There are some huge games this weekend in the Premier League as we move into the twelfth round of fixtures and the busy festive period gets underway.
There is no doubt that the biggest encounter this weekend is the Manchester derby, as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Pep Guardiola go head-to-head for the first time this season.
City’s poor start to the campaign has gone somewhat unnoticed, and they sit a point underneath their rivals who have also had their ups and downs so far.
United will be reeling after their elimination from the Champions League in the week, however Solskjaer has a great record against Guardiola so it is set to be a fantastic watch.
A win for either side will be huge early on in the race for Champions League football.
Elsewhere, top of the league Spurs visit fellow London club Crystal Palace, looking to keep up their incredible form under Jose Mourinho this season.
Harry Kane and Heung-min Son will look to run the show again, dominating the league so far with their world class performances.
Liverpool are second only by goal difference, and they take on Fulham away from home on Sunday afternoon.
Mohamed Salah became their record scorer in the Champions League on Wednesday and has nine goals in 10 league games already which he could definitely keep that up against the Cottagers.
Scott Parker’s side, though, have won just twice all season and need to tighten up their defence if they are to get anything out of the match.
One of the most exciting ties of the weekend will see Everton take on Chelsea, looking to rediscover their early season form.
Impressively, Dominic Calvert-Lewin has averaged a goal a game this season but will be going against one of the best defences in the league.
Chelsea have kept the joint most clean sheets this season, shutting out their opponents on 5 different occasions so far.
The Blues are third in the league, and a result on Sunday is key if they want to keep up with their title rivals.
Sheffield United have yet to win a single game this season and sit rock bottom of the table, yet in comparison their opponents this time out are flying in the league.
Southampton moved into fifth spot on Monday night, and with star man Danny Ings returning after a month out they will be looking to capitalise on the Blades’ struggles.
A win for Southampton will become all the more important depending on the Manchester derby result, as they will be going further ahead of one of, if not both, City and United.
Leicester are quickly establishing themselves as a top four contender again and will look to carry this on against Brighton in one of the final games of the week.
Brendan Rodgers’ side are slowly getting back their key men, with Ricardo Pereira and Wilfred Ndidi picking up minutes in recent weeks.
Brighton on the other hand are showing all the signs of a potential great side yet lack the cutting edge that is needed for them to rise up the table.
Goals are often hard to come by for the Seagulls, and their top scorer this season is the controversial Neal Maupay who has netted just four times.
Graham Potter will need to find a solution soon in order to avoid being drawn into a relegation battle later in the campaign, and there’s no better time to start then at the King Power stadium this weekend.
Another club who are struggling to score in the Premier League is Arsenal, having only netted eight times in the league so far.
They welcome Burnley, who are also floundering near the bottom of the table in 18th spot and need to start picking up points from somewhere in order to escape the bottom three.
Leeds and West Ham United face off against each other in the early kick off this week, playing at Elland Road on Friday night.
For West Ham, there is a chance to move into the top six with a win, but they will need to get past Marcelo Bielsa’s mind games first.
The Leeds manager took the bold step of revealing his starting eleven earlier in the week, but time will tell whether or not that is the actual squad he chooses.
Finally, Newcastle United and Aston Villa will both get back underway after their game last week was postponed due to a COVID-19 outbreak in the Newcastle squad.
Villa have the difficult task of facing Wolves, although their opponents will be without their key man Raul Jimenez who is still recovering from a fractured skull.
While Newcastle welcome second-bottom team West Brom who have won just once all season.
By Ali Pollock
