Premier League preview: What definitely will and won't happen this weekend
FourFourTwo's look ahead to the Premier League weekend, starting with a north London derby at Wembley.
Tottenham vs Arsenal (Saturday, 12.30pm)
The big talking point: The last north London derby of the season. Wembley, 90,000 fans - a great way to start the weekend and a major clash in the chase for Champions League qualification places.
What will happen: Rarely, if ever, will one of these games have been played in such a partisan environment. Wembley is not White Hart Lane and, while Arsenal have won nine in a row at this stadium, this time they will have to face a fierce "home" atmosphere with several new components in their side.
What won't happen: No debut for Lucas Moura, Tottenham's new Brazilian who at best will have to make do with a place on the bench. However Toby Alderweireld is fit to start in defence having come through against Newport, while Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Henrikh Mkhitaryan will both line up for Arsenal.
Everton vs Crystal Palace (Saturday, 3pm)
The big talking point: Are Everton actually getting worse under Sam Allardyce? Last weekend's 5-1 drubbing at Arsenal extended a run of listless performances against the big sides and Allardyce was at a loss to explain it - or at least he couldn't do so in printable terms.
What will happen: Palace will have to cope without Wilfried Zaha. His knee injury isn't as bad as first feared, but even a few weeks' absence is a problem for a side as reliant on him as the Eagles are.
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What won't happen: Allardyce gave a blunt assessment of Cenk Tosun's impact earlier this week, so don't expect to see him lead the line. Odd, given the £27m that Everton paid for him. Oumar Niasse will likely start up front.
Stoke vs Brighton (Saturday, 3pm)
The big talking point: Relegation. Brighton quietly slipped down the table in January and, while last weekend's 3-1 win over West Ham moved them back in the right direction, this isn't the kind of game (against a bottom-half rival) that they can afford to lose.
What will happen: Hopefully a first look at Jurgen Locadia, Brighton's £15m striker who is yet to return to fitness after completing his transfer. Only Swansea and Huddersfield have scored fewer goals than Brighton this season, so Locadia's productivity will be critical to his new side's hopes of survival.
What won't happen: Stoke midfielder Darren Fletcher will miss out, having pulled up ahead of last weekend's match with Bournemouth. January addition Badou Ndiaye should continue in his place.
Swansea vs Burnley (Saturday, 3pm)
The big talking point: FA Cup or not, Swansea scoring eight goals in a game isn't something which happens often. An 8-1 midweek win over Notts County was symptomatic of the team's improvement under Carlos Carvalhal. The Swans are unbeaten since the loss to Tottenham on 2 January, putting together a run of form of which few thought them capable.
What will happen: Burnley were excellent in last weekend's 1-1 draw against Manchester City, but they're still searching for their first win since 12 December (vs Stoke). Eventually, that has to change and there was enough evidence of creativity in that City performance to suggest that an elusive win isn't too far away.
What won't happen: There will be no Wilfried Bony or Leroy Fer for Swansea. Both have been ruled out for the rest of the season with injuries.
West Ham vs Watford (Saturday, 3pm)
The big talking point: New manager Javi Gracia's effect on Watford. Yes, Chelsea were desperately poor on Monday night, but there was a verve to Watford's performance in their 4-1 win which was highly encouraging.
What will happen: Look for Gerard Deulofeu to be lively again. He has his flaws as a player, but half a season of being exposed to Barcelona's impossibly high standards appears to have trimmed some of the fat from his game. West Ham lack pace in defence and the Spanish attacker could be very influential.
What won't happen: David Moyes is, excuse the Redknappism, down to the bare bones. Manuel Lanzini and Marko Arnautovic are out, Jose Fonte and Winston Reid are both unlikely to start, and those are issues which the signing of a 36-year-old Patrice Evra won't solve.
Manchester City vs Leicester (Saturday, 5.30pm)
The big talking point: Riyad Mahrez. He apparently arrived at Leicester's training ground this Friday, the first time he's shown up after his aborted move to Man City caused him to go AWOL.
What will happen: Mahrez might yet feature for the Foxes, though it seems unlikely. For the home side, Pep Guardiola will again have to shuffle his attacking pieces to overcome the injuries to Gabriel Jesus, Leroy Sane and David Silva. Teenager Brahim Diaz could be involved again, while John Stones is also close to a return to the defence.
What won't happen: No interruption to Manchester City's form at home; this should be a 13th win in a row. Leicester don't really have the kind of defence capable of subduing a mobile attack and, assuming they're without Mahrez, they'll be missing a key element within their counterattack.
Huddersfield vs Bournemouth (Sunday, 12pm)
The big talking point: Huddersfield, now 19th, are sinking fast and are yet to win a Premier League game in 2018. That really needs to change.
What will happen: It's unlikely to change here, though. Bournemouth are a rapidly improving side - or maybe just a good one - who, with a pleasing symmetry, have not lost a Premier League game this year. Eddie Howe continues to evolve this team and take individual players beyond their assumed limits.
What won't happen: Neither Steve Cook nor Adam Smith will be available for Bournemouth, so one stumbling block for Howe could be the right-back position. It requires a creative solution, perhaps a shift to a back three or by using Ryan Fraser as emergency cover.
Newcastle vs Manchester United (Sunday, 2.15pm)
The big talking point: Paul Pogba's current status. Benched for the last game against Huddersfield, he'll expect to be involved from the start here.
What will happen: He will be. It's easy for managers to make statements to their squad when facing Huddersfield at home, so Jose Mourinho was likely using an easy game to make a point to the player. Manchester United are inarguably better with Pogba in the side and their midifeld will need to function properly to come through this awkward game.
What won't happen: Both sides have long-term injury absentees, but Newcastle new loan signing Islam Slimani is approaching fitness. He won't start, but could be available from the bench - interesting, because he should theoretically make Newcastle a much better side. They need a focal point in attack and, in spite of being a patchy player, Slimani should provide one.
Southampton vs Liverpool (Sunday, 4pm)
The big talking point: How Liverpool will respond to last week's controversy at Anfield. They had themselves to blame as much any official for dropping points in the 2-2 draw with Tottenham, so Jurgen Klopp will need a positive reaction.
What will happen: Southampton will be awkward. Many of their issues remain, not least their lack of goals, but this is a team on the mend. The win over West Brom last weekend will have provided a jolt of self-belief and, without much warning, Mauricio Pellegrino's midfield and attack are starting to function properly.
What won't happen: Sadio Mane may be on borrowed time as a starter. His form has been dismal for a while now and, eventually, Klopp is going to have rebalance his attack. Mane provides a theoretical threat even when off form, enough of one to make defenders wary, but Liverpool's first XI should always be a meritocracy. After another poor performance against Tottenham, it wouldn't be a huge surprise to see him on the bench.
Chelsea vs West Brom (Monday, 8pm)
The big talking point: We know that Antonio Conte will still be in charge for this game, but that doesn't stop the debate about his future. He cannot afford to lose here.
What will happen: Probably a start for Olivier Giroud. In the past, Chelsea have occasionally found some value in using Eden Hazard at the top of their formation, but that comes at the cost of what he does in deeper positions. With Alvaro Morata still missing, Conte is better served using the natural pivot.
What won't happen: Tiemoue Bakayoko is suspended so won't feature (something which may have Chelsea fans sighing in relief), neither will Ross Barkley who has suffered a slight injury. Cesc Fabregas will start alongside N'Golo Kante in Chelsea's problem area.
Seb Stafford-Bloor is a football writer at Tifo Football and member of the Football Writers' Association. He was formerly a regularly columnist for the FourFourTwo website, covering all aspects of the game, including tactical analysis, reaction pieces, longer-term trends and critiquing the increasingly shady business of football's financial side and authorities' decision-making.
