Brighton and Hove Albion vs Liverpool
The American Express Community Stadium, East Sussex
Saturday, 28-11-2020 @3:30pm
Ref: Scot Attwell
Liverpool are on a run of nine consecutive victories against Brighton in all competitions, scoring 27 goals in the process. The Seagulls are winless in 11 competitive fixtures versus Liverpool since a 2-0 home victory in the FA Cup fourth round in January 1984. Brighton have never won a top-flight home game against Liverpool, drawing three and losing four.
Brighton defender Tariq Lamptey will be unavailable due to suspension. Davy Propper is fit again after a stomach bug but Alexis Mac Allister, despite returning to training following a recent positive Covid-19 test, won’t feature.
Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah is likely to start, having returned from a period of self-isolation against Atalanta. Jordan Henderson was absent on Wednesday with a hamstring problem but is back in training and could feature.
Albion earned a first Premier League victory in seven attempts last weekend and are vying to win consecutive league games for the first time in more than a year. They could set an outright club record on Saturday of nine successive top-flight home matches without a win. The Seagulls have never beaten the reigning top-flight champions, drawing twice and losing 12 times. Brighton’s past seven Premier League goals have been scored by seven different players. Danny Welbeck has only scored one goal in 16 appearances against Liverpool in all competitions.
Liverpool could go four consecutive Premier League away games without a win for the first time since a run of five between January and March 2017. They have only won three of their past 10 top-flight away fixtures (D3, L4). The Reds are the only team to have scored in all of their Premier League fixtures this season. Liverpool could keep successive Premier League clean sheets for the first time since June. Jurgen Klopp’s side have lost four league fixtures in 2020, the same amount as 2018 and 2019 combined. Mohamed Salah has been directly involved in eight goals in his six Premier League games against Brighton, scoring five and assisting three. Diogo Jota scored twice on his last Premier League visit to Brighton but has since only managed one goal in 13 Premier League away appearances.
Man City vs Burnley
Etihad Stadium, Manchester
Saturday, 28-11-2020 @6pm
Ref: Lee Mason
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has a fully-fit squad, with Nathan Ake available after a two-match absence. Sergio Aguero is seeking to make his first start for five weeks.
Burnley goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell is on standby to make his Premier League debut if Nick Pope is ruled out because of the head injury he sustained against Crystal Palace. Midfielders Dale Stephens and Robbie Brady are unlikely to be ready to return following hamstring injuries.
Manchester City are on a six-match winning streak at home to Burnley in all competitions, with the past three encounters each ending 5-0. Notts County are the only side to have won four successive home games by at least a five-goal margin against the same opponent, doing so against Port Vale between October 1893 and February 1907. Burnley’s solitary victory in the past 25 meetings was by 1-0 in the Premier League at Turf Moor in March 2015 (D6, L18). They have gone 14 competitive away fixtures without a win versus Manchester City since Clarets defender Colin Waldron scored the only goal at Maine Road in the Charity Shield in August 1973. The Clarets have conceded 34 Premier League goals in this fixture, more than against any other side.
City’s 12-point tally is their lowest after eight games since 2008-09, while they’ve scored fewer than 11 goals at this stage of a season for the first time in 14 years. Manchester City can lose consecutive Premier League fixtures for only the third time under Pep Guardiola, after December 2016 and December 2018. They can remain winless in three successive league matches for the first time since a run of four from March to April 2017. They have failed to score more than once in any of their past six league fixtures. It’s City’s longest such run since a 14-match streak between March and September 2006. Guardiola has earned 10 competitive victories against Burnley, more than against any other club as Manchester City’s manager. Sergio Aguero has scored nine times in his last nine appearances against Burnley in all competitions, but the Argentine’s current eight-match goal drought in the league is the second longest of his career in Europe. Gabriel Jesus has scored in each of his past six competitive appearances at Etihad Stadium.
Burnley recorded their first Premier League victory of the season on Monday but they have only earned two points from four away matches. The Clarets could lose six of their opening nine league fixtures for the first time since 1981-82, when they were in the third tier. Their Premier League matches this season have only produced 16 goals, fewer than any other side. Sean Dyche’s side can equal the club top-flight record of three successive away clean sheets, achieved most recently in 1955. The Clarets and Sheffield United are the division’s joint-lowest scorers, with four goals apiece.
Everton vs Leeds United
Goodison Park, Liverpool
Saturday, 28-11-2020 @8:30pm
Ref: Chris Kavanagh
Everton are unbeaten in 13 top-flight home games against Leeds since a 3-2 loss in August 1990 (W6, D7). The Toffees can win three successive home league meetings for the first time since December 1951. There has been just one away triumph in the previous 24 Premier League encounters, Everton’s 1-0 victory in November 2002. Leeds’ League Cup third-round victory at Elland Road in September 2012 is the most recent meeting between the two clubs.
Everton left-back Lucas Digne requires surgery on an ankle ligament injury sustained during training and could miss up to three months. Captain Seamus Coleman is still sidelined with a hamstring problem, while Jean-Philippe Gbamin is a long-term absentee.
Leeds United have no new injury concerns for the trip to Goodison Park. Rodrigo could return to the starting line-up after impressing as a substitute in the draw with Arsenal.
Everton’s win at Fulham last time out ended a run of three straight league defeats. They could lose successive home matches for the first time since September 2019. Carlo Ancelotti has not lost successive home league fixtures since November 2012 with PSG. The Toffees can win more than five of their opening 10 Premier League matches for only the second time, and first since recording their best final position of fourth in 2004-05. Ancelotti’s side have conceded at least twice in six successive top-flight fixtures for the first time in 12 years. Everton have scored 19 goals so far this season. They have not scored 20 in their opening 10 top-flight games since 1980. Premier League top scorer Dominic Calvert-Lewin has scored 13 goals in 11 appearances in all competitions.
Leeds United have won just once in six league games, drawing two and losing three. They have won two of their four away matches, having won just three in total during their last Premier League campaign in 2003-04. Since Marcelo Bielsa took charge of Leeds in 2018, Leeds have kept 41 clean sheets in 101 league games – more than any other side in England’s top four divisions. In their first four Premier League games this season, Leeds had 45 shots (11.3 per game), scoring nine goals at a conversion rate of 20%. In their past five league games, they had 85 shots (17 per game) but have scored just five goals at a 6% conversion rate. Patrick Bamford can match Thierry Henry’s Premier League record of scoring in his club’s first five away games of a season. Bamford can become the first Leeds player to score in five successive away fixtures since Ian Lawson in 1963.
West Bromwich Albion vs Sheffield United
The Hawthorne, West Bromwich
Saturday, 28-11-2020 @11pm
Ref: Mike Dean
West Brom pair Jake Livermore and Kieran Gibbs have served their period of self-isolation after contracting Covid-19. However, head coach Slaven Bilic says one of them is unlikely to recover in time to play on Saturday.
Sheffield United forward Lys Mousset will be available for the first time this season after foot surgery. Enda Stevens and another player that manager Chris Wilder declined to name are both injury doubts.
They last met in the top flight in the 1972-73 season, when Sheffield United won both fixtures. The Blades have kept four clean sheets in their past five trips to West Brom, winning three times, drawing once and losing the other.
West Brom have failed to win any of their opening nine league fixtures in a season for the first time in 35 years. They are winless in 13 league games since beating Derby 2-0 at The Hawthorns in the Championship on 8 July. If this match finishes level, it will be just the third season in Premier League history in which two sides have failed to win any of their opening 10 fixtures. Albion have the division’s joint-worst defensive record, conceding 18 goals. Former Sheffield United forward Callum Robinson is the only player to score multiple Premier League goals for West Brom this season.
Sheffield United are the third side in Premier League history to have one point or fewer from their opening nine games, emulating Manchester City in 1995-96 and Sheffield Wednesday in 1999-00. The Blades could become only the third club to take one point or fewer from their opening 10 top-flight matches. Manchester United lost their first 10 in 1930-31, while West Brom had a solitary point in 1985-86. The fewest points a team has had after 10 fixtures of a Premier League season and gone on to avoid relegation is three. Chris Wilder’s side could set an outright club Premier League record of 13 matches without a win. They have lost six successive away matches in the division. They are the only side yet to keep a Premier League clean sheet this season – only three sides finished the 2019-20 campaign with more clean sheets than the Blades’ 13. Wilder is one short of 100 wins in all competitions as Sheffield United manager.
The upcoming Premier League games
Sunday, 29-11-2020
-Southampton vs Man United @7pm
-Chelsea vs Tottenham Hotspur @8:30pm
-Arsenal vs Wolves @10:15pm
Monday, 30-11-2020
-Leicester City vs Fulham @8:30pm
-West Ham United vs Aston Villa @11pm
Latest Premier League results
-Crystal Palace 0-2 Newcastle United
