The Premier League continues this weekend with Matchday 32, and Sportsnet will have live coverage of five games.
Saturday, March 31
• Crystal Palace vs. Liverpool, 7:00 a.m. ET (Sportsnet East, Ontario, West and Pacific, and Sportsnet World)
• Manchester United vs. Swansea City, 9:30 a.m. ET (Sportsnet East, Ontario, West and Pacific)
• Newcastle United vs. Huddersfield Town, 9:30 a.m. ET (Sportsnet World)
• Brighton & Hove Albion vs. Leicester City, 9:30 a.m. ET (Sportsnet World Plus)
• West Bromwich Albion vs. Burnley, 9:30 a.m. ET (Sportsnet World Plus)
Here’s what you need to know ahead of this weekend.
THE BIG GAME
Chelsea vs. Tottenham: Spurs can take a major step towards locking up a berth in next season’s UEFA Champions League with a win at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
Tottenham enters Matchday 32 in fourth place with 61 points. Chelsea, in fifth with 56 points, is trying to chase them down, and desperately need a win to close the gap on their London rivals.
Chelsea beat Spurs 2-1 earlier this season and are looking to do the league double over Tottenham for the first time since 2005-06. Tottenham have gone 25 matches at Stamford Bridge without a Premier League win, but they have won more points (13) in London derbies this season than any other side.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Mohamed Salah, Liverpool: The Egyptian leads the league in scoring with 28 goals, and is on the verge of becoming only the 10th player during the Premier League era to score 30 goals in a season. He is also three goals away from tying the Premier League record for most goals in a 38-game season (31), a mark set by Alan Shearer, Cristiano Ronaldo and Luis Suarez.
SPURS’ KANE COULD PLAY VS. CHELSEA
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino hinted this week that star striker Harry Kane could see action in Sunday’s visit to Stamford Bridge. Kane damaged lateral ligaments in his ankle during a game against Bournemouth on March 11, and he wasn’t expected to be back in training until April. Pochettino said “I cannot say no, but I cannot say yes” when asked about Kane’s availability for the marquee match against Chelsea.
MAN CITY’S STONES RULED UT DUE TO INJURY
Manchester City defender John Stones is dealing with a concussion and won’t feature in Saturday’s road game against Everton. Stones picked up the head injury during England’s 1-1 draw with Italy earlier this week. Stones left Everton for Man City in 2016 in a $67 million transfer move.
THE RELEGATION RACE
The battle for survival at the bottom of the table is heating up with only a handful of games remaining on the schedule. West Bromwich Albion, in last place with 20 points, looks certain to go down at the end of the season. But there are still eight teams in the mix who could join them – a mere seven points separates Brighton & Hove Albion (in 12th place) from Stoke City (19th). Two key matches to watch this weekend: West Ham United (17th, 30 points) vs. Southampton (18th, 28 points), and Newcastle United (13th, 32 points) vs. Huddersfield Town (15th, 31 points).
THE BIG QUESTION
Every week, Sportsnet’s soccer panel will debate The Big Question. Have your say by voting in the poll below:
HE SAID IT
“In all fairness, the money’s been really well spent. It’s a lot of money but it’s been spent on quality players over his short period there and I think those players have brought so much more to the team overall. The average age of the player has been reduced.” – Everton manager Sam Allardyce on Manchester City’s massive spending on transfers this season.
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