After a short break over the weekend to allow for the FA Cup Fourth Round, Arsenal return to action tonight. Arsenal return to action tonight. They travel to Swansea looking to close some of the gap to the sides above. Arsenal start the day five points behind 4th place after winning just once in the last four. Games against Swansea have caused some difficulties over the years but Arsenal have won the previous three meetings. Swansea won last time out but it wasn’t quite enough to move them from the foot of the table. Any points here could see them close the gap to safety and they have improved over the last four games.
League leaders Manchester City play host to West Brom having both progressed to the next round of the FA Cup. City returned to winning ways in their last league game against Newcastle and could extend their 12 point advantage at the top with a repeat of October’s 3-1 win at West Brom. The visitors have picked up points in four of their last five but it hasn’t been enough to move them clear of the bottom three. Defeat on Wednesday evening could see them move to the bottom.
Manchester United travel to Spurs in a game which could go a long way to deciding how high in the league they finish this season. Three straight wins has moved them clear of the other top four candidates but there is still a long season ahead. With an eight-point advantage over Tottenham heading into the game the temptation may be to avoid defeat. Spurs haven’t got the best record at Wembley this season and have failed to win five times there already this season. Three wins in their last five games has kept them within reach of the Champions League places.
Having won their last four league meetings with Bournemouth, Chelsea head into the game as favourites as the sides prepare to meet again at Stamford Bridge. Victory for Chelsea will maintain their 3rd place in the table but there is an outside possibility of 2nd if results go their way. It was a narrow 1-0 win for Chelsea in the reverse fixture in October and they have dropped just two points at home since. Bournemouth have picked up some important wins lately but November was their last win on the road.
Liverpool’s run of four straight league wins came to an end against Swansea last week. They now face an away trip to Huddersfield looking to get back on track as only two points is separating them and Spurs in 5th. Huddersfield are on a bad run at the moment having lost their last three. Another defeat in this game could see them slip closer to relegation danger as the sides below are within striking distance.
Seven league games have passed since Burnley last won, a run which has seen them fall away in the table. They are down to 8th after an impressive start and travel to Newcastle this week. Newcastle have picked up five points in their last four games to stop their bad run. They now sit 15th but need to improve results to survive this season as they are just a point above the bottom three.
West Ham and Crystal Palace are two of the leagues’ in-form sides and have both improved on a poor start to the season. They meet at the London Stadium both with sights set on the top half. West Ham have points returns from eight of their last nine games and sit 11th before kick off. Palace, on the other hand, have lost just twice in the last 13, both times against Arsenal. The game earlier in the season saw West Ham take a 2-0 lead only to concede a last-minute equaliser.
Everton are without a win in the league since mid-December and have picked up just three points against sides from the top half this season. They face Leicester at home this week, a side who have two wins and a draw in their last three. Leicester are up to 7th and, although still a long way behind the top six, could finish best of the rest this season.
Neither Southampton or Brighton have won a league game in 2018 and meet at Saint Mary’s this week. The end of November was Southampton’s last win, 11 games ago, a run that has seen them slide into the bottom three. Brighton’s last win wasn’t as long ago but it was before Christmas. They go into the game just a point ahead of their opponents so could well drop down the table themselves if they fail to get a positive result.
Stoke City fans saw an instant improvement in results after a change in manager, picking up their first win in five games. They host Watford who have themselves just changed manager hoping for a similar impact. Just one win in their previous 11 games was enough to prompt a change as the side fell down the league. A win for Stoke would move them level on points with their opponents which, given Watford’s strong start to the season, shows how poor their recent form has been.
With the dressing room changes which have taken place since the last league game, it could be difficult to read how this game will go for Arsenal. It is important to hit the ground running and allow the new faces to build momentum with their new club, driving the side forward. There should be no better side to face than bottom of the league but it may not be so straightforward given Swansea’s improvement of late.
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