It’s a Midweek Football Frenzy

We are getting to that time of year when the wall-to-wall football only intensifies and, as the festivities ramp up, so does the fixture list. This week we are treated to a midweek flurry of action in the Premier League, as all 20 teams are in action from Tuesday to Thursday. 

A trio of six-pointers

First up we have two games which could prove pivotal in the fight for survival, as Ipswich take on Crystal Palace and Leicester welcome West Ham to the King Power Stadium on Tuesday evening. 

Just six points separate 19th-placed Ipswich with 14th-placed West Ham as things stand, so the landscape towards the bottom of the division could – and most likely will – look a lot different come the end of the working week.

Ipswich have only won one league game this season but their performances in many games have been impressive, perhaps deserving of more. Last weekend against Manchester United, the Tractor Boys dominated large parts of the game and could have easily come away with three points instead of one after a hard fought battle resulted in a 1-1 draw at Portman Road. 

They welcome Palace on the back of a narrow 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest on Saturday, and could leapfrog their south London counterparts with a victory whilst potentially taking themselves out of the relegation zone should results elsewhere work in their favour. 

Palace left it late to steal a point from their match at home to Newcastle on Saturday, the Eagles equalising deep into injury time through Daniel Munoz after a Marc Guehi own goal had put the travelling Magpies in front soon after half-time. Despite picking up no wins in their last four, they have actually lost just once since late October, drawing against Aston Villa and Wolves (as well as Newcastle), alongside a shock victory against Tottenham at the end of October.

Leicester were thumped 4-1 away at Brentford over the weekend and need an immediate response to prevent slipping further towards the drop zone. In what will be Ruud van Niselrooy’s first game in charge of the Foxes, they take on a West Ham side who also found themselves on the wrong end of a heavy scoreline on Saturday, losing 5-2 to a rampant Arsenal side gunning for the title. 

Julien Lopetegui’s days in east London look numbered if the Hammers’ woes continue, with a surprise 2-0 win away at Newcastle on Monday seemingly affording the Spaniard a little longer to get things right at the London Stadium. However, should his team suffer a seventh league defeat in the East Midlands, we could see another quick-fire managerial casualty this side of Christmas. 

A win for Leicester would move them to within two points of West Ham, though a defeat could leave them in the bottom three (should results elsewhere go against them) ahead of their game against Brighton on Sunday afternoon. 

Fast-forward to Wednesday evening, and Wolves’ clash against Everton also holds plenty of significance in the early fight for survival. After back-to-back wins over Southampton and Fulham, Gary O’Neil’s men fell to their eighth loss of the campaign on Saturday when they went 4-2 down against Bournemouth, as Justin Kluivert made Premier League history by netting a hat-trick of penalties. 

Everton were thumped 4-0 by Manchester United at Old Trafford and once again find themselves languishing precariously close to the danger zone in 15th – just two points above both Wolves and Ipswich. A victory here for either side is crucial and will change the dynamic down at the bottom, while a defeat could prove catastrophic in their respective bids for survival.

Title-chasing Gunners looking to burst Amorim’s bubble

Later on Wednesday evening (8.15pm) Arsenal host Manchester United in the week’s most attractive looking tie. The Gunners look like the only realistic threat to Liverpool’s title-bid following the Red’s 2-0 win over Manchester City on Sunday but face a tough challenge at home to Ruben Amorim’s new side, who looked sharp in their comfortable 4-0 decapitation of Everton on Sunday – their first league win under the Portuguese since he arrived from Sporting CP in November.

With Martin Odegaard now back into the swing of things following a considerable injury layoff, the north Londoners’ mojo has returned and it was evident in the 5-2 win against West Ham at the London Stadium. Mikel Arteta’s men have a long way to go to close the gap between themselves and Liverpool – which currently stands at a seismic nine points – but can take a big step in doing just that should they defeat United on Wednesday and Liverpool slip up away at Newcastle. 

Rampant Reds aiming to make it five from five, as City hunt for elusive victory

Arne Slot’s men have been flawless so far this season and sit way ahead of the rest in the Premier League whilst also leading the new-look Champions League group stage table. Their win over City on Sunday was a masterclass in how to execute a high press whilst nullifying an opponent’s most threatening assets, and in many ways it signified a changing of the guard in the top-flight, for this season at least. A midweek trip to St. James’ Park under the lights is never an easy one, though, and despite Newcastle’s wavering form it does carry plenty of jeopardy given how much is at stake. 

Elsewhere on Wednesday, Manchester City will aim to bounce back from their worst period during the Guardiola era when they welcome Nottingham Forest to the Etihad. City have now lost six of their previous seven games, with their only obtained point during that time coming last week in the Champions League when they threw away a three-goal lead to draw 3-3 with Feyenoord. The eight-time champions are enduring an unprecedented and prolonged rough patch at the moment and now find themselves 11 points behind leaders Liverpool after 13 games, with the title looking all but out of reach before Christmas. Surely things can’t get any worse… 

Thursday evening is rounded off with Fulham taking on Brighton and Bournemouth hosting Tottenham. The Seagulls passed up the opportunity to go second on Friday when they were held at home to bottom side Southampton, and in truth were lucky to come away from that game with a point after a dubious second from the Saints was ruled out by the VAR for offside. 

Nevertheless, their near-perfect start to this campaign under manager Fabian Hürzeler continues with another point which sees them sit proudly in the top-four ahead of Manchester City. A win against Fulham – who drew 1-1 with Tottenham on Sunday – would see them move to second in the table in the unlikely event that both Arsenal and Chelsea both fall to defeats in their fixtures. 

Ange Postecoglu will be hoping that his side can return to winning ways on the south coast, with their draw at home to Fulham a disappointing one given they thrashed Man City 4-0 just a week prior. Bournemouth were good value in their 4-2 win over Wolves on Saturday, and a win has the potential to take them into the top half dependent on results elsewhere in midweek. 

If you have plans, cancel them immediately.

Fixtures in full:

premierleague.com