ClapIt’s that time again as we gear up for the penultimate weekend of Premier League fixtures before the final international break of the year. There’s going to be a whole lot to digest from Saturday all the way through to Monday and our aim with this piece is to showcase five of the very best games on offer.
Some feature teams at the top of the table and some at the bottom because, in case you may have forgotten, there are twenty clubs in England’s top tier.
Leicester vs Arsenal
Leicester City started off this campaign in shaky form, to say the least, but they’re starting to piece it all together in a way that makes them legitimate contenders for the top six – at the very least – once again.
Arsenal, on the other hand, have had a pretty similar story, which is what makes this match-up so fascinating. Mikel Arteta only has domestic football to focus on this season and you can bet he’ll want to take full advantage of that.
Liverpool vs Brighton
Liverpool are absolutely rolling through the Premier League, Champions League and League Cup and it really doesn’t seem as if anyone will be able to stop them.
Brighton, meanwhile, are the surprise package of the campaign alongside Brentford, with Graham Potter receiving an insane amount of plaudits for his work at the club – and rightly so.
Tottenham vs Man United
Tottenham Hotspur just haven’t really been able to get going under Nuno Espirito Santo and while there’s still plenty of time for them to turn things around, his style of management just doesn’t seem to work with the squad he’s got.
Manchester United are also in a spot of bother with reports suggesting that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has three games left to save his job – starting with a tough trip to the capital to take on Spurs.
Norwich vs Leeds
Norwich City, in the eyes of many, may as well be dead and buried already. They haven’t won a single game in the league, they’ve only scored twice in nine matches and they’ve conceded 23 goals.
Leeds are also in the mix down in 17th but their late equaliser last week may just give them the push they need to kick on – although it does feel like a lot of clubs have already figured out how to play against them in the dreaded “second season syndrome”.
Wolves vs Everton
Wolverhampton Wanderers have been inconsistent with their results, to say the least, seemingly setting them up for a season of midtable lingering. The only issue with that for the fans is this: the quality of their squad means challenging for Europe should probably be high on their list of priorities.
Everton have injury problems up to their neck with Rafa Benitez not being able to turn the ship around right now. He’s had a decent start but if this injury charade carries on all the way through to January, he’ll need to start thinking about some serious investment.
