The Premier League continues this weekend with Matchday 34, and Sportsnet will have live coverage of five games.
Saturday, April 14
• Burnley vs. Leicester City, 9:30 a.m. ET (Sportsnet ONE)
• Liverpool vs. Bournemouth, noon ET (Sportsnet ONE)
• Tottenham vs. Manchester City, 2:30 p.m. ET (Sportsnet ONE, and Sportsnet World)
Sunday, April 15
• Newcastle United vs. Arsenal, 8 a.m. ET (Sportsnet East, Ontario, West and Pacific)
Monday, April 16
• West Ham United vs. Stoke City, 2 p.m. ET (Sportsnet World)
Here’s what you need to know ahead of this weekend.
THE BIG GAME
Tottenham vs. Manchester City: The would-be Premier League champions pay a visit to Wembley Stadium on Saturday, looking for a bit of redemption after suffering two humiliating losses in the span of four days.
Manchester City was up 2-0 on Manchester United last Saturday, and could have clinched the Premier League title had they held on for the victory. Instead, the Red Devils stormed back to win 3-2. Then on Tuesday, Liverpool beat City 2-1 to knock them out of the Champions League at the quarterfinal stage.
City can clinch the Premier League title with a win over Spurs, provided Manchester United also loses at home to last-place West Bromwich Albion on Sunday.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Harry Kane, Tottenham: If the Spurs striker is going to catch Mohamed Salah, he’ll have to make his move this weekend. Salah currently tops the scoring charts with 29 goals. Kane sits in second place with 24 goals, but Tottenham does have a game in hand on Liverpool. Still, time is running out for Kane.
SALAH NAMED PLAYER OF THE MONTH
Salah has been named the Premier League’s player of the month for March, becoming the first player to win the award three times in one season. The Egyptian previously claimed the honour in November and February. Salah is enjoying a record-breaking season with Liverpool, scoring 39 goals in all competitions. No Liverpool player has hit the 40-goal mark in a season since Ian Rush in 1986-87. Liverpool hosts Bournemouth on Saturday.
BURNLEY CLOSING IN ON EUROPA SPOT
Two years after winning promotion to the Premier League, Burnley is on the cusp of qualifying for Europe for the first time since the 1960s. Manager Sean Dyche’s side currently sits seventh in the standings, and a win on at home on Saturday against Leicester City would see them go seven points clear of the Foxes and move close to securing a spot in next season’s Europa League. Burnley’s Europa hopes would be dashed in Southampton wins the FA Cup, but barring that, the Clarets are poised to return to European competition.
THE RELEGATION BATTLE
The battle for survival at the bottom of the table is heating up with only a handful of games remaining on the schedule. West Bromwich Albion, in last place with 21 points, looks certain to go down at the end of the season. But there are still seven teams in the mix who could join them – a mere eight points separate Brighton & Hove Albion (in 13th place) from Stoke City (19th). One key match to watch this weekend: West Ham United (14th, 30 points) versus Stoke (27 points).
NO VAR NEXT SEASON
The video assistant referee system won’t be coming to the Premier League next season. The league said clubs decided during a meeting that they decided to continue testing in order to “make further improvements to the system, especially around communication inside the stadium and for those following at home and around the world.” The VAR system is currently being used in Serie A and the Bundesliga, and will be used at the World Cup in Russia.
INTERESTING STAT
THE BIG QUESTION
Every week, Sportsnet’s soccer panel will debate The Big Question. Have your say by voting in the poll below:
HE SAID IT
“We can’t stop the talk around the club … there is still games to be played. It is all about the next fixture. We’ll keep fighting, we’ll keep planning and preparing as best as we possibly can and remain focused.” – West Brom caretaker manager Darren Moore.
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