Premier League: Man City, Liverpool, Arsenal, Aston Villa all in midweek action
The big talking points analysed ahead of the midweek Premier League fixtures as Man City host Fulham, Liverpool visit Sunderland and Arsenal face Brentford on Wednesday; Follow live on the Sky Sports app; watch free highlights shortly after full-time
Wednesday 11 February 2026 11:12, UK
Villa's season losing momentum?
Aston Villa vs Brighton - 7.30pm, Wednesday
Aston Villa's home form has them third in the Premier League table, having turned Villa Park into a fortress under Unai Emery. Eighteen unbeaten there in the competition last season, they had won eight in a row this time around until this alarming dip of late.
Home losses to Everton and Brentford have curtailed momentum and there really will be panic on the Holte End if they succumb to defeat against Brighton. Manchester United and Chelsea are catching Villa. Liverpool are not far behind.
The fear is that it is not only the teams below them who are catching up with Villa but the schedule too. Emery's side could yet play 60 games this season compared to United's 40 - and are without Youri Tielemans, John McGinn and Boubacar Kamara.
None of that midfield trio are expected back until April and that presents a challenge for Emery to find solutions within the squad. With Leeds at home next up in the Premier League followed by Wolves away, any slip would be a major blow to their top-five hopes.
Fabian Hurzeler's concerns are even more immediate given the chants of, 'you don't know what you're doing' and 'you're getting sacked in the morning' during Brighton's home defeat to rivals Crystal Palace on Sunday. A result at Villa might be required.
Adam Bate
Pressure on Parker - but has eased for Palace
Crystal Palace vs Burnley - 7.30pm, Wednesday
Some may argue that the pressure has been on all season for Scott Parker and Burnley - it's always a tough ask for promoted teams to be competitive in their first season back in the Premier League.
But for a club that has often stuck with managers in difficult moments, the board's ears might begin to prickle after boos on Saturday as the Clarets lost 2-0 to relegation rivals West Ham - that is despite having 18 shots, their most in a Premier League game this season.
It leaves them 11 points from safety and with no win in 16 league outings since beat bottom side Wolves on October 26. Until recently, they might have earmarked a trip to Crystal Palace as one where points could be gained.
The Eagles were rarely out of the headlines in January amid a tumultuous period, but picking up their first Premier League win in nine games against rivals Brighton will give them a boost.
It has taken the sting out of the tail at Selhurst Park when one wondered if a superb period of success was spectacularly unravelling before our eyes.
That seems to have been halted for the time being and at home against teams near or below them, Crystal Palace have a good record.
The form guide says it will be another tough Premier League match for Burnley, as Parker continues to look for ways to avoid the drop back into the Championship.
Charlotte Marsh
Man City must follow statement win by adding scoreboard pressure
Man City vs Fulham - 7.30pm, Wednesday
Manchester City have been involved in some nonsensical games in recent weeks - the win at Liverpool and draw at Tottenham just two of them - and yet their position in the title race seems to make perfect sense.
City might need something special to topple Arsenal but the prospect is yet to be rendered inconceivable. The statement at Anfield will have done as much to convince the City players themselves as it has to remind those of us who merely pass comment that the race is still open.
Gary Neville believes Pep Guardiola, Erling Haaland and Gianluigi Donnarumma to be central to this rival plan. But that's too simplistic and overlooks the importance of Bernardo Silva, Rodri, as well as the returning Ruben Dias - the spine of strength. They all know how to win titles.
Coupled with that is the immediate impact of January additions Marc Guehi and Antoine Semenyo; compelling reinforcements at this stage of the season. They both bring fresh ambition.
Moving to within three points of the Gunners with victory over Fulham would ensure the scoreboard pressure mounts and Arsenal have proven to be unreliable leaders when chasers make their move to overtake in the past. City may have to leave it late again against Fulham, who have lost eight games this season after the 80th minute.
It might just be enough to divert Arsenal's attention. If City wrestle enough initiative, they won't back down until they get what they want. Pep will make sure of that.
Laura Hunter
Forest under pressure to beat Wolves
Nottingham Forest vs Wolves - 7.30pm, Wednesday
Every day of the weekend brought a fresh blow for Nottingham Forest. Their insipid defeat to Leeds on Friday gifted three points to a relegation rival, before West Ham won well on Saturday and Crystal Palace ended their poor run with a victory on Sunday.
The upshot is that Forest risk being in the bottom three before they even take to the field against bottom club Wolves on Wednesday night and with former boss Nuno Espirito Santo having improved West Ham's fortunes, the scrutiny on Sean Dyche is increasing.
Four of the last five Premier League wins for Forest have come away from home where the counter-punching style can be more effective. Dyche's style of play is yet to convince the supporters and expectation could create tension by the Trent in midweek.
While Wolves' own relegation has long since felt inevitable, and they threw the game away early at home to Chelsea on Saturday, they have been in games more than one might expect of a team adrift at the bottom and that can unnerve fragile opponents.
Forest's FA Cup exit means there's an 11-day break before their next fixture against Liverpool and the mood during that period will be shaped by the outcome of this game. Failing to beat Wolves would be unthinkable, and yet many fans are already dreading it.
Adam Bate
Sunderland's remarkable home record enough to unsettle Liverpool
Sunderland vs Liverpool - 8.15pm, Wednesday
Sunderland are unbeaten in all 12 of their Premier League games played at the Stadium of Light this season, a record that puts them fourth in the home form table, and is the longest run by a promoted side since 1977-78. No team wants to travel to that outpost in north-east England, least of all Liverpool, having only managed to win two of their last 10 on the road.
This fixture has got the potential to make things infinitely harder for Arne Slot after a troubling weekend. Things could go from bad to worse with no right-back to speak of (after stand-in Dominik Szoboszlai was sent off in defeat to Manchester City) and a crisis of confidence that just won't shake. Liverpool have conceded 21 goals away from Anfield this term - more than bottom side Wolves (20).
But the desperation to keep up with their rivals in the top-four race might just be enough for Liverpool to rediscover some spark. Slot's side still boast some of the best attacking numbers in the league, and the Reds boss will be equally aware of the position they will find themselves in if they don't win. The gap to the European spots is already four. It can ill-afford to get any larger.
Laura Hunter
A crunch meeting of set-piece specialists
Brentford vs Arsenal - 8pm, Thursday
Arsenal seem to be running away with the Premier League title, while Brentford are up to seventh after their first win away at Newcastle since 1934. The Gunners are top of the form table over the last 10 matches (W7 D2 L1) and the Bees are just behind (W6 D2 L2).
Brentford's home form remains - as it has done for several years - among the best in the division, but Arsenal's away form is the best, bar none. If those stats aren't enough to whet the appetite, this is a battle between two set-piece specialists.
Brentford - led by their former set-piece coach Keith Andrews - piqued interest with their success from long throws, so much so that, in October, Erling Haaland said playing them "reminded me a bit of Stoke City with [Rory] Delap". Michael Kayode and Mathias Jensen are the men tasked with delivering the monstrous deliveries that have been the source of three goals so far - the joint-second most in the division.
In all, they have scored 11 goals from set-pieces and conceded nine, making them one of only eight teams yet to enter double figures in that regard.
Mikel Arteta's side, on the other hand, are in a league of their own. Twenty of their 49 league goals have come from set-pieces (40.8 per cent), with 14 of those scored from corners. Both totals are unmatched in the Premier League this season. They have also only conceded five of 17 so far in that manner, which is also the least in the Premier League.
If this game is to be decided by fine margins, few fixtures are better equipped to deliver.
Dan Long
Follow the midweek matches live on the Sky Sports app and watch free match highlights shortly after full-time
