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Gameweek 11 sees the Premier League enter December and the start of the oft-dreaded Christmas run-in.

More welcome is the return of fans in a limited capacity across the country, with five top-flight games hosting up to 2,000 spectators for the first time since March.

Here’s everything you need to know about this weekend’s games.

Burnley vs Everton

What Time Is Kick Off? 12.30 (GMT)
Where Is it Played? Turf Moor
TV Channel/Live Stream? BT Sport
Read 90min’s preview here

Burnley put a little distance between themselves and the bottom of the table in November, only to return to losing ways with a thrashing at the hands of Manchester City last time out.

Everton promises to be an interesting challenge for them because the Toffees have seen their early season momentum also completely desert them and have lost Lucas Digne to long-term injury.

Everton started the season with a perfect record and 12 points in their first four games, yet they have only taken four further points in the six games played since.

Prediction: Burnley 1-1 Everton

Manchester City vs Fulham

What Time Is Kick Off? 15.00 (GMT)
Where Is it Played? Etihad Stadium
TV Channel/Live Stream? BT Sport
Read 90min’s preview here

Manchester City will feel last weekend’s 5-0 win over Burnley was overdue as it was the first time since week two of the season that they scored more than once in a Premier League game.

The visit of Fulham is another favourable fixture for Pep Guardiola’s side in that the Cottagers have conceded 19 times in 10 games – the worst defensive record in the league.

Fulham, however, are in better form and have collected both of their wins so far in the last four games. The last of those was against a Leicester side who thrashed City 5-2.

Prediction: Manchester City 3-1 Fulham

West Ham vs Manchester United

What Time Is Kick Off? 5.30pm (GMT)
Where Is it Played? London Stadium
TV Channel/Live Stream? Sky Sports

David Moyes welcomes former club Manchester United to the London Stadium in Saturday’s early evening kick-off, with his West Ham side bang in form.

The visiting United have won three Premier League games in a row, the last a second half comeback against Southampton, but it remains to be seen how morale will be affect by defeat in Europe.

A wasteful United were ultimately outfoxed by Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League in midweek and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has selection decisions to make.

Prediction: West Ham 1-2 Manchester United

Chelsea vs Leeds

What Time Is Kick Off? 20.00 (GMT)
Where Is it Played? Stamford Bridge
TV Channel/Live Stream? Sky Sports

Chelsea are unbeaten since facing champions Liverpool in the second week of the season and have conceded only once in the Premier League in the last five games.

Their previously prolific attack was contained by Tottenham, but it will take a monumental effort from a much more porous Leeds side to keep the Blues out two games straight.

The tactical battle between revered veteran coach Marcelo Bielsa and the still relatively inexperienced Frank Lampard makes this a tasty encounter.

Prediction: Chelsea 2-1 Leeds

West Brom vs Crystal Palace

What Time Is Kick Off? 12.00 (GMT)
Where Is it Played? The Hawthorns
TV Channel/Live Stream? Sky Sports

Only Fulham’s win last weekend stopped West Brom from climbing out of the relegation after finally getting off the mark by beating Sheffield United.

Home fixtures against the Premier League’s bottom club don’t come much easier, but the Baggies may also now fancy their chances against Crystal Palace.

Palace are seven points better off going into this season, but Roy Hodgson’s side have lost their last two in a row against Burnley and Newcastle

Prediction: West Brom 1-1 Crystal Palace

Sheffield United vs Leicester

What Time Is Kick Off? 14.15 (GMT)
Where Is it Played? Bramall Lane
TV Channel/Live Stream? Sky Sports

Leicester will view this weekend as a good opportunity to get back into form following a shock defeat to Fulham last time out, causing them to slip to fourth.

That is because Sheffield United have lost 12 of their last 13 Premier League fixtures stretching back into last season and haven’t won since beating Chelsea 3-0 in July.

The Blades are struggling to catch a break and have only twice been beaten by more than a single goal, but their non-existent attack – four goals in 10 games – is their big issue.

Prediction: Sheffield United 0-1 Leicester

Tottenham vs Arsenal

What Time Is Kick Off? 16.30 (GMT)
Where Is it Played? Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
TV Channel/Live Stream? Sky Sports

Tottenham start the weekend top of the Premier League table and go into Sunday’s hotly anticipated north London derby eight points better off than Arsenal.

Jose Mourinho has made Spurs resilient and they are unbeaten since the opening weekend of the season as a result. Harry Kane is also expected to be fit after sitting out Thursday night.

Arsenal have enjoyed a 100% record in their own Europa League campaign, but cannot say the same domestically as they have lost four of their last six games.

Prediction: Tottenham 3-1 Arsenal

Liverpool vs Wolves

What Time Is Kick Off? 19.15 (GMT)
Where Is it Played? Anfield
TV Channel/Live Stream? Amazon Prime

Liverpool have won all four Premier League meetings with Wolves since the latter returned to the top flight in 2018 and Jurgen Klopp will be hoping for more of the same.

The reigning champions haven’t hit the same heights as last season, but they have still only been beaten once and it is just goal difference keeping them out of top spot.

It remains to be seen how Wolves will react to losing Raul Jimenez last week, meaning they are now without last season’s two top scorers, with Diogo Jota obviously now at Liverpool.

Prediction: Liverpool 2-0 Wolves

Brighton vs Southampton

What Time Is Kick Off? 20.00 (GMT)
Where Is it Played? Amex Stadium
TV Channel/Live Stream? Sky Sports

Southampton will be disappointed at throwing away a 2-0 half-time lead against Manchester United last time out, but the performance to go ahead as they did was still encouraging.

The Saints have lost a little bit of momentum after previously going a run of five wins in six games, and will see 16th place Brighton as a winnable fixture.

That is easier said than done, however, as only Manchester City have lost fewer games than the Seagulls of all clubs in the bottom half of the table.

Prediction: Brighton 1-1 Southampton

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The Premier League has announced a four-manager shortlist for November’s manager of the month award, with Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Frank Lampard and David Moyes all gaining recognition for impressive showings.

Mourinho’s Tottenham have emerged as surprise title contenders and built on those credentials with an unbeaten four-game run. Their 0-0 draw with Chelsea capped off a productive November that had previously yielded wins over Brighton, West Brom and most impressively Manchester City. They conceded just once in the process.

They are pursued closely by Lampard’s Chelsea who look to be mounting a challenge of their own. They ran riot last month, sweeping aside Sheffield United and Brighton before Spurs came to town and claimed a point, and sit just two points behind the early leaders.

Who gets your vote for November’s Barclays Manager of the Month this @premierleague season? It’s #AllToPlayFor ⚽️

Voting closes at 6pm on Monday 7th December. Vote here ? https://t.co/x4e2BqX0VO pic.twitter.com/ktQNCQh8am

— Barclays Football (@BarclaysFooty) December 4, 2020

Manchester United are also going strong after a sticky start to the season and although they started off November with a defeat to Arsenal, they bounced back in style. They came from behind to beat Everton and Southampton and also recorded a victory over West Brom.

Former United boss Moyes, meanwhile, has overseen quite the turnaround at West Ham. With three wins from three, they are the only side to finish November with a 100% record, having beaten Aston Villa on Monday to go fifth in the table.

Moyes, Mourinho, Lampard, Solskjaer. You can cast your vote via the Premier League website.

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Chelsea will listen to offers for centre-backs Antonio Rüdiger and Fikayo Tomori in January, with head coach Frank Lampard looking to trim the number of central defenders in his squad.

The Blues signed veteran Thiago Silva on a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer to remedy longstanding defensive issues, and the Brazilian’s arrival has pushed both Rüdiger and Tomori to the bottom of the five-man pecking order.

Kurt Zouma has been the regular starter alongside Silva so far this season, with the pair forming a formidable partnership. Andreas Christensen, meanwhile, has deputised in the opening weeks of the Premier League season and was impressive in the 4-0 Champions League demolition of Sevilla on Wednesday.

According to ESPN, Chelsea are ‘open’ to offers for Rüdiger and Tomori, although it is unclear whether the club would let both men depart or only one.

Rüdiger – who came close to leaving Stamford Bridge in the transfer window following a rumoured falling out with Lampard – has been given minutes in the Champions League but only featured once domestically, while England international Tomori has only been afforded just 45 minutes of Premier League football.

Tottenham and West Ham had been sniffing around 27-year-old Germany international Rüdiger, while 22-year-old Tomori was linked with a move the Hammers and Everton, but the ultimately turned down both moves in a bid to fight for his place.

The England man had featured regularly for Lampard’s side in the first half of last season, but suddenly dropped out of the team at the turn of the year. Speaking recently about his handling of the player, Lampard said (as quoted by The Guardian): “He’s still a developing player.

“When I say developing, he’s had a great two years. He got himself in the England team, was one of the best defenders in the Championship and then played 20-plus games for Chelsea. It’s normal for a young player sometimes, in a squad as competitive as ours, where there are periods where you maybe aren’t playing every week.

“I’ve got no problem with Fikayo. I rely on him. That’s clear from when I took him to Derby and how I handled him last year. He’s been a fantastic player for me. He trains very well and when he gets his opportunity, like he had when he came on against Liverpool and in the Carabao Cup, it’s important he takes them.”

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With nearly a third of this season’s Championship fixtures already played, usually by this point in the campaign the table has begun to take some sort of shape.

Of course, there’s the dark horses who’ll string a late run of results together and come from nowhere to grab a late play-off spot, but the league’s frontrunners have already been well established.

TOO…CLOSE…TO…CALL!#EFL | #SkyBetChampionship pic.twitter.com/cnWfPikdQm

— Sky Bet Championship (@SkyBetChamp) December 2, 2020

However, in typical 2020 fashion, this season’s second tier alumni appear to be doing this a little differently.

Bar a few stragglers at the bottom end of the table, you could throw a blanket over the entire league, with the position of top spot exchanging hands multiple times throughout each gameweek.

So, with no team looking like ‘running away with it’, whose early-season performances have them best placed for a promotion tilt? We’ve compiled a list of the teams who look set for a Premier League charge, ranking them by the likelihood that their season will end in glory.

Stoke’s summer business would have been fantastic – if it were 2012. The signings of Steven Fletcher and John Obi Mikel certainly left heads being scratched, though, in fairness, they’ve started the season well.

Michael O’Neill’s squad boasts a number of stellar names, and with Nick Powell and Tyrese Campbell both looking sharp in front of goal, if they can overcome their current goalkeeping crisis which has forced them to bring in two emergency loanees, they could be in good shape for a promotion push.

Tony Mowbray has proven to have the credentials to get a team out of the second tier, though – ironically for a manager who used to be a centre-back – his team’s defensive frailties may come back to haunt them.

In Adam Armstrong, Rovers boast the Championship’s top scorer, and if Mowbray can address his leaky defence they’ll definitely be a threat.  

Consistency seems to have become Bristol City’s biggest worry this season. The Robins notched an impressive four wins from the first four games league games of the season, then embarked on a five-game winless run, only to then win the next three on the bounce. You never quite know what you’re going to get with Dean Holden’s side!

The relentless Championship schedule means consistency is key, and so – despite sitting fifth in the table – their sporadic performances so far this season are cause for concern. However, if they can string a good run of results together at the right time they’ll be in with a shout of promotion.

Of the three sides relegated from the Premier League last season, Bournemouth endured arguably the most upheaval, with Eddie Howe departing and the spine of their team being ripped out.

Despite a number of high-profile departures, the Cherries have managed to keep hold of a number of quality players, many of whom have experienced Championship life previously, and that experience should see them in good stead for the remainder of the campaign.

There are some managers who – regardless of how thin their squad may look – can never be written off.

In little over five months, Neil Warnock has transformed Middlesbrough from a team who couldn’t stop leaking goals under Jonathan Woodgate and looked destined for a spell in League One, to now boasting one of the meanest defence in England’s top four divisions.

Boro’s Achilles heel is their attacking output, but with the likes of Yannick Bolasie openly expressing his desire to join the club in the summer – only for the deal not to be completed in time for the deadline – if the Teessiders can make it through to January still in touch with the top six, some shrewd business in the market could see them in with a great shout of promotion.

Many expected Brentford to struggle to adapt to life post-Said Benrahma and Ollie Watkins, however, it’s the other end of the pitch causing the Bees problems this campaign.

Thomas Frank’s side had the second-best defence in the league last season, yet have already conceded as many as Sheffield Wednesday who sit four points adrift of safety.

The summer acquisition of Ivan Toney has proved something of a masterstroke, with the former Peterborough man already well into double figures in the league, and if they can shore up defensively they’ll be a force to be reckoned with.

Swansea have absorbed the loss of Joe Rodon brilliantly, though the effect of being unable to entice Rhian Brewster back to the club on loan seems to have had a much bigger impact.

Nevertheless, with the best defensive record in the division they’re always going to be in the mix, and if Andre Ayew can better last season’s tally of 15 league goals, Swansea could be in business.

The curious case of the Royals.

Having finished just eight points above the drop zone last season, Reading stormed out of the blocks this campaign. winning seven of their opening eight games.

Their form took many by surprise, however, in truth it shouldn’t have. The additions of Ovie Ejaria and Tomas Esteves in the summer added to a squad already containing some top players like Lucas Joao and Michael Olise, and with new boss Veljko Paunovic adding some much-needed defensive discipline the Royals looked a completely new team.

Since their brilliant start the wheels have fallen off slightly, but after a run of four straight defeats they’ve managed to stop the rot, and they’ve got the quality to be in the mix next May.

Having kept hold of a number of stellar names over the summer such as Ismaila Sarr and Troy Deeney, many expected Watford’s strike force to overpower the rest of the league, but it’s been quite a different story.

Manager Vladimir Ivic seemed to have taken the opposite approach, making the Hornets tough to beat early on in the campaign as they conceded just one goal in their opening four league games. Since then the shackles have come off a little, though naturally that saw them become more fragile at the back, with two late winners notching them back-to-back 3-2 wins.

The new boss looks to still be feeling his way into the job as he searches for the right formula, but once it clicks their star-strewn squad will be a match for anyone.

Norwich boast one of the biggest and best squads in the Championship, although in truth they need it right now. The Canaries could field a strong starting XI made purely of injured players, but Daniel Farke’s side continue set the pace at the top of the league.

The club made a number of shrewd moves over the summer, keeping faith in Farke – the man who masterminded their promotion in 2019 – and adding tried and tested Championship players like Jordan Hugill to their arsenal.

Once their injury list begins to wane, the introduction of five permitted substitutes each game will be a huge boost to a team whose squad is littered with quality second tier players, and that could prove to be the difference come the business end of the season.

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Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud has revealed he wants to stay at Stamford Bridge amid swirling speculation around the veteran’s future.

Having played fewer than 200 minutes in all competitions so far this season, the Frenchman started and struck all four goals in the Blues’ 4-0 demolition of Sevilla in the Champions League on Wednesday night, including a ‘perfect’ hat-trick – left foot, right foot, header.

There had been plenty of rumours surrounding the 34-year-old ahead of that display, with both the player himself and his international manager Didier Deschamps recently suggesting a January move in search of more game time might be for the best should the front man wish to maintain his place in France’s plans for the postponed European Championship next summer.

Antonio Conte’s Inter have been the most strongly linked, while there has also been talk of a move across London to Tottenham or West Ham.

However, following his stunning performance in Andalusia, Giroud has moved to assure the Chelsea faithful that his ideal would be to stay at the club.

“I just have to show the manager that I am ready to fight until the end, as I told him at the beginning of the season, but obviously to be happy I need to be a little bit more on the pitch,” he told the club’s official website.

? Oldest player to score a hat-trick in Champions League era ✅

⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️ FOUR goals for Olivier Giroud in Seville!#UCL pic.twitter.com/8jNsLfOPHp

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) December 2, 2020

“The gaffer gave me the opportunity to play and I hope I will have more opportunities again because I think I’ve shown him that I am ready to fight for the team. We all want to be on the pitch but we have a great squad.”

Unsurprisingly, the striker now believes he stands a good chance of getting more game time following his four-goal haul in southern Spain.

“If I play a bit more than in the beginning of the season, I have a good chance to be fit and ready for the Euros,” he continued. “I had a conversation with Deschamps and he said if the situation stayed like that, I will have to take a decision in January. I am pretty sure I can get some more game time and stay at Chelsea because that is what I want. I want to win trophies with Chelsea so basically that’s it.

“You never know in football, everything is going very fast, but right now I am very happy. I am a happy man and I am proud to be a Chelsea player.”

Despite using Giroud sparingly, Chelsea boss Frank Lampard has often spoken of his professionalism and importance within the squad, and heaped praise on the Frenchman once again following the group-winning victory in Seville.

“He is the ultimate professional, and I think he’s done that in his career,” Lampard said. “And I think that’s why with Oli you see his numbers for France and in the Champions League.

“When I came in he wasn’t always a regular before I got here, but as soon as I came in I could feel the positivity off him as a player, how he wants to train, how he wants to affect people whether he starts or not.”

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