All teams are in action this weekend in the Premier League after mid week games. Some exciting derbies will be on display and tantalizing action across the board. All the games will be broadcast throughout the weekend and we have the where and when on KCLR Fanzone.
Saturday 19th December
12:30 Crystal Palace v Liverpool BT Sport
Liverpool are sitting atop of the Premier League, not as high as they were last year, but still on top. A dramatic late winner against Spurs will no doubt help galvanize a team that is currently suffering from some injuries. Former Liverpool striker Christian Benteke is suspended following a sending off for the eagles in there last drawn encounter against West Ham. Klopps side need to be weary regardless as Palace were the last side to defeat them at Anfield and are coming into the tie undefeated in their last three games.
15:00 Southampton v Manchester City Amazon Prime (UK)
Both sides have drawn their last game against clubs who are towards the bottom of the table. Man City drew with relegation contenders West Brom, while Theo Walcott scored against his old side Arsenal in a one all draw. Ralph Hasenhuttl has a fully fit squad to choose from while City fans will be hoping for Aguero to start after looking sharp in his cameo appearancelast time out. I dont think City should fear losing really, they should fear a draw game , which would be their sixth this season.
17:30 Everton v Arsenal On Sky
Arteta will be hoping his old side Everton can do him a solid and allow him the win because it is becoming desperate at the moment. Arsenal have lost four of their last six games, drawing the other two and see themselves now in 15th place. Everton have since recovered from their recent blip and recorded victories over both Chelsea and Leicester. More importantly they did not concede in either, a fact Arteta will not like considering Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is struggling for form this season.
20:00 Newcastle United v Fulham On Sky
Newcastle collapsed in their last encounter against Leeds United. Losing 5- 2 will surely be a concern for Steve Bruce, however he may not be that concerned about the travelling Fulham side. Five points from the last five games should not really strike fear into the heart of the toon army. The two best things about Fulham this year has been their draw with Liverpool and Scott Parker “The Streets” mash ups.
Dry your eyes mate by Scott Parker 😂🎧🎵 pic.twitter.com/nULLh9ryYx
— Mark Pickard (@MarkyPickard) August 6, 2020
Sunday 20th December
12:00 Brighton and Hove Albion v Sheffield United On Sky
Sheffield United, what happened? Flying high before lockdown they have been on a dire run since. Chris Wilders men put in a valiant effort last time out against Manchester United, but Solskjaers side are not the most formidable team in the league. Brighton’s last win came nearly a month ago against Aston Villa but have since managed to pick up points against Liverpool and Fulham.
14:15 Tottenham Hotspur v Leicester City On Sky
Both sides are genuine contenders this year, Mourinho is coming off a 90th minute loss to Liverpool that he will want to set right. It may come down to a battle between Vardy and Kane, both men on 10 and 9 goals this season. Rodgers worked under Jose in his years at Chelsea but since he has gone out on his own, he is yet to record a victory over his former teacher after 7 attempts.
16:30 Manchester United v Leeds United On Sky
The Old rose derby, it has been awhile. A league cup in 2011 was the last time these two sides met, and fortunes have surely changed since then. After a strange performance against Sheffield United albeit one which garnered three points, the Red Devils need a confident victory. However Leeds will be a side up for it and are coming off a 5-2 victory over Newcastle. Their tenacity may prove to be too much for a United side that find themselves needing to constantly make comebacks.
19:15 West Bromwich Albion v Aston Villa
The play-off semi-finals in the Championship was the last time Villa and West Brom met. There the villains came from behind at West Brom to win on penalties and secure a place in the play-off final and ultimately promotion. With stadiums separated by a mere four miles, the West Midlands derby serves up some action historically . Coupled with a possible new manager bounce for West Brom with the introduction of Sam Allardyce, the baggies will be hoping to start his relegation fight now.
Monday 21st December
17:30 Burnley v Wolverhampton Wanderers On Sky
Sean Dyche has done well to recover after his side being thrashed 5-0 against Man City. Since then they have yet to lose in three games, drawing with both Everton and Aston Villa and defeating Arsenal. Those five points have seen the Turf Moor side hop out of the relegation zone for now as they take on a Wolves side that have been blowing hot and cold in their last few fixtures. Pedro Neto scored in a last minute winner against Chelsea however the previous two games they lost to both Aston Villa and suffered a heavy defeat to Liverpool.
20:00 Chelsea v West Ham United On Sky
David Moyes and the Hammers sit a single point behind Frank Lampards Chelsea who are seventh in the table. Andriy Yarmolenko scored a dramatic late winner in the cracking last encounter between the two side which ended 3-2 in West Ham’s favour. This should be a tasty London derby with Chelsea looking to bounce back from two successive defeats ahead of their next London derby Arsenal on 26th. The game will also be broadcast in virtual reality for all Sky VIP customers, offering them the chance to immerse themselves in the game…..whatever that means.
