1) Will Klopp and Potter’s changes ring?
Recovery pills or a wrong morning? Jurgen Klopp and Graham Potter will both be hoping for a last-gasp performance for their respective 1-0 wins. Liverpool v Chelsea may lack the usual results with the teams in ninth and tenth place in the table and a 10-point gap between them and fourth place, but their managers will be looking for a difference. Klopp admitted on Saturday that genuine doubts around Anfield had been replicated by Liverpool Tame effort at Brighton in FA Cup replay at Wolves. An improved performance from a much-changed team at Molineux, particularly in terms of Liverpool’s pressure and energy, left Klopp with a major selection dilemma and renewed optimism for Saturday. Potter was relieved last weekend after Chelsea picked up just their second win in 10 games against Crystal Palace. Mykhaylo could be involved for the first time since Mudryk His great wealth came As the visitors from Shakhtar Donetsk strive for much-needed momentum. Andy Hunter
2) Casemiro suspension leaves Ten Hag in a pickle
There are about 10 minutes left in the game at Selhurst Park, Manchester United were feeling upbeat at the prospect of facing an almost-unchanged Arsenal on Sunday. Their optimism was duly punctured by Michael Olis’ free-kick and the suspended Casemiro’s uncharacteristically wild foul on Wilfried Zaha. The Brazilian could be imagined to give Arsenal’s dominant midfield a run for their money and with all due respect to the likes of Fred and Scott McTominay, United’s options represent a serious drop off. Fred, in particular, didn’t exactly excel in his audition after coming on as a substitute at Palace. His foul led to the equalizer and Casemiro’s nous hammered home the point of a miss. Ten Hague’s side are capable of giving the leaders their more serious tests, but the Dutchman will first have to find a practical solution to his midfield conundrum. Nick Ames
3) Who will get the ax in East London?
Whoever beats this relegation battle between West Ham and Everton at the London Stadium will likely pick up their P45 on Monday morning. There is additional spice involved for both managers. David Moyes’ spell at Goodison Park created his reputation Premier League, while Frank Lampard is returning to the club where he made his name as a player. Added to that, if Lampard gets the chop, Moyes is in the frame to replace him. When opponents mean so much to the person involved, it results in their desperation to stop them from causing the fatal blow. West Ham and Everton have failed to win their last seven Premier League games, an incredible feat for both clubs. Everton will be happy they are away from home because the atmosphere at Goodison Park is toxic, things are much better at West Ham. Everton may find it a mild relief and play with a level of freedom not seen in recent months because things are so bad they have little to lose under Lampard. WU
4) Lopetegui gives Wolves nothing to fear
Julen Lopetegui’s Wolves may have made a managerial signing on the M6 with their Midlands rivals, Aston Villa, having hired four-time Europa League-winner Unai Emery. Lopetegui has one of the CV plus stints leading Spain and Real Madrid and has only lost twice in his eight games in England – At Manchester United (League) and Liverpool (FA Cup). At Anfield, Wolves went close to defeating Jurgen Klopp’s men and Pep Guardiola has noted how his compatriot’s charge in his gold shirt have performed with more energy and quality since arriving in November. Wolves don’t usually beat Manchester City – they’ve done so only twice in 20 years – but with his resume Lopetegui can credibly inform his players that they have nothing to fear from the champions, and demand that they don’t harbor any. Jay Jay
5) Magpies face Guimarães absence
Newcastle have lost once in their last nine games in all competitions. The main reason for their success is not only the back four but also the work of Bruno Guimaraes and his colleagues in midfield. The Brazilian will be absent for Newcastle at Selhurst Park due to injury. A win over Fulham Last weekend. Without Guimarães, Newcastle are undoubtedly weaker and will need his replacement to step up. While Guimarães has missed games since signing, Newcastle have won just 20% of them, a sign of his importance. It is likely that his countryman Joelinton will return to midfield and Alain Saint-Maximin will start in the row against Crystal Palace as part of the Eddie Howe overhaul. If Newcastle are to maintain their Champions League form, they will need their entire squad to maintain Guimaraes’ high standards. WU
6) Hennessy gets a chance to prove his worth
Wayne Hennessey will start for Nottingham Forest after Dean Henderson is out for six weeks with a muscle injury. 2-0 win over Leicester last week The Wales international has had an interesting time between the sticks while club and country have been calling recently. For Wales, his World Cup came to an end when he was sent off for running out of his goal and attempting to kick an opponent in the head in a crucial group game against Iran. Back at Forest, he won three at Old Trafford in the FA Cup and four at Blackpool in the Championship. Due to Henderson’s absence, Forest are considering bringing in the goalkeeper to deputize for Manchester United on loan, which shows a lack of faith in Hennessy. This could be the veteran stopper’s last chance to show Steve Cooper and the club’s hierarchy that he is the man for the job. WU
7) The Saints can’t afford to lose momentum
It’s tight on the bottom, that’s for sure. It looked like Nathan Jones and Southampton were doomed until the new head coach began his reign with a morale-boosting barrage. Manchester City in the Carabao Cup. City were poor that night but the atmosphere within the team required a win. More importantly, they followed up that win A win over relegation rivals Everton last week The Premier League season is halfway through and there are still at least eight teams worried about relegation to the Championship. A third win in a row would lift Saints off the bottom and almost certainly out of the relegation zone. Momentum is crucial in football, especially with a squad as young as Jones’, and Southampton currently have a bit of momentum they need to grow to survive. WU
8) The rotor needs to hit the ground running
Jesse Marsh is among a long list of Premier League managers under pressure and potentially far from being sacked. Many may claim mitigating circumstances. For Mars, it has been the absence of Patrick Bamford for much of the season. His 11 league appearances have netted only one goal, but two in the FA Cup against Cardiff on Wednesday His confidence has increased. However, there is a new striker in town: club-record signing Georginio Rutter. The deal could see Leeds pay Hoffenheim A paltry sum of £32m, which will please the German club who signed him for £500,000 from Rennes two years ago. He was introduced to the crowd ahead of Wednesday’s FA Cup replay, although was not allowed to play after signing after the original tie in Cardiff. The Frenchman is only 20 years old but needs to improve on his record of two goals in 17 games this season. Rutter may be young but he needs to hit the ground running in a relegation battle with Leeds. WU
9) Spurs should be careful with the injured Mitrovic
Aleksandar Mitrovic is not a man who likes to lose, especially against a former club where he failed to get the respect he believed in. After having his penalty disallowed for kicking the ball twice at Newcastle last week, he will be keen to pick up a point against Spurs, whose defense looks easily rattled. He scored an incredible consolation goal Reverse stability His confidence has been boosted by his 11 goals at the start of the season and overall. Spurs’ defense has struggled to contain most teams in recent weeks and an injured Mitrovic knows how to get good defenders who aren’t up for a fight. A win for Fulham would take them above Spurs, which would be an incredible situation for Marco Silva’s side and, with Mitrovic on top, you could even make them favourites. WU
10) Faxes need to be refreshed on the window
One of Leicester’s biggest problems – of which there have been many this season – is a lack of investment in new players. Only Wout Fess and third-choice goalkeeper Alex Smithies joined in the summer. The team looks stale; The players Brendan Rodgers has relied on for the past few years have failed to replicate their previous form. Jamie Vardy has a solitary goal in the Premier League all season, Youri Tielemans looks like a man with one eye on the exit door and Harvey Barnes is not at his fiery best on the wing. The good news is that full back Viktor Christiansen is set to join from Copenhagen after lengthy negotiations between the two clubs. He may not be the most exciting signing but he has played in the Champions League this season and will hopefully provide some freshness to the dressing room, looking at the spirit of the Leicester team from top to bottom. WU
