Jamie Vardy, who accounts for 16% of that total (128).
Very much expected to feature though is Brentford striker Ivan Toney, who has scored seven goals in his last five Premier League games having netted just four in his first 19 this term.
Tottenham vs West Ham (Sunday, 4.30pm, Sky Sports)
A midweek victory over Brighton has breathed life into Tottenham’s hopes of finishing in the top four but West Ham — level on points with them — are also determined to stay in the race.
Spurs have lost just two of their last 19 Premier League home games against their London rivals (10 wins, seven draws), going down 3-0 in October 2013 and 1-0 in April 2019.
But in London derbies overall this season, Antonio Conte’s men have a record of five league defeats in seven — including a 1-0 win for West Ham at the London Stadium in October.
In fact, the Hammers have been victorious in the last two top-flight meetings between these two, though they did suffer defeat in last December’s EFL Cup quarter-final tie at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
They are looking to do the league double over Spurs for the first time since 2013-14, while they last won three consecutive games against them in August 1999.
Harry Kane has eight goals in six home league games against the East Londoners, while opposing striker Michail Antonio has managed six overall against Sunday’s opponents — three of those being match-winners.
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