LONDON: Liverpool remain top favorites to win the English Premier League (EPL) championship but Arsenal received new light heading into the weekend after Everton tied their long-term leaders in midweek.
Tottenham plays Manchester United in a clash between two giant clubs that are not in action at the real stage while the four dropped clubs need to recover now or accept the disadvantage of falling further.
Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice promised this week “big things are coming” before Liverpool splashed out two points at Goodison Park.
Behind that blow, following Everton’s James Tarkowski’s late equalizer, Arne Slot’s men had no need to panic after widening their lead over the Gunners to seven points.
Liverpool will be confident they can overcome troubled Wolves on Sunday but the next two weeks could be decisive for the club, who are seeking to match Manchester United’s feat of winning 20 Premier League titles.
The Reds travel to face Unai Emery’s Aston Villa side early next Thursday before a visit to Manchester City and home action against Newcastle.
According to football analyst Opta, nothing can disturb Slot’s sleep when his team, which features players including Mohamed Salah, still has almost a 90 percent chance of winning the championship.
Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou said he was not worried about being sacked, but the depressed Australian could not face another heartbreaking defeat against Manchester United at midnight on Sunday.
Postecoglou is sticking to his principles after Tottenham’s lackluster season was worsened by elimination from the League Cup and FA Cup in four days last week.
Tottenham squandered a 1-0 lead in the first leg of the League Cup semi-final when Liverpool beat the north London club 4-0. They then lost 2-1 to Aston Villa in the fourth round of the FA Cup.
Stranded in 14th place in the EPL, Postecoglou’s injury-plagued squad is desperate for a win when United, who are just two points ahead of them, visit the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Defeat at the hands of a United side who are also coming off a poor season is sure to increase fans’ anger and may be the final straw for Postecoglou.
“I just need to continue working as usual,” he said. “You need to live with it. It doesn’t change the decision I made.”
Mikel Arteta hopes Arsenal’s hot weather training camp will ease the pain of his players and spark encouragement for a strong finish to the season.
Meanwhile, German striker Kai Havertz has been ruled out for the remainder of the campaign with a hamstring injury that requires surgery.
Havertz’s inconsistent form has often been criticised, but Arsenal boss Arteta has kept faith with the 25-year-old, with few other options at his disposal.
Bukayo Saka has not played since December and Gabriel Jesus suffered a serious knee injury that ended his season prematurely last month.
Gabriel Martinelli has also been ruled out, leaving Leandro Trossard, Raheem Sterling and teenager Ethan Nwaneri as Arsenal’s strikers for the visit of lower club Leicester tomorrow evening.