Premier League: 10 things to look out for this weekend

1 Will City make possession count?

A clear contrast in styles will be visible in a game that could have major ramifications for the Champions League qualification hopes of both Nottingham Forest and Manchester City. No team in the Premier League has averaged less possession than Forest’s 40.1% this season and no team has more of the ball on average than Manchester City (60.4%). So the fact a 59-point chasm between the teams from last season has been completely eroded – Nuno Espírito Santo’s men are actually a point better off than the champions after 27 games – suggests possession is not the footballing essential it once was. City were routine winners at home to Forest in December but beating Nuno’s side at the City Ground is a far sterner challenge. Arsenal and Liverpool are among the sides who have failed to do so in recent months. Dominic Booth

Nottingham Forest v Manchester City, Saturday 12.30pm (all times GMT)

View image in fullscreen The City Ground will host Saturday’s early game. Photograph: Nick Potts/PA

2 Brighton’s right-back conundrum

Tariq Lamptey’s suspension after his red card against Newcastle in the FA Cup means Fabian Hürzeler must decide whether to replace him at right-back with either Joël Veltman or Jack Hinshelwood when they face Fulham on Saturday. The Dutchman confirmed this week that Brighton have triggered a one-year extension in his contract but could find himself on the bench against Marco Silva’s side if Hürzeler opts to move Hinshelwood from his preferred position of central midfield. The 19-year-old has impressed in both roles this season but gives Brighton a more attacking option at right-back. Veltman has been linked with a move back to Ajax in his homeland and said he is leaving his options open. “I have been here for five years and still love it but you never know in football,” he said. Ed Aarons

Brighton v Fulham, Saturday 3pm

3 Nketiah primed for visit of Ipswich

“Never moaning, never complaining even though he probably deserves minutes,” said Marc Guéhi when asked about Eddie Nketiah after Crystal Palace’s victory over Millwall in the FA Cup last week. The former Arsenal striker came off the bench to replace Jean-Philippe Mateta and was named player of the match after his header sealed Palace’s win, following up his first Premier League goal for the club against Aston Villa. With Mateta potentially facing a spell out, Nketiah should be full of confidence if he gets an opportunity to start a league game for only the seventh time this season as Palace aim for a third straight victory at Selhurst Park. EA

Crystal Palace v Ipswich Town, Saturday 3pm

4 Endo and Elliott have earned a start

Arne Slot could not have wished for a more palatable fixture at this juncture than a home match against Southampton before a huge week featuring the Champions League last-16 second leg against Paris Saint-Germain and the Carabao Cup final. What should be a routine win against a team averaging a woeful 0.33 points per match this season is an ideal opportunity to rest limbs. Slot’s substitutes in Paris – Harvey Elliott, Wataru Endo, Darwin Núñez and Curtis Jones – all had a positive impact. The players they replaced – Mohamed Salah, Ryan Gravenberch, Diogo Jota and Luis Díaz – struggled against the pace and movement of the French champions. Salah and Dominik Szoboszlai in particular need to recharge. This could be the moment for Slot to reward Endo and Elliott with their first league starts of the campaign. Andy Hunter

Liverpool v Southampton, Saturday 3pm

View image in fullscreen Harvey Elliott firing past Gianluigi Donnarumma in midweek. Photograph: Franck Fife/AFP/Getty Images

5 Brentford and Villa evenly matched

That this fixture is 10th v 11th is an indictment of the growing strength of the Premier League’s middle class. Villa, after their 3-1 midweek win in Bruges, are set fair for the Champions League quarter-finals. Brentford, particularly at home, are feared by every team in the division. Last time Villa visited in the league, Christmas 2023, Ollie Watkins’s late header against his former side did the damage in a game of two red cards. Both teams are likely to be much changed. In Brentford’s case, injuries no longer wrack Thomas Frank’s selection and, for Villa, Watkins no longer carries such a heavy burden, with Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio added to the mix. Morgan Rogers has also become a key Villa attacker. Both Brentford and Villa excel on the counter and in set pieces and that is where the game is likely to be won. John Brewin

Brentford v Aston Villa, Saturday 5.30pm

6 Cunha’s ban could bite Wolves

Matheus Cunha’s loss of composure in the FA Cup at Bournemouth last week threw open the relegation battle. Without a player of a talent far beyond what the bottom three can boast, Wolves may find themselves circling the drain again, particularly if Cunha’s ban is extended. Vítor Pereira had restored order to Wolves, with his 3-4-3 formation pulling off a huge league win at Bournemouth a fortnight ago; Ruben Amorim might take note. Had David Moyes not returned to Everton, this might have been a relegation six-pointer. Instead, the focus is on how Pereira replaces Cunha. Gonçalo Guedes, Rodrigo Gomes, Hwang Hee-chan and Carlos Forbs are options, though Tommy Doyle could well be pushed further forward to support Jørgen Strand Larsen as a lone striker. Following Everton’s visit, Southampton, West Ham and Ipswich are likely to be the matches Cunha misses. Pereira will hope the five-point gap to the chasing pack is preserved. JB

Wolves v Everton, Saturday 8pm

View image in fullscreen Matheus Cunha sticks the head on Bournemouth’s Milos Kerkez. Photograph: Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images

7 Leicester ponder another change

Is Enzo Maresca about to force Leicester into another managerial switch? It is four months since the man who left the King Power Stadium for Chelsea last summer sealed his replacement’s fate. Leicester fired Steve Cooper after losing at home to Maresca’s Chelsea. Ruud van Nistelrooy, Cooper’s successor, has made little impact since his appointment. Leicester were wretched when they lost 2-0 at West Ham last week and Van Nistelrooy is on thin ice before visiting Chelsea on Sunday. The Dutchman cannot say he has not had had time to prepare for this game. Chelsea, by contrast, have a quick turnaround after visiting FC Copenhagen in the Europa Conference League. Can Leicester take advantage of any weariness in Maresca’s ranks? That was the case when, in another trip to London, they fought back from a goal down to beat Tottenham, who lacked energy after Europa League exertions three days earlier. The only problem, of course, is that Leicester have since lost five on the bounce. Jacob Steinberg

Chelsea v Leicester City, Sunday 2pm

8 Cherries may avoid Solanke reunion

When Dominic Solanke signed a five-year deal at Spurs in the summer after completing a £55m transfer from Bournemouth he would not have foreseen his new club languishing in 13th while his old side pressed for a European place. The striker’s recent absence due to a knee injury has contributed to Tottenham’s struggles, but the Cherries deserve great credit for adapting after his exit. Bournemouth signed Evanilson using the Solanke cash although it’s been Justin Kluivert, Dango Ouattara and Antoine Semenyo who have impressed, netting 26 goals between them so far this season. Solanke looked set for a reunion with his former employers this weekend, but was injured again in the defeat to AZ on Thursday and may be denied the opportunity to prove a point against Andoni Iraola’s side. DB

Tottenham v Bournemouth, Sunday 2pm

View image in fullscreen Dominic Solanke at AZ on Thursday evening. Photograph: Chloe Knott/Tottenham Hotspur FC/Shutterstock

9 United have lost their fear factor

The bleakest season yet in Manchester United’s Premier League years and a meeting with the club who were the key rivals during their peak. To say Mancunian expectations are low would be to put it mildly. If United had hoped Arsenal might be distracted by their Champions League assignment against PSV, a 7-1 first leg win means Mikel Arteta can refocus on whatever crumbs of hope can be found in the title race. It was Arsenal, in December, who handed Ruben Amorim his first defeat as United manager, bludgeoning to a win via two set-piece goals. Have United improved since? Defeats under Amorim have become commonplace, expected even, and his team have become little better at defending set pieces. Calvin Bassey scored for Fulham last week in the FA Cup after United completely failed to read a rehearsed move. For Arsenal, United once held a fear factor but, like just about anyone in 2025, a visit to Old Trafford holds few fears. JB

Manchester United v Arsenal, Sunday 4.30pm

10 Newcastle exposed at crucial stage

Newcastle are in danger of being caught out by their lack of depth. They have looked leggy in recent outings and have injury problems before visiting West Ham on Monday. Lewis Hall’s season-ending foot injury leaves a hole at left-back, Sven Botman could be set for a lengthy absence after learning that he needs knee surgery, Alexander Isak has been struggling with a groin issue and Anthony Gordon is serving a three-match ban after his brainless red card in the FA Cup defeat by Brighton. The problems are mounting for Eddie Howe and he needs his squad players to step up against West Ham. However there are concerns over the quality beneath Newcastle’s starting XI, which could cost them both in next weekend’s Carabao Cup final and with their push for Champions League qualification. JS

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