December 01, (THEWILL) – The tight festive season schedule is ramping up in the English Premier League and on Wednesday, a slew of fixtures await football fans with telling consequences at the top of the standings.
The involvement of all three top teams in away matches on Wednesday means there is a lot at stake as only one point separates Chelsea, the league leaders, from defending champions Manchester City, with previous champions, Liverpool hot on the heels of the leading pair.
That is why Chelsea away to Watford carries as much weight as City’s trip to Villa Park and Liverpool’s Merseyside derby because no team can afford to slip. Chelsea have already seen their loss of two points in the draw against Manchester United cut their comfortable lead to a single point and it is a fair warning to all three of the importance of keeping a winning streak going in the title chase.
THEWILL previews those matches and the game between the Saints and Leicester for a snapshot of the excitement to anticipate in the EPL midweek games.
Southampton Versus Leicester – 8:30 pm
Southampton will welcome Leicester City to St Mary’s on Wednesday evening, looking to put their humiliating 4-0 loss to Liverpool behind them. While the Saints were being ripped apart by Jurgen Klopp’s side, the Foxes beat Claudio Ranieri’s Watford 4-2 in a goal-fest that had Wilfred Ndidi on the scoresheet.
Southampton has not played in front of their home crowd since Premier League activity started this month, but they have earned seven points from the last nine available at St Mary’s, including clean sheets in victories over Burnley and Aston Villa.
The Foxes have not kept a clean sheet in the Premier League since the season began, scoring and conceding in each of their six away games so far making it tough to predict what to anticipate from this inconsistent Brendan Rodgers’ squad. Kelechi Iheanacho has also not featured fully recently, playing only five minutes against Legia Warsaw on November 25 and 45 minutes in the November 20 3-nil loss to Chelsea.
Watford Versus Chelsea – 8:30 pm
Chelsea will attempt to return to winning ways in the Premier League during Wednesday’s London derby against Watford, with the gap at the top of the league already reduced to just one point. While United held Thomas Tuchel’s team to a 1-1 draw, the Hornets were defeated 4-2 by Leicester City in difficult conditions.
Chelsea should be wary of what Watford can do at home if they have done their homework on the Hornets’ thrashing of United, but they have lost four and drawn one of their previous five Vicarage Road matches. The Blues will need to be on the lookout for Nigerian forward Emmanuel Dennis, if he is declared fit to play.
Chelsea has won their previous four league games on the road without surrendering a goal, and they are the only Premier League team not to lose on home soil this season. Ranieri will be fortunate to avoid a loss.
Aston Villa Versus Manchester City – 9:15 pm
Aston Villa are looking to make it two wins in a row under Steven Gerrard’s guidance as they prepare to host Manchester City at Villa Park on Wednesday. At the weekend, the hosts defeated Crystal Palace 2-1, while the Citizens defeated West Ham United by the same score.
Villa are currently 13th in the Premier League table, with a top-half finish possible if results go their way this week. Gerrard has made a perfect start to life back in England. As a result, City cannot afford to take anything for granted, as Gerrard attempts to spread even more festive cheer among the Villa Park fans.
It would be fascinating to see how Jack Grealish is received upon his return to Villa Park, but the attacking midfielder is still out with an injury. Yet, even without Kevin De Bruyne (COVID), Ferran Torres (fracture), Aymeric Laporte (suspension) and Grealish, City can still return with all three points.
Everton Versus Liverpool – 9:15 pm
Everton and Liverpool, two Merseyside rivals in very different forms, renew hostilities for Wednesday’s Premier League clash at Goodison Park. Last time out, the Toffees lost 1-0 to Brentford, while Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool cruised to a 4-0 victory against Southampton at home.
Everton have slipped to 14th in the Premier League table after suffering five defeats in their last six games, including each of their last three away from home. They have now gone three Premier League games without scoring, and one of the Premier League’s ever-presents is now just six points above the relegation zone.
Rafa Benitez’s side has taken just one point from the last nine points on offer at Goodison Park, which will be music to Klopp’s ears. Klopp’s side took advantage of Chelsea’s draw against Manchester United to move within two points of the league leaders. Klopp’s side has scored at least two goals in each of their last 17 games in all competitions.
Last season, Liverpool and Everton drew 2-2 in this match, which was notable for Virgil van Dijk’s horrific injury. The Dutchman might be looking to make them pay.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
