On Saturday, the Premier League will continue with its festive action with one of the most eagerly-awaited games being first-placed Arsenal’s trip to second-placed Liverpool. This clash between the two top teams will determine who is most likely to challenge Manchester City for the league crown.
The upcoming 12 days will see 28 Premier League games, with Aston Villa’s match against bottom club Sheffield United starting the action. A victory for Aston Villa would send them to the top of the table.
Arsenal, under Unai Emery, have established themselves as genuine title contenders with 15 successive home league wins. However, Liverpool and Arsenal are still seen as City’s biggest rivals.
Arsenal has not won a Premier League match at Anfield since 2012, but their recent form of five wins in six league games has sparked belief that they can challenge for the title this season.
Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp has acknowledged Arsenal’s improvement, calling them “probably the strongest team in the Premier League.” He also praised Arsenal’s record signing, Declan Rice, for giving the team a new dimension with his commanding displays.
Liverpool, after being held to a 0-0 draw by Manchester United, are eager to secure a win against Arsenal at home and maintain their unbeaten home record in the league for over a year.
On Saturday, West Ham will host Manchester United, while Tottenham Hotspur will host Everton, who have won four successive games despite a 10-point deduction for financial rule breaches.
In a historic moment for the Premier League, Rebecca Welch will become the first female referee to take charge of a match when she oversees Fulham’s home clash with Burnley.
Burnley manager Vincent Kompany sees this as a milestone day for the game, but his priority remains getting his team out of the relegation zone.
New manager Nuno Espirito-Santo will face his first challenge as Nottingham Forest hosts Bournemouth, while Luton Town, who recently experienced a dramatic incident when their captain suffered a cardiac arrest, will take on Newcastle United.
After a brief Christmas Day respite, the Premier League will continue with five games on Boxing Day, including the match between Manchester United and Aston Villa.
(Reporting by Martyn Herman, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
