1
City's chance to taste first place
The good news for Manchester City is that Liverpool's 3-1 defeat against Arsenal Last Sunday and their early start on Saturday mean Pep Guardiola's side have a chance to top the Premier League for the first time since September, at least for a couple of hours. The bad news for Liverpool and the other title contenders is that City are back to their best, with everyone fit and in top form. City have 11 wins and one draw in their last 12 games in all competitions. Sean Dyche and Everton, who arrive at the Etihad in the relegation zone, could have a torrid 90 minutes. Jaime Jackson
2
Which Fulham will appear?
Fulham's form has dipped again. They haven't won in the Premier League since impressive Arsenal on New Year's Eve and suffered the deflation of abandoning both cups last month. Heartbreak in the semifinals against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup It was a blow and when fans mocked the high ticket prices for the FA Cup match against Newcastle, it gave the impression that a club was in danger of losing its way. However, Fulham are still capable of playing intelligent and attractive football under Marco Silva. They blew a 2-0 lead against Burnley last week, their game management let them down, but there is a chance to improve against Bournemouth. It remains difficult to know which Fulham will turn up. Jacob Steinberg
3
Burnley prepared for Liverpool's reaction
Liverpool's performance at Arsenal will have worried Jürgen Klopp more than a result that marginally tilted the title race in Manchester City's favour. There can be no repeat at home against a Burnley team languishing in second-to-last place and with two away wins to their name all season. To that end, the availability of Darwin Núñez should strengthen Liverpool's confidence in producing an immediate response. Criticism of Klopp's decision to bench Nunez at the Emirates was strange considering the striker had walked away from Anfield four days earlier with his foot in a protective boot. His absence in the starting eleven in Liverpool's two games first division However, his defeats this season underline the importance of the unpredictable but relentless striker. Burnley will be prepared for a backlash. andy hunter
4
Luton seek heady heights of 15th place
Luton have lost one of their last six and are out of the relegation zone, which is a remarkable achievement. On Saturday they will host the bottom of the league; a win would lift them to 23 points with 15 games remaining to secure another 17 for the traditional survival benchmark of 40. If all goes their way, Rob Edwards' side could even sit in 15th place at the end of the weekend , which would be a glorious boost. to morale when facing a series of difficult games. They are a close-knit group of players who are in great form, but their next four games will be against manchester united, Liverpool, Manchester City (in the FA Cup) and Aston Villa, so a win is vital to stay afloat. In what will be a tumultuous end to the season, with other clubs awaiting points deduction, beating their rivals at home will be crucial and Luton know it. won't win
5
Will Son and Richarlison stay in sync?
Everyone knows how highly Ange Postecoglou values Son Heung-min. The Tottenham boss never misses an opportunity to praise the player he appointed as his captain and is delighted to have her back after the Asian Cup; Son reported to training camp on Thursday after South Korea surprising defeat in the semifinals against Jordan. Will Postecoglou start him in Saturday's home game against Brighton? The best question regarding Son's return is whether he can pick up where he left off with Richarlison. The latter felt his season (and his career with Spurs) change when Postecoglou played him at No. 9 against Newcastle in December, moving Son back to left wing. It was the impetus for Richarlison to embark on a run of nine goals in 10 games. Son, who was in good form with Spurs before their departure for the Asian Cup, had helped ignite Richarlison's purple streak by assisting the first of his two goals against Newcastle. David Hytner
6
Hwang returns to strengthen Wolves
As the saying goes, one person's loss is another person's gain. For Hwang Hee-chan, there is the personal disappointment of South Korea's surprising elimination from the Asian Cup to the stomach, but the Wolves will welcome the striker with open arms. Hwang returned to England on Wednesday and reported to train with his Wolves teammates on Thursday. If things weren't already going well, Wolves are six points behind sixth-placed Manchester United after the victory at Chelsea – the return of Hwang, who has already scored 10 league goals this campaign, will only bolster the revitalized attack. Matheus Cunha, who scored a hat-trick last time out, Pedro Neto and Pablo Sarabia and an in-form Wolves team, led by an impressive leader in Gary O'Neil, have another chance to show their teeth against Brentford. ben fisherman
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7
Forest's Sels wants to prove his point
The Matz Sels derby will take place on Saturday night, a match that few expected to witness. The Belgian spent two seasons at Newcastle, the second on loan at Anderlecht, but only managed nine appearances in their Championship promotion season in 2016-17 as he failed to convince Rafa Benitez that he was better than former Forest goalkeeper Karl Darlow. . Since he left St James' Park, Sels has been a steady performer at Strasbourg, but decided a Premier League opportunity was too good to turn down. Amidst the chaos of Forest's goalkeeping department, Sels immediately settled in as number one against Bournemouth and looked fairly stable compared to the disappointing Matt Turner and Odysseas Vlachodimos. Perhaps it helps that his home debut comes against a team that didn't believe he was capable of being the first option. A little extra incentive goes a long way in football. wu
8
Can West Ham fill the creative void?
West Ham are struggling without Lucas Paquetá. They haven't won since December 28 and his offensive ability has been exhausted while the Brazilian has been sidelined with a calf injury. They miss Paquetá's ability and eye for passing, but David Moyes needs to find a way to cope without his key attacker. He still has Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus, two forwards who are already hurting Arsenal this season. He could get more use out of Maxwel Cornet and Michail Antonio is likely to return from a knee injury when Arsenal visit the London Stadium. All is not lost, even with Paquetá expected to be out for at least another week. js
9
Crucial match for Villa in the race for the top four
Even if the results are not as expected on Saturday, the fact Aston Villa They silently hope that Manchester City and Liverpool's mistake is a sign of the company Unai Emery's men keep. Last year around this time, Villa were mid-table, and an unbeaten January in the league kept them out of relegation trouble. For all the murmurs about Villa being title contenders as the new year approaches, the reality is that securing a Champions League place would represent an extraordinary achievement in itself. That's why Villa's home game against Manchester United seems significant. Victory would open an 11-point gap over United, a healthy cushion even with 14 games left. Defeat and United, one of their biggest rivals for a top-four spot, will be five points behind them. boyfriend
10
Hodgson and Pochettino face each other
The top two will meet at Selhurst Park on Monday night, although not in terms of league position, but rather in the bookmakers' odds on the next Premier League manager to be sacked. It's not a particularly pleasant race and a win won't solve all the problems faced by Roy Hodgson (first) or Mauricio Pochettino (second). Despite the constant rumors about Palace search for a suitable replacement for HodgsonPalace are unbeaten in their last three home games, winning two, while Chelsea have lost five of their last six away from home. Michael Olise's absence will make things more difficult for Palace, but there is still some hope that their manager can make a statement with victory and allow Pochettino to move into first place in the sack race. wu
