The Barclays Premier League resumes on Saturday after being interrupted by last week’s FA Cup third round action.
Manchester City and Chelsea will try to break the deadlock at the top of the table, while Manchester United attempts to extend their home winning streak to six games.
Here are the five matches to watch this weekend.
Manchester United vs Southampton
Southampton and Manchester United square off in arguably the biggest match of the weekend. The Red Devils won 2-1 at St Mary’s on Nov. 30 in the first meeting of the season.
The two teams are separated by just one point. United is third and the Saints are in fourth place, and with Tottenham just two points behind the latter, a loss could knock Southampton out of the top four.
Marcos Rojo, Ashley Young and Rafael are ruled out with injuries for United. However, Daley Blind, Marouane Fellaini, Luke Shaw and Antonio Valencia are all nearing full fitness.
Sadio Mane suffered a calf injury against Arsenal, so he’s out for the next few weeks. Manager Ronald Koeman has six other unavailable players. Thankfully for him, Nathaniel Clyne is close to a return.
United is undefeated against Southampton in the last six meetings, winning four matches. However, each victory has been decided by one goal.
Sunday programming alert: Watch Arsenal vs Stoke City on Sportsnet World at 8:30 am ET, and Manchester United vs Southampton on the four main Sportsnet channels and Sportsnet World at 10:30 am ET. || Sportsnet World NOW || Broadcast schedule
Everton vs Manchester City
Everton is just four points above the relegation zone entering the weekend. The Toffees have conceded the joint-second highest amount of goals this season with 33, but have also had several injury problems.
They have a difficult task on Saturday at Goodison Park when they face Manchester City. Despite several key players missing time, City is tied atop the Premier League table with Chelsea.
Manager Manuel Pellegrini’s side will be boosted by Sergio Aguero and Edin Dzeko returning to training earlier his week. Both players should be in the matchday squad. Vincent Kompany is also listed as doubtful, but he’ll most likely be rested. Meanwhile, Yaya Toure is on international duty at the African Cup of Nations until February.
Sylvain Distin is the latest to be affected by injury. Distin and four others are ruled out, including Tim Howard, Leon Osman and Steven Pienaar. Cristian Atsu is also at the African Cup, so he’ll also be unavailable for a few weeks.
This fixture has been hotly contested over the last few years. City has earned three wins, while Everton has won twice. However, the Merseyside club is struggling, so the Citizens will be the heavy favourites.
Saturday programming alert: Watch Everton vs Manchester City on the four main Sportsnet channels at 9:30 am ET, Swansea City vs West Ham United on Sportsnet World at 9:30 am ET and Burnley vs Queens Park Rangers on Sportsnet ONE at 9:30 am ET. || Sportsnet World NOW || Broadcast schedule
Chelsea vs Newcastle United
Newcastle snapped Chelsea’s winning streak on Dec. 6, handing the London club its first loss of the campaign. The Blues will be out for revenge, especially after getting humbled by Tottenham on New Year’s Day.
Chelsea has a fit squad, but Newcastle has a slew of injuries. Twelve players will miss the match, including Fabricio Coloccini, Daryl Janmaat, Jack Colback and Moussa Sissoko. Papiss Cisse and Cheick Tiote travelling to African Cup of Nations only adds to caretaker manager John Carver’s headache.
The Blues have the advantage as a result of all of these injuries to the Magpies squad. However, Newcastle has won four of the last six meetings against Chelsea. On the other hand, only one of those victories came at Stamford Bridge, which is where the match will take place on Saturday.
Swansea City vs West Ham United
West Ham hasn’t won a match since Dec. 20, a span of four games in all competitions. The Hammers’ opponents, Swansea, has lost back-to-back Premier League matches. These sides are also separated by just three points in the standings.
Swansea manager Garry Monk won’t have Ki Sung-yueng or his top scorer Wilfried Bony as they’re away on international duty. Jonjo Shelvey is suspended and Jefferson Montero is injured.
Cheikou Kouyate is at the African Cup of Nations and Diafra Sakho has a back injury, but Andy Carroll should start despite being listed as touch-and-go. West Ham was also given a boost with Alex Song’s international retirement.
The Hammers have lost just once in their last five games against Swansea. However, West Ham has only outscored the Swans 6-4, so this should be a close match.
Crystal Palace vs Tottenham
Tottenham and Crystal Palace are in two separate races. The former is fighting to qualify for the Champions League, while Palace is desperately trying to avoid relegation.
Erik Lamela and Ryan Mason might not be fit enough, so they are doubtful for Tottenham. Nabil Bentaleb is away at the African Cup of Nations, so manager Mauricio Pochettino will have to rotate his lineup.
For Palace Mile Jedinak and Yannick Bolasie are on international duty, which are huge losses for new manager Alan Pardew. Glenn Murray and Marouane Chamakh may also be left off the squad due to injury.
Spurs are undefeated in six straight games, and Palace is winless in their last eight matches. This is an important meeting for both sides, and Tottenham has traditionally done well in this fixture, losing just once against their London rivals.