Man City Start Tough Run Against Chelsea, Spurs Aim To Halt Slide

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As Chelsea and Manchester City prepare to travel to the Etihad and compete for a top-four spot, Manchester City have no time to heal from yet another agonizing Champions League defeat.

Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth, both looking to upset the established order by qualifying for next season’s Champions League, meet at the Vitality Stadium in an intriguing match-up between two in-form teams.

Ange Postecoglou, the beleaguered Tottenham manager, desperately needs a win against relegation-threatened Leicester to keep Spurs out of trouble.

AFP Sport looks at three talking points ahead of the weekend’s action:

City is going back to square one.

On December 26, 2024, Manchester City’s #20 Portuguese midfielder Bernardo Silva (C) reacts to conceding their first goal in the English Premier League game between Manchester City and Everton at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, north of England. (Photo by Darren Staples / AFP)

City’s 6-0 win over Ipswich last weekend gave them hope that they might have recovered, but their optimism was squandered in a four-goal blitz by Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday, leaving Pep Guardiola’s side on the verge of embarrassing early exit.

After a terrible run of results, City is now back in contention for a top-four spot thanks to a five-game unbeaten run in the Premier League.

With a victory at the Etihad on Saturday, the fifth-placed Chelsea would leapfrog the English champions, who currently sit fifth.

However, their upturn came with a light run of fixtures, and their 4-2 defeat at PSG, which exposed the weaknesses that a tougher opponent might have exposed, coincided with that.

City face Arsenal, Newcastle, Liverpool and Tottenham in their following four Premier League games.

The club’s slump, exacerbated by injuries, has forced them to be unusually active in the January transfer market.

Forward Omar Marmoush could make his debut on Saturday after sealing a £59 million ($72.6 million) move from Eintracht Frankfurt, while Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis will bolster Guardiola’s defensive options.

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“dreams” of Champions League

On January 6, 2025, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Nottingham Forest play at the Molineux stadium in Wolverhampton, central England, with the New Zealand striker #11 Chris Wood (R) and his teammates celebrating their victory on the field. (Photo by Ben STANSALL / AFP).

Forest are on course for a stunning return to Europe’s elite competition, starting the weekend level on points with second-placed Arsenal and six clear of City and Newcastle.

Under the direction of Brian Clough, Forest won the 1979 and 1980 European Championships, which would be an impressive achievement.

However, Nuno Espirito Santo’s men face a stern test of their ambitions on Saturday when they take on Bournemouth, which has won the club’s record 10 Premier League games.

In a remarkable 4-1 victory over Newcastle at St James’ Park last weekend, Justin Kluivert scored a hat-trick, the Cherries overcame a growing injury list to put them to the test.

Bournemouth are seventh in the table, just three points behind the leaders, despite never having qualified for European competition.

“I like the fans to dream”, said captain Lewis Cook. “Why not get excited”?

Leicester’s lifeline for sorry Spurs

On October 19, 2024, during the English Premier League game between Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, Malian midfielder #08 Yves Bissouma (C) celebrates with teammates after scoring their second goal. (Photo by AFP/BENJAMIN CREMEL)

Tottenham fans may lose some of their joy if Ange Postecoglou fails to save Spurs’ sorry season, according to reports that the Bournemouth supporters are expressing their concern.

Tottenham, which has suffered from injuries, has dropped to 15th place in the Premier League after losing seven of its previous nine games.

The bottom three’s terrible form has so far tempered their fears that they will be sucked into a relegation fight.

Former Premier League champions Leicester, in their first season back in the division, have lost seven in a row under Ruud van Nistelrooy and are 10 points behind Tottenham.

However, if they win, they could move out of the drop zone as Ipswich and Wolves’ weekend rivals face difficult matches.

Liverpool take on runaway leaders Ipswich, while Wolves welcome second-placed Arsenal to Molineux.

Fixtures (all times GMT)

Saturday

Bournemouth v Nottingham Forest, Brighton v Everton, Liverpool v Ipswich, Southampton v Newcastle, Wolves v Arsenal (all 1500), Manchester City v Chelsea (1730)

Sunday

Crystal Palace v Brentford, Tottenham v Leicester (both 1400), Aston Villa v West Ham (1630), Fulham v Manchester United (1900)