The 16th round of Premier League action sees two of the top three teams - Liverpool and Arsenal - taking the field on Saturday afternoon. Arne Slot’s Reds appear unstoppable, dominating both the Premier League and the Champions League. Liverpool, led by league top scorer Mohamed Salah with 13 goals (tied with Erling Haaland), hosts Marco Silva's Fulham at Anfield. After a 3-3 draw at Newcastle and a Champions League away win at Girona, Liverpool seeks its ninth win in the last 11 league games.
Liverpool, leading the table with 35 points (11 wins, 2 draws, 1 loss), holds a four-point advantage over second-place Chelsea. Notably, Salah and company still have a game in hand after last week’s Merseyside derby against Everton was postponed due to Storm Darragh. Despite scoring 29 goals, Liverpool doesn’t boast the league’s best attack; Chelsea leads with 35 goals, followed by Brentford and Tottenham with 31 each, despite sitting ninth and eleventh, respectively. In their last 20 meetings, Liverpool has beaten Fulham 12 times, while the Cottagers have claimed four wins, with four draws.
Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal faces what seems to be an easy home fixture against Sean Dyche’s Everton at the Emirates. The Gunners, with three wins and two draws in their last five matches, aim to bounce back from a 1-1 draw with Fulham. Arsenal is third in the table with 29 points, sandwiched between Chelsea and Manchester City. Everton, five points clear of the relegation zone, crushed Wolverhampton 4-0 before their postponed derby match against Liverpool.
Premier League, Forest holds Liverpool as City and Chelsea falter
15 Jan - 11:55 •
2' min
Eddie Howe’s Newcastle, sitting 12th with 20 points, is eager to recover after earning just two points from their last four matches. Hosting 16th-placed Leicester City under Ruud van Nistelrooy, the Magpies have a prime opportunity to secure three points. However, the Foxes are unbeaten under van Nistelrooy, having beaten West Ham 3-1 and drawn 2-2 with Brighton.
In a relegation battle, Wolverhampton faces Ipswich Town. Both sides are tied at nine points, with Wolves having the league’s worst defense (38 goals conceded). Meanwhile, Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa, fifth and sixth with 25 points each, lock horns. Forest, fresh from a victory at Old Trafford against Manchester United, takes on a Villa side riding back-to-back wins over Brentford and Southampton.
Bottom-placed Bochum, with just two points and no wins (two draws and 11 losses), visits 12th-placed Union Berlin (16 points). Bochum, enduring three consecutive defeats, has the league’s worst defense (34 goals conceded) and the weakest attack (10 goals scored).
Table-toppers Bayern Munich, still unbeaten with 10 wins and 3 draws from 13 games, travel to ninth-placed Mainz (19 points). Vincent Kompany’s Bavarians, boasting the league’s best attack (41 goals) and best defense (10 goals conceded), have won 15 of their last 20 encounters against Mainz, losing just four times.
Holstein Kiel, with the league’s second-worst defense (33 goals conceded), visits 11th-placed Borussia Moenchengladbach (18 points). Meanwhile, defending champions Bayer Leverkusen, guided by Xabi Alonso, take on 13th-placed Augsburg (16 points). Leverkusen, with three wins and two draws in their last five games, faces an Augsburg side that has managed just one win, three draws, and one loss in the same period.
St. Pauli and Werder Bremen face off in a closely matched encounter, with St. Pauli sitting just one point above relegation-threatened Heidenheim.
In Ligue 1, Roberto De Zerbi’s Marseille, coming off three consecutive wins, faces Bruno Genesio’s Lille, unbeaten since September 13. Marseille, second with 29 points, trails PSG by five points, while Lille (26 points) aims to close the gap.
Surprise package Auxerre, newly promoted this season, hosts Lens. The visitors hold a narrow three-point advantage (23 to 20). After defeating Toulouse, Adolf Hutter’s Monaco gears up for a tricky away match against Stade de Reims. Both sides are tied at 29 points in second place, hoping to capitalize on any PSG misstep.
