Wolves gave another glimpse of their improvement under Julen Lopetegui last time out when victory over Southampton made it two Premier League wins on the spin for the first time this season. They played more than an hour with 10 men at St Mary’s but finished strongly to come from behind for a 2-1 success.
Two teams in desperate need of a victory meet in the capital this weekend when Chelsea host Southampton. The Blues head into the clash in 10th place, 10 points off the Champions League places, while the managerless Saints are rooted to the foot of the table.
Manchester City have finally made it back to the summit of the Premier League and they will fancy their chances of staying there. Pep Guardiola’s defending champions swapped places with Arsenal thanks to a 3-1 victory at the Emirates on Wednesday night and next up it’s a team they thrashed 6-0 earlier in the campaign.
Leeds ruffled Manchester United with their energy, enthusiasm and physical approach at Old Trafford and could do the same on home turf. The Red Devils recovered in time to secure a share of the spoils in midweek, but clearly missed some key players who will again be absent here.
Manchester City have had a tough week on and off the pitch and we fear Aston Villa could feel the backlash at Etihad Stadium. Pep Guardiola thrives on the ‘us against the world’ siege mentality and will urge the Blues to make a statement in this televised contest.
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.
The knockout stages are about to get under way and we’ve got a great Champions League round of 16 preview, with eight group winners pitted against eight runners-up. We have analysed every team left in Europe’s elite club competition to predict how each tie might unfold.