Looks easy for Liverpool as Forest faces Man City to settle possession debate

LONDON, UK | Xinhua | Liverpool has what should be a straightforward home game on Saturday as it looks to defend its 13-point lead at the top of the Premier League, while the battle for places in Europe next season looks likely to heat up on the weekend.

Arne Slot’s Liverpool can thank goalkeeper Alisson Becker for a monumental display in the 1-0 Champions League win away to Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday, but with the return leg at home to a PSG that was the better team in the game, Slot will be glad his side plays Southampton on Saturday.

The bottom of the table side is counting the days until it return to the Championship and should allow the Liverpool coach to rest some players who will start next week in Europe.

The opening match of the weekend looks like a vital game for a place in Europe next season, with Nottingham Forest at home to Manchester City.

City is a place behind Forest ahead of its trip to Nottingham on Saturday lunchtime and has no new injuries against a rival that will present it with problems from Callum Hudson-Odoi, Anthony Elanga and Morgan Gibbs-White, as well as powerful striker Chris Woods.

Interestingly Forest is the team with the lowest average possession in the league, while Manchester City has the most.

It looks very likely that the performances of English sides in Europe this season could give the Premier League a fifth Champions League spot next season, and if that is the case, everyone down to Aston Villa, who currently sits 10th with 42 points is in with a chance.

Villa plays away to a Brentford side that has rested this week, while Villa claimed a valuable 3-1 away to Club Brugge in the Champions League, with Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio both impressing again.

Saturday also sees an in-form Crystal Palace at home to struggling Ipswich Town, with Eddie Nketiah in for Jean-Philippe Mateta after the striker’s head injury last week in the FA Cup, while Wolverhampton Wanderers starts life without talismanic striker Matheus Cunha when it takes on Everton.

Everton’s run under David Moyes has lifted them 15 points clear of the bottom three, but Wolves is only five points above Ipswich and will be without Cunha for at least three games after his red card against Bournemouth last weekend.

The Brazilian has scored 13 of Wolves’ 37 goals this season, and it’s not hard to see why he will be missed.

Three consecutive wins have lifted Brighton up to eighth, and it faces ninth place Fulham in a game between two outsiders for the top-four.

On Sunday Chelsea can expect to strengthen its claim for a place in next season’s Champions League at home to struggling Leicester City, while Tottenham entertains Bournemouth, whose charge up the table has been halted by consecutive defeats.

Arsenal travels to face Manchester United, who is lacking goals in attack and with an injury crisis in defense, with Jonny Evans, Lisandro Martinez and Harry Maguire all out, along with Kobbie Mainoo and Amad Diallo.

The final game is on Monday between West Ham United and Newcastle United, without the suspended Anthony Gordon. ■