Spurs to christen new ‘Tottenham Hotspur Stadium’

WINDHOEK, APRIL 5 – Spurs could certainly use the joy and emotional boost of playing at their 62,000-seater home, which replaced the old White Hart Lane in North London, after they were beaten 2-1 at Liverpool this past weekend.

A fourth defeat from their last five Premier League matches has left Mauricio Pochettino’s team in serious danger of missing out on the top four, and they simply must return to winning form when they host Crystal Palace for a London derby on Wednesday night.

The midweek also features all four teams which will be playing in the FA Cup semifinals on the weekend: Manchester City will look to return to the top of the log when they host Cardiff City; Brighton & Hove Albion face a stiff test away to Chelsea; Wolverhampton Wanderers will look for another win over Manchester United (having beaten the Red Devils in the FA Cup last month); and Watford are at home to a Fulham team which is edging ever closer to relegation.

Manchester United’s Luke Shaw (R) in action with Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Adama Traore during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Old Trafford Stadium in Manchester, Britain, 22 September 2018. EPA/NIGEL RODDIS EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or ‘live’ services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications

Should Pep Guardiola’s Citizens reclaim top spot in midweek, current leaders Liverpool will look to take it back on Friday night when they face Southampton away from home. The Saints are in good form and highly motivated to continue putting daylight between themselves and the relegation zone, but Jurgen Klopp’s Reds are on a mission to win a first title in almost 30 years.

The pick of the weekend’s remaining games comes from Goodison Park, where Everton’s fine recent form (back-to-back 2-0 wins over Chelsea and West Ham United) will be put to the test by Arsenal.

The Gunners are desperately chasing a top-four berth and a win on Merseyside would go a long way in helping manager Unai Emery attain his goal of taking the London side back into the UEFA Champions League next season.

The set of matches will be completed on Monday night with a London derby between Chelsea and West Ham United. While the Hammers will continue to field rising star Declan Rice, the Blues fans will hope their manager, Maurizio Sarri, has the nerve to play their promising England youngsters Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ruben Loftus-Cheek. After all, the latter scored the decisive goal in the Blues’ 2-1 win at Cardiff last weekend.

Key match stats

Southampton v Liverpool – Head-to-head, Premier League
Matches played 39
Southampton wins 10
Liverpool wins 19
Draws 10

Everton v Arsenal – Head-to-head, Premier League
Matches played 53
Everton wins 7
Arsenal wins 33
Draws 13

Wolverhampton v Man United – Head-to-head, Premier League
Matches played 9
Wolves wins 2
Man United wins 6
Draws 1

Premier League fixtures, 2-8 April
All times CAT

Tuesday 2 April
20:45: Watford v Fulham ¬– LIVE on SS5
20:45: Wolverhampton Wanderers v Manchester United – LIVE on SS3 & Max1

Wednesday 3 April
20:45: Chelsea v Brighton & Hove Albion – LIVE on SS6
20:45: Tottenham Hotspur v Crystal Palace – LIVE on SS5
20:45: Manchester City v Cardiff – LIVE on SS3 & Max1

Friday 5 April
21:00: Southampton v Liverpool – LIVE on SS3 & Max1

Saturday 6 April
16:00: Bournemouth v Burnley – LIVE on SS10/11 & SelGo2
16:00: Huddersfield Town v Leicester City – LIVE on SS5
16:00: Newcastle United v Crystal Palace – LIVE on SS3 & Max1

Sunday 7 April
15:05: Everton v Arsenal – LIVE on SS3 & Max1

Monday 8 April
21:00: Chelsea v West Ham United – LIVE on SS3 & Max1 – MultiChoice Namibia