London, April 25 (IANS) Manchester City hosts Arsenal on Wednesday night in what promises to be the decisive match of this season’s Premier League.
City goes into the match five points behind the league leaders but with two games in hand, and a repeat of their triumph at the Emirates Stadium earlier this campaign would leave them just two points behind their rivals.
Arsenal fought back from 2-0 and 3-1 down to take a point against Southampton on Friday but has conceded seven goals in three games. The bad news for coach Mikel Arteta is that defender William Saliba is unlikely to have recovered from his back injury to be able to play, while a hamstring problem will sideline City’s Nathan Ake.
West Ham entertain Liverpool on Wednesday, with the home side looking for a win that would lift them well clear of the relegation zone and allow them to focus on their upcoming UEFA Europa Conference League semifinal.
David Moyes’ men looked impressive as they scored four against Bournemouth on Saturday, and the Scot will look for their high press to work against a team that has regained confidence in recent games and aim to qualify for Europe.
Two wins and two draws have given Liverpool a huge boost, with coach Jurgen Klopp saying they have recovered the football that made them so dangerous in recent seasons. However, as Nottingham Forest’s two goals against them showed at the weekend, the Reds can still be vulnerable.
Frank Lampard is seeking his first win since returning to Chelsea in a south London derby at home to Brentford, while Forest has a must-win match at home to Brighton.
It could be a good moment to face Brighton, who will have tired legs after the heartbreak of their FA Cup semifinal defeat against Manchester United, but after 11 games without a win, nothing but three points will be good enough for Steve Cooper’s side.
–IANS
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