Manchester City v Brighton, Everton v Leicester: football clockwatch – live!

The big news among those, aside from Romelu Lukaku starting for Chelsea, are seven changes for Leicester against Everton. Brendan Rodgers has gone for sweeping alterations from the team that lost to Newcastle. Wesley Fofana, Jonny Evans, Ricardo Pereira, and Timothy Castagne come into defence, while James Maddison, Harvey Barnes and Kelechi Iheanacho line up in attack. No Dominic Calvert-Lewin for Everton, but Demarai Gray and Yerry Mina come in. To face Crystal Palace, Newcastle make no changes from the team that beat Leicester while Palace make four changes from Wembley, including the return of Conor Gallagher to the team.

Chelsea v Arsenal teams

Chelsea: Mendy, Alonso, Christensen, Kante, Lukaku, Werner, Loftus-Cheek, Mount, James, Azpilicueta, Sarr. Subs: Kepa, Jorgiho, Silva, Pulisic, Chalobah, Saul, Barkley, Ziyech, Havertz.

Arsenal: Ramsdale, White, Gabriel, Saka, Odegaard, Smith Rowe, Holding, Tavares, Elneny, Nketiah, Xhaka. Subs: Leno, Lacazette, Soares, Pepe, Sambi Lokonga, Martinelli, Azeez, Swanson, Hutchinson

Newcastle v Crystal Palace teams

Newcastle: Dubravka; Krafth, Schar, Burn, Targett; Guimaraes, Shelvey, Joelinton; Almiron, Wood, Saint-Maximin. Subs: Darlow, Lascelles, Ritchie, Fernandez, Manquillo, Murphy, Willock, Gayle, Longstaff

Crystal Palace: Guaita; Clyne, Guehi, Andersen, Mitchell; Kouyate, Gallagher, Schlupp; Olise, Edouard, Zaha. Subs: Butland, Ward, Tomkins, Ayew, Eze, Hughes, Mateta, McArthur, Benteke

Everton v Leicester teams

Everton: Pickford, Coleman, Godfrey, Mina, Mykolenko, Allan, Delph, Iwobi, Gordon, Gray, Richarlison. Subs: Begovic, Kenny, Holgate, Keane, Doucoure, Gomes, Van de Beek, Rondon, Alli

Leicester: Schmeichel, Pereira, Fofana, Evans, Castagne, Tielemans, Mendy, Dewsbury-Hall, Maddison, Barnes, Iheanacho. Subs: Ward, Justin, Soyuncu, Albrighton, Perez, Amartey, Choudhury, Daka, Lookman.

Frank Lampard is playing the but seriously card heavily.

I saw a quote this week saying we’ve been let off the hook because this happened. I don’t see how. It doesn’t change anything. Burnley are a good team and Burnley are used to fighting to stay in the Premier League. That fact will remain the same.

So, just how patched-up are City? The teams will roll in soon enough.

Guardiola was without Kyle Walker, Kevin De Bruyne and Rúben Dias at Wembley. Walker’s ankle problem rules him out of Brighton’s visit for the league match on Wednesday but De Bruyne and Dias await fitness tests.

Dias has not played for seven weeks because of a hamstring injury but Guardiola is not concerned about putting the Portuguese defender back in. “He could [play 90 minutes],” he said.

“It depends on the game. Tomorrow’s game is so demanding. I haven’t decided on the lineup. I think maybe the last minutes for him but he could start, he could play. I have no doubts about Rúben. With Rúben, it is not a problem.

Preamble

Good evening, we are back back back for more, and it may well be a decisive night in just about all parts of the Premier League table.

Manchester City v Brighton (8pm UK time kick-off): Brighton were very good on Saturday at Spurs, to follow up beating Arsenal the previous week, and looked to pose a bigger threat to City than Liverpool did to Manchester United last night. City looked careworn in losing to Liverpool in the FA Cup semi-final and the question is how patched up Pep Guardiola’s men might be? There’s no Erling Haaland to save them this season.

Everton v Leicester (7.45pm): Frank Lampard may just have been saved by the chaotic scenes at Burnley where Michael Jackson has replaced Sean Dyche….(I am not going there)…and there appears no immediate plan. So a win over Leicester, distracted by their Europa Conference League dreams, could steady some nerves ahead of the Merseyside derby this weekend. This has match a pleasing look of potential chaos about it.

Newcastle v Crystal Palace (7.45pm): Perhaps Palace’s season ended in that rather drab semi-final loss to Chelsea, but Newcastle have been fun to watch on the field of late, with Bruno Guimarães already hitting levels of Geordie South American folk hero of Nobby Solano levels. Safe, and with their priority to entertain the fans St James’ Park is a fun place to be for those fans who welcomed the takeover, which, let’s face it, was just about all of them.

Chelsea v Arsenal (7.45pm): This one is being covered by the excellent Rob Smyth elsewhere but we’ll keep tabs. They are split asunder in the table by Tottenham and both have wobbled of late but this appears make or break for Arsenal after three straight defeats chucked away their command of fourth place. Having made the FA Cup final and recovered from exiting the Champions League, Chelsea have less at stake but Thomas Tuchel is not one for letting up on his players, though his team did lose this fixture in May last year when the Champions League final had been reached. Chelsea won the previous fixture this season when Romelu Lukaku – remember him? – looked like the answer to Chelsea’s striking problems.

Plenty to play for, all the action here. Join me.

source: theguardian.com