MANCHESTER, United Kingdom (AFP) – Manchester City have no time to lick their wounds after another bruising Champions League defeat as Chelsea prepare to visit the Etihad, with both clubs battling for a top-four finish.
Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth, both looking to upset the established order by qualifying for next season’s Champions League, meet at the Vitality Stadium in an intriguing match-up between two in-form teams.
At the other end of the table, beleaguered Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou badly needs a win against relegation-threatened Leicester as he seeks to keep Spurs clear of danger.
AFP Sport looks at three talking points ahead of the weekend’s action:
The English champions sit fifth and would leapfrog fourth-placed Chelsea with victory at the Etihad on Saturday.
However, their upturn coincided with a gentle run of fixtures and their collapse from 2-0 up to lose 4-2 at PSG showed the frailties that tougher opposition could expose.
City face Arsenal, Newcastle, Liverpool and Tottenham in their following four Premier League games.
The club’s slump, exacerbated by injuries, has forced them to be unusually active in the January transfer market.
Forward Omar Marmoush could make his debut on Saturday after sealing a GBP59 million (USD72.6 million) move from Eintracht Frankfurt, while Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis will bolster Guardiola’s defensive options.
Forest are on course for a stunning return to Europe’s elite competition, starting the weekend level on points with second-placed Arsenal and six clear of City and Newcastle.
Qualification for the Champions League would be an astonishing achievement for Forest, who were crowned European champions in 1979 and 1980 under the management of Brian Clough.
However, Nuno Espirito Santo’s men face a stern test of their ambitions on Saturday against a Bournemouth side that are unbeaten in a club-record 10 Premier League games.
The Cherries shrugged off a mounting injury list to put Newcastle to the sword in an impressive 4-1 win at St James’ Park last weekend, with Justin Kluivert scoring a hat-trick.
Bournemouth have never qualified for European competition but sit seventh, just three points off the top four.
“I like the fans to dream,” said captain Lewis Cook. “Why not get excited?”
Bournemouth v Nottingham Forest, Brighton v Everton, Liverpool v Ipswich, Southampton v Newcastle, Wolves v Arsenal (all 1500), Manchester City v Chelsea (1730)
Sunday
Crystal Palace v Brentford, Tottenham v Leicester (both 1400), Aston Villa v West Ham (1630), Fulham v Manchester United (1900)
