SOCCER PREMIER LEAGUE ARTICLES

It’s going to be a busy couple weeks for Pep Guardiola and Manchester City. The Sky Blues have stepped up to the plate and handled their tough schedule with aplomb so far, but they will receive another test when they take on Chelsea this Sunday.... 

Liverpool is firing on all cylinders right now. Jurgen Klopp’s attack has looked phenomenal over the last couple weeks with the Reds thrashing Porto 5-0 in the Champions League and cruising to a 4-1 win over West Ham. There’s never been any doubt that this is one of the most talented offenses in the Premier League, but Liverpool seems like it has really figured it out lately.... 

Although neither Chelsea or Manchester United has any real chance at winning the Premier League, it’s been a pretty good year for both clubs. Both Chelsea and Manchester United made it to the knockout rounds of the Champions League and both clubs are in the FA Cup Quarterfinals.... 

Everton and Watford have both had decent seasons all things considering. Although Everton has gotten blown out by the best teams in England, they are in the middle of the table because they have taken care of business against lesser foes. They stand little chance of qualifying for European play, but the club is equally as unlikely to be in the relegation battle at the end of the season.... 

At this point, you can practically give the Premier League title to Manchester City. Manchester City is 13 points up on city rivals Manchester United for the top spot in England and has won 22 of its 26 matches to date. The Sky Blues have crushed their opponents in methodic fashion and have found the back of the net 15 times more than any other team in the league.... 

After finishing in the top half of the table last year, things have gone much worse for Southampton this time around. The Saints are just two points out of the relegation zone and desperately need points from their remaining matches.... 

The most highly anticipated game in the English Premier League this weekend is also the first. The Arsenal Gunners have their fans feeling confident for the first time in ages. The club’s deadline deals have restored faith in the team, and they are back to playing the same flowing, creative football they did during their heyday.... 

Manchester City's perfect season has been dashed. The Citizens won't be all that bothered by being handed their first loss of the season last week against Liverpool, but if they make a habit of getting less than stellar results, the Premier League title chase could be back on.... 

Match Day 24 in the Premier League is upon us, and time is running out to sort out the mess that is the relegation race at the bottom of the table. Brighton and Hove Albion has stayed out of the gutter the entire game, but it has just three points separating it from Stoke City in 18th place. This match against Chelsea doesn't figure to help out in the quest for safety, but if anything can be had from it, it will be a huge boost for Chris Hughton's men.... 

Tottenham Hotspur have either been incredibly good or incredibly bad this season. They've got a 12-5-5 record, a mark that is usually good enough to be in the championship discussion through the midway point in the season. However, they're sitting fifth-best with just 16 fixtures left to play.... 

The argument could be made that Manchester City shouldn't even be all that worried about any of its Premier League matches over the course of the rest of the season. The Citizens are 15 points clear of the rest of the field with 16 matches left to play, and they've only dropped four points thus far the entire season.... 

As if Manchester City needed anything else to break its way this year!The Citizens could have drawn against either Chelsea or Arsenal in the last four of the EFL Cup. Instead, they've got the only non-EPL side left in the tournament, Bristol City.The first match of this home-and-home duel will take place at the Etihad on Tuesday night, and Pep Guardiola will be hoping to effectively put down the Championship side without bothering with the return leg in two weeks.... 

Chelsea and Arsenal are getting to know plenty about each other in the month of January. They met last weekend in the Premier League, a cracker of a 2-2 draw at the Emirates that featured four goals in the last 27 minutes of play. Now, they're set to engage in battle in the EFL Cup for two legs over the course of the next two weeks, the first of which will come at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night.At 3 p.m. ET, tune into ESPN2 for live television coverage of this EFL Cup match on Wednesday, January 10, 2018, at Stamford Bridge.... 

Arsenal supporters have had a love/hate relationship with Arsene Wenger over the course of the last few years. The one thing they can all agree upon is the fact that last year's FA Cup run was magical. This is a new year, though, and the Gunners don't feel anything like a team that can actually run through this tournament unscathed. The first team up to take their shot at the defending champs is Championship side, Nottingham Forest.... 

Norwich City is a team that has yo-yoed between the Premier League and Championship several times over the course of the last decade and a half. The Canaries are struggling this year in the second division, but nothing cures a team's poor form like a great run in the FA Cup. Norwich will be giving everything it has to its third-round duel against Chelsea.... 

Unless you're a Manchester City fan, there isn't a lot to be thrilled about at the top of the Premier League. The Citizens are surely going to win the title this year, leaving everyone else fighting for second-best.... 

It's really hard to complain if you're a Manchester United fan. Has the team been in iffy form of late and punted some points that it probably shouldn't? Sure. But the reason the Red Devils aren't feel chipper going into the new year is due to the fact that they know they're playing for second-best in the Premier League already. They're in that second position as we've crossed into the second half of the year, but there's reason to believe this match against Southampton is set to be a third-straight dud after back-to-back draws.... 

Eighteen straight wins and counting.Manchester City's run through the start of this season has been absolutely astonishing. There's virtually nothing slowing this team down at this point, and you'd like to think that a trip to Selhurst Park on New Year's Eve against Crystal Palace isn't going to be any different.... 

If we go under the assumption that Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea are all going to finish in the top-four this season in the Premier League, that leaves Arsenal and Liverpool left to fight it out for the last spot available for the Champions League. This isn't necessarily a "must-win" match for either the Gunners or the Reds, but if there is a winner of this fixture, it could be huge for either team.... 

Boxing Day is one of the biggest days in the Premier League season. The matchups aren't always the greatest, but this stretch of condensed games between the days leading into Christmas and the days that kick off the new year often prove crucial by the end of the year.... 

Manchester City's insane start to the season continued on Wednesday night when it went on the road and thrashed Swansea City 4-0. The Citizens have put 15 EPL games in a row in the win column, the longest streak in the history of the top flight of English soccer.What chance could Tottenham Hotspur possibly have of stopping the Manchester giants? We'll find out on Saturday at the Etihad.... 

The first edition of the Manchester Derby of the 2017-18 Premier League season is set to commence on Sunday as a part of Match Day 16. It's a little early to say that Manchester City can win the EPL with any given win in December, but three points at Old Trafford would put it 11 points clear of the field with a home match yet to play against the Red Devils later in the season. The chances of anyone running down the Citizens at that point would essentially be til.Don't miss the English Premier League action from Old Trafford at 11:30 a.m. ET on Sunday, December 10, 2017. Catch every moment of the match live on NBC Sports Network.... 

Manchester City is rolling right along at this point, eight points clear of Manchester United at the top of the BPL table with no sense that its advantage will ever be ceded. Pep Guardiola's side should have another squash match this weekend against West Ham, a beleaguered club just trying its best to save its BPL status for another season beyond this year.... 

Arsenal has made its way into the top-four in the Premier League, and suddenly, Arsene Wenger is again a beloved man in London. The next step for the Gunners would be winning a massive match on short rest at home against Manchester United in a duel that could go a long way towards deciding the Champions League spots out of England this year.... 

We might only be a third of the way into the English Premier League season, but we're already left wondering if there are any challengers left for the Manchester City. Two of the more logical combatants will head into battle at Anfield in the showcase matchup of a full day of Saturday soccer in England when Liverpool plays host to Chelsea....