Premier League preview: What (definitely) will and won't happen this weekend

Harry Kane, Ederson

Southampton vs Chelsea (Saturday, 12.30pm)

The big talking point: Both teams running out of games: Southampton to save their Premier League status, Chelsea to preserve their faint hopes of qualifying for the Champions League.

What will happen: Let's stick our neck out: this is where the Southampton revival begins. They didn't win at the Emirates last weekend but were greatly improved, and a return to St. Mary's against a Chelsea team that barely look bothered at the moment should yield at least some points.

What won't happen: Shane Long will probably be replaced by Charlie Austin up front, with the former suffering a series of knocks last Sunday, while Jack Stephens serves the first game of a ban after being dismissed for that strange tussle with Jack Wilshere.

Burnley vs Leicester (Saturday, 3pm)

The big talking point: Burnley's hopes of chasing Arsenal down look remote, but they're in the driving seat for a Europa League place. Leicester's hopes for the same might well rest on them winning at Turf Moor this weekend, with a six-point deficit to chop away at. 

What will happen: The Foxes really aren't the same without (the suspended) Wilfred Ndidi, clearly their most important midfield piece - and that should show here, with Burnley winning five straight Premier League games for the first time in their history.

What won't happen: Matty James is done for the year through injury, while Vicente Iborra is also struggling for fitness. Claude Puel's midfield cupboard really is bare - Objective A for Leicester in the summer will be to restock it.

Crystal Palace vs Brighton (Saturday, 3pm)

The big talking point: Another good performance from Palace on Saturday, but another set of points dropped. Roy Hodgson saw his side take the lead twice in that game and yet still fail to win. He'll be frustrated: if his players had converted all of their winning positions to victories over the past six weeks, the Eagles could already be planning for next season.

What will happen: But this will be the moment that changes. Brighton will likely stay up, but there's been a slight regression in their form over recent weeks. Their failure to beat Huddersfield was particularly disappointing and could have been the result of some collective fatigue. Chris Hughton's players are limping towards safety.

What won't happen: Palace still have doubts about Christian Benteke, who missed the trip to Dean Court, while Alexander Sorloth is also out. Brighton's Davy Propper is banned after his sending off last week.

Huddersfield vs Watford (Saturday, 3pm)

The big talking point: Huddersfield have to win this game. Have to. The expectation must be that Southampton and Stoke will pick up points before the season's end, so this kind of game - against an already-safe opponent - must be made to count.

What will happen: Richarlison should return to Javi Gracia's starting lineup, having been benched for the past two games. Huddersfield struggle with direct threats and also with pace, and the Brazilian - in spite of suffering from a notable dip in form - is still Watford's most dynamic player.

What won't happen: Statistically, a visiting goal seems unlikely: Watford haven't found the net in any of their past five games away from Vicarage Road. Troublingly for any neutrals with tickets for this one, Huddersfield are without a win in any of their last five. Here comes a goalless draw, then...

Swansea vs Everton (Saturday, 3pm)

The big talking point: A win here could theoretically take Swansea seven points clear of relegation. Their survival would owe much to the ineptitude beneath them, but that would be quite remarkable given where they were in late 2017.

What will happen: Remember this game last year? A Fernando Llorente goal in a 1-0 win against a listless, uninterested Everton was enough to essentially secure Swansea's position in the league. Expect something similar.

What won't happen: Swansea's only fresh doubt is over Mike van der Hoorn. He's potentially a bigger miss than assumed, because - despite never really being trusted by Paul Clement - he's actually been one of the better performers under Carlos Carvalhal.

Liverpool vs Bournemouth (Saturday, 5.30pm)

The big talking point: The morning after the night before. Liverpool were sensational in the Champions League over those two ties with Manchester City, but can they adjust back to the humdrum of the league? They'll need to. Their top-four place is probably safe, but Tottenham have a game in hand over them and are in excellent form.

What will happen: Bournemouth are awkward. Their form isn't great and their performances haven't been either, but they've developed the useful habit of being able to avoid defeat in spite of not playing particularly well. Just one defeat in six for Eddie Howe's side.

What won't happen: As at Everton, you'd expect some rotation from Jurgen Klopp: Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino will need to be rotated smartly if they're to be kept fresh for Europe, so expect a similar team to the one fielded at Goodison Park.

Tottenham vs Manchester City (Saturday, 7.45pm)

The big talking point: The scheduling. The last train to Manchester from London leaves at 10pm, meaning that Manchester City's travelling fans will either miss it or be forced to leave early. That's not great from the Premier League.

What will happen: Is this a good time for Spurs to be playing City or not? Pep Guardiola's team have now lost three games in a row and looked absolutely shattered by the time Tuesday night's game ended. They're going to win the title - comfortably - but this is becoming a rather limp finish. Conversely, Tottenham are the league's form team: they haven't lost domestically since December 16 (against City themselves), and another game without defeat would set a new club record in the Premier League era.

What won't happen: Guardiola will be without Fernandinho, who went over the bookings limit against Manchester United. Fabian Delph seems likely to drop into that pivot position at the base of midfield.

Newcastle vs Arsenal (Sunday 1.30pm)

The big talking point: Newcastle's safety, which will be all but secured if they win here. It won't happen, of course, but Rafael Benitez should really be part of the manager-of-the-year conversation.

What will happen: Arsenal continue to prioritise the Europa League, rightly given the distance between them and the top four, so another lethargic performance is on the cards here. In front of a potentially jubilant home crowd, this is a wonderful opportunity for Newcastle to rubber-stamp survival.

What won't happen: There'll be no Henrikh Mkhitaryan, rotation or otherwise – but the news isn't all bad. The Armenian playmaker had been ruled out for the rest of the domestic season, but could be back in a couple of weeks according to Arsene Wenger. Fine timing for the Europa League. 

Manchester United vs West Brom (Sunday, 4pm)

The big talking point: West Brom's relegation, which will be confirmed if they lose and Crystal Palace, Swansea and Huddersfield all win. 

What will happen: They will lose at Old Trafford, but the other results are unlikely. So what, though? As has been written elsewhere, within its context this is one of the worst Premier League seasons on record and nobody at the club emerges from it within any credit at all. The draw with Swansea was their first point in the league since January. January!

What won't happen: Any talking points or conclusions. Manchester United will win, it will be relatively simple and they'll even have time to rest a few players ahead of the FA Cup semi-final. On we go...

West Ham vs Stoke (Monday, 8pm)

The big talking point: Improvement in both sides. West Ham deserved their point at Stamford Bridge and were excellent the week before against Southampton. Happily for them, relegation is now an afterthought. Conversely, Stoke's development since Paul Lambert's arrival hasn't been rewarded in the same way. They were extremely unfortunate to lose to Tottenham last weekend and arguably deserved points in each of their previous two games (against Everton and Arsenal).

What will happen: Stoke win. Yes, really. West Ham's security should provoke something of a relapse, meaning that Lambert's reinvigorated side should prevail. Xherdan Shaqiri has started to flicker in recent weeks, so too January signings Moritz Bauer and Badou Ndiaye.

What won't happen: Charlie Adam will still be missing as he serves the final game of a ban, while Kevin Wimmer remains unfit. David Moyes will have to contend with an injury list which shows no sign of lessening: Manuel Lanzini and James Collins are the latest additions to a group which already includes Winston Reid, Michail Antonio, Sam Byram and Pedro Obiang.

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Seb Stafford-Bloor is a football writer at Tifo Football and member of the Football Writers' Association. He was formerly a regularly columnist for the FourFourTwo website, covering all aspects of the game, including tactical analysis, reaction pieces, longer-term trends and critiquing the increasingly shady business of football's financial side and authorities' decision-making.