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The English Premier League’s weird and unprecedented “winter break” is in our rearview mirror, and a relatively conventional Saturday/Sunday/Monday game-week kicks off.
The team news is in, and the week’s first lineups are out, so let’s tuck into Round 27.
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Saturday 22 February
Manchester City’s recent Champions League ban has placed added importance on this clash between fourth-place Chelsea and fifth-place Spurs. With the Citizens ineligible for the CL tournament next year pending appeal, both the Blues and Spurs are effectively in CL position right now. But either could fall out with a loss or a tie combined with a Blades win.Chelsea won the reverse fixture 2-0, and this time Jose Mourinho’s biggest guns will miss out: Heung-Min Son now joins Harry Kane on the long-term disabled list.
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Burnley has stitched together a four-game unbeaten streak that has elevated them into eleventh place. With City out of the European picture for next year, they may now even fancy a shot at a Europa league berth. But the Cherries have taken six of the last nine points available to them and will not want to risk sinking into the relegation zone with a loss today.
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Once positioned as high as fifth, the Eagles are on a seven-game winless streak and will be flirting with the drop zone if they can’t manage a result today. Newcastle had been headed in the other direction until a four-game unbeaten streak was spoiled by Arsenal last weekend. Steve Bruce will surely be looking for a reaction from the Magpies today.
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Don’t look now, but with Manchester City disqualified from the Champions League next year, the Blades are in serious contention for Europe! Meanwhile, the Seagulls are perched just three points above the drop zone after a six-game run with out a win, so their concerns will be centered on the other end of the table.
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The Saints have lost three of their last four, but Ralph Hassenhuttl (and thousands of fantasy managers) will at least be glad that Danny Ings rediscovered his scoring boots last time out. He’ll need to lace them up again today, as Southampton has conceded more goals at home than any other EPL side this season. That’s a fact that will make Dean Smith smile after Villa lost at the death despite a fine attacking display against Spurs last weekend.
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After fourth hosts fifth at Stamford Bridge this morning, third will host second at the King Power Stadium. The Foxes haven’t won a league match in over a month, and blog favorite Jamie Vardy hasn’t scored since before Christmas. The outlook for Leicester doesn’t look too bright today then, as City have lost only one of their last seven.
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Sunday 23 February
The Red Devils orchestrated an impressive 2-0 win over the Blues at Stamford Bridge two weeks ago, but they’ve struggled to achieve consistency all year. The home tie with Watford will afford them a good chance to build on their last outing, with the Hornets in 19th place and winless in their last four. Watford actually beat United 2-0 in the reverse fixture, but they’ve never managed to pick up even a single point at Old Trafford in league play.
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Wolves are winless in their last three league games and haven’t scored in their last two. But they wrecked Espanyol 4-0 in Europa League play on Thursday and look to be back to their best. The Canaries remain nailed to the bottom of the table, but will be buoyed by an impressive performance in their last match, in which they played the European champions to a narrow 0-1 defeat.
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The Gunners are undefeated across all competitions in 2020 — a testament to the new belief that Mikel Arteta has instilled in his players. But only Liverpool has collected more points than Everton since the day Carlo Ancelotti was named head coach at Goodison Park, and the Toffees have now overtaken the Gunners in the table. This one could be a cracker.
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Monday 24 February
The Hammers have won only once since November, and this week they travel to Anfield to face the world’s best football team on a pitch where the Reds are nigh invincible, winning twenty straight at home. Monday they’ll make it twenty-one.
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[All stats sourced from sportsmole.co.uk]
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How many Liverpool players are you fielding for their cherry home fixture against the Hammers? Which teams do you favor in the top-of-the-table matches at the King Power Stadium and Stamford Bridge? Will we see Sheffield United sitting in a Champions League slot come Monday? Please join us in the Comments as we watch Game-week 27 unfold.
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