Premier League leaders Leicester City need only three points to turn their title fantasy into a reality, but a trip to face Manchester United in Week 36 promises to throw a spanner in the works. The Red Devils have won their last four matches and host the Foxes after beating Everton on Saturday to set up an FA Cup final against Crystal Palace, with a top-four finish still in their sights. Leicester received a reprieve in their bid, too, after second-placed Tottenham Hotspur ran to a 1-1 draw at home to West Bromwich Albion on Monday evening, leaving them seven points adrift of the leaders. Meanwhile, Arsenal welcome Norwich City to north London hoping to bounce back from their 0-0 stalemate at Sunderland, while Southampton are looking to derail Manchester City's top four hopes at St. Mary's Stadium. Read on for a breakdown of the Week 36 schedule and a preview of the key players likely to have an impact on the drama. PremierLeague.com It's been four eventful years since Danny Drinkwater left the bright lights of Old Trafford for the slightly dimmer backdrop of the King Power Stadium, but the midfielder is the one shining these days. The 26-year-old travels back to his old digs on Sunday hoping to hand the Red Devils their first defeat in four matches, and Breathe Sport detailed Leicester as being a team replete with misfit menaces: Schmeichel: City reject Midfield partner and PFA Team of the Year entrant N'Golo Kante has been the man winning most of the plaudits under manager Claudio Ranieri this season, but Drinkwater has been almost as pivotal. Leicester face a difficult task in attempting to down United without suspended striker Jamie Vardy, however, and OptaJoe illustrated how vital his partnership alongside Drinkwater has been: 6 - Danny Drinkwater has provided his 6th Premier League assist of the season, but his first for anyone other than Jamie Vardy. Variety. Behind PFA Player of the Year Riyad Mahrez (11), Drinkwater has contributed the second-highest number of assists for Leicester this season (six), averaging 56.6 passes a game, per WhoScored.com[3]—almost 18 more than any other player. United's own pass-masters—the likes of Michael Carrick[4], Juan Mata[5] and Ander Herrera—have helped form the Red Devils into a possession-dominant side this season, but Drinkwater will be key in tearing his former side asunder. Tottenham talisman Harry Kane endured a dull clash with Chelsea the last time his side faced off against their London rivals, drawing 0-0 at White Hart Lane in November and picking up a yellow card for his troubles. The Blues are again looking to put a stop to the striker's prolific form in front of goal when they meet next Monday, and WhoScored recently provided context as to just how dangerous their upcoming opponent is: Harry Kane: Has scored at least 3 more clear-cut chances (17) than any other player in the Premier League this season Kane has shown himself to be Chelsea's kryptonite in the past, having scored two and notched two assists in Spurs' 5-3 victory over the Blues in January 2015. The England frontman has proved those who claimed him to be a "one-hit wonder" in the Premier League wrong since then, improving his top-flight ratio further and entering the history books: 130 - @HKane has the 4th best minutes per goal rate in @PremierLeague history. Prolific. pic.twitter.com/XfOYxEKhV9[7][8][9] Spurs head coach Mauricio Pochettino will be hoping to see Kane at this most threatening, and Chelsea's recent 3-0 loss at home to Manchester City helped in showing Stamford Bridge is anything but impenetrable.
Date Time Home Prediction Away Saturday, April 30 3 p.m. BST/10 a.m. ET Everton 2-1 Bournemouth Saturday, April 30 3 p.m. BST/10 a.m. ET Newcastle United 1-1 Crystal Palace Saturday, April 30 3 p.m. BST/10 a.m. ET Stoke City 1-0 Sunderland Saturday, April 30 3 p.m. BST/10 a.m. ET Watford 2-0 Aston Villa Saturday, April 30 3 p.m. BST/10 a.m. ET West Brom 1-3 West Ham United Saturday, April 30 5:30 p.m. BST/12:30 p.m. ET Arsenal 3-0 Norwich City Sunday, May 1 12 p.m. BST/7 a.m. ET Swansea City 0-1 Liverpool Sunday, May 1 2:05 p.m. BST/9:05 a.m. ET Manchester United 2-2 Leicester City Sunday, May 1 4:30 p.m. BST/11:30 a.m. ET Southampton 1-1 Manchester City Monday, May 2 8 p.m. BST/3 p.m. ET Chelsea 2-3 Tottenham Hotspur Danny Drinkwater, Leicester City
Fuchs: Schalke reject
Albrighton: Villa reject
Simpson: Man Utd reject
Huth: Stoke reject
Drinkwater: Man Utd reject
Harry Kane, Tottenham Hotspur
References
- ^ April 24, 2016 (twitter.com)
- ^ April 24, 2016 (twitter.com)
- ^ WhoScored.com (www.whoscored.com)
- ^ Michael Carrick (bleacherreport.com)
- ^ Juan Mata (bleacherreport.com)
- ^ April 25, 2016 (twitter.com)
- ^ @HKane (twitter.com)
- ^ @PremierLeague (twitte r.com)
- ^ pic.twitter.com/XfOYxEKhV9 (t.co)
- ^ April 19, 2016 (twitter.com)
