(Football news) Premier League leaders Chelsea will visit West Ham with the intention of extending their lead to four points at the London Stadium. The Blues defeated Watford 2-1 on Wednesday while fourth placed West Ham had to settle for a 1-1 draw against Brighton. The Hammers have been a force to be reckoned with this season, winning seven, drawing three and losing four of their last 14 matches in the Premier League and will look to be in the mix for a Champions League spot next season.
David Moyes will be without the services of Angelo Ogbonna due to a long term knee injury but Aaron Cresswell is expected to be in contention for a spot in the starting XI which means Vladimir Coufal could be on the bench. Considering the stakes of the match, Moyes is expected to not shuffle his side too much and Michail Antonio is expected to be supported by Pablo Fornals, Said Benrahma and Jarrod Bowen. The London based side also have options to choose from with the likes of Nikola Vlasic, Arthur Masuaku and Manuel Lanzini available should Moyes look to make some changes from the bench.
For Chelsea, Mateo Kovacic and Ben Chilwell will be unavailable for selection while Trevor Chalobah is also doubtful after suffering a hamstring injury against Watford. Tuchel is expected to make a number of changes with the likes of Thiago Silva, Romelu Lukaku and Jorginho expected to start the match. Reece James and N’Golo Kante are also doubts for the match which means Cesar Azpilicueta could start at right back while Ruben Loftus-Cheek is expected to feature in central midfield.
Wolverhampton Wanderers will be welcoming Liverpool to the Molineux Stadium on Saturday, desperately hoping to stop the Reds’ lethal attacking prowess that scored four past Everton in the Merseyside derby midweek. Wolves manager Bruno Lage will welcome the return of Reuben Neves from suspension but Daniel Podence remains doubtful for the fixture. The hosts have a long injury list with the likes of Willy Boly, Jonny, Hugo Bueno, Yerson Mosquera and Pedro Neto unavailable for the match while Fernando Marcal is currently recovering from COVID-19. With the return of Neves, Leander Dendoncker is expected to be benched alongside Francisco Trincao as Lage might go for Adama Traore’s pace to cause Andrew Robertson difficulties.
For Liverpool, Naby Keita and Joe Gomez will not be available in time as Saturday’s fixture comes too early and are set to return next week. Roberto Firmino, Harvey Elliott and Curtis Jones remain sidelined and Klopp is expected to feature his full strength team considering that the next match is an inconsequential Champions League fixture against AC Milan. Either one of James Milner or Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are expected to replace Thiago Alcantara who has enjoyed a run of fixtures recently but might be rested to prevent injuries.
Reigning champions Manchester City will look to secure three points against Watford at Vicarage Road to keep pace with league leaders Chelsea. Claudio Ranieri’s team have all to play for as the hosts are currently 17th, just three points above the relegation zone despite having played a game more than 18th place Burnley and desperately need points to ensure survival in the Premier League. However, it doesn’t look good for the home team who have already shipped 14 goals in the season so far with only Newcastle United conceding more and are now set to face in-form Manchester City.
Danny Rose is expected to start for Watford in the place of Adam Masina but Ismaila Sarr, Kwadwo Baah, Ben Foster, Nicolas N'Koulou and Peter Etebo are expected to be out for the remainder of the year. For Manchester City, Phil Foden and Jack Grealish are expected to be in the starting lineup but Ilkay Gundogan, John Stones and Kyle Walker remain doubts. Ferran Torres is a long-term absentee for Pep Guardiola’s team while Kevin De Bruyne has recovered from COVID-19 but needs to regain match fitness. Aymeric Laporte is expected to start after returning from suspension and bolster City’s backline.
All eyes will be on Old Trafford on Sunday as Manchester United welcome Crystal Palace in Ralf Rangnick’s first game as interim manager. The Red Devils are coming off the back of a 3-2 win against Arsenal while Crystal Palace lost their second match in a row against Leeds United. For Rangnick, Paul Pogba, Luke Shaw, Edinson Cavani and Raphael Varane will be unavailable for selection while Aaron Wan Bissaka and Nemanja Matic remain doubtful as they missed the Arsenal match due to injuries. There will be pressure on the German to produce instant results as Manchester United are currently 7th in the Premier League and failure to qualify for the Champions League next season will be disastrous to say the least.
