MX23RW : Friday, April 26 00:28:10| >> :120:17460:17460:

Five talking points ahead of this weekend's Premier League action

Liverpool only need four wins from their last 11 league fixtures to claim their first league title since 1990.

Champions-elect Liverpool have a chance to extend their lead over second-placed Manchester City to a huge 25 points in the Premier League with victory at Watford on Saturday.

The Reds only need four wins from their last 11 league fixtures to claim their first league title since 1990, having won 26 of their 27 games so far.

Here, the PA news agency look at five main talking points surrounding this weekend's top-flight action.

Liverpool set to lay down new marker

Runaway leaders Liverpool were made to work hard on Monday night to eventually overcome a stubborn West Ham side and claim a 3-2 triumph at Anfield. The victory saw Liverpool match the points tally registered by Manchester United during their treble-winning season in 1999 and also record the same amount of wins as Arsenal did during their 'Invincibles' campaign in 2004 – with 11 games still remaining. Jurgen Klopp's side also secured their 21st successive home win with three points and equalled Manchester City's Premier League record of 18 consecutive league victories in the process. A trip to second-from-bottom Watford awaits Liverpool on Saturday evening, where they will look to set another landmark success at Vicarage Road.

Last chance saloon for Norwich?

Norwich are slipping towards an immediate return to the Sky Bet Championship
Norwich are slipping towards an immediate return to the Sky Bet Championship (Nick Potts/PA)

Norwich sit seven points from safety with 11 matches remaining and kick off this weekend's fixtures by hosting high-flying Leicester on Friday evening. James Maddison returns to Carrow Road for the first time since moving to Leicester in June 2018, which could worsen their survival hopes should the Foxes prevail. Norwich need to target victory to give themselves any chance of Premier League survival, with a daunting set of fixtures still come as they travel to Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City in three of their final four away games. However, it seems an immediate return to the Sky Bet Championship is inevitable for Daniel Farke's team.

Worries for winless West Ham

David Moyes' second tenure at West Ham started with a bang as they recorded successive victories against Bournemouth and Gillingham, but it has been a struggle ever since. They have picked up only two points from a possible 21 in the Premier League thanks to home draws against Everton and West Ham, with Hammers fans venting their anger at the board as the team slipped in the bottom three. There is some positivity for the London club following a confident display at Liverpool on Monday, however, they face a Southampton outfit who had won four successive away games before their own Anfield mauling last time out.

Can Chelsea bounce back?

Chelsea were beaten 3-0 at home to Bayern Munich in the Champions League in midweek
Chelsea were beaten 3-0 at home to Bayern Munich in the Champions League in midweek (Mike Egerton/PA)

Frank Lampard's side were thoroughly outplayed during their 3-0 first-leg defeat at home to Bayern Munich on Tuesday and he will need to pick up his players following the masterclass by the Bavarian outfit. Chelsea return to domestic football by travelling to a Bournemouth team who are in a battle for safety, sitting just two points above the relegation zone. The Blues have failed to win any of their last three away games in the Premier League but have been stronger on the road than at Stamford Bridge this season, while Eddie Howe's side have won their last two at the Vitality Stadium. It will be an intriguing clash, especially after Bournemouth completed the double over Chelsea last season and it is hard to call who will come out on top on the south coast.

Battle for Europe

Chelsea boosted their top-four chances when they beat Tottenham 2-1 at Stamford Bridge last week to open up a three-point gap to fifth-placed Manchester United. However, only five points separate the Red Devils and 11th-placed Everton as the battle for the Europa League spots intensifies. On Sunday, United travel to Everton, who defeated them 4-0 in this fixture last season, while Spurs host Wolves – with the two teams sitting sixth and eighth respectively. Sheffield United and Arsenal are not in action due to Aston Villa and Manchester City's involvement in the Carabao Cup final, while in-form Burnley could jump up to eighth place with victory at Newcastle on Saturday.

ID:391204: cacheID:391204:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:9491:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Ayoze Perez in action for Leicester City on January 22, 2020
Read Next:
Brendan Rodgers "wouldn't be surprised" to see Ayoze Perez earn Spain call-up
>
Read more about Liverpool Football
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
10am
Bublik
Carballes Baena
10am
Marozsan
Cerundolo
10am
Musetti
Seyboth Wild
10am
Paul
Klein
10am
Rublev
Bagnis
10am
Andreeva
Noskova
10am
Bronzetti
Rybakina
10am
Garcia
Wang
10am
Pavlyuchenkova
Saville
11.30am
Altmaier
Fils
11.30am
Martin Etcheverry
Shapovalov
11.30am
Alexandrova
Krueger
11.30am
Bucsa
Kasatkina
11.30am
Dolehide
Kalinina
11.30am
Jimenez Kasintseva
Paolini
11.30am
Linette
Sabalenka
1pm
Baez
Van Assche
1pm
Hurkacz
Draper
1pm
Bejlek
Kalinskaya
1pm
Cristian
Krejcikova
1pm
Kostyuk
Sherif
2pm
Zheng
Putintseva
2.30pm
Humbert
Van De Zandschulp
2.30pm
Darderi
Fritz
2.30pm
Boulter
Montgomery
3pm
Shevchenko
Alcaraz
3.30pm
Vondrousova
Rogers
4pm
Griekspoor
Daniel
4pm
Munar
Struff
5pm
Navone
Rune
7pm
Coric
Zverev
8.30pm
Collins
Danilovic
11.30am
Shang
Davidovich Fokina
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal34245582265677
2Manchester CityMan City33237380324876
3Liverpool34228475344174
4Aston Villa34206871502166
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs32186865491660
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd33165125150153
7Newcastle UnitedNewcastle331551369541550
8West Ham UnitedWest Ham34139125463-948
9Chelsea32138116157447
10Bournemouth34129134960-1145
11Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton331111115254-244
12Wolverhampton WanderersWolves34127154654-843
13Fulham34126165054-442
14Crystal Palace34109154456-1239
15Brentford3498175259-735
16Everton34118153648-1233
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3479184260-1826
18Luton TownLuton3467214775-2825
19Burnley3458213769-3223
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd3437243392-5916


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!