Photo by ISIphotos.com
By NICK IUELE
While the rest of Europe’s top leagues are on winter break, the English Premier League remains in full swing and there are a handful of quality match-ups to enjoy this weekend.
Chelsea travels to Goodison Park to take on Everton in a battle between two of the current top five clubs in the Premiership. Everton is on a roll, having won three league matches in a row, and the Toffees now trail the Blues by just two points for the final automatic Champions League position. Chelsea, however, have enjoyed some of their best soccer of the season recently, scoring 14 goals in their last three games across all competitions.
In-form Tottenham Hotspur have the best shot at moving up with a win over Sunderland on Saturday. Spurs are only two points behind Chelsea for an automatic UEFA Champions League spot and have lost just once in their last seven matches to inch their way up the table. With Chelsea and Everton beating up on each other, Spurs can take advantage by earning all three points.
Table-toppers Manchester United have a potentially tough match on Saturday when they host West Bromwich Albion. United is well clear of the competition with 46 points, seven ahead of Manchester City, but West Brom has hung around the top six for the first half of the season and continues to do so, which makes them a test for a coasting United side. The Red Devils should have all three points at Old Trafford, but not without a fight against the sixth-placed Baggies.
Here are this weekend’s English Premier League matches:
Sunderland v Tottenham Hotspur
Aston Villa v Wigan Athletic
Fulham v Swansea City
Manchester United v West Bromwich Albion
Norwich City v Manchester City
Reading v West Ham United
Stoke City v Southampton
Arsenal v Newcastle
Everton v Chelsea
Queens Park Rangers v Liverpool