What to look out for in the Premier League this weekend

The Premier League returns with plenty to get our teeth into. Matthew Chivers digs into what to expect

Eddie Howe, bottom left, desperately needs results from his injury-ravaged squad (Getty)

The Premier League is trying something a little different this weekend as it serves up the first instalment of a split matchweek of games over the next fortnight, with every fixture shown live on UK TV, to cater for the new mid-season break.

Four fixtures take place this weekend – Everton vs Crystal Palace, Brighton vs Watford, Sheffield United vs Bournemouth, Manchester City vs West Ham – before the remaining six split over the next weekend, culminating in Chelsea vs Manchester United on Monday 17 February.

Ahead of this weekend’s games, here are the big talking points:

Everton vs Crystal Palace

This is the third consecutive season that Everton have been in ninth place after matchweek 25 in the Premier League. It is also the third consecutive season that Everton have not had a player in the top five goalscorers in the league, since Romelu Lukaku notched up 25 goals in the 2016/2017 season. Yet in Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who leads the scoring charts this season with 10 goals, the club have a reliable finisher who can do just about everything: quick, strong, good in the air and able to sniff out chances in the box. If he continues his form against Palace on Saturday, he could help Everton set their sights on a top six finish, and even begin bringing himself into contention for England duty this summer.

Palace are on a concerning run of form, having won two of their last 12 games in all competitions. They are six points clear of the relegation zone but have taken the least amount of shots of any team in the league this season. Manager Roy Hodgson needs to turn things around quickly, but Carlo Ancelotti’s Everton have only been beaten by Manchester City in the league since the Italian’s appointment. The Eagles’ bad streak may get worse at Goodison Park before it gets better.

Brighton vs Watford

Brighton have only five clean sheets this season, but they boast a stubborn record against the Hornets. In five encounters, the Seagulls have kept four clean sheets against Watford, and won 3-0 at Vicarage Road in August. This is a big bottom-of-the-table clash and manager Graham Potter will want the likes of Lewis Dunk, Adam Webster and Shane Duffy to hold the fort again. Brighton have only kept two clean sheets in their past 16 games in all competitions, and although they produced a fine comeback from 3-1 down at West Ham to draw 3-3, they could do with another shut-out this weekend.

Since Watford’s return to the top flight in 2015, this is the first time that they find themselves in the bottom three at this stage of the season. Despite chopping and changing managers almost every season, Watford fans are not used to the prospect of relegation at the start of February. There have been clear signs of improvement under Nigel Pearson, but last week was a step backwards losing 3-2 at home to Everton, having been 2-0 up. They are two points from safety and need a win to rise from a position the club is not used to at this stage of the season.

Sheffield United vs Bournemouth

Although Jurgen Klopp will be expected to win the manager of the season award, next in line should be Chris Wilder. Arguably what is most extraordinary about the Blades’ sixth place league position is that after 25 games they have only scored 26 goals. Manchester United have scored 10 more, but are a point worse off. John Fleck and Lys Mousset are the club’s top scorers on five goals, but in 19 league appearances David McGoldrick has failed to score. Their new signing Sander Berge could help as a provider, but if the Blades beat Bournemouth this weekend, do not expect a thriller.

Bournemouth have had to deal with a never-ending injury list which could cost them their come the end of the season. Defenders Charlie Daniels, Chris Mepham and Lloyd Kelly have uncertain return dates, as well as Jack Stacey who was forced off in their 3-1 win against Brighton in January. Last season David Brooks bagged seven goals and five assists, but the Welshman suffered ankle ligament damage in the summer and further setbacks have stemmed from that. The Cherries have also been without Josh King and Jefferson Lerma is suspended – Eddie Howe’s side may well struggle again this weekend with a depleted squad.

Manchester City vs West Ham

Manchester City are currently 22 points behind Liverpool, if you didn’t already know. The last time there was a gap anything like this large between City and top spot at this stage was when they trailed Manchester United by 28 points in the 2008/2009 campaign. This is quite staggering considering Pep Guardiola’s squad on paper, but it goes to show how brilliant Liverpool have been. Every week is a case of consolidating second place for City and although their standards have significantly fallen, they should find no issue in beginning to chip away at the deficit against the Hammers on Sunday.

At West Ham it seems every week there is a fresh outcry that rises relating to David Gold and David Sullivan. A key problem that has stemmed from the club’s incompetence is their failure to sign a good striker. The Hammers signed Sebastien Haller from Eintracht Frankfurt for a club record £45m last summer, but he has only scored six goals in 24 league games. The Frenchman has followed the same fate as the likes of Lucas Perez, Simone Zaza and Ashley Fletcher as forwards who have failed to stamp their authority up top. If West Ham want to test City, the big-money signings must start performing.