Another round of fixtures awaits us in the Premier League this weekend as gameweek 26 makes its arrival tomorrow. With two fixtures being postponed because of the EFL Cup final between Manchester United and Southampton, only eight matches will be played in this round. Chelsea might extend their lead to 11 points at the top with closest rivals, Manchester City not playing this weekend.
Liverpool visit Leicester City who sacked Claudio Ranieri last night and will be hoping for a response from the Premier League champions. Crystal Palace and Burnley meanwhile face tough fixtures as the relegation battle might take a new twist this time around. Here is how the league table looks as we head into gameweek 26 of the Premier League.
| # | Team | GD | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chelsea | 34 | 60 |
| 2 | Manchester City | 22 | 52 |
| 3 | Tottenham Hotspur | 28 | 50 |
| 4 | Arsenal | 26 | 50 |
| 5 | Liverpool | 24 | 49 |
| 6 | Manchester United | 17 | 48 |
| --- | --------------------------- | ---- | ---- |
| 18 | Hull City | -27 | 20 |
| 19 | Crystal Palace | -14 | 19 |
| 20 | Sunderland | -22 | 19 |
Chelsea vs Swansea City
- Diego Costa has scored seven goals in his last four Premier League games against Swansea City. This is more than against any other that he has managed in four matches.
- Paul Clement's men have taken 12 points from a possible 18 in 2017. This is one point more than what Chelsea have managed this year.
- Since the end of October, Chelsea have conceded two goals in a league game on just three occasions.
- Gylfi Sigurdsson has been involved in more Premier League goals than any other midfielder this season. The Icelander has eight goals and eight assists to his name currently.
Tottenham Hotspur vs Stoke City
- Spurs have kept the most number of clean sheets at home this season (8).
- Potters have only won one of their last 20 Premier League games in London (D7, L12). Their only win came at White Hart Lane in November 2014.
- Dele Alli and Harry Kane have scored three goals each in their last two league games against Stoke City.
- Of any Premier League fixture to have been played 15+ times, this fixture has produced the highest average of red cards per game, eight in total at 0.47 per game.
Leicester City vs Liverpool
- Liverpool have won more away matches against reigning Premier League champions than any other team.
- Leicester City have not scored a goal in the league in 2017.
- Both sides have won just one out of their last games in all competitions. The Foxes won against Derby County in the FA Cup whereas Liverpool overcome Spurs in their last league game.
West Bromwich Albion vs Bournemouth
- West Bromwich have opened the scoring in the sixth minute in their previous three Premier League games.
- Bournemouth have conceded the most goals in Premier League this calendar year with 18 goals. The Baggies have conceded 10 less than their opponents.
- Only Liverpool (2932 km) and Manchester City (2873 km) have run further as a team than West Bromwich this season (2852 km).
Everton vs Sunderland
- David Moyes has not named an unchanged lineup in any of his last 60 games in the Premier League. The last time coming in his penultimate game for Everton, back in May 2013.
- An Everton player has scored a hat-trick in 2 of the last 3 Premier League games between the two sides. Romelu Lukaku and Arouna Kone being the two treble scorers.
- The Black Cats have failed to score a first-half goal in 19 of their last 25 league encounters.
Watford vs West Ham United
- Tom Cleverley has created 10 goalscoring chances in five appearances for Watford which is 2 more than what he managed in his 27 appearances for Everton.
- Andy Carroll has scored five times in his last six league starts for the Hammers.
- Watford have named the oldest starting lineup in the Premier League this season (29 years, 301 days).
Crystal Palace vs Middlesbrough
- Sam Allardyce has not won any of his last nine league matches against Middlesbrough (W0, D6, L3).
- Aitor Karanka's men are on the current longest winless run in the Premier League. They have failed to win any of their last eight league games. (W0, D4, L4)
- Crystal Palace can do a league double over Boro for the first time since the 1992/93 season.
Hull City vs Burnley
- Burnley are unbeaten in their five Premier League matches against Hull (W4, D1).
- Hull City have failed to score in more Premier League games than any other team this season (12). This includes a blank in three of their last four league games.
- Burnley have won just four away games in 49 matches during their time in the Premier League. Out of the four wins, two have come against the Tigers.
