by Young wolves on the prowl
Gary O’Neil admitted his decision to start Pedro Neto against Fulham backfired, with the Portuguese winger set to miss Wolves’ date with Coventry on Saturday after worsening a hamstring problem. Jean-Ricner Bellegarde is also a doubt with a knee injury sustained in the same game, so opportunities may arise for those on the fringes. Nathan Fraser, the 19-year-old forward, made his full debut last time out. Noha Lemina, the 18-year-old brother of midfielder Mario who was on the bench against Fulham, could get his first minute in gold while 18-year-old striker Leon Chiwome – looking bright last year in our Forward. Generation series – an untried alternative. 20-year-old midfielder Tawanda Chirewa could also feature but O’Neil, with last week’s big calls fresh in his mind, will be careful not to be too bold given what is at stake. Ben Fisher
Bees ready to take anger out on lowly Clarets
Brentford will be understandably upset at Turf Moor after seeing Kai Havertz get away with a second yellow card for blatant cheating before scoring Arsenal’s late winner against them last weekend. Heading the right way against a Burnley side who look destined to return to the Championship, he could mute the undeserved criticism thrown Thomas Frank’s way during five Premier League game without a win. That winning streak includes games against current top three Chelsea and away to West Ham, where overall standards were undoubtedly dropped in a 4-2 win. But Frank shouldn’t have to ask for perspective. Ivan Toney has only scored in his last four games against a vulnerable Burnley defence, and at a stadium where he has won 11 home league victories this season, the striker and Brentford will be confident of letting out their frustrations. Andy Hunter
Six pointer Relegation for the reception at Kenilworth Road
There is only one relegation spot up for grabs – Burnley and Sheffield United are essentially below – making the prospect of an 18th-17th-place finish intriguing. With 10 games to go we can officially look at this as six points, especially with Forest facing potential deductions depending on their listening to the Premier League’s profitability and sustainability rules. The bad news for both is that they are in pretty terrible form. Luton surrendered a three-goal lead to defeat at Bournemouth, while Forest have lost their last three games and their main attack is struggling for fitness. Whatever happens at Kenilworth Road could be a turning point for either side and the game will need strong characters. Nerves are pressing at the bottom and the psychological impact of a win for either of those will boost the confidence of their relegation rivals. However every manager wants to turn it, a loss would be catastrophic and neither of them would be able to afford it. Will Unwin
Wiggle room for a resurgent Tottenham
Well, that wasn’t hard, was it? Spurs’ mega-clash last weekend with fellow top-four rivals Aston Villa quickly turned from tense to exhilarating, with four second-half goals reducing the gap between the two sides to a few points. With Villa not playing until Sunday, Ange Postecoglou’s side have the chance to leap into fourth place; with Manchester United busy looking for FA Cup salvation, they can widen the gap there too. James Maddison was the first to celebrate at Villa Park, clearing Pape Sarr’s fine cross, while Son Heung-min scored one and set up a couple of others. Maddison’s return from an ankle injury, as well as Mac’s return from the Asian Cup, is reminiscent of the good days, when Postecoglou’s honeymoon began with a 10-game unbeaten run in the league. A trip to Craven Cottage for the League Cup exit in August might bring back bad memories, but so might the 2-0 win over Fulham in October. The goal scorers that day? Maddison and Son. Taha Hashim
Not letting Newcastle at Manchester City
By their abysmal standards, Manchester City have lacked the same force this season. But they are still good enough to be tilting at a historic treble and the second one in a row. Newcastle will reach the FA Cup quarter-finals in 10th place, 15 points off fourth place, with Eddie Howe’s position as manager still under scrutiny. Pep Guardiola tends to find a way to get his team going when it really matters. As evidenced by Kevin De Bruyne’s unhappiness against Liverpool, City’s players in particular are used to impressing. This is bad news for Howe and his side, even if De Bruyne is sidelined. Expect City to see off the visitors and move on to yet another trip to Wembley. Jamie Jackson
Leicester may be forced to pick and choose battles
Another home tie against a team seeking automatic promotion from the Championship should suit Chelsea. Leeds rolled against them in the fifth round and it could be the same story when Leicester visit Stamford Bridge. Enzo Maresca’s side, who lead the table at the bottom with three points after just one win in five games, have come under fire. Leeds are closing in and Leicester are uncomfortably close to third-placed Ipswich Town. This is no longer a title race and Maresca could be forced to prioritize the series. It would be no surprise if Leicester, who beat Chelsea in the final three years ago, are not in full swing on Sunday. Jacob Steinberg
West Ham and Villa highlight midfield issues
West Ham and Aston Villa have problems to solve in midfield. For David Moyes, the challenge of reviving Kalvin Phillips’ career is more difficult than expected. West Ham could be involved in rotation after playing in Europe on Thursday night but can Moyes risk starting Phillips again after his disappointing display against Burnley? Probably not, although at least Villa are unlikely to be any fresher than West Ham. Villa, who beat Ajax in the Europa League, also have a selection dilemma in the middle. The prolific John McGinn is suspended following his red card during last weekend’s win over Spurs, the outstanding Boubacar Kamara is out for a long time and Jacob Ramsey picked up an ankle injury against Luton earlier this month. JS
Ten Hag might fall apart and Liverpool loom
Erik ten Hag and Manchester United are in the last chance saloon marked “FA Cup glory” to claim silverware this season and if arch rivals Liverpool kick them out of the pub it will be very exciting. To stretch the metaphor further: what hangover could there be for the manager, who is auditioning for Jim Ratcliffe’s new minority ownership to keep his job? United have a tendency to sack managers when no more Champions League qualification can be found, so although the gap to fourth-placed Aston Villa is only eight points the Dutchman could stay put. The flip side is that, should United end Jürgen Klopp’s dream of closing his tenure with a fourth, Ten Hag’s stock will skyrocket. JJ
