Will Nottingham Forest show they’re title contenders in opposition to Liverpool as depleted Arsenal host Tottenham – Premier League speaking factors

Are Forest the true deal or just overachievers?

Nottingham Forest vs Liverpool, Tuesday, kick-off 8pm

It was solely 4 months in the past that Nottingham Forest inflicted the one blemish on Arne Slot’s in any other case near-perfect Premier League report. Liverpool have additionally drawn 4 video games, however their solely loss got here at Anfield in September, and the way by which it occurred clearly harm Slot.

He believed – as a newcomer to the league – that Forest, a staff who completed seventeenth final season, shouldn’t be difficult his title-chasers on residence turf. Maybe he is proper. The consequence was seen unilaterally as a significant shock and Slot himself referred to as it “a big setback”.

A lot has occurred since then to change notion, nevertheless. Slot’s angle has actually softened: “For us to lose on that day was, for me, hard to take,” he stated on Monday. “Now, looking back and seeing where they are in the league, it has not been such a shock.”

Forest have received every of their final six Premier League video games, whereas a win over Liverpool would equal their longest ever successful run. They’re at present equal on factors with hotly-tipped Arsenal. And so they have registered extra wins than every other staff besides leaders Liverpool.

Their respective positions within the desk imply this fixture conjures up recollections of the late Nineteen Seventies, early Nineteen Eighties when Liverpool and Forest have been on the peak of their powers collectively. Clearly Slot’s Reds stay modern-day juggernauts, however Nuno Espirito Santo’s shock contenders are starting to hark again to their golden age.

Forest are this season’s overachievers, sure, however ought to they produce one other upset to dent Liverpool’s cost in the direction of Premier League silverware, they could nicely think about themselves formally within the operating too.
Laura Hunter

Man Metropolis cannot afford one other Brentford scare

Brentford vs Man Metropolis, Tuesday, kick-off 7.30pm

“They are an extraordinary team. We have suffered since they were promoted,” stated Pep Guardiola about Brentford, the final time he got here up in opposition to Thomas Frank’s aspect final September.

He’s not mistaken. Brentford have given Man Metropolis some actual scares in recent times. Frank’s Bees have taken the lead in opposition to Metropolis in 4 out of the final 5 encounters, regardless of Guardiola’s aspect occurring to win the title after every of these matches.

And that was when Metropolis have been good. When Guardiola admitted his staff have been “lucky” to come back again and beat Brentford 3-1 final September, the reigning champions had an 100 per cent report within the Premier League and it was the week earlier than Rodri picked up his season-ending harm.

If Metropolis’s struggles in opposition to Brentford proceed they usually fall behind, do the reigning champions have sufficient to come back again?
Sam Blitz

Heavy burden for Ings to hold at West Ham

West Ham vs Fulham, Tuesday, kick-off 7.30pm

Graham Potter made the dream begin to life as West Ham boss when Lucas Paqueta put the Hammers in entrance in opposition to Aston Villa within the FA Cup on Friday night time – however the rug was swiftly and ruthlessly pulled from beneath his ft.

Chasing the ball down at full pace, Niclas Fullkrug pulled up clutching his hamstring and gestured to the bench that his night was over earlier than he had even hit the bottom.

Talking in his post-match press convention, Hammers boss Graham Potter stated: “I would imagine it’s quite a severe hamstring injury when you pull up like that, so that’s a concern for us.” Fullkrug has since posted on Instagram that the harm will “sideline me for a while”.

With each Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio out of motion for the foreseeable future, too, it leaves Danny Ings as the one out-and-out No 9 at Potter’s disposal. Counting on only one man shouldn’t be supreme at one of the best of instances, however when that one man has began simply 4 league video games for the reason that starting of 2023/24, the scenario turns into just a little extra stark.

The slate has, in fact, been cleaned with Potter’s arrival – and there may be nonetheless the potential for January signings – however, in the meanwhile, Ings has a heavy burden to hold.
Dan Lengthy

Chelsea should flip tide in Champions League hunt

Chelsea vs Bournemouth, Tuesday, kick-off 7.30pm

Chelsea’s festive interval turned a promising league run of 9 unbeaten to 4 in a row and not using a victory. Their dismal run dripped into their first sport of 2025 after they have been held to a 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace. Chelsea’s kind dented their daring title hopes and is in peril of unravelling their aspirations to earn a spot in subsequent season’s Champions League.

Three factors separate Chelsea in fourth and Bournemouth in seventh, that means Enzo Maresca’s Blues may drop out of the highest 5 if the Cherries handle a victory at Stamford Bridge.

When Maresca says no person anticipated Chelsea to be competing, there was fact in that. However as kind impresses, expectation all through the season begins to vary. Chelsea followers will now count on a robust end and it is as much as Maresca’s aspect to ship that, beginning by turning the tide of some poor league outcomes.
William Bitibiri

Derby poorly-timed for misfiring Arsenal

Arsenal vs Tottenham, Wednesday, kick-off 8pm

Additional time and penalties, new accidents and one other confidence-sapping night at an more and more edgy Emirates Stadium. Arsenal’s FA Cup loss to Manchester United, following defeat to Newcastle within the Carabao Cup, was not supreme preparation for Tottenham’s go to.

Arsenal, already with out Bukayo Saka, at the moment are prone to be with out Gabriel Jesus for even longer. Their attacking accidents, with Ethan Nwaneri additionally out, depart them reliant on a struggling Kai Havertz. Jurrien Timber and Jorginho have been additionally pressured off in Sunday’s sport.

Bodily, they have been trying jaded even earlier than the 2 cup video games, their exhaustion clear of their second-half collapse in opposition to Brighton. With no time for a restorative journey to Dubai this yr, Mikel Arteta should discover a approach to reinvigorate his gamers on the fly.

It’s a robust job. How the Arsenal boss would have liked a transparent schedule this week. As an alternative, he should navigate one among their largest video games of the season, one by which something lower than victory shall be even harder for the membership’s supporters to tolerate.

After all, Tottenham endured an FA Cup ordeal of their very own on Sunday, needing further time to beat non-league Tamworth. However the bodily calls for of that sport have been way more modest than Arsenal’s. Ange Postecoglou additionally had the luxurious of rotating his aspect.

Their latest Premier League has been far worse than Arsenal’s, with a solitary level taken from their final 4 video games. However final week’s Carabao Cup win over Liverpool hinted at a nook being turned. They need to make the journey throughout north London sensing a possibility.
Nick Wright

If something can take Isak up one other degree…

Newcastle vs Wolves, Wednesday, kick-off 7.30pm

Alexander Isak has develop into an unstoppable power in opposition to Premier League defences and if there may be something which may increase him up one other notch, Newcastle have given it to him.

A relaxation.

Isak began all the Magpies’ 16 video games previous to Sunday’s FA Cup win over Bromley, the place he wasn’t even within the squad owing to a minor hamstring criticism, however must be match to function in opposition to Wolves on Wednesday.

Within the absence of any real competitors with Callum Wilson’s continued harm issues, the onus has been on the Swedish objective machine and he has delivered, with 14 objectives throughout that run.

It is the longest run of consecutive membership begins since he moved to Tyneside in 2022. Within the face of necessity he has delivered, which itself was removed from a assure.

This can be a participant who scored solely six objectives in his remaining season at Actual Sociedad earlier than becoming a member of Newcastle. One who was dropped at Borussia Dortmund as the following Zlatan Ibrahimovic however left and not using a league strike to his title.

A tricky opening marketing campaign at Newcastle was largely hampered by harm however he has not seemed again since. His skill to carry the ball up, play together with his again to objective, drift huge or play as a traditional No 9 was lacking only one factor – the arrogance any high striker wants.

With that, is there a greater out-and-out striker in world soccer proper now? His 9 objectives for the reason that starting of December high the Premier League charts, and with a full week between matches for the primary time since mid-October, Wolves had higher have their wits about them.
Ron Walker

Can Moyes’ return get Everton firing?

Everton vs Aston Villa, Wednesday, kick-off 7.30pm

David Moyes’ first spell in control of Everton started with a objective after 30 seconds by David Unsworth as they clinched a 2-1 win over Fulham regardless of a first-half red-card to Thomas Gravesen. It sparked a run of three wins from 4 video games which lifted them to security.

13 years on, how they’d love a repeat. Moyes, now 61, as soon as once more inherits a staff in want of a saviour. They’re and not using a win in 5 video games and a degree above the drop zone.

His first problem is to get them scoring. Everton laboured to a 2-0 win over Peterborough within the FA Cup underneath the interim cost of Seamus Coleman and Leighton Baines on Thursday however they’ve solely discovered the web as soon as in 5 video games within the Premier League. Solely bottom-side Southampton have scored fewer objectives this season.

The numbers make grim studying. Everton are even decrease than Southampton by way of anticipated objectives, underlying simply how blunt they’ve been underneath Sean Dyche. However the hope for supporters is that the return of Moyes supplies an instantaneous confidence increase to those that have struggled so badly in entrance of objective.

Unai Emery’s Aston Villa make for a troublesome opponent however they’ve clear weaknesses defensively and head to what’s prone to be a revitalised Goodison Park having misplaced their final 5 Premier League away video games, conceded a mixed 14 objectives within the course of.
Nick Wright

Welcome indicators for Leicester

Leicester vs Crystal Palace, Wednesday, kick-off 7.30pm

Ruud van Nistelrooy admitted the Premier League is the precedence for Leicester this season – however the emphatic win in opposition to QPR within the FA Cup was precisely what they wanted heading into the sport in opposition to Crystal Palace.

A run of 5 losses on the bounce had rapidly soured the preliminary optimism Van Nistelrooy’s arrival had supplied till a 6-2 win in opposition to the Hoops fired them into the fourth spherical.

Other than snapping the dropping streak, it’s the method of the victory that may please Leicester followers most.

Wasteful ending performed a significant function in seeing the membership stroll away from promising performances in opposition to Manchester Metropolis and Aston Villa with zero factors – so watching objectives flood in from all angles would have been a welcome signal for Van Nistelrooy and his squad.

Carrying this kind over into the league is now crucial to their season and survival possibilities. Beginning with Palace.
Patrick Rowe

Saints conflict a check of Man Utd’s mettle

Man Utd vs Southampton, Thursday, kick-off 8pm

Amidst all the FA Cup third-round euphoria, layered on high of a spirited show at Anfield, it is easy to neglect that Manchester United are and not using a win of their final six. Since their final victory, a 2-1 comeback win at Manchester Metropolis, United have misplaced 4 and drawn twice.

The final two outings confirmed a unique aspect to United, a brand new one. There was a aspect to the staff Ruben Amorim hoped for since taking cost however has been pressured to attend for. United have risen to the problem at Anfield and the Emirates in showings of nice psychological fortitude however the true problem for Amorim’s males is whether or not they can preserve their degree in opposition to a number of the so-called ‘lesser sides’.

There is not any higher check of United’s resolve in the meanwhile than a house conflict in opposition to the aspect all-time low of the Premier League. Ought to they win convincingly, we will start to take this supposed new leaf severely.
William Bitibiri

Can Brighton spark into successful Premier League kind?

Ipswich vs Brighton, Thursday, 7.30pm

After simply three defeats in 15 video games in all competitions in the beginning of the season, Brighton went eight video games with out victory via the festive interval – though nonetheless with simply two losses.

However for a membership with aspirations of European soccer, persistently drawing will not get them there. Their 10 attracts this season are essentially the most within the Premier League.

Nevertheless, the Seagulls shall be hoping a 4-0 win in opposition to Norwich within the FA Cup will give them the increase they should begin selecting up factors within the league. One of many brightest moments from the third-round tie was Solly March’s advantageous objective, scored after a prolonged harm lay-off.

It is one other journey to East Anglia on Tuesday night as they tackle Ipswich – a staff solely within the relegation zone on objective distinction and bettering with every Premier League sport. The Tractor Boys too have been victorious of their FA Cup outing on the weekend, and at the moment are three video games unbeaten.

It is not going to be a straightforward night for both aspect and each will really feel they will take most factors. They want them for various causes, however equally as essential.
Charlotte Marsh

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