As the Boxing Day weekend approaches, the Premier League table is starting to open up as the nations best teams again go head to head in the middle of a busy festive period.
The biggest match of the weekend see’s second placed Leicester City welcome third placed Manchester United.
Both teams are on good form, each picking up impressive wins against Spurs and Leeds respectively last weekend.
A win for either side on Saturday will close the gap between them and Liverpool, for a day at least, as the Reds don’t play until Sunday.
They will host West Brom in a bid to extend their lead at the top of the table, coming off the back of a 7-0 victory against Crystal Palace.
Newly appointed Baggies manager Sam Allardyce was the last opposition manager to win at Anfield in the Premier League when his Palace side won 2-1 in April 2017.
The other Merseyside club, Everton, will visit Sheffield United with hopes of continuing their title challenge.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side sit fourth in the league, only five points behind their local rivals.
Sheffield United, though, are sat at the bottom of the table with just two points having not yet won a game.
Chelsea have yet another London derby this weekend, this time travelling to an out of form Arsenal side.
A win could see the Blues move into the top four, while the Gunners need three points to ease their relegation worries.
They sit just four points above the drop zone, having won only four games all season and not picked up a victory in the league since the 1st November.
In another exciting tie, Wolves and Spurs will go head to head with both teams off the back of disappointing losses last weekend.
Jose Mourinho’s side need a win to put their season back on track following successive defeats, while Wolves must find a way to cope with the absence of their star man Raul Jimenez.
Three points for Manchester City against Newcastle could see them move back into the top six.
City have just won their League Cup quarter final against Arsenal, whereas Newcastle failed to win their tie against Championship side Brentford and could struggle again this weekend.
Elsewhere, Fulham will look to continue their solid form against high-flying Southampton.
Scott Parker won’t be in the dugout as he has to self-isolate, but captain Joachim Andersen will be involved after his red card against Newcastle was overturned.
Brighton will be looking to make all the chances they create count when they face off against West Ham.
The Seagulls often create plenty but lack the clinical striker to keep them away from the bottom three.
Aston Villa will host Crystal Palace, with the opportunity to move into the top six places if other results go their way.
Meanwhile, a win for Palace will see them move into the top half, also depending on other results.
Finally, Leeds will look to bounce back from their heavy 6-2 defeat by United last weekend when they welcome Burnley on Sunday.
By Ali Pollock
