1
George can be the difference for Chelsea
Tyrique George has caught the eye since breaking into Chelsea’s first team. A homegrown talent, the 19-year-old winger has done well in his Conference League outings and is in contention for his first start in the league when Enzo Maresca’s side host Everton in Saturday’s lunchtime kick-off. Fast, direct and sharp on the ball, George has quickly become a favourite with supporters and he lifted some of the pressure off Maresca after coming off the bench to score an excellent equaliser in Chelsea’s comeback win at Fulham last weekend. Thrown on as a striker, George made it 1-1 with a fine shot from the edge of the area. It was the latest in a series of positive contributions from the teenager. His enthusiasm could make a difference against Everton. Jacob Steinberg
2
Hürzeler needs to snooze, not lose
“I have been trying to improve my sleep but it doesn’t happen overnight,” said Fabian Hürzeler this week. The Brighton manager – “dressed head to toe in Stone Island” for his interview with GQ Magazine – revealed he had employed a sleep expert who recommended changing his daily routine. “Because of that I bought an electric bike for the half-hour commute to work. It helps me relax more than going by car.” With West Ham visiting the Amex Stadium on Saturday, Brighton supporters will be hoping that Hürzeler’s peace of mind can inspire a turnaround in their fortunes after a miserable few weeks that have derailed their push for Europe. Graham Potter’s side have a terrible record against his former club, having beaten them once since Brighton were promoted in 2017, although that came the last time this fixture took place, at the start of last season. Ed Aarons
3
Can McKenna prolong inevitable drop?
Should Jack Clarke start for Ipswich or, more likely, step off the bench, he can be expected to be greeted by resounding boos. That is the fate of any former Sunderland player appearing at St James’ Park. But Clarke might welcome a bit of recognition after a season in which his newfound status as a bit-part player has served as a microcosm of the gulf between the top and second tiers. The winger starred at Sunderland last season, prompting the initial £15m transfer fee that transported him to East Anglia. The only problem was that Premier League full-backs have proved far less susceptible to his advances than their Championship counterparts. While his old friends at Sunderland prepare for the playoffs, Ipswich will have their relegation rubber-stamped unless they beat Champions League-chasing Newcastle. All eyes will be on Liam Delap, Kieran McKenna’s much-coveted centre-forward. Chelsea and Manchester United may be favourites to sign Delap this summer but Newcastle retain an interest and this could prove a timely audition. Louise Taylor
4
Saints look to dodge unwanted record
Could this be Southampton’s day of glory? After reaching the monumental heights of 11 points last week with an injury-time equaliser at West Ham, Simon Rusk’s side could surpass Derby in 2007-08, the worst team in Premier League history, if they avoid losing against Fulham. The first positive for Saints is they did just that at Craven Cottage in December with a goalless draw, one of four league games they have not lost away from home this season. Unfortunately, their home form is somehow even worse. They have won once, against Sean Dyche’s appalling version of Everton, and battled to draws with Ipswich and Crystal Palace. With Manchester City and Arsenal to come in their final Premier League games at St Mary’s for a while, this is a fantastic opportunity to put the points tally concerns to bed. Better news for Saints fans is that Fulham have endured a late-season wobble, losing their past two matches to leave them potentially eyeing up their summer holidays. Will Unwin
5
End of an era for Vardy and Leicester
Jamie Vardy’s exit at the end of the season marks the end of an era for Leicester City, with the 38-year-old the last remaining member of the 2015-16 title-winning squad. Relegation this campaign will invariably trigger change and there are big decisions for the chairman, Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, to consider. Ruud van Nistelrooy is unlikely to start next season in charge, while the work of Jon Rudkin, the director of football who began at Leicester as a part-time academy coach, is the subject of much disillusionment. If Vardy plays every remaining game this season, starting at Wolves on Saturday, he will break the 500-game mark in a Leicester shirt. His achievements will go down in club folklore. Vardy is worthy of the statue mooted after he announced his departure on Thursday – but now Leicester need new heroes. Ben Fisher
Premier League and FA Cup semis: 10 things to look out for this weekend
Chelsea to give youth a chance, Ipswich look to prolong the inevitable and Jamie Vardy begins his swansong
Guardian sportFri 25 Apr 2025 00.01 BSTShare520
1
George can be the difference for Chelsea
Tyrique George has caught the eye since breaking into Chelsea’s first team. A homegrown talent, the 19-year-old winger has done well in his Conference League outings and is in contention for his first start in the league when Enzo Maresca’s side host Everton in Saturday’s lunchtime kick-off. Fast, direct and sharp on the ball, George has quickly become a favourite with supporters and he lifted some of the pressure off Maresca after coming off the bench to score an excellent equaliser in Chelsea’s comeback win at Fulham last weekend. Thrown on as a striker, George made it 1-1 with a fine shot from the edge of the area. It was the latest in a series of positive contributions from the teenager. His enthusiasm could make a difference against Everton. Jacob Steinberg
- Chelsea v Everton, Premier League, Saturday 12.30pm (all times BST)
2
Hürzeler needs to snooze, not lose
“I have been trying to improve my sleep but it doesn’t happen overnight,” said Fabian Hürzeler this week. The Brighton manager – “dressed head to toe in Stone Island” for his interview with GQ Magazine – revealed he had employed a sleep expert who recommended changing his daily routine. “Because of that I bought an electric bike for the half-hour commute to work. It helps me relax more than going by car.” With West Ham visiting the Amex Stadium on Saturday, Brighton supporters will be hoping that Hürzeler’s peace of mind can inspire a turnaround in their fortunes after a miserable few weeks that have derailed their push for Europe. Graham Potter’s side have a terrible record against his former club, having beaten them once since Brighton were promoted in 2017, although that came the last time this fixture took place, at the start of last season. Ed Aarons
- Brighton v West Ham, Premier League, Saturday 3pm
3
Can McKenna prolong inevitable drop?
Should Jack Clarke start for Ipswich or, more likely, step off the bench, he can be expected to be greeted by resounding boos. That is the fate of any former Sunderland player appearing at St James’ Park. But Clarke might welcome a bit of recognition after a season in which his newfound status as a bit-part player has served as a microcosm of the gulf between the top and second tiers. The winger starred at Sunderland last season, prompting the initial £15m transfer fee that transported him to East Anglia. The only problem was that Premier League full-backs have proved far less susceptible to his advances than their Championship counterparts. While his old friends at Sunderland prepare for the playoffs, Ipswich will have their relegation rubber-stamped unless they beat Champions League-chasing Newcastle. All eyes will be on Liam Delap, Kieran McKenna’s much-coveted centre-forward. Chelsea and Manchester United may be favourites to sign Delap this summer but Newcastle retain an interest and this could prove a timely audition. Louise Taylor
- Newcastle v Ipswich, Premier League, Saturday 3pm
4
Saints look to dodge unwanted record
Could this be Southampton’s day of glory? After reaching the monumental heights of 11 points last week with an injury-time equaliser at West Ham, Simon Rusk’s side could surpass Derby in 2007-08, the worst team in Premier League history, if they avoid losing against Fulham. The first positive for Saints is they did just that at Craven Cottage in December with a goalless draw, one of four league games they have not lost away from home this season. Unfortunately, their home form is somehow even worse. They have won once, against Sean Dyche’s appalling version of Everton, and battled to draws with Ipswich and Crystal Palace. With Manchester City and Arsenal to come in their final Premier League games at St Mary’s for a while, this is a fantastic opportunity to put the points tally concerns to bed. Better news for Saints fans is that Fulham have endured a late-season wobble, losing their past two matches to leave them potentially eyeing up their summer holidays. Will Unwin
- Southampton v Fulham, Premier League, Saturday 3pm
5
End of an era for Vardy and Leicester
Jamie Vardy’s exit at the end of the season marks the end of an era for Leicester City, with the 38-year-old the last remaining member of the 2015-16 title-winning squad. Relegation this campaign will invariably trigger change and there are big decisions for the chairman, Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, to consider. Ruud van Nistelrooy is unlikely to start next season in charge, while the work of Jon Rudkin, the director of football who began at Leicester as a part-time academy coach, is the subject of much disillusionment. If Vardy plays every remaining game this season, starting at Wolves on Saturday, he will break the 500-game mark in a Leicester shirt. His achievements will go down in club folklore. Vardy is worthy of the statue mooted after he announced his departure on Thursday – but now Leicester need new heroes. Ben Fisher
- Wolves v Leicester, Premier League, Saturday 3pm
6
Emery finds himself in another dogfight
Considering the teams Aston Villa have beaten this season, including Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City, it will irk Unai Emery that in three matches against Crystal Palace they have failed to win, losing away and drawing at home in the league, and losing at Villa Park in the League Cup. It has been almost 30 years since Villa last won a major trophy and playing a team five places and 12 points below them in the league should be an ideal situation. Oliver Glasner seems to be one step ahead of Emery at the moment, though. Even in the 2-2 draw at Villa Park, Palace were the better team and repeatedly hit the hosts on the break. It will be up to the Villa manager to find a way to counter the speed of Eberechi Eze and Ismaïla Sarr, or Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final could be the biggest disappointment of the four meetings with Palace this term. WU
7
Amorim should know the kids are all right
Ruben Amorim will use more of his youngsters in the coming weeks as he prioritises the Europa League semi-final against Athletic Bilbao. Manchester United desperately need to qualify for the Champions League and this is the only route back to European football next season. Amorim showed his intent by starting the highly regarded Tyler Fredricson and Harry Amass against Wolves. On the bench, however, the only academy player present was Chido Obi. That seems strange considering Jaydan Kamason, Godwill Kukonki and Jack Moorhouse were named as substitutes against Lyon. There were even three centre-backs for the Wolves fixture, including Jonny Evans, whose time at the club is rapidly running out. If Amorim is to take his policy seriously, he needs to back the kids. WU
8
Don’t expect Spurs to spoil Anfield party
One point, just one point, and Tottenham will leapfrog Wolves into 15th providing Vítor Pereira’s in-form side suffer a surprise home defeat against Leicester the day before. Apologies for the flippancy, but that sums up the meagre opposition standing in the way of Liverpool and a monumental party on Sunday. Anfield awaits a second Premier League title in five years, although it will be the first time since 28 April 1990 that fans will be able to join the celebrations when Arne Slot’s side get the job done. They could not have picked a more inviting opponent than a Spurs team who have endured 10 away defeats in the league – only relegated Leicester and Southampton have more. Liverpool have already beaten Spurs 6-3 and 4-0 (the latter in the League Cup) this season, and Tottenham have a Europa League semi-final first leg to come next Thursday. Having won the league by beating Spurs at Anfield twice before, in 1981-82 and 1987-88, it would register as a seismic shock should the hosts fail to make it a hat-trick on Sunday. Anfield has waited long enough. Andy Hunter
