Another weekend of action awaits in the English Premier League. One of the most hotly contested seasons in history looks set to now have a runaway leader and no one looks like they can stop a rampant Man City. European places are still up for grabs for a whole host of clubs while Fulham are desperate to catch up with Newcastle so they can claw their way from the drop zone.
Find out The Who, What, When, and Where of all the action from Matchday 25 right here, lets get started.
Friday 19th February
20:00 Wolverhampton Wanderers v Leeds United on BT
Wolves can leapfrog Leeds United in the table with a win when the sides meet later at Molinuex. Leeds are coming off the back of a demoralizing defeat to Arsenal last weekend. While Wolves have enjoyed an upturn in form lately with seven points from a possible nine in their last three games. Nuno Santos managed to defeat The Whites in their last four encounters, with Raul Jimenez scoring the only goal of the game when the two sides met in the League earlier in the season.
Saturday 20th February
12:30 Southampton v Chelsea on BT
Chelsea are so far undefeated since Tomas Tuchel succeeded Frank Lampard as head coach. It’s also worth noting the recent inclusion of fringe players under the Lampard regime as squad rotation will prove to be crucial with the Champions League on the horizon midweek. On the other side of the coin, The Saints have lost their past six games in the top flight, conceding 20 goals in the process. Southampton are sitting ten points clear of the relegation zone in 13th and need a big turnaround if they have plans to stay clear. Last October the two sides played out a thrilling 3-3 draw in Stamford Bridge last October, with Jannik Vestergaard scoring in the dying embers of the game to snatch a point.
15:00 Burnley v West Bromwich Albion On Sky
Burnley comes into this Premier League encounter undefeated in their last three games. However, the Baggies will be entering this clash with confidence after drawing with Manchester United last weekend. West Brom are in desperate need of a win here having only won two all season and conceding a staggering 55 goals in just 24 games. They may find solace in the fact that Burnley has struggled in front of the goal, as the only team who has scored less than them this season is bottom-placed Sheffield United. it’s no surprise they failed to score in October when they last met West Brom, with the game finishing 0-0.
17:30 Liverpool v Everton On Sky
Out of all the rivalries in English football, The Merseyside Derby is the one that still remains the most heated. This one has an added animosity after what occurred when the two sides met earlier in the season in a 2-2 draw. Jordon Pickford’s indefensible challenge on Virgil Van Djik changed the whole course of The Reds season. Everton sits three points behind their rivals with a game in hand however a win won’t see The Toffees overtake Klopp’s men in the table due to an eleven-goal differential. Liverpool mare undefeated in their last 23 games against Everton and the tie is responsible for the most drawn games between two sides in the history of the Premier League. Both sides have not been at their best recently coming off the back of successive losses in the league
20:00 Fulham v Sheffield United On Sky
Fulham has been eating away at the points gap between them and the teams above them in their hope to survive the drop. Scott Parker’s side has been grinding out a lot of draws this season and find themselves undefeated in their last three games, a run that includes a surprise win against Everton. Sheffield United are firmly rooted to the bottom of the table, however, they have been generally been able to take points off the other clubs surrounding them at the end. An example of this was when they earned a draw in the reverse fixture against The Cottagers in October.
Sunday 21st February
12:00 West Ham United v Tottenham Hotspur On Sky
Tottenham has lost four of their last five games and a defeat to West Ham will create a nine-point gap between the two sides. Reports recently have seen that Jose Mourinho has lost the dressing room and a tie with the high-flying West Ham will be a worry for Spurs fans. Fellow former Manchester United manager David Moyes has managed his side to become contenders for a Champions League spot. Only four teams in Europe’s top leagues have secured more points than The Hammers in 2021. The last time these two London sides met ended in a thrilling 3-3 draw, with Harry Kand & Co succumbing to a very late surge from West Ham to throw away a 3-0 lead.
14:05 Aston Villa v Leicester City On Sky
Aston Villa will be coming into this game disappointed after only managing a point against Brighton last weekend. The Villians have been very inconsistent this calendar year failing to gain any momentum after a victory. Leicester will be buoyed by their 3-1 victory over last year’s Champions and find themselves in good stead heading into the latter stages of the season. Brendan Rodgers will hope to avoid a repeat of the result against Dean Smith’s side four months ago, where a late Ross Barkley goal allowed the midlands club to pick up maximum points.
16:30 Arsenal v Manchester City On Sky
Manchester City does not seem like they can be stopped having won an incredible 17 games on the bounce. They have remained undefeated even longer and are looking like they will be crowned champions this weekend. After a sturring and dismal few months, Mikel Arteta has managed to find some type of form since The Gunnars defeated Chelsea at Christmas however have lost two of their last three games. The student meets his mentor will be the story of the tie especially considering Pep Guardiola has managed to best his former protege twice this season all ready
19:00 Manchester United v Newcastle United on BT
Ever since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer stated a few weeks ago that Manchester United are not to be considered title contenders, his side have been in a slump. The Red Devils have now only won once in their last five Premier League games and face a tough run of fixtures with Chelsea, Man City, and West Ham in their three next games. Three points against Newcastle will be expected, as Steve Bruce has struggled so far this season, however both sides are coming into the game with matching points from their last five games. Three goals in the last ten minutes allowed Manchester United to secure all three points after conceding first in the opening minutes at St. James Park.
Monday 22nd February
20:00 Brighton and Hove Albion v Crystal Palace On Sky
This game has draw written all over it doesn’t it? No surprise these two sides drew 1-1 last October and was one of the 11 drawn games this season for Graham Potter. Crystal Palace have lost their last two games back to back and have two wins from five, whereas Brighton are undefeated in their last seven games.
Tune into Scoreline at the weekend for live on air updates on Saturday and Sunday from 2-6
