After a ten-day break, the English Premier League returns with a full set of fixtures scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday. Liverpool vs Arsenal is the marquee matchup of the midweek Premier League action, but there are several other intriguing clashes scheduled over the next two days.
While Arsenal, coming off a 3-1 victory over Sunderland in the third round of the FA Cup, will want to maintain top spot in the Premier League, the likes of Leicester City, Manchester City, Tottenham and Manchester United will target three points as well, as the battle for the Premier League title resumes.
Arsenal will travel to Anfield against a Liverpool side struggling with injuries, with it giving the edge to the North London side. Wenger, though, expects most of Klopp's squad to recover in time for this crunch Premier League clash, after the Liverpool manager put out a weakened team for the FA Cup third round clash against Exeter.
"Yes, don't worry, Arsene is a very good doctor, they always heal when they play against us," Wenger said with a smile, when asked if he expected the senior squad members to return in time for the Arsenal match.
"The team who played on Friday night is not the team who will play against us. They had many injures and I think they didn't want more injuries before an important week."
While Arsenal face a difficult match in Liverpool, Leicester City also have a tricky fixture to negotiate, with Claudio Ranieri's men travelling to North London to play fourth-placed Tottenham. Spurs and Leicester played out an exciting 2-2 draw in the FA Cup on Sunday, and with several of the rested stars returning for this Premier League clash, an equally-exciting, if not more enthralling, match can be expected.
In another replay of a cup match, Manchester City entertain Everton, a week after the two played in the first leg of the Capital One Cup semifinals. Everton won that contest at Goodison Park 2-1, but Man City will fancy their chances at home, especially considering they cannot afford to drop points in this tightly-contested Premier League season. Reigning champions Chelsea will hope to continue their revival under Guus Hiddink with a home fixture against West Brom.
On Tuesday, Manchester United and Louis Van Gaal will be the focus, as the Dutchman attempts to ease the pressure on himself with victory over relegation-threatened Newcastle United. If Manchester United, widely criticised for a tepid display against League One side Sheffield United in the FA Cup, fail to pick up a win at Newcastle, those sacking stories concerning Van Gaal will gather pace.
EPL schedule: Tuesday: Newcastle United vs Manchester United (2.45 pm ET, 7.45 pm GMT, 1.15 am IST) at St. James' Park.
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace (2.45 pm ET, 7.45 pm GMT, 1.15 am IST) at Villa Park.
Bournemouth vs West Ham (2.45 pm ET, 7.45 pm GMT, 1.15 am IST) at Vitality Stadium.
Wednesday: Chelsea vs West Bromwich Albion (2.45 pm ET, 7.45 pm GMT, 1.15 am IST) at Stamford Bridge.
Manchester City vs Everton (2.45 pm ET, 7.45 pm GMT, 1.15 am IST) at the Etihad Stadium.
Southampton vs Watford (2.45 pm ET, 7.45 pm GMT, 1.15 am IST) at St. Marys.
Stoke City vs Norwich City (2.45 pm ET, 7.45 pm GMT, 1.15 am IST) at the Britannia.
Swansea City vs Sunderland (2.45 pm ET, 7.45 pm GMT, 1.15 am IST) at Liberty Stadium.
Tottenham vs Leicester City (3 pm ET, 8 pm GMT, 1.30 am IST) at White Hart Lane.
Liverpool vs Arsenal (3 pm ET, 8 pm GMT, 1.30 pm IST) at Anfield.
