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LONDON. — Graham Potter takes struggling Chelsea to the happy hunting ground of Tottenham tomorrow desperate for an English Premier League football win as Manchester City seek to turn domination into goals.
Leaders Arsenal face a tricky trip to Leicester, while Liverpool are looking to bounce back from a 5-2 humbling at the hands of Real Madrid when they travel to Crystal Palace.
Third-placed Manchester United are not in action as they face Newcastle United in tomorrow’s Carabao Cup final at Wembley.
Potter is under mounting pressure to produce results with his expensively assembled Chelsea squad but will take heart from the club’s impressive record against London rivals Tottenham.
Chelsea are aiming to extend their unbeaten English Premier League run against Spurs to nine games and for a fourth straight away win in league fixtures between the clubs.
Antonio Conte’s Spurs are fourth in the table, 11 points clear of Chelsea, who have won just two of their past 14 matches in all competitions.
Despite their heavy outlay in January, the Blues look desperately short of firepower — scoring only one goal in their past five matches. Reports suggest the Stamford Bridge hierarchy are prepared to give former Brighton boss Potter time despite the miserable run and the manager himself called for patience towards his new signings after last week’s home defeat by bottom club Southampton.
But defeat at Tottenham would inevitably heap more pressure on the Englishman with sections of the Chelsea support already calling for him to be sacked.
Manchester City’s four English Premier League titles in the past five seasons have been built on putting together a long streak of victories at some point of the campaign.
However, the defending champions are still waiting to hit top form this season.
Pep Guardiola’s men appeared to have turned the tide in the title race when they beat Arsenal at the Emirates earlier this month to move to the top of the table.
But they conceded a late goal last week to draw 1-1 against Nottingham Forest after dominating the game, with Chris Wood punishing their profligacy.
It was a similar story at RB Leipzig in the Champions League in midweek as City failed to make a dominant first half count before the Germans hit back after the break to level the first leg of their last-16 tie.
“It was a brilliant performance, we played really good but we didn’t score,” said Guardiola after dropping points at Forest. “We have to score.”
Arsenal are two points ahead of City at the top of the table, but also have a game in hand.
The Gunners ended a four-game winless run by coming from behind to beat Aston Villa 4-2 last weekend.
But Leicester’s 4-1 thrashing of Tottenham in their last home game serves as a warning of the threat posed by the Foxes.
Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Thomas Partey could return to action against Leicester City in today’s English Premier League clash.
The Gunners boss also provided a positive update on Gabriel Jesus’ recovery as his return date looms larger.
Arsenal can stretch their lead over Manchester City at the English Premier League summit to five points with a victory over the Foxes today.
And Arteta has revealed that Partey could return to the heart of his midfield in what he has described as a ”huge boost”.
He said: “Not a lot of changes. Obviously, there is a question mark on Thomas (Partey).
“He hasn’t trained much, but it looks like he could be available, so let’s see how he trains today (yesterday). Yeah (it’s a huge boost for Arsenal).
“He’s a really important player for us that we missed in the last few games, but hopefully, he can be available.”
Arteta also explained that Jesus was ”progressing really well” in his recovery from a knee injury suffered while representing Brazil at the 2022 World Cup.
The 25-year-old forward hasn’t featured for Arsenal since before the Qatar showcase but could soon be back in contention to bolster the Gunners’ ranks.
“A regular (Gabriel Jesus update). He’s progressing really well, training more and more on the field. The knee’s not reacting, so really positive,” Arteta continued.
“We want to have him as quickly as possible, but we respect as much as possible the timeframe that we got from the doctors and the specialists. But he’s really pushing the boundaries right now.”
Arsenal could face a tough test against Leicester, who have enjoyed a resurgence in form in recent weeks, barring last Sunday’s 3-0 defeat at Manchester United.
And Arteta is wary of the tactical flexibility that Brendan Rodgers has utilised this season, insisting he has prepared his squad for any possibility.
He said: “They’ve been really consistent in the last few weeks in the games they’ve played.
“It’s true that Brendan (Rodgers) has proposed very different (game plans) in many different moments throughout the season.
English Premiership Fixtures
Today: Everton v Aston Villa (5pm); Leicester City v Arsenal (5pm); West Ham v Nottingham Forest (5pm); Leeds v Southampton (5pm); Bournemouth v Manchester City (7:30pm); Crystal Palace v Liverpool (9:45pm).
Tomorrow: Tottenham Hotspur v Chelsea (3:30pm). — AFP.
Online Reporter