The festive fixtures now history and after pausing for breath to allow the FA Cup to take centre-stage, the English Premier League returns this weekend with the promise of goals, controversies and plenty of surprise results.
Tottenham vs Chelsea highlights
With the top six already locked and loaded for this season, all eyes are on who can challenge Chelsea the longest for the Premier League title race. Everyone from Liverpool, Tottenham, Manchester City, Arsenal and Manchester United will feel they are in with a shot, but the key from now will be to stay as consistent as possible in order to try and overhaul the lead Chelsea enjoy at the moment.
The Blues, though, if they win their match at the weekend, will enjoy the fact that on Sunday, one of the two perceived title rivals, if not both, will drop points, with Manchester United hosting Liverpool.
Here is a look at all ten matches for the weekend, with the schedule of the matches, including time, date and venue.
Saturday, January 14: Tottenham vs West Bromwich Albion (6pm IST, 12.30pm GMT, 7.30am ET) at White Hart Lane:
Spurs showed they are in the title reckoning by beating Chelsea and ending their wonderful winning run last time out. Now, the key for Mauricio Pochettino's men will be to show they can keep those levels up for every single match. West Brom are enjoying a solid season under Tony Pulis and will be a tough nut to crack. Crack them they must if Tottenham are to stay in that title conversation.
Hull City vs Bournemouth (8.30pm IST, 3pm GMT, 10am ET) at KCOM Stadium:
Hull went down to Manchester United in midweek, with that 2-0 defeat looking like ending their hopes of reaching a cup final, even if they do have a second leg at home. Marco Silva, though, was hired to try and keep the Tigers in the Premier League and home wins will be the key to that aim. Bournemouth are a dangerous side going forward – just ask Arsenal and Liverpool – but Hull must win this if they are to stand a serious chance of surviving relegation.
Burnley vs Southampton (8.30pm IST, 3pm GMT, 10am ET) at Turf Moor:
Burnley are a formidable team at home for any side and with Sean Dyche's men hosting a Saints team that have lost their last three English Premier League matches, this will be a game that Burnley feel they can win. Southampton, though, are coming off an impressive victory over Liverpool in the EFL Cup, so confidence will be high amongst Claude Puel's team.
Swansea City vs Arsenal (8.30pm IST, 3pm GMT, 10am ET) at the Liberty Stadium:
Arsenal had to really work to beat Swansea the last time these two teams met, with the London club eventually winning 3-2. With a new manager in Paul Clement, Swansea will be a galvanised outfit and having enjoyed many a win over the Gunners in recent times, they might fancy getting something from this game. This is a game that Arsenal absolutely must win, however, considering they are eight points behind leaders Chelsea. Another slipup and it will definitely be title dreams over for Arsene Wenger's side.
Watford vs Middlesbrough (8.30pm IST, 3pm GMT, 10am ET) at Vicarage Road:
Watford might have advanced to the fourth round of the Premier League with a 2-0 win over lower league Burton Albion, but the London club have been quite poor in the EPL of late. They have failed to win any of their last five matches and are in danger of being sucked into a relegation battle if they don't turn their form around. Boro are 16th, three points behind Watford, so a win would really help them push away from the bottom three.
Sunderland vs Stoke City (8.30pm IST, 3pm GMT, 10am ET) at the Stadium of Light:
The situation might not be as dire as it was at the start of the season, but Sunderland still have a lot of work ahead of them if they are to avoid the drop. David Moyes is slowly getting more out of his players, and a home win over Stoke will act as a big boost in their relegation battle. Stoke are in 11th place at the moment, and after a shock defeat in the FA Cup, Mark Hughes will demand a reaction from his team.
West Ham United vs Crystal Palace (8.30pm IST, 3pm GMT, 10am ET) at the London Stadium:
The Palace revival has not quite begun under Sam Allardyce, but maybe a game against his former team is what the experienced manager needs to get his juices flowing and get his team on a solid run. With West Ham needing three points as well, though, this could prove to be an entertaining game.
Leicester City vs Chelsea (11pm IST, 5.30pm GMT, 12.30pm ET) at King Power Stadium:
A 13-game winning streak was brought to an end by Spurs, and Chelsea will want to show they are champion material by bouncing back in the Premier League. In their way are the current champions, who have not quite enjoyed the kind of defence they would have hoped for at the start of the season. Leicester are 15th in the EPL at the moment, a full 28 points behind leaders Chelsea, but they will do their confidence and the rest of the title chasing pack a big favour by stopping Antonio Conte's team.
Sunday, January 15: Everton vs Manchester City (7pm IST, 1.30pm GMT, 8.30am ET) at Goodison Park:
Only three points will do for a City team that could be ten points behind Chelsea, if the latter beat Leicester in the game on Saturday. If the Blues have dropped points by the time this game comes into play, it will act as an even bigger motivator for City to get closer to the league leaders. Everton had pretentions on the top four after a fast start to the season, but now that all that has faded, it looks like the best Ronald Koeman's men can do this year is finish seventh.
Manchester United vs Liverpool (9.30pm IST, 4pm GMT, 11am ET) at Old Trafford:
The best has been saved for the last. Liverpool are seen as the biggest challengers to Chelsea this year, but Manchester United are on a hot streak at the moment, and have won six out of their last six games in the Premier League. Home advantage could come into play, with Jose Mourinho demanding more from the Old Trafford faithful.
If Jurgen Klopp believes his team are serious title contenders, this is the kind of game they need to win, especially if Chelsea increase their lead at the top. Manchester United, to have any hopes of hauling down the deficit, also need to take all three points – so, this match is perfectly poised to be an absolute cracker.
