Eight talking points ahead of the Premier League weekend, featuring Mohamed Salah, Liam Delap, Andre Onana and Arsenal’s auxiliary number nine.
Eagles out to upset the champions again
Crystal Palace have quietly gone under the radar as one of Europe’s form teams. Only Paris Saint-Germain have won more games (9) across their last 10 than the Eagles (8), who have found form under Oliver Glasner and reached an FA Cup semi-final.
Next on their hit list are the champions, whose Champions League hopes suffered a setback after a goalless draw in the Manchester Derby last weekend. City are also well aware of the threat Palace can pose, having won just three of the previous seven meetings.
We have now found the back of the net in 12 @premierleague games – a run stretching back to our 2-1 win over Southampton on 29th December 🤝#CPFCpic.twitter.com/TyzsEc7hd5
— Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) April 8, 2025
The South Londoners could certainly throw a spanner in the works of Pep Guardiola’s bid for a top-five finish.
Who will take the initiative as Forest face Everton?
Nottingham Forest have gone against the grain this season to emerge as the surprise package of the campaign. Nuno Espirito Santo’s side are flying high in third place despite having the lowest average possession (36.5%) in the Premier League.
A well-drilled defence and clinical counter-attack have undone teams this season, but the visit of Everton poses a different challenge. The Toffees are marginally ahead of Forest for average possession (36.6%) with both sides allowing – either intentionally or not – opposition teams to dominate the ball. It will be fascinating to see which side takes the initiative at the City Ground.
Malen out to prove a point
Donyell Malen can quite rightly feel aggrieved at his omission from Aston Villa’s Champions League squad. Signed from Borussia Dortmund in January, the £21m recruit was a casualty of UEFA’s registration rules. Loanees Marcus Rashford, Marco Asensio and Axel Disasi were preferred, leaving Malen to watch on in midweek at Paris Saint-Germain.
The Dutchman has shown signs of settling in the Premier League and has netted in consecutive games for Villa. With the second leg of their quarter-final with PSG on the horizon, he looks certain to start in what could be a rotated side at Southampton. The Saints, relegated with a record seven games to spare, appear the ideal opposition to continue his goalscoring run.
That @OnsOranje connection 🤝 pic.twitter.com/BotBYTIdhA
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) April 5, 2025
An ode to Arsenal’s auxiliary man
Arsenal’s season appeared in danger of unravelling when Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus succumbed to season-ending ...
