As the Premier League hits its halfway stage, both the title race and the relegation battle are getting tighter as the current campaign continues to be one of the closest in recent history.
By far the biggest game of the weekend is Liverpool versus Manchester United, as the divisions top two clubs go face-to-face in a battle for top spot.
United are currently three points clear, but a win for Jurgen Klopp’s side would see them return to the top of the league.
Fellow rivals Manchester City will look to capitalise on any dropped points when they welcome Crystal Palace.
A slow upturn in form for Pep Guardiola’s side has seen them rise to third, and just four points away from United.
Similarly, Leicester are only four points from first and they host Southampton on Saturday night.
Despite their form slowing down, the Saints could overtake their opponents with a win this weekend, highlighting just how close the league is.
Spurs have the opportunity to move back into the Champions League places, visiting Sheffield United looking to get over their disappointing draw to Fulham.
Their opponents are off the back of their first two wins of the season in the league and FA Cup, so will be confident going into Sunday’s game.
Everton could have also moved in to the top four, but their match against Aston Villa has been postponed due to a series of COVID-19 cases in the Villa camp.
On Monday, Arsenal and Newcastle will meet again following their cup match last weekend.
Mikel Arteta’s team have improved in the last month, whilst Steve Bruce’s side have regressed over the last few weeks.
Fulham will play in their third consecutive London derby when they face Chelsea, following games against QPR and Spurs.
A win for the Scott Parker against one of his old teams could see them rise out of the relegation zone, depending on Brighton’s result, whilst Chelsea need three points to put themselves back in the race for European football.
Brighton travel to Leeds on Saturday, looking to ensure that they don’t drop into the bottom three.
Leeds, on the other hand, could move into the top half of the table with a win but will need to get over their embarrassing 3-0 loss to League Two’s Crawley last weekend.
Sam Allardyce is still looking for his first win as West Brom manager and could get it when the Baggies face Wolves in a Midland’s derby.
They need to find some form quickly as they look to climb out of the drop zone, currently sitting six points away from safety.
Finally, West Ham host Burnley with the chance to rise as high as seventh in the league if they can pick up a win.
By Ali Pollock
