Burnley will stay in the Premier League if beating Newcastle but we reckon a draw at Turf Moor could leave the Clarets sweating on events elsewhere. They would then have to hope that Leeds fail to win at Brentford, as a thrilling relegation battle goes right down to the wire.
Tottenham are now in pole position for the final Champions League place heading into the last game of the season against Norwich. Antonio Conte’s side leapfrogged north London rivals Arsenal with a 1-0 home win over Burnley before the Gunners went down 2-0 at Newcastle.
West Ham will be trying to pip Man Utd to sixth place in the Premier League table when visiting Brighton in the final round of fixtures. Moving up would mean an upgrade from the Europa Conference League to the Europa League, with the Hammers currently two points behind.
Burnley can climb back out of the Premier League relegation zone if picking up a point at Aston Villa but we fear that will be a difficult task. They have drawn at Villa Park for the past two seasons, but the bad news is they were beaten 3-1 at home by Villa earlier this month.
Everton missed a good chance to end their relegation fears when losing to Brentford and now face a tricky test against Crystal Palace. The Eagles are unbeaten in four matches, playing well and still hoping to finish the season in the top half of the Premier League table.
Liverpool can close to within just one point of Premier League leaders Manchester City if beating Southampton at St Mary’s Stadium. The Reds are still chasing a historic quadruple and victory here would set up a tense final day of the domestic season next weekend.
Toronto FC made headlines with the news that Italy star Lorenzo Insigne will be joining the club when his current contract at Napoli expires. A European champion at the peak of his abilities, Insigne’s move is challenging the perception that MLS teams cannot attract the world’s top talent.
With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, we have taken our annual look at which pairs of footballers form the best goalscoring partnerships on the pitch. We have measured this across a range of competitions by calculating the combined goalscoring rate of every pairing per 90 minutes spent together on the pitch since the start of last season.
Chelsea have been far from convincing over the festive period and may have to settle for a workmanlike win against Brighton at Stamford Bridge. Albion are enjoying a solid season and tend to be involved in tight tussles, with their 17 games this term producing just 33 goals.
Barcelona have gone from footballing superpower to international laughing stock in an alarmingly short space of time, but the seeds of their demise were sown by many years of poor management. The salary restriction imposed on them by La Liga has forced them to cut costs drastically, but they were a response to the enormous debts racked up by the club, which left them vulnerable when Covid-19 hit European football hard.
With Ole Gunnar Solskjaer finally put out of his misery, we’re taking a look at the Man Utd next manager odds to see who might succeed him. First-team coach Michael Carrick has stepped in on a temporary basis but bwin are betting on the permanent replacement.
The 2021 Africa Cup of Nations kicks off on January 9 in Cameroon, with the final almost a month later on February 6. With African players fulfilling key roles at many top European clubs, whose domestic seasons will continue during the tournament, some absences will be keenly felt.
Antonio Conte takes charge of Tottenham for the first time at home in the Premier League when Leeds visit on Sunday. The Italian saw his side claim a goalless draw at Everton last weekend, the same day as Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds team secured an encouraging point at home to Leicester.
There have already been five managerial changes in the Premier League this season but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer survived the international break and now takes his Manchester United team to struggling Watford. United have only won one of their last six games but are still firm favourites to get the better of Watford.