Though several matches have been postponed due to COVID-19, there is still plenty of Premier League action to look forward to this weekend.

Circumstances permitting, there will be lots of points for fantasy football managers to play for during the festive period.

The in-form Manchester City and Liverpool are well-represented among our picks for this weekend, along with a resurgent Aston Villa under Steven Gerrard.

Here, we take an in-depth look into why these players should be on your priority list for inclusion.

JOSE SA (Wolves v Chelsea)

Wolves may be underdogs when they welcome Chelsea to Molineux, but they have looked solid defensively in recent weeks; keeping four clean sheets in their last six matches.

It would have been five but for…

“He’s got so much within himself that he can help us with. He’s an outstanding technician, an outstanding athlete as well, and he knows where the goal is. He can score goals.

“It’s been a frustrating few weeks for Alex because he’s wanted to deliver physically so much more than he’s been able to. He’s been carrying a slight groin problem.

“He looks back to his physical best – I was pleased with him against Nottingham Forest, I thought he did really well. He could have scored probably two or three more goals on a different day. But he’s a real threat.”

Isak opened his Newcastle account with a superb finish to fire the visitors into a first-half lead on Merseyside on August 31 last year, but ultimately left on the wrong end of a 2-1 scorelin…

Xavi believes Ousmane Dembele can still be a useful player for Barcelona for the remainder of the season, despite the winger s refusal to agree a new deal.

Barca insisted last month that Dembele would be sold before the transfer window s deadline after the 24-year-old turned down the club s latest contract offer.

Dembele, signed from Borussia Dortmund for an initial €105million in 2017 following Neymar s departure to Paris Saint-Germain, has struggled with injuries since his move to Camp Nou.

He has played just six times in LaLiga this season and in just over half of Barca s league games since his arrival four-and-a-half years ago.

Dembele has managed 31 goals and 22 assists in 129 appearances since his debut in September 2017, meaning he has been direc…

England hit a rare bump on the road to next year’s European Championship as Kyle Walker’s first international goal secured Gareth Southgate’s side a 1-1 draw against Ukraine in Poland.

Having opened Group C with four wins from as many matches, it has long looked a case of when rather than if the Euro 2020 runners-up seal their place at next summer’s tournament in Germany.

England had won 21 of their previous 22 Euros qualifiers but had to make do with a point on Saturday evening having failed to build on Walker brilliantly cancelling out Oleksandr Zinchenko’s opener.

Ukraine were vastly improved from their meek March loss at Wembley and, despite being forced to play away from home due to the ongoing Russian invasion, received fantastic support in Wrocla…

Best Odds: 4/5

Bookmaker:

Seeking a much-needed qualifying boost on Thursday night, Northern Ireland will travel to Ljubljana when they meet Slovenia.

Slovenia

Starting with the hosts, while Slovenia might have opened their European Championship qualifying adventure back in March in the midst of an early flurry, Matjaz Kek’s side somewhat came crashing back down to earth last time out. Nevertheless, despite suffering a disappointing 2-0 loss at the hands of Finland on June 16th, the Whites have gained plenty of praise since opening up their Group H campaign. In fact, Slovenia have lost just one of their first four qualifying appearances and some in Kek’s camp have their sights set on mounting a genuine top-two charge. Knowing that a victory here could skyro…

According to Sky Sports, Crystal Palace have reached an agreement over a new four-year contract with Eberechi Eze. Other outlets believe the contract has already been signed, though an official confirmation from the South London club is yet to come.

The agreement is seen as another significant boost for the near future of the club, after Michael Olise reportedly rejected the opportunity to join Chelsea this summer and signed a new deal in order to remain at Selhurst Park.

Eze is an important player in Roy Hodgson s ranks, and the experienced manager expressed confidence about the deal being agreed while speaking to the press last week. The 25-year-old attacking midfielder made his England debut in June this year, and he now has two international caps to his name.

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Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg says officiating would be a  very, very lonely profession without support from psychologists and the job is much tougher due to social media.

Clattenburg retired from officiating in the English top flight in 2017 after a career that saw him take charge of major finals at domestic, continental and international level.

His achievements included refereeing both Champions League and European Championship finals in 2016, as well as being named the IFFHS World s Best Referee the same year.

In an exclusive interview with Stats Perform however, Clattenburg has reflected on the difficulties faced by match officials, who frequently bear the brunt of abuse.

The mental side of refereeing is very, very strong, Cla…

Defending champions England kicked off their Euro 2025 qualifying campaign with a 1-1 draw against Sweden in front of 63,428 at Wembley.

Alessia Russo nodded home Lauren James’ delivery to open the scoring inside 24 minutes, and the Lionesses managed to preserve their lead at the break despite Sweden threatening.

An equaliser felt imminent after the interval, and finally came when Fridolina Rolfo headed past Mary Earps, while the Lionesses were lucky not to fall behind when Arsenal’s Stina Blackstenius squandered a good chance for Sweden.

Thanks for your incredible support at

— Lionesses (@Lionesses)

Euro 2022 captain Leah Williamson watched on from the bench as Beth Mead and Lauren Hemp led a late rally, but could not find the finishing …

Eric Ramsay has stepped down from his role as Wales assistant coach due to family reasons and work commitments at Manchester United.

Ramsay only joined the Wales coaching staff in March, with boss Rob Page welcoming the appointment by saying: “Eric is arguably one of the best young coaches in football at this moment in time.”

But the 31-year-old, who hails from mid-Wales and worked at Swansea, Shrewsbury and Chelsea before being appointed as a set-piece coach at United in 2021, lasted just six months in the role in what has been a difficult Euro 2024 qualifying campaign for the Dragons.

Jack Lester has joined up with the team for the September camp as Assistant Coach.

Diolch Eric Ramsay for your contributions to the team in the role.

— FA …

Luis Enrique accepted criticism ahead of Spain s decisive Group E clash with Slovakia, where another draw may not be enough.

Spain have drawn with Sweden and Poland so far at Euro 2020 and could follow Portugal in 2016 as the second ever team to be held in all three matches in a European Championship group stage.

Portugal went on to win that tournament, but Spain would not even be assured of third place in their pool and a place in the next round if results went against them elsewhere.

Worryingly for Luis Enrique, whose side missed a host of chances in their first two matches, a point apiece appears the most likely result.

Spain have drawn each of their past four major tournament matches – one shy of a record for European sides.

And a point wou…