London, Dec 12 (LatestNewsX) – Arsenal, the reigning Premier League leaders, are set for what looks like a walk‑over when Mikel Arteta’s side host Wolverhampton Wanderers, who occupy the very bottom of the table. The Wolves arrive with only two points, no wins all season, and a new head coach, Rob Edwards, who has yet to secure a victory in his four matches in charge.
Even with a sizable injury list that includes William Saliba, Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Magalhães, and Cristhian Mosquera, Arteta can count on Declan Rice’s return after fighting off a bout of flu. Gabriel Jesus may also get minutes as he works on regaining fitness from a serious knee problem, according to Xinhua.
Manchester City, sitting second, head to Crystal Palace, who have surged to fourth place. Palace are hampered by a long‑term knee injury to central defender Daniel Múñez that will require surgery. Nathaniel Clyne is likely to step in as a replacement, especially after Crystal Palace has never suffered a defeat at Selhurst Park since Pep Guardiola took over.
Chelsea appear to be losing a bit of their momentum, illustrated by a goalless draw at Bournemouth and a 2–1 loss to Atalanta. Enzo Maresca’s team struggles against deep‑defending rivals, so an upcoming clash with Everton—who have kept successive clean sheets in their visits to Stamford Bridge—looks set to be a defensive affair.
Midweek, Liverpool secured a crucial Champions League win away at Inter Milan, with a solid defensive showing that hints at improvement after conceding three goals to Leeds United last weekend. Mohamed Salah, whether in or out of the squad, remains a focal point as Liverpool host Brighton; it could be his final game before the African Cup of Nations if manager Arne Slot recalls him following last weekend’s controversy.
Aston Villa, under Unai Emery, head to West Ham after stringing together ten consecutive victories across all competitions. Their confidence is high after a win over Arsenal last weekend, which moved them up to third place. Emery will have fresh legs in Ollie Watkins and Morgan Rodgers after rotating them in Thursday’s Europa League success in Basel.
The weekend also brings the long‑awaited Wear‑Tyne derby between Sunderland and Newcastle, one of football’s biggest rivalries. Newcastle defeated the Merseysiders in the last derby two years ago during the FA Cup when Sunderland was still in the Championship, so with Sunderland now a point ahead, the tie should be much tighter. The outcome is likely to hinge on the midfield battle among Sunderland’s Noah Sadiki, Granit Xhaka and Enzo Le Fee against Newcastle’s trio of Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali and Joelinton.
Other fixtures include Nottingham Forest hosting a recovering Tottenham, Brentford maintaining their solid home form against Leeds United, and Burnley hoping to break a six‑game home losing streak against a Fulham side that must guard against slipping into the relegation zone.
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