1
Parker must keep future in mind
In the summer, Burnley signed two new goalkeepers. Martin Dubravka agreed a one-year deal after leaving Newcastle, and has been one of the successes from a questionable round of recruitment. At 37, however, and with a need to cut costs should relegation be confirmed, it feels unlikely the veteran would be kept on at Turf Moor in the Championship. On the bench throughout the Premier League season has been Max Weiss, 16 years Dubravka’s junior. The German has featured in cup competitions but is awaiting his league debut and it feels as if Scott Parker should give him one soon as part of planning for next season. The head coach needs to look beyond the next nine games and to the future, which is more likely to include Weiss, who has another three years remaining on his contract, than Dubravka. Will Unwin
2
Le Bris plots to avoid the beach
When teams acquire 40 points and Premier League survival is all but assured, it is not exactly unheard of for them to mentally hit the beach. Sunderland reached that total courtesy of a 1-0 win at Leeds earlier this month but Régis Le Bris is confident his players will not switch off when Brighton visit Wearside. “We don’t want to stop, it’s not the finishing line,” said Sunderland’s manager, whose injury-hit side exited the FA Cup at Port Vale last Sunday. “Let’s keep pushing and see how far we can go. The players are still ambitious. They want to get better. They want to push. These final nine games will be exciting.” Brighton, in 14th place, three places and three points behind Sunderland, will hope four of Le Bris’s key players – Robin Roefs, Nordi Mukiele, Reinildo and Brian Brobbey – fail fitness tests before this dress rehearsal for the Tyne-Wear derby at Newcastle on Sunday week. Louise Taylor
3
Saka at No 10 to accommodate Madueke?
It was something of a surprise that Bukayo Saka was the first substitution made by Mikel Arteta when Arsenal found themselves trailing against Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday night. The England forward had an unusually quiet game as he struggled to make an impact against an organised defence and the introduction of Noni Madueke on the hour-mark made an immediate impression, even if he was later accused of taking a dive for the penalty that earned Arsenal a 1-1 draw. “I thought that we needed something else,” admitted Arteta afterwards. “Noni has been contributing and being a real threat.” Saka will surely be given another chance in Saturday’s meeting with Everton at the Emirates but Madueke is pushing him very close. One option could be to move Saka to No 10 and give Eberechi Eze a rest after a lacklustre display in Germany. Ed Aarons
4
Rosenior faces goalkeeper dilemma
The talk before the Paris Saint-Germain game was that Filip Jörgensen is Chelsea’s new No 1. Liam Rosenior had made his mind up. Jörgensen was in, partly because of his passing ability, and Robert Sánchez had fallen down the pecking order after a few wobbly outings. It was a gamble, though. Sánchez is not an elite goalkeeper but he has not had a disastrous season. Jörgensen, meanwhile, has not convinced since joining Chelsea in the summer of 2024, with the Dane struggling to take previous opportunities to dislodge Sánchez. He was all over the place during a Carabao Cup tie against Lincoln City in September and thus, it was not a surprise when he blundered against PSG. The pressure not to make a mistake was intense. The poor pass that led to Vitinha making it 3-2 felt inevitable. Rosenior’s biggest selection call since becoming Chelsea’s head coach backfired. What now? Does he stick with Jörgensen, who was berated by Enzo Fernández as Chelsea unravelled, or go back to Sánchez for Saturday’s home fixture against Newcastle? Either way such uncertainty is hardly a healthy situation when it comes to who should play in goal. Sánchez is a confidence player. Whoever starts will be under intense scrutiny. Jacob Steinberg
5
Haaland needs lift at happy hunting ground
Erling Haaland’s first competitive outing in English football came at the London Stadium. He ran riot that day, scoring twice as Manchester City opened the 2022-23 season with victory over West Ham, and this venue has been a happy hunting ground for Haaland ever since. He found the net in another win in September 2023 and bagged a hat-trick there last season, but he is in patchy form before City visit West Ham for a must-win game on Saturday night. Three points are a must if Pep Guardiola’s side are to keep Arsenal in their sights. City will look to Haaland, who is enduring a remarkable slump by his standards. After all the Norwegian, whose latest blank came in the midweek defeat to Real Madrid, started the season so well. He had 38 goals for club and country after scoring twice when City thumped West Ham 3-0 on 20 December. Since then, though, it is four in 17 games for Haaland. He has struggled with injuries and has often looked isolated in City’s attack. It helps that Antoine Semenyo has accepted some of the load since joining from Bournemouth but Guardiola needs Haaland to fire during the run-in. Haaland will hope that facing one of his favourite opponents gets him going again. JS
6
Another physical challenge for Palace
A 4-1 defeat by Leeds at Elland Road in December proved to be extremely damaging to Crystal Palace. Daniel Farke’s side exploited Palace’s weakness at defending set pieces by scoring all their goals from them, with Oliver Glasner admitting that his team “were bullied” by their opponents and could have even conceded more. The scheduling of the game less than 48 hours after their final group stage fixture in the Conference League was a mitigating factor in Palace’s defeat and the effects of that stretched deep into the new year as they went on a 12-match winless run. But with an extra day to prepare for the return match against Leeds at Selhurst Park on Sunday, Glasner will know that his defence must be fully prepared for another physical test that awaits them. EA
7
Carrick can be confident against Villa
Third v fourth with Manchester United above Aston Villa solely due to a superior goal difference of six sets this up as a cracker, particularly as only nine games remain in the quest for Champions League qualification. Michael Carrick will have had 11 days to stew over United’s first defeat under him – the last-gasp 2-1 loss at Newcastle on 4 March – by kick-off against Unai Emery’s visitors. This is a long time, too, to plot how to outwit the usually tactically astute Spaniard. But Villa have won only one of their past six league games so United, at home too, should be confident. Jamie Jackson
8
Wilson will want to show worth
Fulham have fired blanks in their past two matches, causing them to lose to relegation-threatened West Ham and get dumped out of the FA Cup by Southampton of the Championship. It is not a coincidence that Harry Wilson was absent for those matches, removing Marco Silva’s sharpest tool. The winger has scored nine and created a further six goals in his 27 league appearances this season, and his potential return this weekend will be a huge boost to him and his teammates. He will be aiming for a strong end to the season with his contract due to expire in the summer. The past two Fulham results have shown his value – if he can come back with a bang at the City Ground, it will offer the evidence that the west London club cannot do without him in the short or long term. WU
9
Liverpool aim to exploit abject Spurs
With the worst team in the Premier League, having lost their past five games and not won in 11, coming to town, Liverpool need to lay down a marker for the run-in. Tottenham are abjectly terrible in every department and Liverpool can take advantage as they seek to build momentum for a crucial period of the season. One issue for Arne Slot has been his wingers, who have underperformed and struggled to create in open play. The Dutchman has spoken highly of Rio Ngumoha in recent weeks and gave him a start in the FA Cup win over Wolves last week. It would be bold to select the 17-year-old in a vital Premier League game but, with Spurs forlorn, it would be a fine opportunity for a confident teenager to put them under pressure on the flanks and give Anfield a lift, because they have missed a fearless winger in recent times. WU
10
Thiago deserves to join 20 club
The most any Brentford player has ever scored in a Premier League season is 20, a feat achieved by Ivan Toney and Bryan Mbeumo. With nine games remaining, Igor Thiago already has 18 to his name and will be confident of adding to it against Wolves. The Brazilian needs to make the most of occasions such as this against the bottom club because it should be relatively easy pickings for someone who has been almost unstoppable. Considering Yoane Wissa and Mbeumo were sold last summer, not to mention their head coach moving on to the less green pastures of Tottenham, finding themselves in seventh is an incredible feat. Keith Andrews deserves a lot of the credit but Thiago’s goals are equally important and if he can write his name in Brentford history, it will be a well-deserved accolade. WU
