Are Forest the real deal or simply overachievers?
Nottingham Forest vs Liverpool, Tuesday, kick-off 8pm
It was only four months ago that Nottingham Forest inflicted the only blemish on Arne Slot’s otherwise near-perfect Premier League record. Liverpool have also drawn four games, but their only loss came at Anfield in September, and the manner in which it happened clearly hurt Slot.
He believed – as a newcomer to the league – that Forest, a team who finished 17th last season, should not be challenging his title-chasers on home turf. Perhaps he’s right. The result was viewed unilaterally as a major shock and Slot himself called it “a big setback”.
Much has happened since then to alter perception, however. Slot’s attitude has certainly softened: “For us to lose on that day was, for me, hard to take,” he said on Monday. “Now, looking back and seeing where they are in the league, it has not been such a shock.”
Forest have won each of their last six Premier League games, while a win over Liverpool would equal their longest ever winning run. They are currently equal on points with hotly-tipped Arsenal. And they have registered more wins than any other team except leaders Liverpool.
Their respective positions in the table mean this fixture conjures up memories of the late 1970s, early 1980s when Liverpool and Forest were at the peak of their powers together. Clearly Slot’s Reds remain modern-day juggernauts, but Nuno Espirito Santo’s surprise contenders are beginning to hark back to their golden age.
Forest are this season’s overachievers, yes, but should they produce another upset to dent Liverpool’s charge towards Premier League silverware, they may well consider themselves officially in the running too.
Laura Hunter
Man City can’t afford another Brentford scare
Brentford vs Man City, Tuesday, kick-off 7.30pm
Highlights from the last meeting between Manchester City and Brentford
“They are an extraordinary team. We have suffered since they were promoted,” said Pep Guardiola about Brentford, the last time he came up against Thomas Frank’s side last September.
He is not wrong. Brentford have given Man City some real scares in recent years. Frank’s Bees have taken the lead against City in four out of the last five encounters, despite Guardiola’s side going on to win the title after each of those matches.
And that was when City were good. When Guardiola admitted his team were “lucky” to come back and beat Brentford 3-1 last September, the reigning champions had an 100 per cent record in the Premier League and it was the week before Rodri picked up his season-ending injury.
If City’s struggles against Brentford continue and they fall behind, do the reigning champions have enough to come back?
Sam Blitz
Heavy burden for Ings to carry at West Ham
West Ham vs Fulham, Tuesday, kick-off 7.30pm
Despite an opening-game defeat to Aston Villa in the FA Cup for Graham Potter at West Ham, the Soccer Saturday panel believe there is plenty to be positive about
Graham Potter made the dream start to life as West Ham boss when Lucas Paqueta put the Hammers in front against Aston Villa in the FA Cup on Friday night – but the rug was swiftly and ruthlessly pulled from beneath his feet.
Chasing the ball down at full speed, Niclas Fullkrug pulled up clutching his hamstring and gestured to the bench that his evening was over before he had even hit the ground.
Speaking in his post-match press conference, Hammers boss Graham Potter said: “I would imagine it’s quite a severe hamstring injury when you pull up like that, so that’s a concern for us.” Fullkrug has since posted on Instagram that the injury will “sideline me for a while”.
With both Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio out of action for the foreseeable future, too, it leaves Danny Ings as the only out-and-out No 9 at Potter’s disposal. Relying on just one man is not ideal at the best of times, but when that one man has started just four league games since the beginning of 2023/24, the situation becomes a little more stark.
The slate has, of course, been wiped clean with Potter’s arrival – and there is still the possibility of January signings – but, for the time being, Ings has a heavy burden to carry.
Dan Long
Chelsea must turn tide in Champions League hunt
Chelsea vs Bournemouth, Tuesday, kick-off 7.30pm
Chelsea were held to a draw by Crystal Palace in their last Premier League game
Chelsea’s festive period turned a promising league run of nine unbeaten to four in a row without a victory. Their dismal run dripped into their first game of 2025 when they were held to a 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace. Chelsea’s form dented their bold title hopes and is in danger of unravelling their aspirations to earn a place in next season’s Champions League.
Three points separate Chelsea in fourth and Bournemouth in seventh, meaning Enzo Maresca’s Blues could drop out of the top five if the Cherries manage a victory at Stamford Bridge.
When Maresca says nobody expected Chelsea to be competing, there was truth in that. But as form impresses, expectation throughout the season begins to change. Chelsea fans will now expect a strong finish and it’s up to Maresca’s side to deliver that, starting by turning the tide of some poor league results.
William Bitibiri
Derby poorly-timed for misfiring Arsenal
Arsenal vs Tottenham, Wednesday, kick-off 8pm
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta expressed disbelief at Arsenal’s loss to Man Utd
Extra time and penalties, new injuries and another confidence-sapping evening at an increasingly edgy Emirates Stadium. Arsenal’s FA Cup loss to Manchester United, following defeat to Newcastle in the Carabao Cup, was not ideal preparation for Tottenham’s visit.
Arsenal, already without Bukayo Saka, are now likely to be without Gabriel Jesus for even longer. Their attacking injuries, with Ethan Nwaneri also out, leave them reliant on a struggling Kai Havertz. Jurrien Timber and Jorginho were also forced off in Sunday’s game.
Physically, they were looking jaded even before the two cup games, their exhaustion clear in their second-half collapse against Brighton. With no time for a restorative trip to Dubai this year, Mikel Arteta must find a way to reinvigorate his players on the fly.
It is a tough task. How the Arsenal boss would have loved a clear schedule this week. Instead, he must navigate one of their biggest games of the season, one in which anything less than victory will be even tougher for the club’s supporters to tolerate.
Of course, Tottenham endured an FA Cup ordeal of their own on Sunday, needing extra time to beat non-league Tamworth. But the physical demands of that game were far more modest than Arsenal’s. Ange Postecoglou also had the luxury of rotating his side.
Their recent Premier League has been far worse than Arsenal’s, with a solitary point taken from their last four games. But last week’s Carabao Cup win over Liverpool hinted at a corner being turned. They should make the trip across north London sensing an opportunity.
Nick Wright
If anything can take Isak up another level…
Newcastle vs Wolves, Wednesday, kick-off 7.30pm
Alexander Isak was on target again to give Newcastle a 2-1 win at Spurs in their last league match
Alexander Isak has become an unstoppable force against Premier League defences and if there is anything that might raise him up another notch, Newcastle have given it to him.
A rest.
Isak started all of the Magpies’ 16 games prior to Sunday’s FA Cup win over Bromley, where he wasn’t even in the squad owing to a minor hamstring complaint, but should be fit to feature against Wolves on Wednesday.
In the absence of any genuine competition with Callum Wilson’s continued injury problems, the onus has been on the Swedish goal machine and he has delivered, with 14 goals during that run.
It’s the longest run of consecutive club starts since he moved to Tyneside in 2022. In the face of necessity he has delivered, which itself was far from a guarantee.
This is a player who scored only six goals in his final season at Real Sociedad before joining Newcastle. One who was brought to Borussia Dortmund as the next Zlatan Ibrahimovic but left without a league strike to his name.
A tough opening campaign at Newcastle was largely hampered by injury but he has not looked back since. His ability to hold the ball up, play with his back to goal, drift wide or play as a conventional No 9 was missing just one thing – the confidence any top striker needs.
With that, is there a better out-and-out striker in world football right now? His nine goals since the beginning of December top the Premier League charts, and with a full week between matches for the first time since mid-October, Wolves had better have their wits about them.
Ron Walker
Can Moyes’ return get Everton firing?
Everton vs Aston Villa, Wednesday, kick-off 7.30pm
David Moyes looks set to return to Everton – a club he took from a relegation battle to the top four, Europe and a FA Cup final. Sky Sports’ Peter Smith looks back on his transformative first stint in charge at Goodison Park
David Moyes’ first spell in charge of Everton began with a goal after 30 seconds by David Unsworth as they clinched a 2-1 win over Fulham despite a first-half red-card to Thomas Gravesen. It sparked a run of three wins from four games which lifted them to safety.
Thirteen years on, how they would love a repeat. Moyes, now 61, once again inherits a team in need of a saviour. They are without a win in five games and a point above the drop zone.
His first challenge is to get them scoring. Everton laboured to a 2-0 win over Peterborough in the FA Cup under the interim charge of Seamus Coleman and Leighton Baines on Thursday but they have only found the net once in five games in the Premier League. Only bottom-side Southampton have scored fewer goals this season.
Everton’s woeful attacking numbers under Sean Dyche this season
The numbers make grim reading. Everton are even lower than Southampton in terms of expected goals, underlying just how blunt they have been under Sean Dyche. But the hope for supporters is that the return of Moyes provides an immediate confidence boost to those who have struggled so badly in front of goal.
Unai Emery’s Aston Villa make for a tough opponent but they have clear weaknesses defensively and head to what is likely to be a revitalised Goodison Park having lost their last five Premier League away games, conceded a combined 14 goals in the process.
Nick Wright
Welcome signs for Leicester
Leicester vs Crystal Palace, Wednesday, kick-off 7.30pm
Highlights from the Premier League match between Aston Villa and Leicester
Ruud van Nistelrooy admitted the Premier League is the priority for Leicester this season – but the emphatic win against QPR in the FA Cup was exactly what they needed heading into the game against Crystal Palace.
A run of five losses on the bounce had quickly soured the initial optimism Van Nistelrooy’s arrival had provided until a 6-2 win against the Hoops fired them into the fourth round.
Aside from snapping the losing streak, it is the manner of the victory that will please Leicester fans most.
Wasteful finishing played a major role in seeing the club walk away from promising performances against Manchester City and Aston Villa with zero points – so watching goals flood in from all angles would have been a welcome sign for Van Nistelrooy and his squad.
Carrying this form over into the league is now imperative to their season and survival chances. Starting with Palace.
Patrick Rowe
Saints clash a test of Man Utd’s mettle
Man Utd vs Southampton, Thursday, kick-off 8pm
Man Utd skipper Bruno Fernandes says he never doubted Joshua Zirkzee finding his feet at the club following his performance against Arsenal
Amidst all of the FA Cup third-round euphoria, layered on top of a spirited display at Anfield, it’s easy to forget that Manchester United are without a win in their last six. Since their last victory, a 2-1 comeback win at Manchester City, United have lost four and drawn twice.
The last two outings showed a different side to United, a new one. There was a side to the team Ruben Amorim was hoping for since taking charge but has been forced to wait for. United have risen to the challenge at Anfield and the Emirates in showings of great mental fortitude but the real challenge for Amorim’s men is whether they can maintain their level against some of the so-called ‘lesser sides’.
There’s no better test of United’s resolve at the moment than a home clash against the side rock bottom of the Premier League. Should they win convincingly, we can begin to take this supposed new leaf seriously.
William Bitibiri
Can Brighton spark into winning Premier League form?
Ipswich vs Brighton, Thursday, 7.30pm
Highlights from Brighton’s draw with Arsenal
After just three defeats in 15 games in all competitions at the start of the season, Brighton went eight games without victory through the festive period – although still with just two losses.
But for a club with aspirations of European football, consistently drawing won’t get them there. Their 10 draws this season are the most in the Premier League.
However, the Seagulls will be hoping a 4-0 win against Norwich in the FA Cup will give them the boost they need to start picking up points in the league. One of the brightest moments from the third-round tie was Solly March’s fine goal, scored after a lengthy injury lay-off.
It’s another trip to East Anglia on Tuesday evening as they take on Ipswich – a team only in the relegation zone on goal difference and improving with each Premier League game. The Tractor Boys too were victorious in their FA Cup outing at the weekend, and are now three games unbeaten.
It will not be an easy evening for either side and both will feel they can take maximum points. They need them for different reasons, but equally as important.
Charlotte Marsh
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