The key battles from this weekend’s biggest fixtures…
Newcastle v Chelsea: Diego Costa v Fabricio Coloccini
Newcastle’s excellent recent form has been based on a solid back line, and Coloccini has been at the heart of that.
The Magpies will want to keep up their excellent home record against Chelsea, and the battle between Costa and Coloccini will decide the course of the game.
The Brazilian striker was suspended in midweek and so will be fresh and eager for a physical battle with the Argentine centre-back.
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Stoke v Arsenal: Ryan Shawcross v Olivier Giroud
Giroud is finally back and firing, and Arsenal will be hugely reliant on the Frenchman to help end their dreadful run against Stoke at the Britannia, where they’ve won once since 1981.
Giroud must prepare for a real physical battle against Stoke’s menacing back line, especially against Ryan Shawcross. The Arsenal striker must use his clever movement to pull the Englishman out of position, creating space for the speedy Danny Welbeck and Alexis Sanchez to run into.
Man City v Everton: Romelu Lukaku v Eliaqium Mangala
Man City will be heavy favourites for this game considering the talent in their team and Everton’s bad run, but the Citizens have repeatedly shown weakness this season.
Vincent Kompany has been ruled out through injury, meaning Frenchman Mangala will come into the side. The expensive defender has been disastrously error-prone so far this season, and if the inconsistent Lukaku can target him one on one he can cause some serious damage.
Liverpool v Sunderland: Jordan Henderson v Lee Cattermole
Henderson will be up against his old club, who will be relying on his replacement Cattermole to keep the game under control. The ill-disciplined midfielder did an excellent job against Chelsea last weekend, and Gus Poyet will be hoping to coax an equally effective performance from his midfielder this week.
Henderson has had an up-and-down season, and would love the chance to get back on track against his home-town club.
Southampton v Man United: Dusan Tadic v Ashley Young
Man Utd’s latest wave of injuries has seen left-back Luke Shaw ruled out for some time. With Marcos Rojo established in the middle, Ashley Young will be forced to play on the left of defence, as he did against Stoke in midweek.
Young performed very well at Old Trafford on Wednesday, but will face a much sterner test against the tricky Dusan Tadic, who will look to test the out-of-position England international from the first whistle. With Graziano Pelle lurking in the middle, Young must not give Tadic the space to cross the ball too regularly.