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Following Thanksgiving Day festivities for the Yanks, the Premier League is back from another international week, and but don’t worry, that’s the last break for a while! Given the frantic upcoming congested schedule, you won’t be left wanting any time soon unless you are the most rabid fan on the planet. What’s in the cards this weekend?
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SATURDAY
There’s no “early” game. Six matches all run concurrently, much to the delight of fantasy managers whose fantasy formats allowed them to see twelve confirmed team rosters near deadline time:
Brighton has been all over the place: a loss to start the season, then a win, a loss, two draws, two losses, three wins, and now two losses.
Meanwhile, Leicester has a win and a draw in the emotional times since the tragic accident that claimed club owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha’s life.
The Foxes have failed to score more than once in five straight games, while the Seagulls have allowed two in each of the past two tilts following three successive clean sheets. Do we get an outburst from the home side, or do things remain muted?
A club that is almost equally as likely to win, lose, or draw is at home against a side that is generally prone to losing. So you probably think that the Toffees will win, but since the Bluebirds are coming off a victory, and have two wins in its past four tries, hey, you never know.
It took twelve games, but the Premier League finally got its first sacking of the season, Slavisa Jokanovic getting the axe from last-place Fulham. He is replaced by legendary Claudio Ranieri.
The former Leicester City miracle-worker certainly couldn’t ask for a much better first fixture as the hapless Cottagers welcome 17th place Saints who have not scored more than one goal in any of the past seven games. How will one of the league’s weakest offenses fare against the worst defense? Can either team grab the spoils in this early six-pointer?
Manchester United v. Crystal Palace
The Red Devils finished 2nd last season but have slipped to the 8th spot at the moment. Palace has sputtered from 11th to 16th. Will either team be able to kick-start a move toward better pastures as expected? And with Palace seemingly unable to score (tied for second-fewest goals in the league) and United strangely unable to stop anybody (tied for fifth-most scores allowed), what gives?
In the up-and-down-and-around-again department, Watford is an awful lot like Brighton, only a bit more up. With Liverpool coming to town, expectations for the Hornets may not be too high, but the 2nd place Reds will undoubtedly not be looking past the Hornets, who beat Spurs earlier in the season.
Manuel Pellegrini welcomes his old team to London, and if things go to form, the skipper of the 13th place side is not going to enjoy the visit of the title holders who have strong designs on repeating.
Tottenham v. Chelsea (late game)
Woo-hoo, one week after Manchester madness, it’s a top-drawer London derby! We’ve got 4th place against 3rd, as a team that has lost only once in its past seven league games hosts a side that has yet to be beaten in any competition so far this season. Mauricio Pochettino v. Maurizio Sarri, Harry Kane v. Eden Hazard, is there any way you won’t be watching?
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SUNDAY
Bournemouth v. Arsenal (early game)
5th place Arsenal may be able to sneak into 4th place if things break right in the Saturday’s London derby, but the Gunners won’t want to dismiss 6th place Bournemouth. Of course, the Cherries will need to reverse recent form after losing their past two games (at Newcastle and at Manchester United). Meanwhile, Arsenal is coming off three straight draws. With the game at Vitality Stadium, how confident are you of how this one’s going to turn out?
Wolverhampton v. Huddersfield (late game)
Fans at the Molineux will expect good things for the home side, given Wolves’ tough defense combined with Huddersfield’s horrible offense. Wolves have only scored plural goals thrice this season, but a single score may be enough. Then again, the Terriers have allowed multiple goals on five occasions, so maybe there could be an explosion after all.
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MONDAY
Burnley v. Newcastle
The teams have identical records — two wins, three losses, and seven draws — but are headed in different directions. Newcastle has notched both of its victories in the past two games, and is unbeaten in its last three affairs. Meanwhile, Burnley has not won in its last five tries, enduring three losses and being outscored 14-3 in that span. Both of the Magpies’ wins, however, came at St. James’ Park, and this one’s at Turf Moor.
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HOW TO WATCH EPL GAMES THIS WEEKEND (in U.S.)
Dates: November 24-26
Times: Various
Available Broadcast TV: NBC; Telemundo
Available Cable TV: CNBC; NBCSN; Universo
Available Streaming: NBC Sports Gold; DirecTV Now, Fubo.TV, Hulu, PlayStation Vue, and Sling TV
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There’s a fun-filled slate of games over the three-day weekend, so be sure to join us in the comments as the action unfolds live!
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