Talking points ahead of this weekend in the Premier League

Manchester City and Aston Villa meet at Wembley this weekend for the first silverware of the season, but in league action it promises to be another action-packed slate of games in the Premier League with an awful lot at stake for teams at both the top and bottom of the table.

Solskjaer ​looks to promising future with reminder of dark past

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is beginning to show signs he has the potential to lead Manchester United back to glory yet the familiar dark days, seen towards the end of last season and throughout this term, are usually only just around the corner.

It is not even a year since a gloomy day Goodison Park when Everton inflicted a painful 4-0 defeat to make the Norwegian wince on the sideline and presumably paint doubt across the face of Ed Woodward not even a month after handing a three-year contract to the former United striker.

A shambolic display saw the visitors register just a shot on target over the course of the 90 minutes, though there have been brighter days since, recently too: Manchester City and Chelsea have been reminded in the last few weeks of the big-game potential Solskjaer has at the very least.

Now, in another trip to Goodison, Solskjaer must prove he can find the right formula to resist any intimidation that will come from the Goodison faithful. Fred’s development has been welcomed after a double midweek against Club Brugge, so Solskjaer is getting closer to discovering the right formula. But it is precisely against this type of opponent Solskjaer knows he must produce, even if Carlo Ancelotti has lifted the Toffees since his arrival.

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Top four hopes for Spurs and Wolves at stake

Buoyed by a 4-0 win at the Molineux, Nuno Espírito Santo predictably rested some of his regular first-team players as Wolves played out the second leg of their Europa League clash with Espanyol on Thursday night. But he didn’t completely trust his fringe players, with the likes of captain Conor Coady, João Moutinho and Adama Traoré all selected to start in Barcelona.

You would expect all three to play a part against Spurs this weekend – but will Nuno come to regret not resting more of his automatic Premier League picks? The fixtures are beginning to pile up for his side and this weekend presents them with a priceless opportunity to leapfrog Tottenham in the table and stake their claim for a Champions League place.

Tottenham – who remain severely depleted through injuries – are seemingly there for the taking. But it should not be forgotten just how comprehensively Wolves dominated the first fixture at the Molineux, only for José Mourinho’s side to somehow pinch a thoroughly undeserving 2-1 victory. Should Spurs slip up here, their own top four hopes will look increasingly unlikely.

Moyes tasked with pivotal home clash

There is still unrest at West Ham yet the fight and fearlessness they displayed to rattle the champions elect at Anfield will have pleased David Moyes. Liverpool, with a little help from Lukasz Fabianski’s blunders, stormed back to deny the Hammers, who are now wedged inside the relegation zone after two points from seven league games – level with 19th-placed Watford and a point behind Aston Villa in 17th.

Saints are resurgent under Ralph Hasenhuttl and all but secure for another season having carved out a 10-point safety net to shoot up into 12th. Yet West Ham know this home game – which could quickly turn into a cauldron of hate should they not prompt their fans to give them encouragement - is pivotal to their hopes of survival.

Arsenal, Wolves, Tottenham and Chelsea follow the visit of Saints, making Moyes fully aware of the necessity to win here with a fast start almost certainly a precursor to banking those precious points in the fight to survive.

Lampard and Blues to lick their wounds

It was a devastating lesson on Tuesday night for Chelsea as Bayern Munich comprehensively dismantled the Blues, presenting a stark reminder of just how far they have to go if they are to reach the levels required to compete with the best on the continent.

Sapped by key injuries to Callum Hudson-Odoi, Christian Pulisic and the worrying setback for Tammy Abraham, Lampard’s side are vulnerable for the trip to Bournemouth. The Cherries, of course, crave points just as much as the Blues in their fight to beat the drop and just two points separating them from West Ham in 18th.

A ruthless win in December through Dan Gosling’s strike saw Eddie Howe’s side expose the nervousness surrounding Stamford Bridge when Chelsea fail to break opposition down, but the formula may change at Dean Court. The Cherries would be wise to revert to the set-up from the first encounter between these sides after back-to-back defeats. It promises to be a fascinating duel between two teams and managers intent on playing extravagant, expansive football, yet with the ramifications so big at both ends of the table, who will blink first?

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Eagles fight Seagulls in game that means more than just bragging rights

Saturday’s early game sees the Premier League’s strangest rivals meet again in a game that both sides will be desperate to win. It’s not all about bragging rights either with the teams only separated by five points at kick off and both looking over their shoulders in the battle at the basement end of the table.

The Seagulls are in the midst of a dreadful run and are still without a win in all competitions in 2020.

Visitors Crystal Palace aren’t in the best of form either but will boast Wilfried Zaha amongst their ranks who, despite being in and out nick so far this term, has proven deadly in this fixture – he has six goals in 11 meetings between the two and could well be the difference again here.

Hornets face near impossible task of stopping Klopp’s Reds

It looked to have been a mini-revival for Watford under new boss Nigel Pearson when the Hornets manager took thirteen points from his first six games in charge. Before Pearson took over, Watford looked dead and buried at the foot of the Premier League, some seven points adrift of safety.

But the Hornets are without a league win in six, when they beat Bournemouth 3-0 away from home - a winless run which sees Watford in big trouble again as they face the prospect of losing their Premier League status. And it doesn’t get any easier for Watford. Games are running out and next up is champions-elect Liverpool, who beat them 2-0 last time out at Anfield, in what was Pearson’s first game in charge.

Pearson’s side will have to do something they have never managed to do before, beat Liverpool. The Hornets have lost a club-record nineteen top flight games against the Reds. It is difficult to see anything other than a routine victory for Klopp’s side, as they move closer to the Premier League crown – which is just four wins away.