Friday 4 December
Aston Villa v Newcastle United – Postponed
Saturday 5 December
15:30: Burnley v Everton
18:00: Manchester City v Fulham
20:30: West Ham United v Manchester United
23:00: Chelsea v Leeds United
Sunday 6 December
15:00: West Bromwich Albion v Crystal Palace
17:15: Sheffield United v Leicester City
19:30: Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal
22:15: Liverpool v Wolverhampton Wanderers
Monday 7 December
23:00: Brighton & Hove Albion v Southampton
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The pick of matches from the Premier League this weekend is the classic North London derby between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal.
The mutual enmity runs deep between these two teams and their contrasting fortunes so far this season will make the clash all the more intriguing: while Spurs look like potential title contenders under Jose Mourinho, the Gunners are struggling to find their usual attacking rhythm under Mikel Arteta.
The Spanish tactician has made his side far more solid in defence, but it appears to have come at the expense of threat and precision at the other end of the field.
“I think we’ve been working really good defensively, it’s just that flair, creativity and monument sometimes that the players need to make the last action which is the most difficult thing in football,” explained Arteta.
“It’s not that you’re not creating the chances, we have to create more and we have to be more consistent in the final third with the amount of things we finish and how we finish them. It will come and the reality is that we have not had much continuity in the players for various reasons which is very important to get the understanding right with them.”
This round of matches will also feature a potential thriller between Chelsea and Leeds United at Stamford Bridge, with the Blues looking to continue their free-scoring form while the Whites will hope their pressing and aggression can give them an edge.
“The first port of call this year was to close the gap on Manchester City and Liverpool, who have set different levels of consistency through a season,” said Chelsea boss Frank Lampard. “We are improving but we cannot get carried away. We have to try to reach those levels but I’m happy with where we’re at right now.”
Other games to watch include Manchester United’s visit to the London Stadium to face West Ham United, Manchester City hosting strugglers Fulham, champions Liverpool tackling Wolverhampton Wanderers at Anfield and the round-closer, which is a South-Coast derby between Brighton & Hove Albion and Southampton.