5 Premier League Tips For This Weekend's Action - 23/4/22

Struggling Norwich will be looking to grab a huge win when an in-form Newcastle make the trip to Carrow Road on Saturday.

Time is running out for the Canaries, who are still rock-bottom of the Premier League and eight points from safety. Dean Smith’s side will be after a strong performance and performed well against Manchester United last Saturday, but still fell to a 3-2 defeat despite coming back from two goals down to draw level. It leaves Norwich with just one win in their last ten league games, losing seven of their last nine.

Newcastle have turned things around since the turn of the year, seeing them go from being within danger of relegation to being a comfortable mid-table side. Other than Liverpool, no side has won more points in the Premier League than the Magpies in 2022. Eddie Howe’s men have won three on the bounce and will be confident of another win and condemning Norwich to even more despair.

Two attacking sides meet at the King Power this weekend, with Leicester and Aston Villa going head-to-head in one of the 3 O’clock kick-offs.

The hosts find themselves in ninth place heading into the weekend, with European qualification looking out of reach. The focus for Brendan Rodgers’ side for the remainder of the season will surely be the UEFA Conference League, with the Foxes’ semi-final first leg against Roma next week, but for now the attention turns to Saturday’s clash against Villa, with Rodgers’ men looking to return to winning ways following a draw and a defeat in their last two league games.

Steven Gerrard’s men haven’t been in good form, with the 4-0 defeat to Spurs in their last game making it four straight defeats. There is still plenty of attacking options, such as Danny Ings, Ollie Watkins, and Phillipe Coutinho, who are always capable of finding the net.

Tottenham Hotspur travel to the Brentford Community Stadium on Saturday, hoping to gain an advantage as the race for Champions League football hots up.

Brentford have enjoyed a fantastic debut season in the Premier League, with their Premier League status more-or-less secured. They’ve claimed some big scalps along the way, with wins against the likes of Arsenal and West Ham as well as the magnificent 4-1 away win against Chelsea three weeks ago, so could certainly cause problems for Antonio Conte’s side. Thomas Frank’s men have won four of their last five in the league, following the away win at Watford last time out.

Spurs suffered defeat in their last game against Brighton, putting an end to their four-game winning streak which took them up to fourth and in the driving seat in the race for the top four. With Arsenal not playing until Sunday, Saturday’s clash at Brentford gives Conte’s side the opportunity to put pressure on their North London rivals with a big win.

Two teams looking to return to winning ways in the Premier League meet at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, as Chelsea host West Ham.

The Blues were on the wrong end of the six-goal thriller on Wednesday, when Arsenal pulled off a big 4-2 triumph at Stamford Bridge. Thomas Tuchel’s men have lost two of their last three in the league, but are still comfortable in third, with a five-point cushion over Spurs. There have been a whopping 22 goals in Chelsea’s last five Premier League games, so another high-scoring affair could follow in Wednesday’s footsteps.

West Ham go into the weekend after being held to a 1-1 draw at home to Burnley last Sunday. It leaves David Moyes’ side in seventh and still just about in the race for European football, but their main focus will surely be their Europa League semi-final, with the first leg against Frankfurt taking place next Thursday.

Sunday sees one of the biggest Merseyside Derbies ever take place at Anfield, with potentially big implications at both ends of the table.

The hosts need to keep chalking up the points to stay in the title race with Manchester City, as the Premier League’s top two continue to battle it out at the top. Liverpool have won eight of their last nine in all competitions, including the devastating 4-0 thrashing of rivals Manchester United on Wednesday.

Everton themselves are in need of a win, as the Toffees find themselves well and truly in a relegation battle. Burnley’s win on Thursday night means that Frank Lampard’s side are now just one point above the relegation zone in 17th, with games running out. One slip-up could be costly at this late stage, but nobody will be expecting anything from a game against their Merseyside rivals this weekend with the Reds in scintillating form and with the unprecedented quadruple a real possibility.

Sadio Mane has been in fine form for Jurgen Klopp’s side, with five goals in Liverpool’s last five league games.