The Premier League title race between Liverpool and Man City remains tight after their 2-2 draw last Sunday but this weekend the top four race will be the focus with the top two due to meet again on FA Cup duty.
The battle for Champions League football resumes as Arsenal look to hunt down rivals Spurs while Manchester United and West Ham aim to put their name back in the conversation.
And with just six weeks left of the season, lost ground may be hard to make up at this point.
Here is the i’s Premier League weekend preview:
Saturday 16 April
Spurs vs Brighton
Antonio Conte’s side put themselves three points ahead of rivals Arsenal last week after their 4-0 win against Aston Villa, but they cannot afford to overlook Brighton, even though the south coast side lost to Spurs 2-0 last month.
The Seagulls have taken points from four out of the top six this season and are capable of outplaying quality sides like Arsenal who lost 2-1 to Graham Potter’s men last Saturday.
But Tottenham have scored 21 Premier League goals in their last six games, and 34 in 2022 – five more than any other club.
- Kick-off: 12.30pm
- TV channel: BT Sport 1
- Live stream: BT Sport app or website, free to existing subscribers or available for £25 a month
Manchester United vs Norwich
The Red Devils have fallen into seventh place after only taking one point from their last two matches, but Norwich may be the perfect team to face when looking for an uptick in form.
The Canaries are favourites for a drop back to the Championship, although they have recently picked up four points in games against Brighton and Burnley.
The last time these two met in December, Norwich narrowly lost to United 1-0 as Cristiano Ronaldo scored a 75th-minute penalty, so Dean Smith can have some confidence in his team to unsettle an unsteady Ralf Rangnick side.
- Kick-off: 3pm
- TV channel/live stream: Not available in the UK
Southampton vs Arsenal
Arsenal have fallen behind Spurs after consecutive losses to Crystal Palace and Brighton.
The future looks bleak for Mikel Arteta too who has to compensate for injuries to Thomas Partey and Kieran Tierney ahead of fixtures against Chelsea, United and Spurs themselves.
The Gunners may be confident as they put three past the Saints in December but Arteta must avoid another widely criticised “management disaster”: he was questioned for his decision to play Granit Xhaka out of position at left-back against Brighton despite having a back-up in Nuno Tavares, whose confidence might well be suffering after his performance at Crystal Palace 10 days ago saw him relegated to the bench.
- Kick-off: 3pm
- TV channel/live stream: Not available in the UK
Watford vs Brentford
Watford have only won once in their last seven games whilst Brentford have won three in their last four.
Christian Eriksen’s creativity is the key to the Bees recent success and Ivan Toney has begun to show his potential as a quality Premier League striker with five goal contributions in the last four matches.
And that is the type of quality the Hornets have struggled to contain as their defensive record shows: they have conceded 13 goals since March and the third-most in the league this season at 60 – only Norwich and Leeds have a worse defence.
- Kick-off: 3pm
- TV channel/live stream: Not available in the UK
Sunday 17 April
Newcastle vs Leicester
Newcastle beat Wolves last Friday to avoid losing four in a row and move them further away from the relegation zone.
Eddie Howe may have avoided seemingly relegation and could be impatiently waiting for the summer transfer window but the Magpies are still producing inspired performances, forcing Wolves into mistakes with heavy pressure.
That kind of energy could catch out Leicester who are aiming to qualify for Europa League after turning their ailing season around, arguably outperforming United in their 1-1 draw and beating Crystal Palace 2-1
- Kick-off: 2.15pm
- TV channel: Sky Sports Main Event
- Live stream: NOW
West Ham vs Burnley
Burnley’s loss to relegation rivals Norwich may be the nail in the coffin for Sean Dyche’s side on a slide back to the Championship.
But West Ham will be recovering from a Europa League quarter-final second leg against Lyon that is likely to test the depth of their squad.
The Hammers have lost three of their last five games and need a win to distance themselves from United who have a game in hand and are level with them on 51 points.
- Kick-off: 2.15pm
- TV channel/live stream: Not available in the UK
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