West Ham have put together a decent little run of results and are fancied to hold big-spending Chelsea to a draw on home turf. The Blues have brought in some exciting young players but it may just take them a bit more time before adapting to the Premier League.
Newcastle’s top-four hopes have been hampered by too many draws of late and they will be determined to pick up maximum points at Bournemouth. The Cherries have lost five of their six league games since the World Cup break and were beaten by the Magpies in the EFL Cup.
Real Madrid are confidently expected to give Europe a 10th straight success in the FIFA Club World Cup by brushing aside Al Hilal. The Saudi Arabian underdogs upset Flamengo in the semi-finals and do not lack attacking options, but the Whites should prove a class apart.
Southampton fans turned on manager Nathan Jones after last weekend’s defeat at Brentford and their mood is unlikely to improve on Saturday in this relegation battle. Saints remain rooted to the foot of the table, but Wolves moved out of the drop zone with an impressive 3-0 victory over Liverpool.
Leicester and Tottenham are both on a high after impressive victories at the weekend, when the return of James Maddison to City’s starting line-up sparked a 4-2 comeback win at previously in-form Aston Villa. Harry Kane scored a record-breaking goal as Spurs beat Man City 1-0.
Fulham and Nottingham Forest were both promoted from the Championship last season and are well on course for survival ahead of their meeting at Craven Cottage. Fulham are dreaming of a top-six finish and are eight points better off than Forest, who have climbed to 13th.
Brighton are 10 points clear of rivals Crystal Palace and head to Selhurst Park as favourites to stretch that lead given their impressive form. Palace are no pushovers though, especially on home soil where they have drawn with Manchester United and Newcastle in their last two outings.
Brentford have already won at Manchester City this season and are now looking to do the same at their title rivals Arsenal on Saturday. The Gunners’ hopes of ending their title drought were boosted when the Bees beat City just before the World Cup break but that was one of just two away wins for Thomas Frank’s men this season.
Real Madrid are hot favourites to give Europe a 10th straight success in the FIFA Club World Cup and can start out by beating Al Ahly. The Whites were responsible for four of those past triumphs and have always relished playing on such a big stage with silverware up for grabs.
Brazilian giants Flamengo are expected to prove too strong for Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia in the FIFA Club World Cup semi-finals in Morocco. These same teams met at this stage in 2019, when the South American outfit came from behind to prevail 3-1 in Qatar.
Man City have lost on their last four visits to Tottenham but are tipped to buck that trend in Sunday’s Premier League clash. The Blues recently produced a second-half blitz when beating Spurs 4-2 at Etihad Stadium and the London outfit may still be scarred by that experience.
Nottingham Forest have shown real improvement throughout their first Premier League campaign in over 20 years and can edge out Leeds. The Reds are unbeaten in their last six top-flight fixtures at the City Ground, including wins over Liverpool, Crystal Palace and Leicester.
Inter recently beat AC Milan 3-0 in the Italian Super Cup in Saudi Arabia and are backed to prevail again in Serie A on Sunday. The Rossoneri won 3-2 in their first league clash of the season back in September but have suffered an alarming dip in form of late.
With Ajax being below par this term, the door is open for Feyenoord and PSV to challenge for top honours in the Eredivisie table. PSV prevailed 4-3 when these teams met in Eindhoven earlier this season, but their away record makes them hard to fancy in Rotterdam.