Jose Mourinho on Thursday became the fourth managerial casualty of the ongoing Barclays Premier League season following Chelsea’s disastrous title defence that has seen the Blues struggle to retain their league status.
Coincidentally, Claudio Ranieri, same man Mourinho replaced during his first term at Stamford Bridge, is currently flying high with his Leicester City side.
Two top teams square up against each other this weekend as the race at the summit of the league gets stiffer.
Here is a guide to four top notch games you should see in the BPL this weekend.
- Chelsea vs. Sunderland
Venue: Stamford Bridge
Kick-off: Saturday, 2pm
Head-to-head: Chelsea 7, Draw 1, Sunderland 2
Match facts:
Chelsea have won 18 and lost two of their last 21 Barclays Premier League matches against Sunderland.
Loic Remy has scored three goals in four league appearances against the Black Cats.
Sunderland have allowed their opponents a league high 99 shots on target this season.
- Manchester United vs. Norwich
Venue: Old Trafford
Kick-off: Saturday, 2pm
Head-to-head: Man Utd 8, Draw 0, Norwich 2
Match facts:
Manchester United have kept six clean sheets in their last seven Barclays Premier League matches at Old Trafford.
Norwich City have won just one of their last 19 BPL away fixtures (W1 D5 L13).
Juan Mata has scored four goals in six league appearances against Norwich.
- Watford vs. Liverpool
Venue: Vicarage Road
Kick-off: Sunday, 2:30pm
Head-to-head: Watford 1, Draw 0, Liverpool 3
Match facts:
Watford have never won back to back home matches in the Barclays Premier League.
Liverpool have won eight and lost just one of the last nine meetings with Watford in all competitions, including their last four trips to Vicarage Road.
Nigeria striker, Odion Ighalo, has scored a higher proportion of his team’s BPL goals this season than any other player (56% – 10 of 18).
- Arsenal vs. Man City
Venue: Etihad Stadium
Kickoff: Monday, 9pm
Head-to-head: Arsenal 3, Draw 4, Man City 3
Match facts:
Arsenal have lost one of their 18 Barclays Premier League home matches against Manchester City (W11 D6 L1), but have won just one of the last six (W1 D4 L1).
Man City have lost 22 BPL matches against Arsenal, their joint-highest number of defeats against any opponent (along with Chelsea).
Arsenal have conceded 11 goals in their last 20 BPL home matches.
