Premier League Fixtures: Week 12 Schedule,
NOVEMBER 13, 2017
The Premier League returns with a bang after the international break, as Arsenal welcome Tottenham Hotspur to the Emirates Stadium in Saturday's early kick-off.
Later in the day, table-toppers Manchester City head to Leicester City. Chelsea are also away from home, as they head to the Hawthorns to take on West Bromwich Albion.
Meanwhile, Saturday's late fixture is also intriguing, with Manchester United aiming to bounce back from defeat to Chelsea when Newcastle United visit Old Trafford.
It's set to be another thrilling gameweek in English football's top flight, and here are the fixtures, a prediction for each and a focus on the matchday's top games.
Saturday, November 18
12:30 p.m. GMT—Arsenal vs. Tottenham Hotspur (2-2)
3 p.m. GMT—Bournemouth vs. Huddersfield Town (1-1)
3 p.m. GMT—Burnley vs. Swansea City (1-0)
3 p.m. GMT—Crystal Palace vs. Everton (1-1)
3 p.m. GMT—Leicester City vs. Manchester City (0-2)
3 p.m. GMT—Liverpool vs. Southampton (3-1)
3 p.m. GMT—West Bromwich Albion vs. Chelsea (0-3)
5:30 p.m. GMT—Manchester United vs. Newcastle United (1-0)
Sunday, November 19
4 p.m. GMT—Watford vs. West Ham United (1-0)
Monday, November 20
8 p.m. GMT—Brighton & Hove Albion vs. Stoke City (1-0)
Arsenal vs. Tottenham
Arsenal's return to form after a slow start was ended last time out, as they were comfortably beaten 3-1 at Manchester City.
Another tough fixture awaits on Saturday in the form of the north London derby, although a win would take the Gunners to within one point of third-place Spurs.
Manager Arsene Wenger left club-record signing Alexandre Lacazette out of his starting lineup against City, but the Frenchman came on and found the back of the net.
It would therefore be a surprise if Lacazette were left out again, particularly with his goalscoring record this season, as highlighted by the Premier League's official Twitter account:
Arsenal will also want more from talisman Alexis Sanchez who has yet to find his top form this season and has managed just two goals in all competitions.
Tottenham, meanwhile, go into the game on the back of a narrow win over Crystal Palace that saw them move level on points with Manchester United in second but still eight behind leaders City.
Spurs do have injury concerns, with Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Harry Winks all having pulled out of international duty with England through injury, per BBC Sport.
However, Mauricio Pochettino has said Kane will be fit to face Arsenal, although Hugo Lloris and Toby Alderweireld are doubts, per Tom Allnutt at the Evening Standard.
Kane's return will be a huge boost for Arsenal, particularly given his record against the Gunners, Opta noted:
OptaJoe ✔ @OptaJoe
6 - Harry Kane is now the top scoring Spurs player in Premier League North London derbies (6). Hitman.
5:48 PM - Apr 30, 2017
This fixture has yielded plenty of entertainment and goals in recent seasons, and Saturday should be no different.
Kane's return is crucial for Spurs, particularly against an Arsenal side that continues to look vulnerable defensively.
However, Spurs may be without key men Lloris and Alderweireld, and in Lacazette, Mesut Ozil and Sanchez, the Gunners have the firepower to cause their north London rivals problems.
Manchester United vs. Newcastle United
All eyes will be on United manager Jose Mourinho on Saturday at Old Trafford, with his team in need of a win after a demoralising defeat at Chelsea last time out.
The Red Devils may, however, be boosted by the return from injury of Paul Pogba, who could make the squad, per James Robson of the Manchester Evening News.
Lukaku has not scored for United since the 4-0 win over Crystal Palace in September, but his goals for Belgium will give him confidence and also saw him hit a landmark, per football journalist Kristof Terreur:
Newcastle will prove tough opposition and have fared well on their return to the Premier League—they are in 11th place after 11 games.
Rafael Benitez's side are difficult to break down, and United will need to show more creativity and precision in front of goal than they have in recent games if they are to get back to winning ways.
- Det er vel i disse 2 kampe, at vores nærmeste rivaler har størst chance for at tabe point. Den tippede 2-2'er i London-derbyet er vel helt fint, og mon ikke Benitez vil gøre alt for at nakke scum, og hvis bare begge hold går fra banen uden scoringer, så er det også helt fint for mig
