Top Match Round-Up: Pressures on Leicester with four games left
The Premier League has been disrupted this weekend due to the four semi-finalists in the FA Cup, but there are still a number of Premier League matches that could have huge implications at both ends of the table.
Manchester City vs Stoke – Saturday, 12:45 KO
After dropping points against Newcastle in midweek, City have relinquished third to Arsenal and are now only a point above Manchester United in fourth. They will have one eye on their Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid next week but cannot afford to drop more points against an inconsistent Stoke side. The Potters turned in arguably their best performance of the season when they beat City earlier in the season, however they’ve only won once in their last six and no team has conceded more goals than them in that time (14).
Liverpool vs Newcastle – Saturday, 13:00 KO
Jurgen Klopp’s men are untouchable at the moment. Their win over Borussia Dortmund has injected a real sense of belief and they still have an outside chance of making the top four. They’ve won three on the spin in the league and have a game in hand on some of their rivals. Newcastle, however, won’t roll over and it will see Benitez return to Anfield where he had so much success as Liverpool manager. The Magpies are unbeaten in two and now only two points adrift of safety. They’ve certainly improved under Benitez and their 1-1 draw with City last time out should give them the belief to achieve something special at Anfield.
Leicester vs Swansea – Sunday, 16:15 KO
Leicester will begin life without the suspended Jamie Vardy up against a resurgent Swansea outfit that have accomplished safety. The Foxes will be without the league’s second top goalscorer this season (22) but have the chance to extend their lead over Spurs to eight points before Pochettino’s side host West Brom on Monday. The Foxes have only lost one game in 2016 and will need Riyad Mahrez to return to form in Vardy’s absence to continue their charge towards the title. He scored a hat-trick the last time these sides met this season.
Tottenham vs West Brom – Monday, KO 20:00
Pochettino’s men are doing everything they can to push Leicester right down to the wire. They closed the gap to five points last weekend and should be able to overcome an abject West Brom team that have lost four of their last five. The Baggies haven’t won away from home in more than two months, whereas Tottenham have scored seven goals in their last two matches without conceding. Harry Kane has scored seven goals in his last five games and is leading their charge to the title.
