At this stage in the season, results can be unpredictable, and points on the board are worth a lot more than games in hand. There are just 9 points between Liverpool who are sitting in third place in the Premier League and Arsenal who are currently sitting in sixth. The race is now on in earnest for a top-four finish and a place in the Champions League.
Arsenal host Manchester United and they will be hoping for a repeat of the result last season when they ran out 3-0 winners. A double from Sanchez and a goal from Mesut Ozil put them on easy street. The first encounter at Old Trafford this season finished, unsurprisingly, 1-1 with a goal from Giroud cancelling out Juan Mata’s opener. One would think that should there be a loser in this match, they will face an uphill battle to finish in the top 4.
Liverpool host Southampton on Sunday, but it’s worth noting that they have failed to beat them in the Premier League in their last four attempts with three draws and a 3-2 defeat. With Southampton’s season fizzling out, this one should go the way of Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp should have his injury-hit side fired up for this one.
Manchester City will be incredibly disappointed if they fail to secure a top-four finish this season. After an early exit from the Champions League and crashing out of both cups, the pressure is well and truly on Pep Guardiola to deliver Champions League football at the very least. They face Crystal Palace at home this weekend, and on paper, it looks likely that the three points will remain at the Etihad Stadium, however, Crystal Palace are more than capable of causing an upset if they find top form, as recent wins over Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool prove. Christian Benteke seems to raise his game for top class opposition and keeping the former Liverpool man quiet may be the key to winning this one.
At the top end of the table, Tottenham Hotspur make the short trip to face West Ham United in a bid to keep the pressure on Chelsea. A goal from Michail Antonio was enough to give West Ham a 1-0 win in this fixture last season, however, Spurs with Harry Kane and Dele Alli on fire at the moment may have too much for the Hammers to cope with. They could move to within a point of Chelsea with a win, but with Chelsea hosting Middlesbrough at home on Saturday, the gap will more than likely be back to four points by the end of the weekend.
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