The Premier League continues this weekend with Matchday 31, and Sportsnet will have live coverage of two games, plus all four FA Cup quarterfinal matches.
Saturday, March 17
• FA Cup: Swansea City vs. Tottenham, 8:15 a.m. ET (Sportsnet World)
• Premier League: Huddersfield Town vs. Crystal Palace, 10:30 a.m. ET (Sportsnet East, Ontario, West and Pacific)
• Premier League: Liverpool vs. Watford, 1:00 p.m. ET (Sportsnet World)
• FA Cup: Manchester United vs. Brighton & Hove Albion, 3:45 p.m. ET (Sportsnet World)
Sunday, March 18
• FA Cup: Wigan Athletic vs. Southampton, 9:30 a.m. ET (Sportsnet World)
• FA Cup: Leicester City vs. Chelsea, 12:30 p.m. ET (Sportsnet World)
Here’s what you need to know ahead of this weekend.
THE BIG GAME
Liverpool vs. Watford: With only four matches on the schedule due to the FA Cup quarterfinals, Saturday’s contest at Anfield serves as the marquee tilt this weekend, as the Reds can leapfrog Tottenham into third place with a win against Watford.
Liverpool is coming off a 2-1 loss at Old Trafford last weekend, but the good news for the Reds is they have never lost consecutive Premier League games under Jurgen Klopp since he took over as manager in 2015.
Central to Liverpool’s success this season has been the play of Mohamed Salah. The Egyptian is currently tied with Harry Kane for the Premier League scoring lead, and he has been directly involved in 47.1 per cent of Liverpool’s 68 goals this season (24 goals, eight assists), the highest ratio of any player in the league.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Wayne Rooney, Everton: The Toffees pay a visit to Stoke City on Saturday, and you can count on the Potters paying close attention to Rooney. The Englishman has had a hand in four goals in his last four Premier League matches against Stoke City, including in Everton’s home win earlier this season.
SPURS’ KANE OUT INJURED
Tottenham striker Harry Kane has damaged lateral ligaments in his right ankle and is not expected to return to training until next month. Kane was injured in a 4-1 victory over Bournemouth last weekend. It’s a big blow for Spurs, as Kane is tied for the Premier League scoring lead with Salah, with 24 goals in 29 appearances this season. Also, Tottenham could use Kane as it tries to stay ahead of fourth-place Liverpool and keep pace with Manchester United for second in the Premier League table.
SOUTHAMPTON HIRES MARK HUGHES
Southampton changed managers this week when it fired Mauricio Pellegrino and replaced him with Mark Hughes. The move came with the Saints sitting in 17th place, one spot above the relegation zone, after registering just one win in their previous 17 matches. Fired by Stoke City earlier this campaign, Hughes has signed a contract until the end of the season with Southampton.
SIGURDSSON LIKELY DONE FOR THE SEASON
Everton midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson is expected to miss the rest of the season after sustaining a knee injury in last weekend’s match versus Brighton. He is expected to be out for six to eight weeks. Everton’s last game of the Premier League season is on May 13 against West Ham United.
INTERESTING STAT
THE BIG QUESTION
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HE SAID IT
“That is not the end of the world. I sit in this chair twice in the Champions League and I knock Man United out at home at Old Trafford. I sit in this chair with Porto, Man United out, I sit in this chair with Real Madrid, Man United out. So is not something new for the club and of course being Manchester United manager and losing a Champions League tie at home is a disappointment, obviously.” – Jose Mourinho, following Manchester United’s elimination from the Champions League at the hands of Sevilla on Wednesday.