Due to the dense schedule typical of December, the 14th round of the English Premier League will take place from December 2–4.
Idman.Biz reports that one of the most noteworthy games of the round will be the match between the defending champion "Liverpool" and the debutant of the English Premier League, "Sunderland."
"Liverpool" starts the game in eighth place with 21 points, while "Sunderland" starts in sixth place with 22 points.
Arne Slot's team ended their unsuccessful streak with a 2-0 victory over "West Ham" in the previous round. However, the "Reds" have been very unstable this season: the club is experiencing its worst 12-match series in recent decades and has lost its last two home games. Slot is currently refraining from confirming whether Mohamed Salah will return to the starting lineup this time after coming off the bench in the last game. Moreover, Salah's departure from the team on December 15 for the Africa Cup of Nations is an additional factor.
There is also good news for "Liverpool" regarding the squad situation: Florian Wirtz has returned to the ranks after an injury, Joe Gomez has made his first Premier League start after a long break, and Alexander Isak has broken his Premier League goal drought. However, the coaching staff emphasizes the importance of properly distributing the load as they have to play three games in six days.
"Sunderland" arrives at "Enfield" with the status of the most sensational debutant of the season. The team showed great determination in the last round by defeating "Bournemouth" 3-2 in a match where they were down 0-2. Head coach Reggie Le Bri noted that this stems from the team's character, saying that "many teams would have given up in this situation." Another noteworthy nuance is that "Sunderland" has not been able to beat "Liverpool" at "Enfield" since 1983.
Other games of the 14th round
December 2
"Bournemouth" - "Everton"
"Fulham" - "Manchester City"
"Newcastle" - "Tottenham"
December 3
"Arsenal" - "Brentford"
"Brighton" - "Aston Villa"
"Burnley" - "Crystal Palace"
"Wolverhampton" - "Nottingham Forest"
"Leeds" - "Chelsea"
December 4
"Manchester United" - "West Ham"
Standings in the English Premier League after 13 rounds
"Arsenal" - 30
"Manchester City" - 25
"Chelsea" - 24
"Aston Villa" - 24
"Brighton" - 22
"Sunderland" - 22
"Manchester United" - 21
"Liverpool" - 21
"Crystal Palace" - 20
"Brentford" - 19
"Bournemouth" - 19
"Tottenham" - 18
"Newcastle" - 18
"Everton" - 18
"Fulham" - 17
"Nottingham Forest" - 12
"West Ham" - 11
"Leeds" - 11
"Burnley" - 10
"Wolverhampton" - 2
Teymur Tushiyev