Premier League Matchday 20: Title contenders face tough tests

Matchday 20 marks the final set of Premier League fixtures in 2021, with the majority of games set to go ahead despite ongoing coronavirus issues.

And we have all the key facts and stats covered ahead of the action.

Crystal Palace vs Norwich (Tuesday, 3pm, Amazon Prime)

Crystal Palace will hunt only a second win in eight top-flight outings when basement boys Norwich head to the capital. 

The Eagles flew out of the blocks this term but have slowed in recent weeks — though the omens are good against the Canaries, who have not won at Selhurst Park in their last 16 visits.

Patrick Vieira’s side are enjoying a club record scoring streak in top-flight home games having netted eight times in a row, while Norwich’s miserly eight goals scored this term is the second-lowest total ever by a Premier League side in their opening 18 games.

Strangely, both teams have become accustomed to drawing their final games of a calendar year, with seven of Palace’s last nine ending level and four of Norwich’s last five such encounters also deadlocked.

Southampton vs Tottenham (Tuesday, 3pm, Amazon Prime)

Antonio Conte could become the first Tottenham manager to go unbeaten in his opening seven league games when his side travel to Southampton.

Spurs have taken an impressive 14 points from six clashes under the Italian, though he is still awaiting a first away win.

Recent coronavirus issues mean this clash is their first match on the road in 51 days and the Saints have won two of the last three meetings between the pair at St Mary’s.

However, the visitors’ two star forwards have a liking for playing Southampton — Heung-Min Son has 12 direct goal involvements in 11 meetings (nine goals, three assists) while Harry Kane has 16 (10 goals, six assists) in 11 starts.

Watford vs West Ham (Tuesday, 3pm, Amazon Prime)

West Ham head to Watford in grave danger of letting a fantastic start to their Premier League campaign go to waste.

Bizarrely, the Hammers’ only league wins since the start of November have come against title challengers Liverpool and Chelsea, with the Boxing Day loss to Southampton making it five points from a possible 21 for David Moyes’ men.

But this fixture has served them well in recent years. They have won their last three league meetings with the Hornets, netting 10 goals in the process. 

The hosts are firmly embroiled in the relegation battle after four straight defeats but won their final game of the year in both 2019 and 2020 — the Hammers have only done so in one of the last 12 years.

Leicester vs Liverpool (Tuesday, 8pm, Amazon Prime)

Jurgen Klopp knows Liverpool must pick up three points against Leicester to keep the pressure on rampant leaders Manchester City.

The Foxes have been plagued by inconsistency this term but did win this fixture 3-1 last season thanks to late goals from James Maddison, Jamie Vardy and Harvey Barnes.

However, the Reds have lost just one of their last 16 games on the road in the Premier League and had won their three previous trips to the King Power Stadium before that surprise defeat in February.

Diogo Jota will be relishing the trip more than most having netted four goals in his last four meetings with Leicester — only Newcastle and Watford have less clean sheets than the hosts this term.

Chelsea vs Brighton (Wednesday, 7.30pm, Amazon Prime)

Chelsea will be rubbing their hands at the prospect of this fixture having never lost to Brighton in a league fixture.

The Blues’ remarkable record against the Seagulls has seen them win 10 of 12 previous meetings, drawing the other two, and they have faced no other side as many times without tasting defeat in their history.

End-of-year fixtures are also usually a happy occasion for the Londoners, with a 3-1 defeat to Aston Villa in 2011 the only time they have lost their annual finale in 18 years.

While the omens seem to point to a comfortable home win, Brighton’s away record of only one defeat in eight trips this term reads well — though five of those have been draws.

Brentford vs Manchester City (Wednesday, 8.15pm, Amazon Prime)

Irrepressible City will hunt a ninth straight Premier League victory against Brentford, who they have not faced in any competition for nearly 25 years.

That last meeting was an FA Cup tie in January 1997, when a Nicky Summerbee strike sealed a 1-0 win for City at Griffin Park.

With 17 goals in their last three games alone, City have proved virtually impossible to contain and Raheem Sterling is looking to score in five straight top-flight clashes for the first time in his career.

Though the odds are stacked against Thomas Frank’s men, Brentford have taken maximum points from their past two home matches and can take heart from City losing four of their most recent 10 league games in London.

Everton vs Newcastle (Thursday, 7.30pm, Amazon Prime)

Struggling Newcastle will be eyeing a precious victory against an Everton side managed by their old boss Rafa Benitez.

The Magpies were much improved against Manchester United on Monday night night and won at Goodison Park 2-0 last season, making it three straight visits to the Toffees without defeat.

Their away form is a major cause for concern, however, with no wins from nine road trips to date, while the Toon have also lost their last eight clashes against sides managed by former managers.

Three of Everton’s four home wins this season have seen them come from behind with a remarkable 76% (16/21) of their goals this term arriving in the second half of matches.

Manchester United vs Burnley (Thursday, 8.15pm, Amazon Prime)

A strong head-to-head record will give Manchester United belief they can end another turbulent year on a high against Burnley.

The Red Devils have won eight of their last 13 Premier League clashes against the Clarets, losing only once, and the visitors are winless in nine away matches.

With only one shot on target in each of their last three games and no goals, Sean Dyche’s side are struggling for creativity but face a home defence with just one clean sheet in 13 outings.

United last closed a calendar year with defeat all the way back in 2011, when a Yakubu brace helped bottom club Blackburn to an unlikely 3-2 win at Old Trafford.

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