Premier League title race: Arsenal face tough test at Villa Park, Liverpool target top spot at Selhurst Park

Matchday 16 promises another tantalising weekend of Premier League action as title contenders aim to further their bid to secure the coveted crown.

League leaders Arsenal travel to the formidable Villa Park to take on Aston Villa, looking to succeed where the previous 14 visitors, including defending champions Manchester City, have failed.

Speaking of City, their trip to Luton Town should offer Pep Guardiola’s side some respite from their concerning run of form after going four league games without victory.

Tottenham Hotspur returned to losing ways with a disheartening 2-1 defeat at home to West Ham United on Thursday night, and their fixture pile-up doesn’t get any easier with the north Londoners taking on Newcastle United at the weekend.

The result of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium clash could have significant bearings on the Premier League top-four race so the contest is anticipated to deliver a thrilling spectacle.

In addition to adding the date to your calendar, you can also buy Tottenham vs Newcastle tickets at Seatsnets.com, and book your trip ahead of witnessing all the live action.

Liverpool are also in action, with a trip to South London on the horizon, where they will be looking to pile the pressure on a miserable Crystal Palace side.

Crystal Palace v Liverpool overview

Hoping to finish the weekend round of fixtures at the top of the Premier League table, Liverpool travel to Selhurst Park to face Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon.

The Reds ruined Chris Wilder’s Sheffield United return with a 2-0 midweek victory at Bramall Lane, with Palace falling to defeat against Bournemouth by an identical scoreline.

Roy Hodgson’s side were booed off the pitch, while the veteran coach was allegedly targeted by a bottle thrown from the stands following the disheartening defeat on home turf.

Having picked up just one point from their last four league fixtures, the Eagles continue their downward spiral toward the danger zone, sitting 14th on the table.

A spate of untimely injury problems have contributed to Palace’s woes, but Hodgson’s side hosts Liverpool hoping to snap a five-game winless run (D2, L3).

The Reds threw a wrench into Wilder’s honeymoon return to Bramall Lane, sweeping the Blades aside with a comfortable victory to keep pace with league leaders Arsenal.

With Liverpool and Palace opening this weekend’s action, another three-point haul for the Reds would temporarily send them to the summit, pending the outcome of Arsenal’s lunchtime clash with Villa.

Liverpool head to South London aiming for a fourth consecutive triumph across all competitions, while the clean sheet against United was their first on the road this season.

Liverpool’s last two meetings with Palace have ended with the spoils shared, but given the contrasting form of both sides, that run is anticipated to end at the weekend.

Aston Villa v Arsenal overview

Villa Park has become a fortress for Villa, but Arsenal’s visit represents another formidable test of character for the Lions, who only recently conquered the champions on home turf. 

Unai Emery’s side have been flying on home soil but will be wary of the Gunners, given Saturday’s mouth-watering West Midlands affair pits them against the most recent team to conquer them at Villa Park in the Premier League.

Villa prevailed against City 1-0 on Wednesday evening, a result that ended Emery’s miserable 13-game winless streak against Pep Guardiola.

City weren’t at their sparkling best, but that takes nothing away from the brave Villans, who took full advantage of the champions’ day off, revelling in a spectacular 14th Premier League home win in a row.

Villa are one home win away from a club record 15th consecutive success, and facing the last side to emerge victorious from Villa Park adds a heightened sense of intrigue to the blockbuster contest.

Villa have leapfrogged City into third place in the table and are threatening to upset the established order, with just four points separating them from their upcoming opponents.

Arsenal came away from Luton Town with maximum points, although it took a last-gasp header from £100 million man Declan Rice for the Gunners to emerge from Kenilworth Road unscathed.

The seven-goal thriller ensured Arsenal consolidated their two-point advantage over Liverpool at the summit while stretching their winning streak to six games in all competitions.

Arsenal have won each of their last four meetings with Emery’s side and would require another rousing performance to ruin the Villa Park party.

Luton Town vs Man City

Kenilworth Road is primed for the visit of another Premier League juggernaut in consecutive fixtures as City travel to Bedfordshire to take on Luton Town.

Luton were on the wrong end of a gut-wrenching 4-3 defeat to Arsenal but can be proud of their inspiring performance against a title contender.

However, they’ve been afforded no time to catch their breath as Rob Edwards’ side must prepare for another uphill battle against a bruised and vengeful City side.

Welcoming the treble winners on the back of one win in nine games does little to inspire confidence, but Edwards will ask his troops for more of the same performance against Arsenal.

The defeat to Arsenal returned Luton to the relegation zone, but they remain just one point behind Everton, who climbed out of the bottom three with a resounding 3-0 win over Newcastle.

City must brush off their disheartening 1-0 defeat to Villa, with the trip to Luton offering a chance to return to winning ways after a challenging run of results.

They have failed to win any of their last three games (D3, L1), slipping down the table to fourth, but they are far from out of the title race despite a six-point gap to Arsenal.

Tottenham v Newcastle

Tottenham and Newcastle face off at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on the back of deflating defeats to West Ham United and Everton.

After failing to see out yet another game from a winning position, Tottenham’s 2-1 defeat to West Ham saw them become the first side in Premier League history to score first in five successive games without a win.

Ange Postecoglou’s side were also the first side to lose three successive home matches in the Premier League after taking the lead in all three.

After going unbeaten in their opening ten games, Spurs have failed to win any of their last five (D1, L4), and it could get worse with the visit of Newcastle up next.

The Magpies are also reeling from a deflating 3-0 defeat to relegation contenders Everton, with a couple of mishaps from captain Kieran Trippier playing a significant role.

However, a win for Eddie Howe’s side on Sunday could see them overtake Spurs, getting them closer to the Champions League places with just four points separating them from fourth-placed City.

Newcastle have prevailed in the last two meetings between both sides, including a 6-1 hammering at St. James’ Park and will fancy their chances of securing a third successive win over the north Londoners.