Ndidi, meanwhile, has been outstandingand, if he dominates central midfield again on Saturday, then Leicester will probably put their Carabao Cup disappointment behind them, take a significant step closer to ChampionsLeaguequalification, and make the jostling for fourth place very interesting. Japhet Tanganga did a fair job containing Liverpool’s wingers earlier this month but his solitary lapse was punished by a goal that gave theleagueleaders victory at Spurs. Given their poor recent league results –theirlast two games ended in 2-0 defeats to Liverpool and Burnley – United and their manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjær, could not afford to take the visit to Tranmere lightly, while theCarabaoCupsemi-final would have demanded full focus even if the opposition had not been Manchester City. SB • Manchester United v Wolves, Saturday 5.30pm After three months out with injury Danny Welbeck is expected to return to the Watford squad for this game, against Everton, a side he was repeatedly linked with last season. Perhaps the greatest tactical problem Watford have faced this season is a complete inability to attack cohesively without Troy Deeney to knit the forward line together, but Welbeck has the technicalquality to improve an unhealthy over-reliance on their captain – if he can stay fit. In geographical coincidence news, Everton’s last visit to London was whentheydrewwith Crystal Palace on the first day of the season, since when they have not played, even in the cups, anywhere between Birmingham and the south coast. SB • Watford v Everton, Saturday 3pm Bournemouth’s 3-1 win over Brighton last week merely confirmed that Graham Potter’s team are in a world of bother, not that Eddie Howe’s side are too good to survive this season. But Dean Smith’s team are getting things together and go into this game looking as strong as they have at any other point in the campaign, with a relativelynewformation and plenty of confidence following consecutive last-gasp wins over Watford and Leicester. They are likely to create a lot of chances for their new striker, MbwanaSamatta,whileHowe must decide whether to keep waiting for Dominic Solanke to locate the net or to give a first Premier League start to Sam Surridge instead. PD • Bournemouth v Aston Villa, Saturday 3pm When these sides met in August with the sun on their backs, Norwich romped to a 3-1 victory inspired by a Teemu Pukki hat-trick, and Newcastle looked much the likelier to figure in the relegation battle. Five months on, and it’s Norwich who face the survival battle, while Newcastle have moved into the middle tier and could be about to escape Mike Ashley’s frying pan forthe ethical fire. On the field, things have begun to tick for Newcastle, which makes this another formidable assignment for Daniel Farke’s side, who haven’t been playing that badly – theywerefrankly robbed at Tottenham – but are carrying an air of loveable-but-doomed about them. With Arsenal still inconsistent asMikelArteta beds in and suffering a string of defensive injuries – though Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will return from suspension – and Burnley having beaten Leicester and ManchesterUnitedintheir last two league games, perhaps this will be the time. “Theyare goingthroughatransitional stage and it would be good to get them at a time where they’re a little bit vulnerable and try and get at them.” SB • Burnley v Arsenal, Sunday 2pm If you were to organise a conference for the latest round of football’s interminable Entertainment v Efficiency debate, the ideal venue would be Brighton. PD • West Ham v Brighton, Saturday 3pm It’s a long time since a promoted side has imposed itself on the Premier League as brilliantly as Sheffield United.
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