The Premier League is set to return on Saturday 2 April after an international break which saw European champions Italy fail to qualify for Qatar 2022 after losing 1-0 to North Macedonia.
Mo Salah’s Egypt also went out of World Cup qualify on penalties to his Liverpool team-mate Sadio Mane, while Harry Maguire was booed by his own fans as England beat Ivory Coast.
The 2021-22 season is arguably the most competitive in years as the title race, top-four battle and relegation fight remain relatively wide open.
Here’s everything you need to know about the weekend’s fixtures available to watch on TV or live stream.
How to watch this weekend’s games
Saturday 2 April
- Liverpool vs Watford, 12.30pm, BT Sport 1/BT Sport app
- Manchester United vs Leicester, 5.30pm, Sky Sports Main Event/NOW
Sunday 3 April
- West Ham vs Everton, 2pm, Sky Sports Main Event/NOW
- Spurs vs Newcastle, 4.30pm, Sky Sports Main Event/NOW
Monday 4 April
- Crystal Palace vs Arsenal, 8pm, Sky Sports Main Event/NOW
Liverpool are expected to take three points from their game against Watford but the Reds cannot afford complacency as they are just one point behind league leaders Manchester City.
“It’s about keeping your feet on the ground, maintaining your work ethic, and performing at the highest level like we have been doing for a long period of time,” captain Jordan Henderson told i this week.
“If we do that, then we will have a good chance of being successful again.”
Another 19 points behind Liverpool are rivals Manchester United who currently sit sixth and risk not qualifying for the Champions League.
The Red Devils are still searching for a manager, expected to be Erik ten Hag, but nevertheless need to remain hot on the heels of Arsenal and Spurs if they want to give their new coach a chance of attracting quality players with the promise of top-tier European football.
But with Leicester beginning to regain their footing after a major injury and Covid crisis, they are capable of giving any side in the Premier League trouble.
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Instead their focus seems to have turned to the Europa League where they will face Lyon in the quarter-finals.
But one thing to be learned from this season is not to be reactionary – David Moyes is capable of putting his side back in the top-four conversation and starting with the opportunity to beat a frail, relegation-threatened Everton.
A team who have catapulted themselves out of relegation debate is Newcastle, proving that they can be a nuisance for top sides in a narrow 1-0 loss to Chelsea in March.
Despite hitting a good run of form going nine league games though, Eddie Howe has now lost two in a row, most recently a 1-0 defeat to Everton last time out.
And Tottenham Hotspur will be up for the fight as they look to draw level with north London rivals Arsenal and maintain pole position with an arguably easier fixture run than the Gunners.
Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal squad travel to south London to face former club legend Patrick Vieira and his Crystal Palace side, a game which proved difficult in October as Alexandre Lacazette equalised in added time to scrape a 2-2 draw.
Arsenal, embroiled in a fight to return to the Champions League for the first time in five years, have a game in hand on Spurs and Manchester United but still have to play the likes of Chelsea and face a seismic rescheduled north London derby that could decide their fate.
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