Tottenham will be eyeing another three points when they travel to face Everton at Goodison Park. The Lilywhites beat Brentford 3-2 in their last fixture, and with Aston Villa losing to Newcastle, Spurs now occupy fourth spot, albeit by virtue of goals scored.
Everton on the other hand continue to drop points, with the latest being a 0-0 draw with Fulham. They have won just one of their last nine matches in all competitions, while failing to win any of their last three league matches.
Their recent record against Spurs makes for good reading though as they are unbeaten in their last five home matches against them, with their last defeat coming in December 2018. A catalyst for victory, Sean Dyche will hope.
Brighton will look to return to winning ways when they tackle Crystal Palace at the Amex Stadium.
The Seagulls saw their six game unbeaten run brought to an abrupt halt following a surprise 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Luton Town on the road, and will now hope to banish that memory in front of their own crowd against a Palace side who picked up a much needed three points thanks to a 3-2 win over Sheffield United.
The Eagles have failed to win any of their last six games on the road, losing four and drawing two, and will have their work cut out for them against a Brighton side boasting a 10 game unbeaten run at home.
Aston Villa and Sheffield United will be targeting their first wins of the year when they face off at Bramall Lane. Sheffield fell to a narrow 3-2 defeat away to Crystal Palace, making it 16 defeats in 22 League games to remain bottom of the table.
Villa were unconvincing again as they were beaten 3-1 at home by Newcastle United, but they will move level on points with third placed Arsenal should they claim all the points here.
The Villains will need to improve in this fixture however, as they have won just one of their last five matches against the Blades, picking up two draws.
Newcastle and Luton will look to build on bright displays when they face off at St. James’ Park. Newcastle picked up an impressive 3-1 win over Aston Villa, their third on the road in all competitions to occupy eighth spot, three points behind seventh placed Man United and a whopping 11 points off the top four. They take on a Luton side who thrashed Brighton 4-0 to boost their survival hopes courtesy of an Elijah Adebayo hat trick, with Chiediozie Ogbene getting the other. The Hatters prevailed in their previous meeting at Kenilworth road with a 1-0 scoreline, but not since 1937 have they emerged victorious at St. James’ Park, losing 16 of 22 fixtures.With Eddie Howe’s men falling short in three of their last four home league games and their injury woes continuing to mount, Rob Edwards will be hoping his side can shake off their own away blues to secure a famous double.
Three points will be on the table when Burnley host Fulham at Turf Moor.
Tomorrow, the title race enters the spotlight with Liverpool making the trip to the Emirates Stadium to take on Arsenal. The Reds are five points clear at the top having picked up 51 points from 22 games, five more than their opponents, and continued their impressive form in midweek, romping to a 4-1 home win against Chelsea.
A positive result can see them stretch their lead at the top to a maximum of eight points, and they have won on four of their last five trips to the Emirates, including a 2-0 win in the FA Cup this season.
Arsenal followed up the 5-0 thrashing of Crystal Palace with a 2-1 win over Nottingham Forest to remain in touch, and having already had a bumpy December, they cannot afford to drop crucial points. They will certainly take the game to Jürgen Klopp’s men, but whether they will get something out of it is another thing entirely.
Manchester United and West Ham will look to give their European aspirations another push in their clash at Old Trafford. United picked up a shaky yet crucial 4-3 win over Wolves to move within six points of the top four, and victory in this encounter will see them leapfrog their opponents into sixth place.
They are unbeaten in their last 15 home League games against the Hammers, winning 12 and drawing three. West Ham had to settle for a point in their last game against Bournemouth, with James Ward Prowse’s penalty cancelling out Dominic Solanke’s early opener. They will still have memories of a 1-0 win over United at this ground in the League Cup courtesy of Manuel Lanzini’s strike, and a similar result will be a big boost in their European push.
Chelsea will take on Wolves at Stamford Bridge as they look to bounce back from their 4-1 thrashing at the hands of League leaders Liverpool.
Having posted some resurgent results recently, including a 6-1 win over Middlesbrough to reach the EFL Cup final, Mauricio Pochettino’s men were brought back to earth against the rampant Reds, and will now look to pick themselves up against a Wolves side reeling from their defeat to United.
Having fallen 3-1 behind, the Wanderers pulled the game to 3-3 with a late equaliser from Pedro Neto in the 95th minute, only for United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo to snatch all three points just two minutes later. Joy turned to despair in the blink of an eye for Gary O’Neill’s side, who now hope to do the double over the Blues having won 2-1 at the Molineux back in December.
Bournemouth will entertain Nottingham Forest at the Vitality Stadium.
