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Premier League Wednesday preview: Six of the best on the midweek menu

 A jam-packed December of Premier League fixtures continues apace tonight with 12 sides in action.


Six superb contests are headlined by Liverpool and Tottenham’s table-topping clash at Anfield, while the likes of Southampton, Leicester and West Ham will all be hoping to extend excellent starts to the season.

Arsenal vs Southampton (6pm, Amazon Prime)

Under-fire Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is set to ring the changes ahead of the visit of high-flying Southampton. 

The Gunners have only managed one goal from open play in their last 13 hours of Premier League football and have taken just one point from their last five league matches.

Both Granit Xhaka and Hector Bellerin picked up suspensions as the Gunners crashed to a 1-0 home defeat to Burnley on Sunday, meaning Dani Ceballos and Ainsley Maitland-Niles should come into the starting XI.

David Luiz and Reiss Nelson will have injuries assessed ahead of potential returns but £45million signing Thomas Partey remains unavailable with a recurring thigh issue.

Visiting boss Ralph Hasenhuttl has no fresh injury concerns to deal with as his troops seek a third straight win to preserve their place in the top four.

Danny Ings has netted three times in three Saints appearances against Arsenal and will be out to extend that record, while Nathan Redmond could start after coming off the bench to score in Sunday's 3-0 win over Sheffield United.

Leicester vs Everton (6pm, Amazon Prime)

Leicester must do without the suspended Jonny Evans as they hunt a third straight Premier League win against Everton.

Northern Ireland international Evans, 32, misses the clash after picking up his fifth yellow card of the campaign, adding to a list of defensive absentees featuring Timothy Castagne, Caglar Soyuncu and Ricardo Pereira.

Foxes boss Brendan Rodgers is likely to opt for Luke Thomas or Wilfred Ndidi as cover at centre-back, tasking them with keeping 11-goal Dominic Calvert-Lewin quiet.

Carlo Ancelotti’s visitors put in a much-improved performance on Saturday when beating Chelsea 1-0 at Goodison Park to secure only a second victory in eight outings.

The Toffees are without Lucas Digne, who has an ankle problem, but both Seamus Coleman and James Rodriguez are pushing for a return from their respective injuries.

Leeds vs Newcastle (6pm, Amazon Prime)

Marcelo Bielsa says he will no longer reveal his team selections in advance as he prepares Leeds to face Newcastle.

The Argentine boss, 65, caused a furore when announcing his starting XI two days prior to the clash with West Ham — a game his side went on to lose 2-1.

Despite his latest pledge, Bielsa did confirm that Patrick Bamford is in contention to feature, while defensive duo Robin Koch and Diego Llorente both remain unavailable. 

Newcastle boss Steve Bruce is likely to be without Allan Saint-Maximin, who is still suffering with a muscle problem, but could be boosted by the return of Ryan Fraser and Jamaal Lascelles.

The Magpies have recorded wins over Crystal Palace and West Brom in their last two outings and are chasing a third straight Premier League victory for the first time since November 2018.

Fulham vs Brighton (8pm, Amazon Prime)

Improving Fulham will be looking to move out of the relegation zone for the first time this season when they entertain Brighton at Craven Cottage.

Scott Parker’s side have seven points from their last six outings and secured an impressive 1-1 draw with champions Liverpool last time out, meaning a win over the Seagulls would lift them out of the bottom three.

Terence Kongolo remains the only absentee for the hosts so Parker is likely to name an unchanged line-up from Sunday.

Consecutive losses to Southampton and Leicester have left Brighton in dire need of a result to maintain space between them and the drop zone.

Boss Graham Potter has been handed a boost with injured duo Tariq Lamptey and Adam Lallana both in line to return.

Liverpool vs Tottenham (8pm, Amazon Prime)

Jurgen Klopp admits Liverpool could be without a recognised senior central defender for their crunch clash with Tottenham.

Joel Matip was substituted at half-time with a back spasm as the Reds drew 1-1 with Fulham, meaning deputising midfielder Fabinho could be partnered by Nathaniel Phillips or Rhys Williams for the top-of-the-table encounter.

The champions will also be without James Milner and Xherdan Shaqiri, alongside long-term absentees Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez, but Naby Keita should make the bench.

Spurs were held to a second draw in three outings by Crystal Palace but are still 11 Premier League games unbeaten — the longest run of any side in the division.

But history is against the visitors, with the Londoners having only triumphed in one of their last 27 trips to Anfield — a 2-0 win in May 2011 under Harry Redknapp.

Jose Mourinho (pictured above) could have Gareth Bale

available after the Welshman missed the trip to Palace through illness, while Erik Lamela is still sidelined.

West Ham vs Crystal Palace (8pm, Amazon Prime)

In-form West Ham will be searching for a fifth win in six Premier League outings when Crystal Palace visit the London Stadium. 

A 2-1 win over Leeds on Friday night moved the Hammers into the top six and maintained the club's impressive record of scoring in every game since losing to Newcastle on the opening day.

David Moyes has a couple of minor injury concerns but only Michail Antonio and Arthur Masuaku are definitely ruled out.

Palace make the short journey across the capital off the back of an impressive draw with Spurs and came from behind to win both meetings with West Ham last term.

Mamadou Sakho should be able to play through a wrist injury, while Jordan Ayew will be looking to score for a third consecutive time against the Hammers.

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