The final international break of the year is upon us but before that, there’s another round of Premier League fixtures. The Premier League table is beginning to take shape ahead of the busy months. Chelsea are setting the early pace, opening up a three point lead over Liverpool, while the likes of Newcastle United and Norwich City have serious work to do. Here are the things to look out for this weekend:
Premier League matchweek 11
The Manchester derby – can United restore some pride?
Manchester United are in the midst of an unforgiving fixture list. Up next for them is the small matter of a Manchester derby. Ole Gunnar Solksjaer did buy some respite with a convincing win over Spurs, but a midweek slip-up didn’t do him any favours. Man City themselves are in need of three points, after their home loss to Crystal Palace last week. They are already five points behind league leaders Chelsea, and cannot afford to drop more points. City were comfortable midweek, but familiar defensive issues resurfaced for United. All this raises the stakes and sets up a mouth-watering Manchester derby.
Chelsea’s chance to build a solid platform
There’s a lot of optimism surrounding Chelsea at the moment. They are top of the league and still competing in four other competitions. Last week was an excellent one for them, as they posted a routine victory and their immediate contenders dropped points. Still, there’s no room for complacency in the Premier League, and they’ll look to cement their position at home to Burnley. With City involved in the Manchester derby and Liverpool visiting high-flying West Ham, there’s a possibility Chelsea could end the week six points clear at the top. For that though, they must win their match against a team who have won only once this season, and have lost four in a row to Chelsea.
New era kicks off at Goodison Park
After another timid performance against Man United, Nuno Espirito Santo was sacked as Spurs manager. His replacement couldn’t have been more high profile than the Italian, Antonio Conte. Conte has a lot of work on his hands to get Spurs back on track. They are the division’s joint second-lowest scorers and sit ninth, having already lost five games. Conte’s opposite number this weekend is in desperate need of a result himself. Everton have lost three in a row and are winless in four. But Rafa Benítez can take heart from the fact that he defeated Antonio Conte in what was the Italian’s last Premier League game till date. Benítez’s Newcastle thumped Conte’s Chelsea 3-0 to secure a top-half finish. But with different teams, and both in need of a result, how will they fare this time?
There are other exciting games to look forward to. Can Arsenal continue their recent revival against Watford? Can Newcastle and Norwich get off the mark in tricky away assignments? Will Leeds finally find themselves against Leicester City? The action kicks off tonight with Southampton hosting Aston Villa.