This weekend will see the full return of the Premier League, with all 20 teams in action across the weekend. The two biggest fixtures of the weekend will see Manchester United take on Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool travel to their local rivals Everton.
Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester United
Jose Mourinho will welcome his former club to the New Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Friday night as Manchester United visit north London in both sides first games back. Tottenham may still have hopes of a Champions League finish, but their chances of achieving that will be minimal if they fall to defeat against United.
Spurs find themselves seven points away from Chelsea ahead of the restart, and they will need to win every game remaining to have any chance of finishing in the top four. They will be hoping to restart the season in better form than before the break, as they haven’t won in three. During this run of form, Spurs have lost twice, with those defeats coming against Chelsea and Wolverhampton Wanderers. Mourinho’s side will be boosted by the return of Harry Kane for the resumption of the league, but their challenge could be too big to finish in the top four.
Manchester United have a more realistic chance of finishing in the top four this season, as they are just three points behind Chelsea. A victory on Friday night would move them into fourth before Chelsea get their season back underway against Aston Villa on Sunday. The suspension of the league came at the wrong time for United as they had been in excellent form having been unbeaten in five, and winning three of their previous four. The Red Devils will be boosted by the returns of Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford ahead of the restart.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has enjoyed an excellent record over Spurs since taking over at United as he has won both fixtures. United won the game earlier in the season 2-1, and if the Red Devils are able to perform at the highest level, then they should get the three points from this fixture.
Everton vs Liverpool
All eyes on Sunday evening will be on Goodison Park as Liverpool travel across the city to take on Everton. Sunday could be the evening that Liverpool fans have been waiting 30 years for, as they could potentially become league champions should Arsenal beat Manchester City on Wednesday night. However, Everton will be determined to ensure that their rivals do not win the title in their back yard.
Liverpool have been in incredible form throughout the season as they have 82 points from a possible 87. Their only defeat of the season came in their last game on the road against Watford, and Jurgen Klopp will be keen to ensure that his side finishes the season strongly. Liverpool could be targeting the points record set by Manchester City in 2017-18, as they could potentially end this season with 109 points.
Carlo Ancelotti will have a mini-season after the restart to assess his squad ahead of what is sure to be a major summer of summer business at Goodison Park. The Toffees are safe from relegation and are too far away from the European places to seriously challenge. However, Ancelotti will be keen for the club to finish in the top half of the table. Everton were in terrible form before the break as they had lost two in three. This looks to be a daunting challenge for an Everton side that lacks a direction.
The head to head record would indicate that this should be a comfortable afternoon for Klopp’s side, as Everton haven’t beaten their local rivals in the league since 2010. Liverpool won the match earlier in the season 5-2, and this fixture could play out the same way.
