Premier League fixtures

If Liverpool do win then they go top for a few hours at least, because contemporary success rivals Manchester City are away at Burnley in a 3pm slot. City have ...

The latest setback was the FA Cup exit to Middlesbrough on Friday and although the supercomputer makes them 48.6% favourites to win at Burnley, that’s not a stratospheric percentage given Sean Dyche’s team are a) still bottom of the table and b) have lost their last five home games in a row against United. Turf Moor a tough place to go? The win predictor model backs Palace to win this one but the win predictor model has never been outside on a cold midweek February night in Norfolk. Very few computers have. Four defeats in a row has pushed Thomas Frank’s team to the periphery of the relegation battle and while Eriksen may help that situation in the medium term, he’s not expected to play any part in this game, hence the supercomputer’s stunning verdict. Surely feeding this info into the heart of the supercomputer will result in a huge boost for the Canaries? No, at 4.9% they have one of the lowest chances of victory the modern game has ever seen. Traditionalists who enjoy the 3pm blackout rule in the UK will have to deal with the fact that Chelsea will be in televised action on Saturday afternoon in the Club World Cup but the three Premier League games kicking off at three will remain a mystery in digital form. In fact, the number nine seems to be haunting United at the moment, as after scoring nine goals across their opening pair of Premier League games at Old Trafford this season, they have subsequently scored nine in the following nine games there. Saturday concludes with what should be the most one-sided game of the weekend, if not the season, but we thought that when Manchester City travelled to Norwich two seasons ago, and the outcome was a famous win for the pride of central Norfolk instead. Staying in London and Arsenal will be looking for the sweet taste of revenge against Brentford. Matchweek 26 is the reverse of the opening weekend in August and that was a hot mess for Mikel Arteta’s team, shorn of a number of key players due to covid-19. A massive game in Manchester in the Super Sunday slot as City take on United at the Etihad. Pep Guardiola has only done the double over United once as City boss so far and this game does favour the visiting team generally. Liverpool are 65.3% in machine terms, and that makes them the super top faves in the Premier League this weekend. “But” I counter, tapping the machine softly with my finger, “3.5% of all the goals Leeds have ever let in in the Premier League have come since the start of February.” Who will actually win? The late game on Saturday (that’s right, we’re there already) is a heritage Clasico, with Lads It’s Tottenham journeying to the Theatre of Dreams to face Lads It’s Manchester United. Last season this ended as a 6-1 win for Jose Mourinho’s brief title challengers, and you could envisage a similar scoreline again, or, to be fair, the complete opposite too.

Arsenal legend Paul Merson has made his predictions for another action-packed weekend of Premier League football. Liverpool takes on Watford at lunchtime.

The race for the top four continues, with Tottenham and Manchester United looking to put pressure on Arsenal. And many of the teams at the bottom face tough ...

There could be a change at the top of the table, with just a point separating leaders Manchester City and second-placed Liverpool.The race for the top four continues, with Tottenham and Manchester United looking to put pressure on Arsenal. And many of the teams at the bottom face tough matches as they desperately scramble for precious points to try to preserve their place in the division.This weekend could see a crucial changing of the guard at the top of the Premier League.If, as expected, Liverpool beat Watford at home in Saturday’s lunchtime game, Manchester City will be knocked off top spot for the first time since early December.Granted, that may only be for a couple of hours, with Pep Guardiola’s side facing Burnley at Turf Moor, but it still represents a significant psychological moment.Jurgen Klopp’s team have been the form side in the division, winning their past nine league games on the bounce to whittle away a gap between themselves and City that at one stage was 14 points.And City’s loss to Tottenham in February and draw at Crystal Palace in their last top-flight outing has opened the door for the Reds ahead of the potentially defining tussle between the top two at Anfield on 10 April.As past title races between these two have shown (most notably that settled by a single point in 2018-19), an advantage, no matter how slender, can be crucial going down the closing straight. The simple reality is that a ‘big six’ into the top four just won’t go.As it stands, Tottenham and Manchester United are the two members of England’s top sextet set to miss out on that all-important Champions League football.However, with fourth-placed Arsenal not playing until Monday, when they visit Crystal Palace, United and Spurs have the chance to apply some pressure.Antonio Conte’s side can even replace their north-London rivals in the top four, for a day at least, if they beat Newcastle by two or more goals on Sunday.Before then, though, Ralf Rangnick’s Red Devils host Leicester in Saturday’s evening game, with victory pretty much essential if they are to get themselves back into the Champions League following their disappointing last-16 exit at the hands of Atletico Madrid this month.Should both United and Spurs slip up, West Ham may well be there to capitalise when they host Everton on Sunday.Desperate times for the bottom threeThis weekend’s fixtures are not favourable for the current bottom three.Watford are away at Liverpool, the opponents the Hornets have lost the most top-flight games against.They have lost 14 of their 16 away matches against the Reds in all competitions and were beaten 5-0 in the reverse fixture this season, back in October.Burnley host Manchester City, against whom they have lost seven consecutive Premier League matches, by an aggregate score of 24-1. Before the international break, Frank Lampard questioned whether his players have the right mentality to play for Everton after they were heavily beaten by Crystal Palace in the FA Cup quarter-finals.We will find out at West Ham on Sunday if his message — which some have criticised for its tone and timing - has cut through.Come Sunday, the Toffees will know if a win will only preserve their current advantage over the bottom three or extend it to what could be a crucial six points, especially with them also having games in hand on many rivals.It is one of those wonderful quirks of fate that the game sees Lampard return to his first club, now managed by one of his predecessors in the Everton job, David Moyes.Another club looking to steal a potentially pivotal march on their rivals this weekend is Leeds, who have won their past two games courtesy of injury-time winners and host out-of-form Southampton.A third Whites win on the bounce for the first time this season, coupled with favourable results elsewhere, would really strengthen the place of Jesse Marsch’s side in the division.They could go as high as 14th if Brentford and Newcastle fail to win at Chelsea or Tottenham respectively. • There could be a change at the top of the table, with just a point separating leaders Manchester City and second-placed Liverpool. It has the potential to be a hugely significant round of fixtures at both ends of England’s top flight. Crucial fixtures on the card as Premier League returns It has the potential to be a hugely significant round of fixtures at both ends of England’s top flight.

Arsenal hold on to the final Champions League place sitting fourth, three points ahead of Tottenham Hotspur but Mikel Arteta's side have a game in hand on their ...

Burnley are 19th, one point behind Watford but with two games in hand. In the gallery above, you can see the results from the last round of Premier League fixtures. Manchester United are sixth, two points and one place ahead of West Ham with a game in hand.

Liverpool and Man City are the two teams set to go head-to-head in a fight for three trophies over the next six weeks. Aymeric Laporte is already talking ...

Aymeric Laporte is already talking about the Reds.Jürgen Klopp 'to break transfer record' as Liverpool 'want to beat Barcelona to Spain playmaker'Media DigestMedia Digest: Liverpool are reportedly set to break their transfer record on signing a forward while Jürgen Klopp is said to be keen on beating Barcelona to a Spain star.Liverpool could repeat Alisson Becker transfer trick to solve looming Roberto Firmino issueLiverpool FCLiverpool may need a successor to Roberto Firmino in the false nine position, but they also need back-up for Mohamed Salah. Can they kill two birds with one stone?Liverpool can begin Jürgen Klopp midfield evolution via £30m playmaker with 10 goals this seasonLiverpool FCLiverpool could begin to evolve their midfield this summer, with departures and arrivals expected. But they may now have turned a weakness into a key strength.Liverpool could repeat Alisson Becker transfer trick to solve looming Roberto Firmino issueLiverpool FCLiverpool may need a successor to Roberto Firmino in the false nine position, but they also need back-up for Mohamed Salah. Can they kill two birds with one stone?Liverpool can begin Jürgen Klopp midfield evolution via £30m playmaker with 10 goals this seasonLiverpool FCLiverpool could begin to evolve their midfield this summer, with departures and arrivals expected. Aymeric Laporte is already talking about the Reds. Jürgen Klopp 'to break transfer record' as Liverpool 'want to beat Barcelona to Spain playmaker'Media DigestMedia Digest: Liverpool are reportedly set to break their transfer record on signing a forward while Jürgen Klopp is said to be keen on beating Barcelona to a Spain star.Liverpool could repeat Alisson Becker transfer trick to solve looming Roberto Firmino issueLiverpool FCLiverpool may need a successor to Roberto Firmino in the false nine position, but they also need back-up for Mohamed Salah. Can they kill two birds with one stone?Liverpool can begin Jürgen Klopp midfield evolution via £30m playmaker with 10 goals this seasonLiverpool FCLiverpool could begin to evolve their midfield this summer, with departures and arrivals expected. But they may now have turned a weakness into a key strength.Liverpool could repeat Alisson Becker transfer trick to solve looming Roberto Firmino issueLiverpool FCLiverpool may need a successor to Roberto Firmino in the false nine position, but they also need back-up for Mohamed Salah. Can they kill two birds with one stone?Liverpool can begin Jürgen Klopp midfield evolution via £30m playmaker with 10 goals this seasonLiverpool FCLiverpool could begin to evolve their midfield this summer, with departures and arrivals expected. But when it comes down to the final part of the season, and results are the only thing that will be judged, Laporte knows, even if he couldn't quite bring himself to admit it, that Liverpool might have the edge. That Laporte even references the fact that Liverpool take their chances more than his team proves that is it something that they think about, even if he refuses to accept that as being the case. The reality is that both Liverpool and Manchester City might be deserving of the silverware at the end of the season, but only one can get it — with fine margins set to decide which way the pendulum swings. There is so little in it between the pair that it will come down to something very small — an injury at the wrong time, for example, or a tactical decision that might backfire — to determine the final outcomes. The clash between the sides at the Etihad Stadium on April 10 feels like the one that will determine the outcome of the Premier League title race, while the following weekend, the teams face off in the FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley. On opposite sides of the Champions League draw, you cannot bet against it being a Liverpool vs Manchester City final in Europe, too, with that game in Paris on the final weekend in May. READ MORE:Liverpool have a £25m transfer chance that might be too good for Jürgen Klopp to turn down One team could win the lot; the prizes could be shared out. Thank you for subscribing!We have more newslettersShow meThere are a number of narratives that are set to be played out across the course of the rest of this season — a period that will fly by with so many fixtures coming in all directions — but few, if any, will be larger than Liverpool vs Manchester City. From this point in the campaign onwards, there are three major trophies left to win. There could even be a surprise in two of the three competitions and neither side might win — though the league title will definitely be one of the pair's in nine games time. Aymeric Laporte is already talking about the Reds.