Scotland will be going all out to secure a fifth straight Group F win and clinch a place in the World Cup play-offs by beating Moldova in Chisinau. Steve Clarke is no doubt keen to avoid having to get anything out of their final fixture versus runaway pool leaders Denmark.
Northern Ireland’s World Cup hopes were dashed some time ago but they have been far from disgraced in Group C and can see off Lithuania. Ian Baraclough’s side romped to a 4-1 win when these teams met in Vilnius a couple of months ago and can confirm that superiority.
Ireland can’t qualify for the World Cup and are expected to struggle against Portugal, who are chasing top spot in Group A. However, the visitors may have one eye on Sunday’s crucial clash with Serbia, which will ultimately decide who qualifies automatically.
Uruguay are always tough to beat in Montevideo World Cup qualifiers but Argentina have been in red-hot form this year and are hard to resist. La Albiceleste have followed up their Copa America triumph by claiming 13 points out of the last 15 in the South American section.
Brazil are runaway leaders in the South American World Cup qualifying group but usually find fourth-placed Colombia tricky opponents. Last month’s goalless stalemate in Barranquilla was a third draw between these sides in four head-to-head meetings.
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West Ham are doing well in the Premier League this season but have a tougher schedule coming up, starting with Liverpool on Sunday. The Reds have won four straight head-to-head meetings and eight of the last nine renewals of this fixture – a record which is hard to ignore.
Arsenal’s revival continued with an impressive victory at Leicester last weekend and the visit of Watford gives them a good opportunity to maintain their climb up the table. Mikel Arteta’s men lost their first three matches of the season but are now up to sixth after a seven-match unbeaten run featuring five wins.
Crystal Palace and Wolves are both on five-match unbeaten runs in the Premier League and a tight tussle is expected at Selhurst Park. Wanderers have picked up an impressive 13 points out of 15, compared to just seven for their hosts, but the Eagles have had a tougher schedule.
Burnley finally recorded their first win of the season last weekend but face a tough task to maintain the momentum on Saturday. The Clarets remain in the relegation zone despite beating Brentford and now head to Stamford Bridge to face leaders Chelsea.
Brighton are unbeaten against bottom-half teams this season and can improve that record when they host struggling Newcastle on Saturday. Albion now look a class above the weaker teams in the Premier League but are still not the most ruthless in front of goal.
Norwich are rooted to the foot of the Premier League table but travel to Brentford on the back of some encouraging recent efforts. City took four points off the Bees in the Championship last season and their opponents are coming off a disappointing defeat at Burnley.
Man Utd looked to have found their ideal formation when winning at Tottenham and can follow up by beating Atalanta. Switching to a 3-4-1-2 set-up prompted an instant and significant improvement from the Red Devils, easing the pressure on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Chelsea can close in on a place in the Champions League knockout rounds by brushing aside Group H whipping boys Malmo again. The Blues cruised to a 4-0 victory when these teams met at Stamford Bridge, leaving Malmo without a point from three matches and zero goals.