Aston Villa were rejuvenated by the arrival of Unai Emery before the World Cup break and are fancied to give Liverpool a tough test. The Midlands outfit memorably thrashed the Reds 7-2 at this venue two seasons ago and have been competitive in three narrow defeats since.
Luton have been draw specialists at Kenilworth Road this season and another stalemate could be on the cards when they entertain Norwich. The Hatters have shared the spoils in a Championship-high seven home matches, including the last three fixtures played at this venue.
QPR returned to form last time out and have a great record against Cardiff, so they look a value bet. Rangers beat the Bluebirds 3-0 on home turf in October to make it five wins from six head-to-head meetings, including two straight victories when visiting Wales.
Southampton need to hit the ground running after the international break but past history points to a close encounter with Brighton. Since the Seagulls secured promotion to the Premier League, four of the five stagings of this fixture at St Mary’s have ended in stalemate.
Two teams desperate for a win for Christmas meet at Goodison Park when Everton host Wolves. The Toffees are hovering just above the relegation zone after just three wins this season but that is one more than their opponents who are rooted to the foot of the table.
Crystal Palace and Fulham will both be looking to bounce back from defeats when they finally resume their campaign. Palace suffered a dismal loss at Nottingham Forest while Fulham were beaten 2-1 by Manchester United deep into added time.
Sunderland versus Blackburn should be a close contest on paper, with the Black Cats eight points adrift in the Championship but buoyed by home advantage. However, it is hard to go for a draw, as Rovers have gone 23 league games without sharing the spoils this season.
United return to action following the World Cup break with a League Cup tie against Championship outfit Burnley and it could be a tricky one for Erik ten Hag’s men. Not many managers at the top end of the pyramid go full pelt when it comes to team selection in this competition.
Wigan and Sheffield United are currently on course to exit the Championship via opposite ends ahead of their meeting on Monday evening. The Latics are languishing in the relegation zone but United are on course for a return to the Premier League in second place.
Argentina and France will meet in a mouth-watering World Cup final on Sunday, highlighted by the Lionel Messi versus Kylian Mbappe sub-plot. Of course, both are backed up by excellent supporting casts and this clash is expected to come down to just a few key moments.
Croatia and Morocco must both try to pick themselves up from semi-final losses when meeting in the World Cup third-place play-off. If body language is anything to go by, we reckon the Atlas Lions will be more up for this Qatar 2022 consolation prize.
We’ve reached the closing stages with our World Cup 2022 predictions and are expecting some classic matches on the final weekend of this tournament. There were plenty of shock results during the group games in Qatar but the cream has risen to the top for the final.
Fourth-placed Norwich can jump above faltering Blackburn in third if they secure back-to-back wins since returning from the World Cup break. Rovers will travel to Norfolk reeling from a 4-1 defeat to Preston in the Lancashire derby at Ewood Park and without a win at Carrow Road since 1999.
Birmingham can leapfrog Reading with a victory in Friday night’s televised Championship match and are fancied to seize the opportunity. Blues are three points behind their visitors with a better goal difference and will be looking to climb into the top half of the table during the second half of the season.