Another weekend of Premier League action has arrived!
While all the talk will no doubt be dominated by the top of the table clash between the Red sides of Merseyside and Manchester, there are nine other games occuring that will have big repurcussion throughout the season. We can safely say we are going to be officially half way through the season after this weekend for most teams, will the table look similar after the next half finished?
Saturday 16th January
12:30 Wolverhampton Wanderers v West Bromwich Albion on BT Sports
Kicking off the weekend are West Midland rivals Wolves and West Brom. Both sides have been dreadful recently and their points total over the last five games mirror each other with just two points from a possible 15. The Baggies fortunes have not changed since the sacking of Slaven Bilic and with new manager Sam Allardyce’s transfer plans apparently scuppered due to Brexit, it seems like he may not be able to rescue them from the drop. A win against a poorly performing Wolves to record their second victory this term may go a long way to spark a revival. Nuno Espirito will also be looking at this as an opportunity to stop their slide down the table.
15:00 Leeds United v Brighton and Hove Albion On Sky
Both sides had a tough time in their FA Cup encounters at weekend against lower tiered oppostion. Brighton needed penalties to separate them and Newport County while Leeds shockingly lost three nil to Crawley Town. Leeds also shipped in three goals against Spurs in the Premier League last time out but have generally done well against lowly placed teams. Defeating Burnley and shipping five against West Brom previous to the Tottenham game will give The Whites fans promise against 17th placed Brighton. The Seagulls did well against Man City however a pat of the back is all they game away with from that game, and are without a win in nine.
15:00 West Ham United v Burnley on Premier Sports
West Ham sit directly in the middle of the table at tenth , yet only six point seperate them and third placed Man City. A win or loss this season can seem to ignite or extinguish Champions League qualification aspirations. Does David Moyes have that kind of fight in his squad, particularly one light on attacking options after the departure of Sebastian Haller? Probably not considering the team have registered three draws from their last six. Burnley on the other hand have been a team on the rise with three victories from their last six encounters while they will count themselves unlucky after loss narrowly by one goal margins to attacking team such as Leeds and Manchester United.
17:30 Fulham v Chelsea On Sky
Fulham have once again managed to grab a point in their last match, making it five drawn Premier League games in a row. The London side though could really do with a win some time soon as they are sitting in 17th place with just 12 points. Facing Scott Parker at Craven Cottage will be Parker’s former Chelsea teammate Frank Lampard and his hot and cold Chelsea team. The Blues form has dropped as far as their league position recently where they currently occupy ninth place, with a record of four loses from their last six games. Both sides face tough opposition next so it will be interesting to see how they line up. Chelsea are up against Leicester just three days after this London Derby while Fulham are set to face a high flying Manchester United.
20:00 Leicester City v Southampton on BT Sports
Only three points and three places separate these two sides. Southampton will be disappointed to only sit in seventh after a few disappointing results over the festive period. However a recent victory over a fragile Liverpool should raise The Saints spirits. Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men have not played since that victory over The Reds as their scheduled FA Cup tie with Shrewsbury was postponed, so they should be fresh. As will be Leicester pair Jamie Vardy and James Maddison, who were both rested for the Foxes four nil FA Cup victory over Stoke . Brendan Rogers will be keen to avenge his previous two loses last year against Southampton, so it will no doubt be an entertaining game.
Sunday 17th January
Aston Villa v Everton Postponed
Another Aston Villa game has falling victim to a covid outbreak. Check out our own Robbie Dowling’s article on it here.
14:00 Sheffield United v Tottenham Hotspur On Sky
Sheffield United have finally, FINALLY, picked up three point exactly half way thru their season. After casting Steve Bruce aside, Wilder faces the daunting task of going up against Jose Mourinho. To be fair to Wilder, he got the better of Mourinho last season by beating Tottenham 3-1 at Bramall Lane and earlier in the season managing a point. This end result should be different here as Spurs will be aiming to avenge their draw with Sheffield’s fellow relegation strugglers Fulham.
16:30 Liverpool v Manchester United On Sky
We could harp on about form, look at previous meetings and statistics but does any of that matter when Manchester United and Liverpool clash? Both behemoths in the English game now go head to head in what is one of the most important and eagerly anticipated games between these two sides in sometime. Both sets of supporters will be desperate to for a victory here as you can imagine both managers will be. From a coaching perspective it will be interesting to see how both managers will approach the game. Liverpool truly have a defensive crisis on their hands but still hold an incredible attacking threat, while Solskjaer could possibly line up with a defensive three.
19:15 Manchester City v Crystal Palace On Sky
Man City are hitting their stride now winning their last seven games in all competitions and unbeaten in their last 14. With Aguero still missing, Gabriel Jesus is in contention after some time out while Phil Foden will be hoping to start after scoring in the last premier league ties. Crystal Palace have not lost in their last three games drawing with Arsenal and Leicester while also defeating Sheffield United. They wont say it , but Eagles fans may be quietly confident of getting something from the game. Two days shy of a year has gone since these two sides last faced off in what was an exciting two all draw.
Monday 18th January
20:00 Arsenal v Newcastle United On Sky
Steve Bruce has received alot of flack for his sides performance and subsequent loss against Sheffield United. The Magpies were ultra defensive much to the dismay of the St. James faithful. The argument of why go defensive against a team who hasn’t won all season does kind of hold up. Arteta head was on the chopping block but tension have seemed to ease as he turns Arsenals fortunes around slightly by picking up ten points from a possible twelve recently.
Check back here Tuesday as we looked ahead to Matchday 20 – No rest for the wicked!
