Premier League relegation battles don’t come much bigger than Leicester versus Everton, with both teams languishing in the bottom three. The Foxes were crowned champions just seven years ago, while the Toffees have competed in England’s top flight every season since 1954.
Crystal Palace and West Ham will both be looking to bounce back from midweek Premier League defeats at Selhurst Park on Saturday. Each team had previously edged clear of the relegation zone in recent weeks and may now settle for a share of the spoils at this stage.
Tottenham’s disappointing season has taken a turn for the worse, after a heavy defeat at Newcastle and a home draw against Manchester United all but ended their hopes of finishing in the top four. How can their interim manager turn things around?
Liverpool and Tottenham will each bid to keep their slim top-four hopes alive when they meet at Anfield in the Premier League on Sunday. The good news for the Reds is that they won the reverse fixture in London 2-1 earlier this season and last lost to Spurs back in 2017.
Manchester City took a huge step towards a third successive Premier League title – and maybe even the treble – in midweek and look in no mood to let it slip from here. City cut the gap to leaders Arsenal to two points with two games in hand after an emphatic 4-1 victory which had all the hallmarks of a title-winning team.
Newcastle’s bid for Champions League qualification has struck a blow for the Premier League hopefuls battling to break the domination of England’s ‘big six’ sides. Only once since Everton’s fourth-placed finish in 2004-05 has a club other than Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal or Tottenham occupied one of the top-four places at the end of the season.
We’ve crunched the numbers to identify the greatest Premier League penalty takers among modern-day players and their predecessors. Alan Shearer has netted the most spot-kicks, with 56 of his 260 goals in the competition having come from the spot, but is also joint-top for most misses.
It was a bad weekend for Leeds as their defeat at Fulham and results elsewhere left them just one point above the relegation zone ahead of a tense night at Elland Road. Leicester climbed out of the bottom three by beating Wolves but are only above Everton on goal difference so the stakes could hardly be higher.
It may seem unusual for Brighton to be priced up as favourites to beat Manchester United in the FA Cup, but that looks the correct decision. United’s injury problems prompted an awful Europa League display in Sevilla and may again catch up with them at Wembley on Sunday.
Newcastle are fancied to boost their hopes of a Premier League top-four finish at the expense of Tottenham at St James’ Park on Sunday. Both teams suffered setbacks last weekend, but the Magpies have been far more convincing overall in terms of recent performances.
Barcelona have just stuttered a touch in their pursuit of the Spanish title and may settle for a share of the spoils with Atletico Madrid. The visitors are on a six-match winning run in La Liga and pushing city rivals Real for second place, so should provide stiff opposition.
PSV and Ajax will be looking to stay in touch with Eredivisie leaders Feyenoord when they clash at Philips Stadion in Eindhoven on Sunday. Both teams are eight points off the pace, with the table toppers set to entertain FC Utrecht straight after this contest.
Pretty much all the evidence points towards Fulham being a rock-solid selection for Saturday’s early Premier League clash with Leeds. The Cottagers are 13 points better off in the table and have already beaten the Whites in this competition and the FA Cup this season.
Manchester City are expected to stay on course for the Treble by brushing aside Sheffield United in Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final. The Blades have enjoyed a thrilling run to Wembley, including a win over Tottenham, but look ill-equipped for this daunting task.