Preview

Dec

2025

Preview: Crystal Palace host Spurs in Sunday showdown

Crystal Palace and Tottenham, two teams struggling of late, go head-to-head at Selhurst Park on Sunday afternoon.

By Matt Smith

The Eagles will be looking to bounce back after arguably their most disappointing display of the season against Leeds, while Thomas Frank’s side are hoping to avoid making it three defeats on the bounce.

The last meeting between these two sides saw Palace pick up a 2-0 victory on the road, with Eberechi Eze grabbing a brace.

Palace also won this exact fixture last season, completing a rare double over Spurs.

Team news

Chris Richards picked up a foot injury against Arsenal last time out, but there’s a chance he could be fit enough for this one. Oliver Glasner’s side will be without Daniel Muñoz, Daichi Kamada, and Cheick Doucouré, while Ismaïla Sarr is away at AFCON.

Spurs will be without a host of players, partly down to a bit of ill-discipline against Liverpool. Cristian Romero and Xavi Simons were both sent off in that one, so they’ll serve the first game of their suspensions. They should have no fresh injury concerns, however.

We’ll let you have the ball

Palace are one of the sides in the Premier League with the lowest average possession this season, but it’s been effective for them. Glasner allows the opposition to have the ball, but it’s when they do regain possession that they can cause plenty of damage.

Dealing with the hectic fixture schedule that comes with playing in Europe has impacted some of their performances and consistency this campaign, but Glasner is doing a superb job in ensuring they are still competing towards the top of the table. Being eliminated from the Carabao Cup will ease their schedule slightly, but they remain in the Europa Conference League.

The data is worrying for Frank

Tottenham’s xG difference this season is 6.6, having created just 16 expected goals throughout the Premier League campaign. Frank’s side have struggled at both ends of the pitch, and it’s safe to say it’s not been an ideal start to the former Brentford manager’s tenure in north London.

Heading in to this round of games only Burnley, Wolves, and Sunderland have created fewer expected goals than Tottenham this season, while they rank 16th in the league for touches inside the opposition box. As they started the weekend in 14th position in the table, Frank desperately needs to show improvement in the second half of the season.

It’s only a matter of time for Mateta

A key reason why Palace managed to qualify for Europe last season was the form of French striker Jean-Philippe Mateta. The former Mainz forward also enjoyed an impressive start to the 2025/2026 campaign, but he’s fallen off a cliff in recent weeks.

*Mateta’s shot map in the Premier League*

Palace’s poor form has coincided with a drop off from Mateta, and it feels like only a matter of time before he finds the back of the net once again. That’s now six games without a goal for the striker, but we’re backing him to bounce back against Spurs and end Palace’s run of four games without a win.

Prediction

Leading on from our prediction of Mateta bouncing back, we’re going for a 2-0 victory to Palace in this one.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the Premier League with FotMob this season — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, physical metrics, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Dec

2025

Preview: Aston Villa test their winning run at Stamford Bridge

Fourth vs third makes this fixture feel closer than it actually is, when in reality Aston Villa head to Chelsea knowing a win would see them go ten points clear of the hosts as they continue to push Man City and Arsenal in the title race.

By Alex Roberts

It was a real Jekyll and Hyde performance from Chelsea in their 2-2 draw against Newcastle. The first half was abysmal, but a decent second half showing say them earn a draw. Still, it’s more dropped points from Enzo Maresca’s side in the race for a Champions League place.

Villa, on the other hand, at the Premier League’s in-form side at the moment. Seven consecutive league wins is a remarkable turn-around considering they didn’t even score a goal in the first month of the season.

Morgan Rogers is the man

Like his side, Rogers took a little while to get going this season, but now he looks unstoppable. Braces in two consecutive games, including a couple of absolute beauties in the win over Man United seemingly have him leading the race for England’s number ten shirt next summer.

It’s unlikely he’ll have as much joy against Chelsea’s defence as he did against United’s. Leny Yoro gave him the freedom of the pitch, refusing to close him down for the first goal in particular. Reece James, if he plays right-back, won’t be so forgiving.

Villa have a bona fide superstar on their hands with Rogers. Seven goals in his 17 Premier League games means he’s only one off his tally for the entirety of last season, they’ll just be hoping they can keep him beyond this one.

The most complete player in the league?

Enzo Maresca and Chelsea will be thanking Santa, Jesus, and whoever else they could possibly think of that James was there to save the day in the draw against Newcastle. It wasn’t the first time and it’s unlikely it’ll be the last too.

At one end of the pitch he was scoring a freekick, at the other he was making a last-ditch challenge to deny Harvey Barnes. It was a complete performance from a complete player. It’s genuinely hard to see any faults in his game at the moment.

Now we don’t know whether Maresca will have James at right-back or in central midfield for this one. It would probably make more sense to have him in his natural position to help nullify Rogers’ threat, but what do we know!

Team news

Chelsea have Liam Delap and Estêvão back and available for selection with the English striker coming back a lot sooner than many had initially expected. Now he just needs to start scoring some goals.

Levi Colwill (ACL), Roméo Lava (thigh), and Dário Essugo (thigh) are all still out, however, with little sign they’ll be returning at time soon.

Don’t expect to see much change from the side that beat Man United last time out for Villa. Harvey Elliott is out with an illness, while Ross Barkley (knee), Tyrone Mings (hamstring) and Pau Torres (calf) won’t feature at all.

Evann Guessand was called up by the Ivory Coast as a replacement for Sebastien Haller, so Villa will be without the forward for the next month.

Prediction

Maresca and Chelsea generally do pretty well in the bigger games, and this is certainly one of them, but everything that Villa touch right now is turning to gold, so we’re going with a 3-1 win for the visitors.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the Premier League with FotMob this season — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Dec

2025

Preview: Arteta will be looking for improvement as Arsenal host Brighton

Speak to Arsenal fans and there is a split right now between delight at their table-topping form, and concern that it has too often come as a result of late goals, penalties and opposition errors recently.

By Karl Matchett

Find a way to win?

Premier League champions, many will tell you, find the route to victory regardless of circumstances. You can’t play at peak level every game and ultimately three points are three points whether they come in a resounding thrashing or a last-gasp fluke. But having the consistency to win, game after game after game, usually comes when a team has a reliable method of chance creation and a handful of players near their best form.

Mikel Arteta won’t complain at the manner of victory, but even he must be wondering exactly who his go-to stars are right now. Arsenal are scrapping and set-piecing their way to the points, but the last time they were more than a single goal clear in a Premier League match by the time the clock hit 90 minutes was the North London Derby, over a month ago. They are currently on course for an 87-point season. While that’s obviously good, it’s certainly not great; take the average points for title-winners over the past eight years or so, since Man City started dominating, and it’s not enough to finish first. In 2023/24 the Gunners amassed 89 points and still didn’t win. They are top now, sure, but perhaps they still need to find another gear.

Unpredictability equals watchability

Perhaps it’s a good thing for Arsenal, then, that they now come up against one of the most erratic teams around. Brighton have previously been on a five-match unbeaten streak this season; right now they’re on a four-match winless one. They are certainly better on home soil than on the road though, where Fabian Hürzeler’s team haven’t managed to score enough goals. There’s a heap of talent there including some brilliant young signings and players linked with £60m-plus prospective moves…yet their biggest dangerman this term has been one who left Arsenal almost seven years ago. Danny Welbeck’s seven league goals this season, incidentally, is more than any single Arsenal player.

Recent form

The Gunners have won three of their last four, Brighton haven’t won in that run. Probably more pertinently, it’s Arsenal’s home form which is near-perfect: seven wins from eight in the league, though they drew last time out in the League Cup before winning on penalties. Brighton have won once in their last seven away games.

Team news

Fewer injuries now for both but Gabriel, Kai Havertz and Cristhian Mosquera remain missing for the hosts, while Carlos Baleba is at AFCON and Diego Gómez is back from suspension for the visitors.

Key players

Viktor Gyökeres could do with a run of form and impact. He netted against Everton in the last league game and has 0.44 goals per 90, though has also missed five big chances this term.

Prediction

This one could have a few goals in but Arsenal should have enough at home for the win. 2-1 to the hosts.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the Premier League with FotMob this season – featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Dec

2025

Preview: Forest vs. City kicks off Saturday in the Premier League

Nottingham Forest will be looking to bounce back from defeat against Fulham as they welcome Manchester City to the City Ground.

By Ross Kilvington

Inconsistency is still an issue for Sean Dyche

There is no doubt Sean Dyche has done a wonderful job in steading the ship at Forest since taking over in October.

Seven wins from his opening 13 matches in all competitions was a start most supporters could only dream of. The likes of Porto, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur have all been victims of Dyche’s approach.

However, consistency has been an issue for the club. After the debut victory over Porto, Forest lost to Bournemouth a few days later.

Further losses have came against Brighton, Everton and Fulham in the top flight in recent weeks. While the club should have more than enough to survive under Dyche’s shrewd leadership, stringing three or four wins together in the New Year could be top of his wishlist.

Erling Haaland could fire City to glory this season

Many felt that Pep Guardiola and City had reached the end of an era after a trophyless 2024/25 campaign, but they are right in the mix for another Premier League title.

Erling Haaland fired 34 goals in all competitions last season, but it looks as though he is going to eclipse that this term.

Across his 23 matches so far, the Norwegian sensation has already bagged 25 goals, including 19 in the Premier League.

*Haaland’s shooting stats per 90 in the Premier League*

He ranks first in the top flight for shots on target per game (2.3) and for expected goals (16.1) this season as he continues to shatter records.

Across his six matches against Forest, Haaland has found the back of the net on five occasions.

You wouldn’t bet against him adding to that tally on Saturday afternoon as City aim to move to the top of the table with a victory.

Team news

Dyche will continue to be without the service of Willy Boly and Ibrahim Sangaré, who are representing Ivory Coast at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament over the festive period.

Elsewhere, Chris Wood, Ryan Yates and Ola Aina will all be out until early 2026 due to injuries.

Like Forest, City have two players on international duty. Omar Marmoush and Rayan Aït-Nouri are at AFCON with Egypt and Algeria respectively.

Oscar Bobb and Jérémy Doku are the latest injury victims of late, with both players expected back in a few weeks.

Mateo Kovačić, Rodri and John Stones will also miss the clash against Forest this Saturday.

Prediction

City head into this match on the back of a seven-game winning streak that dates back to the end of November.

After a stuttering start, it looks as though Guardiola and his men are peaking at precisely the right time and should secure all three points.

Dyche is no mug, however, and will set up his team to frustrate City. Unfortunately, this will be to no avail in the end: Nottingham Forest 1-3 Manchester City.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow all the games from the Premier League on FotMob in the 2025/26 season – with in-depth stat coverage, including xG, shot maps, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Dec

2025

Preview: Liverpool host luckless Wolves at Anfield

Winless Wolves travel to a resurgent Liverpool to face the Premier League champions at Anfield on Saturday afternoon. The Reds will be hoping to extend their unbeaten run to seven, with the pressure on Arne Slot now easing.

By Sam McGuire

The story so far

In the nicest way possible, Slot went from hero to zero at Anfield in what felt like a blink of an eye. The Reds had the perfect start to the season, winning all of their opening five fixtures in the Premier League. Then they lost six of the next seven as well as suffering defeats in the Champions League to Galatasaray and PSV as well as a loss to Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup.

Slot wasn’t able to get the best out of any of the new summer signings, benching Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirtz despite bright starts to life at Anfield while Milos Kerkez had a stint on the sideline and Jeremie Frimpong was ruled out with hamstring issues. He then made the bold decision to bench Mohamed Salah. And while results have picked up over recent weeks, the Reds are five unbeaten in the league, performances are still lacking.

Sooner or later, we’re going to see one of two things. The bubble will burst and this unbeaten run will turn into a winless streak or confidence grows and performance will match the results. Right now, it’s too early to say which one is more likely.

Wolves, meanwhile, have struggled all season. They even missed out on a new manager bounce following the dismissal of Vítor Pereira. Rob Edwards arrived from Middlesbrough and he’s suffered six defeats on the bounce.

His side are rooted to the bottom of the table with just two points. They are 16 points away from safety right now and relegation looks like a formality at this stage. They have, however, done enough in recent games to get something. For example, against Nottingham Forest and Brentford, the xG was equal but they lost both. Against Arsenal, they lost by a 94th minute own goal.

They’re due a bit of luck. Maybe they get it at Anfield?

Key Players

For Liverpool, it has to be Hugo Ekitike right now. Salah is away at the African Cup of Nations, Cody Gakpo is still a doubt, Dominik Szoboszlai is suspended while Alexander Isak is going to be missing for a while. The pressure is on Ekitike to keep firing and he’s the man in form right now with five goals in his last three for the Reds.

For Wolves, it has to be Jørgen Strand Larsen. The powerhouse forward missed a penalty against Brentford but he’s a handful and Liverpool’s defence has struggled with direct players this term. He’s not their kryptonite, but he’s got the physical traits to cause Ibrahima Konaté and Virgil van Dijk some problems.

Team News

The hosts can’t call upon Dominik Szoboszlai who is now suspended after picking up a fifth booking against Spurs. Alexander Isak is out for the foreseeable with an ankle injury and leg fracture in the process of scoring against Tottenham. Giovanni Leoni is missing with an ACL injury while Conor Bradley was replaced at half-time against Spurs and could be a doubt. Cody Gakpo could return, though Slot isn’t going to rush his compatriot back into the team with so many issues right now. Salah is away on international duty with Egypt.

Wolves have a host of names out. Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, Marshall Muntesi, Rodrigo Gomes and Hugo Bueno are expected to miss out with injuries while Emmanuel Agbadou and Tawanda Chirewa are away at the African Cup of Nations.

Prediction

We’re going to go with a narrow 2-1 home win. The Reds have enough quality to get the job done but don’t expect it to be a convincing performance.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the Premier League with FotMob this season — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Dec

2025

Preview: United’s Manchester and Newcastle square up in Boxing Day clash

Two of the Premier League’s many inconsistent teams meet on Boxing Night, as Manchester United play Newcastle United at Old Trafford.

By Ian King

Would the real Manchester United and Newcastle United please stand up?

No-one seems able to have put together much consistency in the middle two-thirds of the Premier League this season, and both Manchester United and Newcastle United have shown tendencies towards Jekyll & Hydeism this season.

Manchester United have only won two of their last eight in the league, while Newcastle have followed up excellent performances against Manchester City and Everton at the end of November by winning once in four since. As with so many teams in this division this season, there’s little telling what they’re going to do from one week to the next, or sometimes from one half of a match to the next.

Manchester United’s recent record against Newcastle is surprisingly bad

Manchester United have won one and lost five of the six meetings between these two teams in all competitions, and Newcastle were one of six teams to do a home and away double over them in the league last season, their first in 94 years.

But in the spirit of Christmas, there is one omen that looks a little brighter for Manchester United. These two teams have met on Boxing Day five times before, and United have won four of those fixtures, with Newcastle’s only win against them on the 26th December coming in 1987.

Mason Mount is showing signs of becoming the player that Manchester United paid £55 million for two years ago

Mason Mount is clearly a player that Ruben Amorim likes. He’s made 14 league appearances already this season and has already scored more goals than he did in his previous two seasons combined at Old Trafford. It’s taken him a couple of years to get there, but he might just be turning into the player that United thought they’d spent £55 million on in 2023.

With an own goal for the ages to decide the Tyne-Wear Derby and two goals in the first quarter of their match against Chelsea, the last couple of weeks for Newcastle have essentially been The Nick Woltemade Show, so we should probably all stay tuned to see what happens next.

Both Uniteds have a lengthy list of absentees for this meeting

Both teams have a number of players missing. Manchester United have surrendered three – Bryan Mbuemo, Amad and Noussair Mazraoui – to AFCON, while Bruno Fernandes has a damaged thigh and will be out for a couple of weeks, joining Harry Maguire (thigh), Matthijs de Ligt (back), and Kobbie Mainoo (calf) on the treatment table. Casemiro returns after missing their 2-1 defeat at Aston Villa suspended for picking up five yellow cards.

Newcastle haven’t lost anyone to AFCON – they’re one of six in the Premier League to have done so – but Dan Burn, Tino Livramento, Kieran Trippier, Emil Krafth, Sven Botman, Jamaal Lascelles and William Osula are all confirmed absentees. Nick Pope is due back soon, but is unlikely to make it back in time for this one.

Amorim versus both Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde could well end up in a stalemate

At the end of a year of unpredictability, it feels appropriate to be signing off for 2025 with a match between two teams who still can’t seem to decide whether they’re any good or not.

Manchester United remain a curious side. Their attacking options are significantly upgraded, but their central midfield remains missing that big, solid presence – and will be all the more so for this match, with the absence of Bruno Fernandes – while their defence still seems sluggish at times.

Newcastle, though, have taken the concept of inconsistency to strange and interesting new places this season. They can blow hot for 45 minutes, as they did against Chelsea, or cold for 90, as they did against Sunderland.

Every week now seems to be accompanied by someone asking, “Has Eddie Howe taken Newcastle United as far as he can?”, only for that question to be replied to – sometimes no more than a few minutes later – by an answer of, “Oh wait no, perhaps not yet.”

When two such contradictory teams meet, the cowardly thing to do is to predict a draw, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do. But as an act of reckless Christmas bravery, I’ll go 2-2, and quite plausibly with one of them chucking away a two-goal lead.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the Premier League with FotMob this season – featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Dec

2025

Preview: Arsenal and Palace contest the last Carabao Cup quarterfinal

Arsenal are still winning, but an improvement is required on their last two victories over Everton and Wolves.

By Graham Ruthven

Running out of steam?

On results alone, Arsenal have little to worry about right now. Mikel Arteta’s team have won each of their last three matches in all competitions with their only defeat since August coming away to Aston Villa, the Premier League’s most in-form side.

And yet there is a familiar sense of foreboding beginning to grow around the Emirates Stadium. While the wins are still coming, Arsenal’s recent performances have been less-than-impressive.

Ground out victories against Everton and Wolves have kept the Gunners moving forward, but an improvement will be required against Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup quarter-final.

Oliver Glasner will similarly want to see an uptick in performance levels from his team with Palace currently on a winless run of three games. Saturday’s 4-1 loss to Leeds United was their heaviest defeat of the season so far.

On their day, the Eagles are capable of upsetting the strongest of opponents. However, those days have fewer and further between in recent weeks. Palace, however, have proven themselves as cup specialists under Glasner.

Key players

Viktor Gyökeres could be given another opportunity to lead the line after scoring the winner against Everton from the penalty spot on Saturday. The Swedish striker’s hold-up play and general finishing instincts could still do with some sharpening.

Only Leandro Trossard has contributed more goals and assists for Arsenal this season than Eberechi Eze who is in line to start against his former team on Tuesday. The England international will be a threat with his dribbling ability and eye for a goal from outside the box.

William Saliba could play due to the lack of defensive options available to Arteta right now while Kepa Arrizabalaga can expect to feature between the posts having started Arsenal’s two Carabao Cup matches to date this season.

Adam Wharton will be a key figure for Palace in the centre of the pitch on both sides of the ball. The midfielder has registered more assists than any of his teammates so far this season, also averaging 2.2 tackles per 90 minutes.

Marc Guéhi could be tested in central defence while Yeremy Pino will be a crucial out-ball for Crystal Palace in attacking transition. Their squad is being tested right now, but the Eagles still have quality throughout.

Team news

Arteta will surely rotate his Arsenal squad for Tuesday’s quarter-final with the Gunners set to play five matches over the next three weeks. This could see the likes of Noni Madueke, Gabriel Martinelli and Myles Lewis-Skelly promoted to the starting lineup.

Injuries remain a problem for the North London outfit with Gabriel Magalhães, Kai Havertz, Ben White, Cristhian Mosquera and Max Dowman all sidelined.

Crystal Palace will be without right Daniel Muñoz who is expected to miss the next two months through injury while Ismaïla Sarr is currently representing Senegal at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Daichi Kamada is another key figure set to miss Tuesday’s match at the Emirates Stadium while Cheick Doucouré and Chadi Riad remain out. Jean-Philippe Mateta is also a doubt.

*Arsenal and Palace’s meeting earlier this season*

Prediction

Fixture congestion plus the impact of injuries and absences on squad depth will all come in to question tonight, but we believe the hosts will have enough to win through, with London rivals Chelsea already lying in wait for them in the semifinals: Arsenal 2-0 Crystal Palace.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the Carabao Cup (aka EFL Cup) with FotMob – featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Dec

2025

Preview: Barcelona visit Villarreal for final fixture of 2025

Third-placed Villarreal host league leaders Barcelona in the headline fixture of LaLiga’s final round of the year.

By Neel Shelat

Match not being played in Miami after all

This was set to be one of the most controversial fixtures of the season as UEFA approved LaLiga’s plan to make it their first-ever match on foreign soil a couple of months ago, with Miami selected as the host city. This idea was received extremely negatively by the vast majority of those associated with Spanish football, with the players going as far as to protest in the subsequent round of fixtures by refusing to play for the first 15 seconds of all matches.

Supporter groups of both clubs were also strongly opposed to the match being held abroad. Ultimately, it only took a couple of weeks before the league and promoters announced the cancellation of the match in Miami, citing the uncertainty that had arisen.

However, there is every chance that they will try again. Just this week, Serie A confirmed their intention to go ahead with the Como-Milan match in Australia, so LaLiga may well be tempted to follow suit sometime soon.

Villarreal looking to stay in touching distance of the table-toppers

Villarreal have lost their last two matches in other competitions and are eight points behind their opponents in the league. Even so, they could announce their arrival in the title race with a win here because they have two games in hand.

*How the table looked going in to the weekend*

Barcelona have won their last six matches in all competitions and are on a run of seven in La Liga, so they will be confident of going further clear at the top themselves.

Villarreal left light at the back

The visitors are only missing a couple of players for this fixture, but Villarreal are contending with a lot of absences for a couple of reasons. They are missing an entire back line in Juan Foyth, Logan Costa, Willy Kambwala, Santiago Mouriño and Sergi Cardona through injury. A couple of forwards including Gerard Moreno are out as well.

Furthermore, Thomas Partey’s injury coupled with Pape Gueye’s AFCON duty will weaken their midfield, while Ilias Akhomach is also off to Morocco and takes away an option on the wing.

Barcelona’s incredible record at La Cerámica

Barcelona should be glad that the match is going ahead in Villarreal because they are enjoying a great run of results at the Estadio de la Cerámica. The Blaugrana are unbeaten in this fixture since 2007, with a record of 13 wins and five draws since then. They have won in each of their last six visits, scoring a total of 19 goals across those games.

Prediction

Villarreal have some of the best defensive numbers in LaLiga, but their long injury list leaves them weakened at just the wrong time as they are set to face the best attack in the division. Marcelino’s side are quite good going forward as well, but Barcelona will be confident of comfortably outscoring their opponents.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from LaLiga with FotMob this season – featuring deep stats coverage, xG, physical metrics, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Dec

2025

Preview: In-form Aston Villa face Man United’s leaky defence

Manchester United’s recent H2H record offers hope for success at Villa Park, but the hosts are aiming to confirm their title credentials.

By Filip Mishov

Can Villa make it 10 wins in a row ahead of their back-to-back London trips?

The Villans are riding high on confidence, as Unai Emery‘s squad are on an incredible nine-match winning streak between the Europa League and the Premier League, making Aston Villa the most in-form club across Europe’s Top 5 leagues at the moment. With Emiliano Buendia and co. averaging 2.4 goals per match during the impressive run and boasting the joint-fourth-best defence (17 goals conceded) in England’s top tier after 16 matches played, it is not a surprise to see the Lions up to third place in the standings and just three points off the top (going in to the weekend).

*Both sides were in the top six prior to Saturday’s games*

Manchester United’s leaky defence continues to derail Ruben Amorim‘s plans and prevent his inconsistent squad from climbing further up the table. Subsequently, Bournemouth were the latest team to find the back of Senne Lammens‘ net and now, the worst defensive line (26 goals conceded) in the top half of the table has not kept a clean sheet in nine consecutive matches. However, the Red Devils are undefeated against the Villans over their past six meetings, both home and away across all competitions, and their last loss at Villa Park dates back to 2022, which offers some hope ahead of their trip to the West Midlands.

Key players

Morgan Rogers is spearheading Aston Villa’s offensive output this season, both in goals and assists, as the energetic English attacker is the squad’s top goalscorer (5) and joint-top assist maker (3) in the Premier League. Furthermore, the 23-year-old is a pressing machine and tireless off the ball, ranking third in the squad based on possession won (0.7) in the final third per 90, and one could argue that if Ruben Amorim could pick one player to swap Birmingham for Manchester, it would definitely be him.

With Bryan Mbeumo having departed for the Africa Cup of Nations, the pressure is on Matheus Cunha to deliver in the Cameroonian’s absence, as the Brazilian has been the less effective of the two since joining over the summer, and now is the perfect time for the 26-year-old to prove his worth. Even though the goals (2) and assists (1) have been hard to come by, the tricky forward is leading the ranks in successful dribbles (2) and shots per 90 (3.9), making him an instant danger when he receives the ball on the turn, in, and around the box.

Team news

Emiliano Martinez is training individually after missing the past couple of matches due to a back injury, and Unai Emery hopes to have him available, but Tyrone Mings, Pau Torres and Ross Barkley remain out, while Jadon Sancho is ineligible to face his parent club.

Noussair Mazraoui, Amad and Bryan Mbeumo are at the AFCON, while Casemiro is serving a one-match suspension due to accumulating five yellow cards and Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt are still injured.

Prediction

Undoubtedly, the in-form Villans are the favourites going into Sunday’s clash, and with the Red Devils missing a few key players, for reasons various, it is hard to see them stopping Aston Villa from extending their winning streak to double-digits.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the Premier League with FotMob this season – featuring deep stats coverage, xG, player ratings. Download the free app here.

Dec

2025

Preview: Arsenal go to Everton to defend their lead in the Premier League

Everton host Arsenal on Saturday evening as David Moyes’ depleted side look to topple the league leaders. Mikel Arteta returns to his former club once again, but to the new Hill Dickinson Stadium for the first time.

By Matt Smith

The last time these two sides met, the Toffees secured a point at home thanks to Iliman Ndiaye’s second-half penalty, cancelling out Leandro Trossard’s opener. Everton enjoy a strong record at home to Arsenal, losing just once on their own turf in the Premier League since 2017.

Team news

Moyes has confirmed a crucial blow for Everton heading into this game, with midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall unavailable due to injury. The Toffees have also lost Iliman Ndiaye and Idrissa Gueye to AFCON, but they are boosted by the possible return of Merlin Röhl to the squad. Jarrad Branthwaite and Seamus Coleman remain out.

Ben White is set to miss out due to a hamstring, Arteta told the media earlier this week. Kai Havertz and Gabriel Magalhães could be back soon, but this game is likely to come too early for the Arsenal duo.

Hitting the target an issue for the Toffees

Converting chances has been a major concern for Everton for a few years now as they aim to find the right formula in attack. Moyes’ side have shown more of an attacking threat this season, but it’s yet to fully click in the final third.

Only Sunderland and Wolves have had fewer shots on target per game than Everton this season, despite them ranking eighth in the league for touches inside the opposition box. Moyes will be desperate to see more of a clinical edge from the Toffees in the coming weeks.

Try break us down if you dare

Strong attacking numbers are necessary to win a Premier League title, but it’s Arsenal defensive solidity that stands them out from the rest. The Gunners have only conceded 9.9 expected goals this season, 7.7 fewer than the next side in the division.

Arteta’s side have conceded just 10 goals in the Premier League alongside that, so it looks set to be a tough evening for Everton in terms of trying to break the north London side down.

Trossard the surprise package

Leandro Trossard has been a bit of a surprise package for Arsenal this season, providing seven goals and assists combined in the league, more than any other player for Arteta’s side. The likes of Eberechi Eze and Viktor Gyökeres were big-money attacking signings in the summer, but it’s Trossard who has stood out.

Before the game against Wolves, Trossard had provided four goals and assists in his four previous Premier League matches, and he could be the surprise danger man for Everton to watch out for.

Prediction

Arsenal’s solid defence and Everton’s lack of production in the final third is surely a recipe for three points to the Gunners. We’re going for a 2-0 away win in this game.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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