Premier League Matchday 16 Fixtures: Arsenal maintain top spot, Red Devils face a formidable opponent.

English Premier League Matchday 16 Fixtures: Arsenal maintain top spot, Red Devils face a nemesis - image 1

Arsenal's journey to reclaim the Premier League title after three consecutive seasons finishing second promises to be fraught with challenges. After matchday 10, the Emirates Stadium side had a six-point lead over second-placed Manchester City.

However, their recent form has been on a downward trend, with only 2 wins, 2 draws, and 1 loss in their last 5 league matches, meaning The Gunners are undoubtedly feeling the pressure from their chasing rivals. After their 1-2 defeat at Villa Park a week ago, Arsenal are now only 2 and 3 points ahead of Man City and Aston Villa respectively.

The narrow gap puts considerable pressure on Mikel Arteta and his team. However, Arsenal are quite fortunate to have secured three points in Round 16. Playing at home against Wolves, a bottom-of-the-table team struggling in the league, Bukayo Saka and his teammates have a very high chance of winning.

While Arsenal enjoyed a relatively easy weekend, their two rivals below them faced tough away trips. Manchester City, despite their recent run of four wins, including a 2-1 victory over Real Madrid midweek, still needed to be extremely cautious when traveling to Selhurst Park.

In last season's FA Cup final, Crystal Palace inflicted heartbreak on Pep Guardiola's mighty team, contributing to The Citizens' trophyless season. The London club itself is currently performing well, sitting in 4th place, 5 points behind Man City.

For their part, Aston Villa will face a potentially dangerous away trip. The Birmingham team is in excellent form, but West Ham, under new manager Nuno Santo, has also shown a formidable side (losing only 1 of their last 6 league matches).

Furthermore, Aston Villa's record when visiting West Ham's home ground is not good. In their last 17 away matches against West Ham, Villa have only won 3, drawn 8, and lost 6.

The two earliest matches of the Round of 16 brought mixed emotions to Chelsea and Liverpool fans. After a triumphant November, no one expected the team under the guidance of coach Enzo Maresca to suddenly fall into a slump.

In their four matches played in December, Chelsea have yet to enjoy a single victory, drawing two and losing two. From a position just behind Arsenal, The Blues have dropped to fifth place and are eight points behind the league leaders.

Despite playing at their home ground Stamford Bridge, the London giants' opponents are Everton, who are currently in excellent form. The Merseyside team has won 4 out of their last 5 matches, climbing to 7th place, just one point behind Chelsea.

In the match scheduled for 10 PM on Saturday, Liverpool also played at home against Brighton. Although not yet fully back to their former selves, The Kop have shown initial improvement after the decision to "drop" Mohamed Salah. In their last four matches, the Reds have remained undefeated, winning two and drawing two, including an important 1-0 victory away at Inter Milan a few days ago.

Manchester United were the last big team to play in the round. Ruben Amorim's side faced Bournemouth at Old Trafford, having gone three matches unbeaten (two wins, one draw). On the other hand, the visitors were in a clear slump, having gone six consecutive rounds without a win and only managing to collect a mere two points.

Manchester United's chances of winning have therefore increased significantly. However, it should also be noted that in the last two seasons, the Red Devils have failed to beat The Cherries. In fact, in both of their most recent home matches against them, Bruno Fernandes and his teammates suffered heavy 0-3 defeats.

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