Saturday 25 November 2017 07:54, UK
Will Mo Salah haunt Chelsea? Can Everton end their winless run on the road? We take a look at this weekend's Premier League questions.
On Saturday, there will be five 3pm Premier League games, including Manchester United v Brighton and Tottenham v West Brom, before Liverpool host Chelsea at 5.30pm.
There is also a Nissan Super Sunday double header, with Southampton v Everton at 1.30pm before Huddersfield host Manchester City at 4pm, all live on Sky Sports Premier League, and Arsenal's trip to Burnley at 2pm.
After a shock 2-1 win against Chelsea in October, Crystal Palace have not been able to pick up another Premier League victory, drawing two and losing two, but the Eagles have a good recent record when facing Stoke.
Roy Hodgson's side are unbeaten in their four league home games against the Potters, winning three and drawing one, with Stoke having drawn their last two matches by a 2-2 scoreline.
Indeed, there could well be a few goals in this one, with West Ham (25) the only side to have conceded more goals than these two clubs in the Premier League this season (24 each - alongside Everton).
Brighton have done superbly well since winning promotion to the Premier League, and are unbeaten in their last five fixtures, but will face a tough trip to Manchester United on Saturday.
Jose Mourinho's side are now 38 games unbeaten at home in all competitions (W27 D11) and last suffered a defeat at Old Trafford when they lost 2-1 to Manchester City in September 2016.
There could also be a start for the returning Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who will be looking to pick up where he left off with Man Utd a few months ago and help keep pace with Man City at the top of the Premier League table.
After three defeats in a row with just one goal scored, Newcastle are seeing some of their promising early-season work undone. If they are to avoid slipping further down the table ahead of a busy festive period then they need to score more goals.
No player has scored more than two for the Magpies this season, and striker Aleksandar Mitrovic said this week that his "patience is almost to the end" with his lack of first-team action.
Rafa Benitez needs to find a way to improve output up front as talk of a takeover swirls in the background. That potential buyer Amanda Staveley wants a relegation compensation clause included in her deal to buy the club shows, if it was in any doubt, that the Magpies have a long way to go this season to stay up.
The mood in south Wales is bleak at the moment, as reflected by a fan's letter to Wales Online this week. "We have had our time in the sun, and just like other clubs that have been punching above their weight in the Premier League over recent years, it is our turn to go back to where we belong," writes the 60-year-old supporter.
There might still be a long way to go in the season, but Swansea are looking down rather than up. They are on a four-game losing streak and are two points adrift of safety. They have also scored just seven goals in 12 Premier League games and have only won once at home.
If they are to turn things around, the home form must improve. How to do that? A spark is desperately needed, especially if Tammy Abraham is not completely over a back problem that saw him stretchered off late on in the defeat to Burnley last weekend. The on-loan Chelsea striker has been directly involved in 71 per cent of Swansea's goals, the highest percentage for any player in the Premier League.
It has been a tough start to the season for West Brom, who find themselves one point above the relegation spots, and head coach Tony Pulis was sacked on Monday after going ten Premier League games without a win.
Gary Megson has now stepped into the fray on a temporary basis - refusing to be called caretaker head coach and sticking with his assistant title - and will be hoping to steer the Baggies to their first league victory since August.
But they face a tough trip to Tottenham - who have just topped their Champions League group - and have lost just one of their last 15 Premier League meetings with West Brom (W6 D8), losing 0-1 at home in September 2014.
Mo Salah has made a storming return to the Premier League in the red of Liverpool, dazzling with his performances and is currently the top scorer in the league with nine goals, one more than Harry Kane, Sergio Aguero and Romelu Lukaku.
Saturday will signal his first game with Liverpool against his former side Chelsea, where he spent an unhappy year between January 2014 and January 2015, and he will no doubt be looking to exact some revenge on his former side in the name of Premier League points.
It could be a close game though, with Liverpool unbeaten in their last five Premier League meetings with Chelsea (W2 D3), while Chelsea haven't lost any of their last five league visits to Anfield (W2 D3), since a 4-1 loss in May 2012.
There has been some improvement from Everton since the departure of Ronald Koeman, with a win and a draw in their last two Premier League outings that has seen them pull out of the relegation spots.
However, the Toffees are currently winless in 14 away Premier League games - their second-longest such run in the competition, following a run of 19 between December 1996 and December 1997.
But they face a Southampton side who have won just one of their last seven matches - against a now-managerless West Brom - and will be hoping they can take advantage of this live on Sky Sports.
Tottenham had the best defence in the Premier League last season and the second best this season before they were beaten 2-0 by Arsenal last weekend. They were ultimately put to the sword by the trio of Alexandre Lacazette, Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil, who were starting together for just the third time this season.
Given their impressive showing, Arsene Wenger will surely stick with the front three at Turf Moor and hope to keep building momentum. But they look set to face a tough test against a Burnley side who have won their last three games without conceding and have only let in two goals at home this season.
There might be a hint of revenge in the air too, with Arsenal having won 1-0 at Turf Moor last season with a controversial late goal from Laurent Koscielny that left Burnley boss Sean Dyche feeling "sick".
The Man City juggernaut just keeps on rolling across the Premier League and in Europe, with Pep Guardiola's side still yet to lose a game in the 2017/18 campaign.
And if they win against Huddersfield live on Sky Sports, they will have 37 points and the outright best points tally of a side after 13 games of a Premier League season - beating their own record set in 2011-12 (35).
But David Wagner's side have proved to be a tricky customer for a number of Premier League sides this season, and held Man City to a goalless draw in an FA Cup fifth round tie at the John Smith's Stadium last season, before losing the replay 5-1.
