Football writer Alex Keble analyses where the weekend fixtures could be won and lost, including:
- Is there any hope for Man Utd at Anfield?
- Will Spurs’ high line lead to another defeat?
- Is Chelsea’s place in the top four in doubt?
- Can Man City signal their recovery with successive wins?
- Will Villa’s attack finally click into gear?
- Can Forest get to Clough levels with six in a row?
- Can Brentford seize a golden opportunity to win away?
- Has Arteta found the solution to playing without Saka?
- Will Bournemouth put more pressure on Everton?
- Can Ipswich use their Chelsea win as a springboard?
Is there any hope for Man Utd at Anfield?
There aren’t many Manchester United fans feeling optimistic enough to predict a first victory at Anfield since 2016.
They have gone eight league matches at Liverpool without a win, scoring just a single goal in that time and none in their last five visits.
That’s a worrying omen for a fixture already heavily stacked in Liverpool’s favour.
The league leaders have won their last three Premier League matches while scoring 3+ goals (14 in total) in each, whereas Man Utd have lost their last three in a row.
Not since February 1979 have Man Utd lost four in a row in the same season and not since April 1909 have they lost four in a row without scoring a goal, yet that’s a very real possibility by Sunday evening.
Liverpool won 3-0 in the reverse fixture earlier this season, while Mohamed Salah – in the form of his life – has scored more goals (12) and provided more assists (six) against Man Utd in the Premier League than any other player in the competition's history.
The expectation is that Salah, facing a team that have conceded 13 goals in their last six league matches, will help Arne Slot become just the second Liverpool manager to do the league double over Man Utd in his debut season with the club. The first to do it was George Kay in 1936/37.
The gulf between the two sides has scarcely ever felt bigger.
Will Spurs’ high line lead to another defeat?
The sharp contrast between Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United’s form in December has made this the most important match of Spurs' season.
After just one win in seven Premier League matches, Ange Postecoglou’s side are in the bottom half of the table, while four consecutive victories have lifted the Magpies into fifth place, likely to be the final UEFA Champions League spot.
Lose on Saturday, and Spurs will be an almost insurmountable 11 points adrift of the top five.
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Defeat would also make it five home matches in a row without a league win, something that hasn’t happened in a single Spurs season since a run of 14 in 1993/94.
The tactical match-up suggests there’s a good chance of that happening.
We all know Spurs don’t compromise their attacking style, which often helps opponents plan their counter-strategy. It certainly did in the reverse fixture back in August.
Newcastle exposed Spurs’ high line with fast transitions and frequent through-balls played in behind, leading directly to Alexander Isak's decisive goal in the Magpies' 2-1 win.
This is Newcastle’s natural game: Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes tackle hard in central midfield, Joelinton carries the ball through the lines, and Anthony Gordon and Isak make runs in behind.
In other words, if a confident Newcastle side play in their usual way, they will have the perfect tactical model to expose a weakened Spurs defence – and make Champions League qualification a distant prospect for the hosts.
Is Chelsea’s place in the top four in doubt?
Every year a story develops over the Christmas period that gets lost amid the chaos of the fixture list and the festivities.
For those of you who understandably took your eye off the ball in late December, it might come as a shock to realise Chelsea are no longer in the title race.
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Enzo Maresca’s side have collected just one point from their last three matches, falling eight points further behind Liverpool in the process.
All of a sudden they are looking nervously over their shoulders. Defeat on Saturday could leave them a mere three points above ninth.
And a Crystal Palace win is not out of the question. Oliver Glasner’s side were impressive in a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture in September and have lost just one of their last eight Premier League matches.
They are stubborn opponents who will capitalise on any hesitancy or loss of confidence that has taken hold of Chelsea over Christmas.
Maresca always said his young team were not ready for a title challenge. We are about to find out whether their youthfulness – such a positive in a carefree first half of the season – makes them vulnerable to a major dip in form.
Can Man City signal their recovery with successive wins?
Manchester City's opponents last weekend, Leicester City, were unlucky to lose, so we cannot state with any real confidence that Pep Guardiola’s side are back on the up.
But if the champions beat West Ham United, and presumably then beat Salford City in the FA Cup, three victories on the spin ought to reset the mood and signal the club’s revival.
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Guardiola has reasons to feel confident. Man City have won all eight of their Premier League home encounters against West Ham with him in charge, while the Hammers are winless in the clubs' last 18 Premier League meetings, since they triumphed 2-1 away in September 2015.
Scoring goals hasn’t been the problem for Man City, especially at the Etihad Stadium, while West Ham conceded more goals in 2024 than anyone else (79) and ended 2024 with a 5-0 defeat at home to Liverpool.
Meanwhile Erling Haaland, who ended his four-match goal drought against Leicester, has scored seven in five matches against West Ham, including a hat-trick when the two sides last met in August.
If that wasn’t bad enough for Hammers fans, Jarrod Bowen’s injury puts them in trouble. Since the start of last season, Bowen has been involved in twice as many away goals as any other West Ham player, with 16 to his name (10 goals, six assists).
This is a huge chance for Man City to produce an emphatic performance and look upon the New Year as a clean slate.
Will Villa’s attack finally click into gear?
It’s been a frustrating first half of the season for Aston Villa, but there are signs over the last few weeks their attacking play is on the verge of clicking.
Leon Bailey produced his best performance of the campaign in a 2-2 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion, completing nine dribbles, creating three chances and taking seven shot; he's the first player to produce all of those numbers in a Premier League match since November 2014.
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Along with Morgan Rogers (who will serve a one-match suspension) finding a clinical edge and Ollie Watkins back among the goals, it sets Villa up to start 2025 with a bang.
Leicester have lost each of their last four Premier League matches, and despite a clearly improved performance against Man City, they have struggled considerably on the road, winning just once and collecting five points.
Unai Emery, unbeaten in nine league matches at Villa Park, will expect a free-flowing attacking performance on Saturday to set the tone for the year.
Can Forest get to Clough levels with six in a row?
Nottingham Forest supporters are beginning to dream big. Certainly Champions League qualification is a real possibility, although for that to happen you get the feeling Forest need to keep the hot streak going.
It’s five wins in a row at the moment. Make it six, and they will be on their longest winning streak in the top flight since September 1979 under Brian Clough – whose name is going to come up a lot should Forest continue to lurk near the top of the table.
Their league title and subsequent back-to-back European Cups under Clough were a miracle. Why not believe it can happen again?
Forest have won 37 points in 19 Premier League matches this season, an improvement of 20 points from their total at this stage last year (17).
Two of the last three teams with a 20+ point improvement at the halfway stage then won the league: Chelsea in 2016/17 – and Leicester City’s miracle in 2015/16.
Wolverhampton Wanderers will be no pushovers, however. Vitor Pereira has won seven points from his first three Premier League matches in charge.
Points won since Pereira was appointed
| 2024/25 | Matches | Points |
| Liverpool | 3 | 9 |
|---|---|---|
| Newcastle | 3 | 9 |
| Arsenal | 3 | 9 |
| Nottingham Forest | 3 | 9 |
| Wolves | 3 | 7 |
| Bournemouth | 3 | 5 |
| Fulham | 3 | 5 |
| Man City | 3 | 4 |
| Aston Villa | 3 | 4 |
| Crystal Palace | 3 | 4 |
But Forest have defied the odds again and again this season. There’s no reason to start doubting them now.
Can Brentford seize a golden opportunity to win away?
If only Brentford could improve their away form, they would be in with a shot at UEFA Champions League football. An inability to win on the road has instead undermined their phenomenal season at the Gtech Community Stadium, where they have claimed a joint-best seven home wins in the Premier League (level with Liverpool).
Brentford have lost 17 of their last 23 away Premier League matches (W3 D3) and are winless in all nine away matches this season (D2 L7), with no side picking up fewer points away from home. They won’t get a better chance of winning than this.
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Southampton have lost their last four home Premier League matches, shipping 14 goals in that time, while Ivan Juric has lost his opening two matches as Saints boss.
Brentford will expect to win this match, then, and it might just be crucial that they do.
Failing to record their first away win of the season at the Premier League’s bottom club could seriously damage confidence and leave the players wondering if it will ever come.
Has Arteta found the solution to playing without Saka?
Arsenal’s 3-1 victory at Brentford was a big moment for teenager Ethan Nwaneri, who made his full Premier League debut for the Gunners, deputising on the right wing for Bukayo Saka.
It was a big responsibility but Nwaneri rose to the challenge, playing a hand in all three Arsenal goals.
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Nwaneri produced more progressive carries (four) and crosses (seven) than any other player on the pitch, and his presence on the right also allowed Gabriel Martinelli to move back to his best position on the other side.
Along with another goal for Gabriel Jesus, Mikel Arteta has found a brand new front three capable of pulling Arsenal back into the title race.
Brighton are winless in seven matches and have conceded 12 goals in that time. If Nwaneri starts again, the Gunners will have the tools to move within three points of Liverpool on Saturday evening.
Will Bournemouth put more pressure on Everton?
AFC Bournemouth’s seven-match unbeaten run in the Premier League is the joint-longest in their history. Andoni Iraola will back his players to set a new record on Saturday.
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Everton are their polar opposite.
Sean Dyche’s side have won just one of their last 10. They’ve also failed to score in 10 different league matches this season, have had fewer big chances than anyone else (27), and have scored the second-fewest goals.
It’s this lack of attacking threat that has Everton hovering only two points above the relegation zone, with only three wins to their name against Ipswich Town, Palace and Wolves.
Bournemouth should be on that list, of course. Everton were 2-0 up with 86 minutes played in the reverse fixture, only to somehow throw it away and lose 3-2.
This one probably won’t be as dramatic. But it could have the same end result.
Can Ipswich use their Chelsea win as a springboard?
Ipswich’s historic 2-0 victory against Chelsea at Portman Road was a huge moment in their season. It’s vital Kieran McKenna’s side use that feeling - that connection with supporters - as a springboard for a more fruitful second half of the campaign.
They have won two of their last four, more than they managed in the first 15 Premier League matches this season, and truly look like they belong at this level.
And fortunately for Ipswich, they face Fulham at a good time. Marco Silva’s side have drawn each of their last three Premier League matches at Craven Cottage, including a disappointing stalemate with Southampton.
The Tractor Boys should feel confident of getting at least a point.
