A fizzing set of English Premier League fixtures takes us into the final international football break of the season this weekend.
Matchweek 11 sees all ten EPL matches played over Saturday and Sunday – and it all builds towards what has reliably been the biggest game in the country in recent years.
Manchester City meet north west neighbours Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday afternoon with both eyeing a three-point boost to keep up the heat at the top of the table.
Pep Guardiola’s side have the upper hand in the form stakes and sit second in the standings, a point and a place ahead of the Reds.
The reigning champions and their coach, Arne Slot, breathed a sigh of relief last weekend when they finally halted a four-match losing streak with a win to stop the rot.
There’s plenty resting on Saturday’s five Premier League fixtures, too, as leaders Arsenal take their title charge to shock high-fliers Sunderland for the evening kick off.
Regis le Bris’s promoted Wearsiders are a scarcely believable fourth coming into the weekend and will have a raucous Stadium of Light Crowd behind them, while the Gunners are looking ominous, six points clear at the top.
The weekend kicks off in north London with a potentially fraught meeting between Tottenham and Manchester United on Saturday lunchtime.
Spurs were booed off as they made it back-to-back losses at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium a week ago.
Ruben Amorim can sleep a little easier as he marks a year in the Old Trafford hotseat, though, with the Red Devils winning three of their last unbeaten four to rise to the dizzy heights of eighth in the standings.
Chelsea have home advantage and plenty of confidence going into their Saturday night clash with rock bottom Wolves at Stamford Bridge.
That owes as much to the visitors’ dismal form and managerial turmoil as it does to the Blues’ own form of three wins from four, with Molineux chief Vitor Pereira put out of his misery after last weekend’s eighth defeat of a winless campaign.
West Ham stunned their own fans as much as anyone by recording a come-from-behind win at the London Stadium last Sunday.
If they can repeat the trick for new boss Nuno Espirito Santo this weekend against Burnley, they will go level on points with their fellow claret and blue-clad strugglers, with the pair straddling the dreaded relegation dotted line.
Everton and Fulham wrap up Saturday’s top flight action with their meeting at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
While offering a stunning fan experience once inside, the Toffees’ gleaming new home is in something of a no man’s land while it finds its feet on Liverpool’s dockside.
And that’s exactly the position this duo find themselves in heading into the bulk of the season on the field, keen to look up rather than down as Cottagers chief Marco Silva returns to his former club.
Elsewhere on Sunday, there’s one of their odder derbies in English football when Crystal Palace host Brighton.
Their Selhurst Park meeting sees both squeezed just inside a congested top half, with the European qualification places very much within range.
A couple of points and places beneath them are Brentford and Newcastle, who face an intriguing date at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Eddie Howe’s Toon Army have been marred by inconsistency so far this term, while the Bees have been going ok under rookie boss Keith Andrews, despite London derby defeat at Palace last time out.
It’s yet another red letter day for Bournemouth as well, as they come into the weekend once again knowing they could rise as high as a dizzying second in the EPL table, even if only temporarily, if they can snaffle another victory away to Aston Villa.
Unai Emery’s Villans had their winning sequence snuffed out by Liverpool a week ago, while the Cherries lost for just the second time this season at Manchester City.
Another basement battle polishes things off before the blank weekend, with nervous Nottingham Forest and Leeds going head-to-head.
Popular new boss Sean Dyche was denied his first City Ground success by a late Manchester United equaliser last weekend as his new charges remain deep in relegation peril.
Their promoted West Yorkshire visitors are five points better off but far from comfortable and have lost three of their last four.
Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester United
| Prediction Type | Value |
|---|---|
| Result prediction | Tottenham Hotspur to win |
| Over/Under prediction | Over 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | Tottenham Hotspur / Tottenham Hotspur to win |
| Team to Score prediction | Both teams |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | Richarlison (Tottenham Hotspur) |
Everton vs Fulham
| Prediction Type | Value |
|---|---|
| Result prediction | Draw |
| Over/Under prediction | Under 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | Draw / Draw |
| Team to Score prediction | Both teams |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | Rodrigo Muniz (Fulham) |
West Ham United vs Burnley
| Prediction Type | Value |
|---|---|
| Result prediction | Draw |
| Over/Under prediction | Under 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | Draw / Draw |
| Team to Score prediction | Both teams |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | J. Anthony (Burnley) |
Sunderland vs Arsenal
| Prediction Type | Value |
|---|---|
| Result prediction | Arsenal to win |
| Over/Under prediction | Over 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | Arsenal / Arsenal to win |
| Team to Score prediction | Both teams |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | W. Isidor (Sunderland) |
Chelsea vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
| Prediction Type | Value |
|---|---|
| Result prediction | Chelsea to win |
| Over/Under prediction | Under 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | Chelsea / Chelsea to win |
| Team to Score prediction | Both teams |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | N/A |
Crystal Palace vs Brighton & Hove Albion
| Prediction Type | Value |
|---|---|
| Result prediction | Draw |
| Over/Under prediction | Under 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | Draw / Draw |
| Team to Score prediction | Both teams |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | N/A |
Brentford vs Newcastle United
| Prediction Type | Value |
|---|---|
| Result prediction | Brentford to win |
| Over/Under prediction | Under 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | Brentford / Brentford to win |
| Team to Score prediction | Both teams |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | N/A |
Aston Villa vs AFC Bournemouth
| Prediction Type | Value |
|---|---|
| Result prediction | AFC Bournemouth to win |
| Over/Under prediction | Under 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | AFC Bournemouth / AFC Bournemouth to win |
| Team to Score prediction | AFC Bournemouth |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | A. Semenyo (AFC Bournemouth) |
Nottingham Forest vs Leeds United
| Prediction Type | Value |
|---|---|
| Result prediction | Nottingham Forest to win |
| Over/Under prediction | Under 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | Nottingham Forest / Nottingham Forest to win |
| Team to Score prediction | Both teams |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | N/A |
Manchester City vs Liverpool
| Prediction Type | Value |
|---|---|
| Result prediction | Draw |
| Over/Under prediction | Over 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | Manchester City / Draw |
| Team to Score prediction | Both teams |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | E. Haaland (Manchester City), H. Ekitiké (Liverpool) |