The Premier League returns this weekend with some pivotal matches for sides in the bottom half of the division.
Here, Press Association Sport details five talking points prior to the latest slate of top-flight games.
Can Baggies bad boys aid an under-pressure Pardew?
Alan Pardew says Jonny Evans will captain @WBA against @htafcdotcom this weekend. “The disciplinary side is dealt with,” says Pardew.
— PA Dugout (@PAdugout) February 22, 2018
The heat is on basement dwellers West Brom and boss Pardew, who is rumoured to be fighting to save his job having won just one Premier League fixture since being appointed in November. The mood has not been helped by a disastrous trip to Barcelona where four senior players – Jonny Evans, Gareth Barry, Jake Livermore and Boaz Myhill – were alleged to have been involved in the theft of a taxi. Pardew has confirmed Evans will be reinstated as captain against Huddersfield this weekend, while Barry and Livermore could also feature. Pardew desperately needs a performance from his experienced players and they owe him one following recent events.
How will Morgan Schneiderlin respond to the boo boys?
Who will claim three points in the congested bottom half?
The latest #PL standings… pic.twitter.com/BI4tMjnG8g
— Premier League (@premierleague) February 12, 2018
With Arsenal and Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final and Manchester United hosting Chelsea on Sunday, the majority of Saturday’s fixtures involve the relegation scrap. Only four points separate 11th-placed Watford and 18th-placed Southampton, and West Brom’s clash with Huddersfield is not the only contest featuring two sides scrapping for survival as Swansea visit Brighton in another proverbial six pointer.
Will Liverpool avoid another case of ‘after the Lord Mayor’s show’?
Will Paul Lambert turn to an 18-year-old in Stoke’s relegation scrap?
PL: If players are good enough I will throw them in – age doesn’t come into it. Tyrese Campbell has done well recently and scored goals. He’s trained with us and I will decide tomorrow whether to include him on Saturday. He’s in my thoughts.
— Stoke City FC (@stokecity) February 22, 2018
Stoke have registered only one victory since Christmas and have scored just five times in those eight Premier League games. Lambert is seeking some attacking firepower ahead of the trip to Leicester, where he will be without 37-year-old Peter Crouch due to injury. That could led to a senior call-up for teenage striker Tyrese Campbell, the son of ex-Arsenal and Everton forward Kevin Campbell, after his hat-trick for the under-23s last weekend piqued Lambert’s interest.
