As the English Premier League hits its last round of fixtures before the final international football break of the year, it’s all to play for as the stars of the EPL prepare to jet off around the globe.
Sunday’s London derby between old foes Chelsea and Arsenal is one of several top flight games to grab the attention.
The capital city pair were right up with the pace at the top of the Premier League table until recent weeks, where both have endured an iffy run of matches that sees them locked on 18 points apiece, fourth and fifth in the standings.
Mikel Arteta’s Gunners have also been rocked off-the-field ahead of the trip to Stamford Bridge by the news that Director of Football Edu is set to quit his Emirates Stadium gig.
Manchester United are also in action on Sunday, taking on Leicester in their final outing under the temporary charge of former striker Ruud van Nistelrooy, ahead of the arrival of new boss Ruben Amorim from Sporting Lisbon next week.
The Red Devils try again at an impatient Old Trafford having drawn with Chelsea last week, with a fourth win of the campaign the target to hand over to the new man.
All eyes are on Merseyside on Saturday night as Liverpool look to maintain their top-of-the-table status for the next fortnight.
They face the challenge of Aston Villa at Anfield, with Unai Emery’s visitors having slipped back into the pack in recent weeks as they juggle another top four tilt with their Uefa Champions League adventure.
The Reds will know what they need to do as Manchester City, the only side who can overtake them, go to Brighton for the early evening EPL kick off.
Young German coach Fabian Hurzeler has enjoyed an impressive start to life at the Amex Stadium, albeit his side are looking for a first victory in three as maestro Pep Guardiola and his reigning champions breeze into town.
Sunday’s other two Premier League fixtures also carry plenty of heft.
Nottingham Forest are rekindling their glory days to sit third coming into the weekend, as Newcastle travel to the City Ground.
The Toon Army broke their winless streak by seeing off Arsenal a week ago, while the home side are beating the odds and then some with three wins on the spin.
Inconsistent Tottenham, meanwhile, will attempt to sign off for international duty in style when they go up against Ipswich.
Spurs are win-or-bust under coach Ange Postecoglou at the moment, while the Tractor Boys are increasingly desperate in their search for a first three-point haul since their fairytale promotion back to the top flight under Kieran McKenna.
A further quartet of Saturday fixtures include another London derby, this time between Crystal Palace and Fulham.
The Eagles are out to make it three games unbeaten as they flap hard to pull away from the relegation zone, while Marco Silva’s side could mathematically rise as high as fourth if they can secure all three points at Selhurst Park.
Tension is guaranteed in the air across the capital, when West Ham go up against Everton at the London Stadium.
Both are batting below their average this season so far, although the Toffees have improved to keep their heads above water following a horror start to the campaign.
A basement battle between Wolves and Southampton is guaranteed to leave one of them bottom of the Premier League table for at least the next two weeks.
Both are showing signs of life at least, with the Molineux club having drawn their last two while the Saints stunned Everton for their first success of the campaign last time out.
A midtable clash rounds off the schedule in west London, when Brentford host Bournemouth.
The Bees are aiming to crack into the top half of the EPL table, while the Cherries are in sparkling form having seen off Manchester City and Arsenal, while also drawing with Aston Villa in their last three.
Brentford v AFC Bournemouth
| Result prediction | Brentford to win |
| Over/Under prediction | over 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | Brentford / Brentford to win |
| Team to Score prediction | both teams |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | B. Mbeumo(Brentford) Evanilson(AFC Bournemouth) |
Crystal Palace v Fulham
| 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 |
West Ham United v Everton
| Result prediction | West Ham United to win |
| Over/Under prediction | over 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | draw / West Ham United to win |
| Team to Score prediction | both teams |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | n/a |
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Southampton
| Result prediction | Wolverhampton Wanderers to win |
| Over/Under prediction | over 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | draw / Wolverhampton Wanderers to win |
| Team to Score prediction | both teams |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | J. Strand Larsen(Wolverhampton Wanderers) R. Aït-Nouri(Wolverhampton Wanderers) |
Brighton & Hove Albion v Manchester City
| Result prediction | Brighton & Hove Albion to win |
| Over/Under prediction | over 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | Brighton & Hove Albion / Brighton & Hove Albion to win |
| Team to Score prediction | both teams |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | D. Welbeck(Brighton & Hove Albion) J. Gvardiol(Manchester City) |
Liverpool v Aston Villa
| Result prediction | Liverpool to win |
| Over/Under prediction | over 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | Liverpool / Liverpool to win |
| Team to Score prediction | both teams |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | Mohamed Salah(Liverpool) M. Rogers(Aston Villa) |
Manchester United v Leicester City
| Result prediction | Leicester City to win |
| Over/Under prediction | under 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | Leicester City / Leicester City to win |
| Team to Score prediction | both teams |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | n/a |
Nottingham Forest v Newcastle United
| Result prediction | Nottingham Forest to win |
| Over/Under prediction | under 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | draw / Nottingham Forest to win |
| Team to Score prediction | both teams |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | C. Wood(Nottingham Forest) |
Tottenham Hotspur v Ipswich Town
| 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 | D. Solanke(Tottenham Hotspur) B. Johnson(Tottenham Hotspur) L. Delap(Ipswich Town) |
Chelsea v Arsenal
| Result prediction | Chelsea to win |
| Over/Under prediction | over 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | Chelsea / Chelsea to win |
| Team to Score prediction | both teams |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | C. Palmer(Chelsea) |