EPL fixtures: Brentford host Liverpool as Arsenal face Aston Villa

Premier League leaders Liverpool must end their recent wobble to keep the chasing pack at bay as the Reds meet Brentford this weekend.

Second-placed Arsenal also host Aston Villa at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.

Everton and Tottenham meet in a battle of two desperate teams, while in-form Newcastle striker Alexander Isak can move closer to a Premier League record.

For much of the season, Liverpool have looked set to turn the title race into a stately procession towards their first Premier League crown since 2020.

But Arne Slot’s side have finally shown a few chinks in their armour in recent weeks, drawing against Manchester United and Nottingham Forest and losing to Tottenham in the League Cup semi-final first leg.

The Reds have lost only twice in all competitions this term, but Liverpool’s title rivals will hope their unexpected vulnerability proves they can be caught.

Second-placed Arsenal are four points behind the Anfield club, who have a game in hand on the north Londoners.

Saturday’s trip to Brentford, who battled back to draw with Manchester City on Tuesday, will be another test of Liverpool’s title mettle as captain Virgil van Dijk called for calm.

“Two draws doesn’t feel great but we have another opportunity on Saturday to work our socks off and get a win at Brentford and then it’s on to the next one,” Van Dijk said.

Reeling after four defeats in their last five league games, Tottenham are closer to the relegation zone than the top four as the pressure mounts on beleaguered boss Ange Postecoglou.

EPL: Arsenal beat spurs as Newcastle thrash Wolves to move into top four

Wednesday’s 2-1 loss at north London rivals Arsenal was the latest blow to Postecoglou, who faces accusations of tactical naivety from frustrated fans, AFP reported.

Tottenham are only eight points above the relegation zone and a loss at lowly Everton on Saturday would set alarm bells ringing over their top-flight status.

Everton are equally desperate for the points after Wednesday’s 1-0 loss at home to Aston Villa in the first game of David Moyes’ second spell as manager.

With Everton sitting just one point above the bottom three, Moyes, who replaced the sacked Sean Dyche, knows he needs to find an immediate solution to the team’s goal drought.

Meanwhile, Alexander Isak is in no mood to relax as he attempts to extend his blistering run of form to fire Newcastle back into the Champions League.

The 25-year-old Swede became the first Newcastle player to score in eight consecutive Premier League games when he struck twice in Wednesday’s 3-0 win against Wolves.

Newcastle’s ninth successive victory in all competitions lifted them into fourth place, extending their impressive rise from 12th place in December.

Isak has fuelled Newcastle’s surge with 16 goals in 16 games in all competitions.

Leicester striker Jamie Vardy holds the Premier League record with a run of scoring in 11 consecutive league games and Isak is aware how close he is to that milestone.

“My target is just to score every game, so I’m not thinking too much about the record. But if I was to get close to that, that would be nice, obviously,” Isak said ahead of Saturday’s clash with Bournemouth.

Below are the Premier League fixtures scheduled for the weekend:

Saturday
Newcastle v Bournemouth
Brentford v Liverpool
Leicester v Fulham
West Ham v Crystal Palace
Arsenal v Aston Villa
Sunday
Everton v Tottenham
Nottingham Forest v Southampton
Manchester United v Brighton
Ipswich v Manchester City
Monday
Chelsea v Wolves

The Star