Manchester United have betten Arsenal only once in the past five league games but will be aiming to get something from their visit to the Emirates tomorrow evening. Both United and Arsenal have won four of their last five league games and currently sit 2nd and 4th in the table, respectively. Arsenal are yet to drop a point at home this season but may face a stubborn defence if United chose to play that way. United have only won one in their last four away games but a win would secure their grip on second place.
Chelsea have won their last four at home versus Newcastle. Newcastle have performed well against the Blues in recent years but not outside of Saint James’ Park. Chelsea’s 1-0 midweek win over Swansea extended their unbeaten league run to six games. Newcastle, on the other hand, picked up a point for the first time in five games to end a run of defeats.
Manchester City will be looking to maintain their lead in the league at home to West Ham, a side they have lost to once in their last 11 meetings in Manchester. West Ham did win in September 2015 but that has been the exception in recent seasons. City have won all but one game so far in the league but have, at times, struggled to beat sides. Their midweek game against Southampton was decided in the 96th minute. West Ham have failed to win in each of their last seven games and are winless away all season, picking up just three points on the road.
Liverpool stretched their unbeaten run to five games with the win against Stoke. That’s now two straight away wins, both by a three-goal margin. They travel to Brighton on Saturday looking to increase those statistics but face an in-form side. Brighton have lost once in their last seven games and are currently 10th in the table, the highest of the newly promoted sides.
Watford have not picked up a point again at Tottenham since 2006 but that could be about to change. Although their form is patchy of late, the home side are up to 8th in the table, three points behind Spurs. The visitors haven’t won in their last three games and have failed to win away from home since September.
Only once has there been more than one goal separating Leicester and Burnley over their past league meetings. That was a 3-0 win to Leicester last season and they will be aiming for similar on Saturday. Burnley are in great form at the moment though and have won four of their last five. Last season their away form was one of the worst in the league but since the opening day, they have lost just once away from Turf Moor. Leicester have been on a good run themselves of late, losing only one of their last eight.
A much needed mid-week win moved Everton up into 13th and gave them some breathing space over the threat of relegation. They now face a home match against Huddersfield to try an move further clear. Huddersfield have lost their last three games and have not scored away from home since the opening day. Everton have lost three games at Goodison this season already but only to sides inside the current top six.
Swansea have not picked up a point away from home since mid-September but they travel to an out of form Stoke side on Saturday. Four straight games without a win have seen Stoke slide towards the bottom three and they now sit 16th. They have never lost at home to Swansea, winning four of six games. An away win may be enough to see the Swans climb out of the relegation zone but they could also end the weekend bottom if results go against them.
Two more sides who are threatened with relegation meet in the Midlands as West Brom host Crystal Palace. West Brom are still without a win since August but have led their last two games. Palace, on the other hand, are bottom but in quite good form, picking up six points in their last five games. They picked up their first away point of the season in the midweek trip to Brighton and would draw level on points with their hosts by winning. West Brom, however, could give their survival chances a boost by taking three points.
Bournemouth and Southampton meet on Sunday as both sides look to recover from narrow defeats in the week. Bournemouth’s three game unbeaten run came to an end as they lost at home to Burnley, while Southampton lost in the dying seconds at Man City. Southampton remain in 11th place despite only collecting one win in five. Although they had been on a recent good run, Bournemouth are still only four points above the relegation places.
Man United’s midweek win over Watford helped to keep a good run of form going. Four wins from five has improved their chances of a top four finish but the next two games are tough. A win against Arsenal will keep them close to leaders City ahead of the derby the following week.