Premier League: Man City, Liverpool, Arsenal, Aston Villa to be held in midweek | Soccer News

Is Villa’s season losing momentum?

Aston Villa vs Brighton – Wednesday, 7.30pm

Aston Villa’s home form has seen them third in the Premier League, with their side turning Villa Park into a fortress under manager Unai Emery. They were unbeaten in 18 matches in the competition last season, but this time they had won eight in a row before a recent worrying drop.

Loss at home to Everton and Brentford halted their momentum and if they lost against Brighton there would be real panic at Holte End. Manchester United and Chelsea are in the hunt for Villa. Liverpool are not far behind.

The worrying thing is that it’s not just the teams below Villa who are catching up with Villa, but their schedules too. Emery’s side could still play 60 games this season compared to United’s 40, but will be without Youri Tielemans, John McGinn and Boubacar Kamara.

None of the midfield trio is expected to return until April, leaving Emery with the challenge of finding a solution within his squad. Leeds will be playing at home and Wolves away in the next Premier League match, so if they fall down the table it would be a big blow to their hopes of a top-five spot.

Fabian Hürzeler’s concerns have become even more pressing given that Brighton’s home defeat to rivals Crystal Palace on Sunday prompted chants of “I don’t know what I’m doing” and “I’ll be sacked in the morning”. Results may be required in the villa.
Adam Bate

Pressure on Parker – but eased for Palace

Crystal Palace vs Burnley – Wednesday, 7.30pm

Some might argue that the pressure has been on Scott Parker and Burnley all season, but it’s always difficult for promoted teams to be competitive in their first year back in the Premier League.

But for a club that has often stuck with its manager through difficult times, the board’s ears may start to hurt after the Clarets were booed in their 2-0 loss to relegation rivals West Ham on Saturday – despite taking 18 shots, the most in a Premier League game this season.

This puts 11 points at stake and they have not won in 16 league games since defeating bottom-placed Wolves on October 26. Not too long ago, Crystal Palace might have been the place to pick up points.

The Eagles have hardly been out of the headlines during a turbulent month of January, but their first Premier League win in nine games against rivals Brighton will give them a boost.

Just when we thought an era of great success might be spectacularly unraveling before our eyes, it took the sting out of Selhurst Park’s tail.

That appears to have been canceled for the time being, with Crystal Palace doing well at home against teams near or below them.

According to the form guide, it will be another tough Premier League game for Burnley as Parker continues to look for ways to avoid dropping into the Championship.
charlotte marsh

Man City need to add pressure on the scoreboard and follow through on victory declaration

Man City vs Fulham – Wednesday, 7.30pm

Manchester City have been involved in some pointless matches in recent weeks, with only two of them being a win at Liverpool and a draw at Tottenham, but their place in the title race still looks perfectly reasonable.

City may need something special to beat Arsenal, but that prospect remains unthinkable. The statement at Anfield would have been enough to convince City’s players themselves, and remind those of us who are just commentators that the race is still open.

Gary Neville believes Pep Guardiola, Erling Haaland and Gianluigi Donnarumma are central to the rival plans. But that is too simplistic and overlooks the importance of the strength backbone of Bernardo Silva, Rodri and the returning Ruben Diaz. They all know how to win titles.

Added to that is the immediate impact of January additions Marc Guech and Antoine Semenyo. An attractive addition at this stage of the season. Both bring new ambitions.

Victory over Fulham to move within three points of the Gunners would certainly increase the pressure on the scoreboard, and Arsenal have proven in the past to be unreliable leaders when their pursuers try to overtake them. City may have to delay the game again after 80 minutes against Fulham, who have lost eight games this season.

That might be enough to distract Arsenal. If City take enough initiative, they won’t back down until they get what they want. Pep will be sure of that.
laura hunter

Forest under pressure to beat Wolves

Nottingham Forest vs Wolves – Wednesday, 7.30pm

Every day at the weekend brought a new blow to Nottingham Forest. Friday’s lackluster loss to Leeds handed their relegation rivals three points, but West Ham won comfortably on Saturday and Crystal Palace ended their drought with Sunday’s victory.

As a result, Forest are at risk of finishing in the bottom three ahead of Wednesday night’s game against bottom club Wolves, with increased scrutiny on Sean Dyche after former manager Nuno Espirito Santo turned around West Ham’s fortunes.

Four of Forest’s last five Premier League wins have come away from home, where their counter-punching style is more effective. Dyche’s style of play has yet to convince supporters and it is expected that Trent could create some tension in midweek.

Wolves’ own relegation has long felt inevitable, and although Saturday’s home game against Chelsea was an early one, they have played more games than expected for a team sitting at the bottom of the table, which could worry their vulnerable opponents.

Forest’s exit from the FA Cup means they have 11 days off until their next game against Liverpool, and the tone of that period will be shaped by the outcome of that game. It’s unthinkable that they won’t beat the Wolves, but many fans already fear that.
Adam Bate

Sunderland’s impressive home performance leaves Liverpool upset

Sunderland vs Liverpool – Wednesday, 8.15pm

Sunderland are unbeaten in all 12 Premier League matches played at the Stadium of Light this season, which puts them fourth on the home table and the longest such run by a promoted side since the 1977-78 season. No team wants to travel to England’s north-east outpost, especially Liverpool, who have won just two of their last 10 games on the road.

This match has the potential to make things infinitely more difficult for Arne Slot after a troubled weekend. Without a right-back to speak of (after substitute Dominik Szoboszlai was sent off in the loss to Manchester City) and a persistent crisis of confidence, things could get even worse. Liverpool have conceded 21 goals away at Anfield this season, more than Wolves, who are bottom of the table and have conceded 20.

But their desperation to catch up with their rivals in the race for the top four could be enough to revive Liverpool. Slott’s team still boasts one of the best offenses in the league, and the Reds manager will be equally aware of the position he will be in if they don’t win. The gap with Europe’s qualification spots is already four points. It may not be possible to make it any larger.
laura hunter

A full-fledged meeting with set-piece specialists

Brentford vs Arsenal – Thursday 8pm

Arsenal appear to be missing out on the Premier League title, while Brentford move into seventh place with their first away win at Newcastle since 1934. The Gunners are at the top of the table having performed well in their last 10 games (7 wins, 2 losses, 1st place), with the Bees just behind them (6 wins, 2 losses, 2nd place).

Brentford’s home form is still among the best in the division, as it has been in recent years, but Arsenal’s away form is by far the best as well. If those stats aren’t enough to whet your appetite, this is a battle between two set-piece specialists.

Brentford, led by former set-piece coach Keith Andrews, were intrigued by their long-throw success, with Erling Haaland saying in October that playing with them “reminded me a bit of Stoke City with (Rory) Delap”. Michael Kayode and Matthias Jensen are the men tasked with scoring the incredible goals, which have been the source of three goals, the second-most in the division so far.

In total, they have scored 11 goals and conceded nine from set pieces, making them one of only eight teams yet to reach double figures in this regard.

Meanwhile, Mikel Arteta’s side are in a league of their own. Of his 49 league goals, 20 (40.8 percent) came from set-pieces, 14 of which came from corner kicks. Both totals are unparalleled in the Premier League this season. Furthermore, they have only conceded goals in this way in five out of 17 games so far, which is also the lowest in the Premier League.

If this game ends up being a close one, there are few that could have done better.
Dan Long

Follow midweek matches live on the Sky Sports app and watch free match highlights immediately after full-time