Football: Premier League previews for this weekend (Week – 23)

West Ham v Chelsea

Saturday, 12.30pm, BT Sport

Wesley Fofana’s return to full training this week adds another piece to the difficult selection jigsaw confronting Graham Potter after Reece James and Ben Chilwell were able to play in the goalless draw with Fulham. With a point at Newcastle, the Hammers continued their recent run of form, but other outcomes didn’t do manager David Moyes much good. They are only one point above the bottom-half of the table, which does little to convince Declan Rice that the London Stadium is where he wants to spend the rest of his career.

64 – Team changes Potter has made in 15 league games as Chelsea boss

Arsenal v Brentford

Saturday, 3pm

The leaders of Mikel Arteta’s team have already passed several tests this year, but they now need to bounce back from last weekend’s shocking loss at Everton. Although Manchester City’s defeat at Tottenham mitigated the damage, other places have taken notice of how Sean Dyche’s team neutralized the Arsenal. Bees manager Thomas Frank stated, “We believe we can go there and win.” The Bees are now eighth in the league. Against the best squad in the league, we must put in a lot of effort. We could lose 4-0 if we’re not on our game.

9 – Premier league games unbeaten for Brentford going back to October 23

Crystal Palace v Brighton

Saturday, 3pm

Palace has struggled lately, going five games without a victory and missing star defender Joachim Andersen and pivotal defender Wilfried Zaha in last weekend’s loss at Manchester United. Even though it needed a late goal from Kaoru Mitoma to defeat struggling Bournemouth and go up to sixth place in the Premier League, their fierce rivals Brighton enter at Selhurst Park riding a wave. For Roberto de Zerbi’s team, a Europa League spot appears to be a distinct possibility.

40 – Wins for Brighton and 38 for Palace in their 107 meetings

Fulham v Nottingham Forest

Saturday, 3pm

Even though Marco Silva must behave himself after serving a touchline suspension for Fulham’s midweek FA Cup match after receiving his fourth yellow card of the year, this seems like a shootout for the manager-of-the-year award. With former Real Madrid goalkeeper Keylor Navas in net and his heroics on his debut in last week’s 1-0 victory against Leeds helping to lift them six points out of the relegation zone, it makes sense why Forest manager Steve Cooper is a much more composed presence on the sidelines.

11 – League points for Forest in 2023, only Manchester United have more

Leicester v Tottenham

Saturday, 3pm

Due to a gallbladder procedure, Antonio Conte was unable to see Harry Kane’s goal earn Tottenham a 1-0 victory over Manchester City, but it was still a vintage Conte performance. The fact that some Spurs supporters thought their team did not play that well in defeating Leicester 6-2 is a testament to how terrible they were in September. Brendan Rodgers has benefited from three new arrivals at the perfect time, with new left-back Victor Kristiansen standing out in last weekend’s 4-2 victory against Villa.

2 – Injury-time goals saw Spurs hit back to win this fixture 3-2 last season

Southampton v Wolves

Saturday, 3pm

It’s difficult to recall another manager who lost the support of the team’s supporters as soon as Nathan Jones did at Saints. Since replacing Ralph Hasenhuttl, there hasn’t been much improvement on the field, but more so because of his lack of self-awareness in his abrasive news conferences. Now that he can’t hide anymore, he probably will use the “aggressive front-footed side” tactics he claimed he had so far refrained from using against a Wolves team coming off a stunning 3-0 victory over Liverpool the previous weekend.

20 – Premier league goals for Craig Dawson, who netted v Liverpool

Bournemouth v Newcastle

Saturday, 5.30pm, Sky Sports

Another manager facing pressure is Gary O’Neil, who has yet to record a win since taking over as permanent Bournemouth manager during the World Cup break. I’m not interested in talking about my future, he responded. Eddie Howe, the former manager of the Cherries, is back in charge of Newcastle, who have drawn four of their previous five games and are struggling to finish in the top four. Bruno Guimaraes, a suspended midfielder, is still absent for the Magpies.

7 – Defeats and a draw for Bournemouth in all competitions since the break

Leeds v Man United

Sunday, 2pm, Sky Sports

Wilfried Gnonto’s 55-second goal at Old Trafford on Wednesday provided Leeds’ owners with the immediate boost they were expecting for following the firing of Jesse Marsch. Even though Erik ten Hag’s team rallied for a 2-2 draw, with ex-wonderkid Jadon Sancho scoring the equalizer, Leeds’ performance has raised the stakes for Sunday’s urgent follow-up game at Elland Road, where Michael Skubala is once again expected to serve as interim manager.

8 – League games without a win for Leeds after being pegged back in midweek

Man City v Aston Villa

Sunday, 4.30pm, Sky Sports

This has been a terrible week for City, who lost to Tottenham and now face the prospect of unheard-of punishment after the Premier League filed over 100 complaints alleging financial fair play violations. They need to serve Erling Haaland better on the field when playing Villa, whose recent success abruptly ended at home against Leicester. Villa held onto their prior leads after Unai Emery’s hiring, but the fact that they lost 4-2, despite having twice led (before falling 4-2), came as a surprise.

5 – Of his last seven appearances for City Haaland has failed to score

Liverpool v Everton

Monday, 8pm, Sky Sports

Sean Dyche has acknowledged that he was a Liverpool fan as a boy growing up in Kettering, but he got off to a terrific start with Evertonians by guiding them to a 1-0 victory over Arsenal in his first game in charge. Given Liverpool’s recent struggles, Dyche’s No. 2 Ian Woan, who was an Everton fan growing up, may think the new administration has a good chance of pulling off a second upset. Even though Jurgen Klopp’s team is near the bottom of the 2023 form table for the Premier League, they have only lost once at Anfield this year.

5 – Goals conceded by Liverpool in the first five minutes of games this term