Football writer Alex Keble analyses where Thursday's matches could be won and lost, including:
- How will nostalgia shape Frank's return to Brentford as Spurs head coach?
- Can Man City end Sunderland's unbeaten home run?
- Can Wirtz and Frimpong give Liverpool the edge over Leeds?
- Will Fulham will make it four straight wins against goal-shy Crystal Palace?
Will Frank’s return bring pangs of nostalgia for the Spurs head coach?
Thomas Frank returns to the Gtech Community Stadium for the first time since leaving Brentford, the club that promoted him to his first head coach role and whom he promoted to the Premier League.
Frank managed 278 league games for Brentford between 2018 and 2025. Anyone in his position would feel the pangs of nostalgia. But the contrasting fortunes of his Tottenham Hotspur and his old set-piece coach Keith Andrews’ Brentford might deepen the feeling.
Brentford have won eight of their last 12 Premier League home games, including four of the last five, and sit just four points off fifth, which could again be a UEFA Champions League spot this season. Their 26 points from 18 Premier League games is a new club record.
Frank will fondly remember the days when, like Andrews, he was hailed for overachieving on that scale. It stands in stark contrast to how things are going at Spurs, although victory at Crystal Palace on Sunday offered some relief after a run of one win in eight Premier League games.
Returning to Brentford will be bittersweet whatever the outcome. But defeat will hurt more than usual.
Can Man City end Sunderland’s unbeaten home run?
Following Arsenal's 4-1 win over Aston Villa on Tuesday night, Manchester City will be desperate to respond.
Sunderland and Arsenal are the only Premier League clubs still unbeaten at home. Regis Le Bris’ side have held Aston Villa and Arsenal to draws at the Stadium of Light already this season. If they do the same to Man City it will be seen as a huge missed opportunity for Pep Guardiola.
He won’t expect to miss it. Man City appear to be entering one of their imperial phases, having won each of their last six Premier League matches, their longest run since winning the final nine of the 2023/24 campaign.
Rayan Cherki is in unstoppable form and his battle with Granit Xhaka and a powerful Sunderland midfield will be fascinating to watch, while Erling Haaland plays at the Stadium of Light for the very first time. He has scored at 23 of the 24 English stadiums he has visited in the competition, only failing to do so at Anfield.
So far, nobody seems able to stop these two from steamrollering through. Sunderland – and their fans – will put up a serious challenge.
Will Wirtz and Frimpong give Liverpool the edge this time?
Leeds United’s first full match in their 3-5-2 formation was the 3-3 draw between these two sides at Elland Road earlier in December, and despite a trip to Anfield being considerably more difficult, it is plausible Daniel Farke’s new system will halt Liverpool’s in-form players.
Florian Wirtz, who scored his first Liverpool goal against Wolverhampton Wanderers, may struggle to find space among a back five, as he did at Elland Road, while Jeremie Frimpong – who didn’t play in the reverse fixture but assisted against Wolves – may struggle to get into dangerous overlapping positions when facing a wing-back and outside centre-back.
However, an injury to Joe Rodon is a huge blow for the Leeds defence. Hugo Ekitike remains the likeliest player to flourish even accounting for Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s goalscoring streak.
Do goal-shy Palace present Fulham with the opportunity to make it four in a row?
Oliver Glasner’s very vocal plea for new signings in January shows just how difficult the situation has become at Crystal Palace, who after a brilliant 2025 start 2026 in poor form.
The issue, as Glasner has repeatedly pointed out, is a lack of goals. Palace only had two shots on target against Spurs on Sunday and have scored just once in their last three Premier League games. Over the season they have scored 21 goals from an Expected Goals (xG) of 29.4, the biggest underperformance (8.4) in the division.
Data correct as of 29 December
Naturally this hands Fulham the opportunity to win at Selhurst Park, particularly given that Marco Silva’s side have kept consecutive clean sheets as part of a three-match winning streak in the Premier League.