The Premier League returns this weekend after taking a brief pause for the FA Cup last weekend. Liverpool are looking certainties for the title, but the fight for a place in the top four will take centre stage this weekend. Manchester City travel to Tottenham Hotspur, while Chelsea will come up against Leicester City.
Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester City
The biggest game of the weekend will take place at the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, as Spurs welcome the reigning Premier League champions. Tottenham still have hopes of achieving a top-four finish this season, but they will be aware that they need to put together a run of results in order to achieve that.
Jose Mourinho has lost Christian Eriksen this week as his move to Inter Milan was finalised, but he will be boosted by the permanent signing of Giovani Lo Celso. The Argentinean has been in brilliant form over recent weeks and looks to be the man entrusted with replacing Eriksen. Spurs will again be without Harry Kane, which means Heung Min-Son will continue playing through the middle.
The South Korean hasn’t been as prolific this season as he has only scored six goals all season. Should Spurs be unable to buy a new striker before the end of the transfer window, then he will have to improve that record considerably. City have no trouble scoring goals, and their talisman Sergio Aguero has been in excellent form all season.
Aguero has scored 16 goals in 18 appearances so far this season, while Gabriel Jesus is also contributing on a consistent basis. Pep Guardiola will task his side with achieving a second-place finish this season, as the title now appears to be out of their reach. They won their last game in the league as they beat Sheffield United 1-0. Punters will be supporting City to make it two wins on the bounce against Tottenham.
Leicester City vs Chelsea
Leicester City’s form has suffered over recent weeks, which has meant that a top-four finish is now their only objective this season. That would still be considered a huge success in Brendan Rodgers first full season in charge at the King Power Stadium, and they can increase their chances of achieving that with a win over Chelsea at the weekend.
The Foxes have an eight-point lead over Chelsea at present, but they have been struggling for form in the Premier League. They have lost two of their last three in the league, with their only win in that run coming in their last game against West Ham United. Leicester were brilliant in that fixture and dominated from start to finish. Their goals were scored by Harvey Barnes and Ricardo Pereira, while Ayoze Perez got a brace. Jamie Vardy limped off in that game and remains a doubt for this fixture against Chelsea.
Meanwhile, the Blues have also struggled for form over recent weeks as they have won just twice in five league games. They haven’t won their last two, with their last outing in the league ending in a 2-2 draw against Arsenal. The Gunners were down to ten for the majority of that game, but the Blues were unable to take advantage of the extra man. They conceded the equaliser in the final seconds as Kepa Arizabolaga was unable to get a strong enough hand on Hector Bellerin’s effort.
This should be an entertaining match for the neutrals, just like their meeting earlier in the season which ended in a 1-1 draw. Punters will be expecting Leicester to take advantage of playing at home, but Chelsea’s fine away record may mean that they will have to settle for a point.
