We all love midweek Premier League action, and the games over the next 48 hours will be pivotal in deciding which direction the title race, top four battle and relegation scrap move in.
Buckle up, folks.
[ STREAM: Every PL match live ]
Below we take a look at the top storylines ahead of the games on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Wounded Leicester a familiar threat for Liverpool (Wednesday, 3 p.m. ET: Liverpool v. Leicester City ET - NBC Sports Gold [STREAM])
Beware of the wounded animal. Especially a fox with a pedigree of upsetting the odds. Leicester City have lost four games on the spin and Claude Puel is under pressure. But Leicester stunned Chelsea and Man City last month and defying the odds defines the vast majority of players in their squad. Heading to Premier League leaders Liverpool, this is a free hit for Leicester. They will sit back, soak up pressure and use the pace of Jamie Vardy and James Maddison on the counter which suits them best. Liverpool’s defensive injuries have stretched them to the limits in recent weeks, and their 4-3 win against Crystal Palace (another counter-attacking team) proved they can be undone a la last season. Leicester play better when they’re on the counter and playing against the top six. Jurgen Klopp will be wary of their threat, but he is unlikely to name a cautious midfield lineup like he did at Man City in their defeat at the start of this month.
Top four battle reaching climax
The race for a top four finish is heating up and it is magnificent. Arsenal and Manchester United sit three points behind fourth-place Chelsea and the latter look like they’re running through treacle right now. Gonzalo Higuain’s arrival should boost their potency in front of goal (he is in line to make his PL debut at Bournemouth) but United and Arsenal have momentum in the race for UEFA Champions League qualification. On paper, United and Arsenal should seal easy home wins against Burnley and Cardiff respectively. As for Chelsea, their trip to Bournemouth looks dangerous as the Cherries have matched up very well with them this season. Get ready for plenty of highs and lows for all three teams in the top four battle in the coming months, while Tottenham look like being dragged back in to the battle too given their bad luck with injuries and poor form.
- Tuesday, 2:45 p.m. ET: Arsenal v. Cardiff City – NBC Sports Gold [STREAM]
- Tuesday, 3 p.m. ET: Man United v. Burnley – NBCSN [STREAM]
- Wednesday, 2:45 p.m. ET: Bournemouth v. Chelsea – NBCSN [STREAM]
Son to cure Tottenham’s blues? (Wednesday, 3 p.m. ET: Tottenham v. Watford – NBC Sports Gold [STREAM])
The past few weeks have been pretty terrible for Tottenham Hotspur. After being knocked out of the FA Cup and League Cup, seeing Harry Kane and Dele Alli injured, losing to Man United and seeing everyone around them win, Mauricio Pochettino needs a boost. Enter: Heung-min Son. South Korea’s shock defeat to Qatar in the quarterfinals of the Asian Cup mean that Son is back a few weeks earlier than expected, and he will almost certainly line up as a center forward against Watford to add much-needed dynamism to Tottenham’s attack. Fernando Llorente has failed to impress in place of Kane, while the likes of Lucas Moura and Erik Lamela just haven’t added the quality needed in the final third with Spurs’ stars out. Watford beat Tottenham 2-1 earlier this season and Javi Gracia’s side will fancy their chances of solidifying seventh place with a win. This game could really determine how Spurs’ season goes from here on out.
