Sam McGuire has the numbers behind three key men in the Premier League this weekend for the second instalment of his stats series.
Mohamed Salah
Having taken just a point from matches against Manchester City and Chelsea since returning from the international break, Liverpool need a win against Premier League leaders Arsenal (14/19 to win the title) to keep their slim chances of a top-four finish alive (best price 11/2).
If the Reds are going to have success against Mikel Arteta’s men, Mohamed Salah could be the difference-maker. The Liverpool No. 11 has an exceptional record against the Gunners since moving to Anfield, scoring seven times and assisting a further two goals in his 11 matches against them.
He scored last weekend in the defeat to Man City and then spent the majority of the game on the bench against former club Chelsea. Salah will have a point to prove on Sunday and many Liverpool fans expect to see a reaction from their goal machine.
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Harry Kane
Few would’ve envisaged this scenario at the start of the season but managerless Spurs need to beat Champions League-chasing Brighton to solidify grasp on a top four-place in April.
Tottenham head into this game in fifth place on 50 points, four clear of Brighton. However, Roberto De Zerbi’s men do have two games in hand. A win here at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium means they are in complete control of their destiny.
If they are to pick up all three points, they will have to find a way to stop Harry Kane. He has scored in five successive matches for Spurs and England and is on 22 goals for the season in the Premier League. He’s one of only two players to have scored over 20 goals this term and this looks set to be his most prolific campaign since 2017/18 when he scored 30.
Kane has six in nine versus Brighton and scored when the two sides faced off earlier this season. He’ll fancy his chances of doing the double over the Seagulls this weekend given the form he’s in.
David De Gea
It has gone under the radar a little due to their cup exploits this season but Manchester United were winless in three Premier League matches before Wednesday's win over Brentford at Old Trafford. They went from having an outside chance of challenging for the title to being in a full-blown battle for a place in the top four.
The Red Devils are now fourth in the Premier League with Spurs three points behind in fifth. Their goal difference is letting them down, however, with Erik ten Hag’s side only able to boast a +5 at this stage of the season.
They were goalless in the run of winless matches, conceding nine during the period. Spanish stopper De Gea has had some questionable moments recently and with the attack struggling, extra pressure is on him to perform to keep his side in these games. United have only kept four clean sheets in their last 11 English top-flight matches.
