Premier League action resumes this weekend as Chelsea take on Leicester City while Liverpool welcome arch-rivals Manchester United to Anfield.
Jurgen Klopp will be confident that his Liverpool side can overpower Jose Mourinho’s Red Devils given his men’s rampant form in recent weeks. Unbeaten since a shock loss to Burnley on match day two, Liverpool are on a five-game winning streak that shows little sign of stopping.
United, for their part, have struggled to find the back of the net in recent games despite arguably producing one of their best performances of the season in a frustrating 1-1 draw with Stoke City last time out. The side will take heart from having done the double over the Reds in the Premier League last season, however, despite losing out against the side in the Europa League.
The home side will have to contend with the likely absences of in-form midfielders Adam Lallana and Georginio Wijnaldum, both of whom are struggling with injuries. German defensive midfielder Emre Can and Serbian starlet Marko Grujic are odds on to step up should the pair fail to recover in time for the clash.
Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney is likely to find himself on the bench yet again for the big game as the veteran striker has struggled with a spate of poor form for club and country in recent months. Belgian midfielder Marouane Fellaini, meanwhile, has been tipped to start, while left back Luke Shaw and attacking midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan are doubts. Phil Jones, meanwhile, is a certain absentee through injury.
The clash between the Foxes and Chelsea at Stamford Bridge comes a month on from the sides’ meeting in the League Cup, a tie in which Leicester led 2-0 before Chelsea staged a late comeback to seal progression into the next round. Indeed, the London club have dominated the fixture in recent years, losing just once since 2012.
The Blues will be missing influential Brazilian wing Willian for the tie following the tragic death of the star’s mother, while fellow wing Victor Moses may also miss out following a Nigerian FA uproar over the star’s withdrawal from the national team’s squad in the international break. Meanwhile, talented young centre back Kurt Zouma remains injured.
Leicester are still bereft of the likes of Nampalys Mendy, Yohan Benalouane and Matty James, all of whom are suffering long-term injury layoffs. There is some good news for the side, however, as creative midfielder Danny Drinkwater has overcome a groin problem and is fit and ready to supply the likes of Jamie Vardy and Islam Slimani upfront.
Complete Fixtures:
Saturday, October 15
Chelsea vs Leicester City – 13:30
Arsenal vs Swansea – 16:00
West Bromwich Albion vs Tottenham Hotspur – 16:00
Stoke City vs Sunderland – 16:00
Bournemouth vs Manchester City – 16:00
Hull City vs Everton – 16:00.
Crystal Palace vs West Ham United – 18:30
Sunday, October 16
Middlesbrough vs Watford – 14:30
Southampton vs Burnley – 17:00
Monday, October 17
Liverpool vs Manchester United – 21:00
