Premier League: 10 things to look out for this weekend

1) Another Sarri snub could force Loftus-Cheek’s hand

Maurizio Sarri started the festive period by publicly guaranteeing that Ruben Loftus-Cheek would get some significant first-team action before the new year festivities die down. “We have to play every three days so one match he will be in the starting XI for sure,” he said. On Boxing Day Sarri left Loftus-Cheek out of the squad entirely for the victory over Watford, but if the player himself could have chosen which fixture he would appear in it would surely have been the return to Selhurst Park, where he shone on loan last season. When the clubs met at Stamford Bridge in November Loftus-Cheek spent the entire afternoon on the bench, hearing one set of fans – in the away end – sing his name. “To hear them sing my name was a warming feeling,” he said. “It was good to see some familiar faces. It would have been nice to come on, but hopefully I will get to play against Palace next time.” He has started one of eight league games since, and though Sarri has said “there is no chance” of him leaving in January another afternoon of inactivity against a club managed by Roy Hodgson – who pledged that “there’s always a place for you here” – might at least make him consider his options. SB

• Crystal Palace v Chelsea, Sunday midday

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2) Guardiola has reason to fear Southampton

Although it is not long since Manchester City walloped Southampton 6-1, the champions would be unwise to assume that it will be a walk in the park when they visit St Mary’s on Sunday. Given that Southampton’s new manager has been nicknamed the Alpine Klopp, the champions cannot afford to show any complacency after faltering against Palace and Leicester. Ralph Hasenhüttl has already inconvenienced Arsenal with his energetic pressing style and the Austrian will relish the opportunity to pit his wits against Pep Guardiola’s possession game. City, who have endured a troubled festive period, will have to be ready to run hard as they attempt to close ground on Liverpool at the top of the table. JS

• Southampton v Manchester City, Sunday 2.15pm

3) The Ox return to training the forefront of people’s minds

It was heartening to see Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain step up his recovery on Christmas Eve, the 25-year-old posting a photo of him punching the air in delight as he took to training on grass for the first time in eight months. The visit of Arsenal to Anfield this Saturday (and this week’s claim that the reason the Gunners didn’t often start him was because they had to pay Southampton £10,000 every time he played more than 20 minutes) brings the midfielder back into focus regarding what his absence means to both teams. Liverpool seem to be coping rather well without the England man, but how Arsenal could do with his confidence, energy and directness now in an inconsistent midfield. With Mesut Özil withdrawn at half-time in Brighton “for tactical reasons”, Granit Xhaka and Matteo Guendouzi inconsistent, Henrikh Mkhitaryan injury and Aaron Ramsey seemingly with one foot out of the door, it remains a mystery who Unai Emery will choose to combat the league leaders. One suspects a fully-fit Oxlade-Chamberlain is exactly the sort of player than Unai Emery would love to have in his ranks. MB

• Liverpool v Arsenal, Saturday 5.30pm
• Emery faces touchline ban after being hit with FA charge for kicking bottle

4) History weighs heavy prior to the battle at the bottom

The bald facts facing the division’s bottom two sides, Fulham and Huddersfield, are these: over the last 20 years a total of 12 teams have had fewer than 12 points after Boxing Day, and of those dozen, eight ended the season at the bottom of the league. Only two teams have recovered from such a dismal first half of the season to survive: West Bromwich Albion in 2004-05, whose miracle escape was completed only because of an 82nd-minute last-day equaliser for Charlton against Crystal Palace, and a decade later Leicester, the exception to all rules, who managed to finish 14th and were league champions a year later. It is, in other words, rare for teams to do as badly as Fulham and Huddersfield have in the first half of a season, and having done so it is extremely likely to prove fatal. Huddersfield, currently bottom, face the teams at the moment occupying 19th, 18th and 17th places in their next three league matches, something of a post-Christmas extended relegation 18-pointer; if their current run of six consecutive defeats is still going in mid-January then, as in many households over Christmas, their goose will surely be cooked. SB

• Fulham v Huddersfield, Saturday 3pm

5) Walker-Peters gives Pochettino a decision to make

“I’m just as surprised as everyone else is!” said Kyle Walker-Peters after providing three assists on a first league start for Spurs this season in the 5-0 drubbing of Bournemouth. In Walker-Peters’s previous league start, the final game of last season against Leicester, he provided two more assists and has yet to taste defeat in 13 career first-team appearances. More impressive still is the way Walker-Peters has responded after a difficult night in Barcelona earlier this month. Mauricio Pochettino must take some of the credit here: he has rotated his squad expertly during the Christmas period and Walker-Peters is just the latest young player to benefit from the Argentinian’s trust. “[His performance did] not surprise me,” said Pochettino on Wednesday. “He has amazing qualities and in the future is going to be a very important player for Tottenham.” With Kieran Trippier well rested, it will be interesting to see who starts at right back against Wolves on Saturday. MB

• Tottenham v Wolves, Saturday 3pm

6) Sánchez the next pet project for Solskjær at United

By the end of it, you get the feeling that Ed Woodward himself could have motivated Manchester United’s players better than José Mourinho. The relief around Old Trafford is palpable after José’s exit and Olé’s entrance has coincided with Alexis Sánchez’s return from Chile, where he was taking an extended break to deal with his injury. Sánchez was at Old Trafford to watch the Huddersfield win – it now seems a fire has been lit under the former Arsenal man, even to the extent that he was at Carrington on his days off on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Solskjær said Sánchez could be fit enough to feature against Bournemouth on Sunday but will at Newcastle on the 2 January. It’s up to United’s attackers this weekend to maintain their recent form and make sure it’s not their spot that Sánchez nabs in the north-east. MB

• Manchester United v Bournemouth, 4.30pm

7) As Burnley flounder, Heaton deserves his chance

One of the most worrying features of Burnley’s alarming decline has been their loss of organisation at the back. Sean Dyche’s side have forgotten how to keep their opponents out at the moment – Everton did not have to work particularly hard to put five past them on Boxing Day – and their suffering is likely to continue if there is no improvement when West Ham visit Turf Moor on Sunday. Yet perhaps one way for Dyche to help his players regain their defensive discipline would be by shedding his loyalty to Joe Hart. Dropping the former England goalkeeper would be a bold call, but Hart has started all of Burnley’s league games this season and has been a prominent part of one of the division’s leakiest rearguards. Given that Burnley have even become a soft touch at set-pieces, it could be time for Hart to make way for Tom Heaton, who deserves a chance to show that he is too good to be on the bench. JS

• Burnley v West Ham, Sunday 2.15pm

8) Puel’s Leicester face a different sort of challenge

It is strange to think that Claude Puel was reportedly on the verge of losing his job a week ago. Leicester have bought their manager plenty of breathing space with stunning victories over Chelseaand City since then and they have a chance to tighten their grip on seventh place when they host Cardiff City on Saturday. Yet while they will be expected to beat a team yet to win on their travels this season, it will be interesting to see if Leicester are capable of passing a different kind of test against Neil Warnock’s strugglers. There will be no pressure on Cardiff to open up. They will know that Leicester can strain for inspiration when moderate opponents choose to sit deep and play on the break. Puel, whose critics have been silenced for now, might need creative players like James Maddison to step up to the plate. JS

• Leicester v Cardiff, Saturday 3pm

9) Schär a key cog for Benítez as Watford trip looms

Rafa Benítez’s team selection for the Boxing Day game at Anfield – Isaac Hayden, Yoshinori Muto and Joselu made their second, fifth and also fifth starts of the season, while a handful of first-team regulars were rested – left him something of a hostage to fortune for the trip to Watford, having (not unreasonably) identified this match as more winnable. But perhaps the key name missing from the team at Liverpool has only made seven starts himself; in 11 matches this season without Fabian Schär on the pitch Newcastle have taken three points at the rate of 0.27 per game; in eight games with the Swiss centre-back on the field they have snaffled 14 points at 1.75 per match. The run started against Watford in early November, when an injury to Jamaal Lascelles saw Schär – who had not made a first-team appearance in over two months – come off the bench at half-time, with Newcastle scraping their first win of the season. Watford meanwhile dominated, especially in the first half, at St James’ Park and only their woeful finishing saved Newcastle from defeat, so Javi Gracia’s side will feel they have a score to settle here. SB

• Watford v Newcastle, Saturday 3pm

10) Dunk ‘n’ Duffy reunited for the visit of Everton

Chris Hughton must be relieved to have his preferred centre-back pairing back of Shane Duffy and Lewis Dunk available once again. Three defeats have passed since Duffy was sent off during the win over Crystal Palace, and although he returned for the draw against Arsenal on Boxing Day, Dunk’s own suspension saw him replaced by Leon Balogun, who directly contributed to Arsenal’s opening goal by giving the ball away – twice – on the edge of his own area. Saturday’s opponents at the Amex, Everton, have been inconsistent of late but have not struggled to score goals, with their last away day yielding five goals at Burnley. The form of Mat Ryan in goal and the emergence of Bernardo at left-back has been a big plus defensively for Hughton but without their first-choice 6ft4in giants Brighton look suspect defensively and will be eager to register their first clean sheet since October against Everton. MB

• Brighton v Everton, Saturday 3pm