The English Premier League returns this weekend with 10 games taking place across Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Saturday hosts the bulk of these games with seven of the 10 happening throughout the day.
With the league creeping closer to its final stages there should be plenty of drama throughout the league as teams look to secure their objectives for the end of the season.
For this reason, we’ve picked out our top five talking points ahead of Saturday’s EPL action:
1 – Liverpool’s youngsters to extend lead at the top of the table?
Liverpool’s injury crisis could’ve left the Reds in a difficult position with multiple important games taking place during the time their players are out on the treatment table. But the youth stars that have been brought into the first team in the past few games have so far shown they are more than capable of performing at the highest level, playing a big part in winning the EFL Cup and progressing past Southampton in the FA Cup.
Now they face Nottingham Forest in the Premier League in a game that could see Liverpool extend their lead at the top of the table to four points, at least until Manchester City play on Sunday. The big talking point ahead of this one will, therefore, be whether Liverpool’s youngsters perform once again and take Jurgen Klopp’s side one step closer to the title.
2 – Newcastle & Wolves hunt for European places
Newcastle and Wolves have had rather opposing seasons in comparison to last campaign, with Newcastle dropping from a fourth-place finish to now being 10th while Wolves have climbed up from 13th to currently being ninth.
Both sides do, however, have the opportunity to push into the European places as there are just seven points between Newcastle and Manchester United in sixth.
This match between the two sides could play a huge part in whether either of these sides qualify come the end of the season with just one point currently separating the two. With this, we expect this game to be a tough battle between two sides who will be desperate for the three points.
3 – Tottenham look to push into top four
Tottenham currently sit fifth in the league with 47 points and Ange Postecoglou will be hoping he can guide his side to a top-four finish in his first season in the job.
Aston Villa, who sit in fourth, do have a five-point lead over Spurs going into this weekend but Tottenham hold a game in hand to be played later in the season that could see this be cut down to just two points.
While it may be a tough task to overtake an Aston Villa side who have been so impressive this season, Tottenham will be looking for a win in their match against Crystal Palace to start putting the pressure on.
4 – Can Brighton hold on to seventh spot?
After recording a record-high sixth-place finish in the Premier League last season, Brighton are once again battling it out with some of the country’s biggest sides for a place in European competition next season.
The Seagulls currently occupy seventh place but the gap between themselves and the sides around them is extremely marginal. Man United have a slight lead above them in sixth with five more points, while the teams below them are right on their tail. West Ham have the same points but an inferior goal difference, while Wolves are a point behind and Newcastle just two.
The question for Brighton now for the remainder of the season will be whether they can hold on to their seventh place or if they will falter in the final stages of the season.
5 – Luton in a desperate situation after Everton’s point deduction changed
News came out during the midweek that Everton’s initial 10-point deduction has been reduced to just six points, pushing the Toffees further clear of the relegation zone. This has left Luton Town in a rather precarious position heading towards the final stages of the season as they find themselves four points adrift at the bottom of the table.
The Hatters do have a game in hand on some of the sides around them, with this being a hugely important game with fellow relegation-threatened Bournemouth, but they need to get points on the board very soon if they wish to continue their fairytale in the Premier League.
