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Bullet point previews of Premier League matches

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Match-by-match facts and statistics ahead of the next round of Premier League fixtures from May 20-May 22 (all times GMT):

Saturday, May 20

Tottenham Hotspur v Brentford (1130)

* Spurs have not lost to Brentford since 1948 when both teams were in the second division.

* Brentford are unbeaten in their last eight London derbies in the league.

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* Spurs striker Harry Kane has scored in 24 league games this season and needs to score in one more to set the record for most matches scored in for a 38-game season.

Bournemouth v Manchester United (1400)

* Bournemouth have beaten United only twice in the league (D1 L8).

* United forward Marcus Rashford has scored 16 Premier League goals this season, one goal shy of his best tally in a single campaign (17 in 2019-20).

* Bournemouth have conceded a league-high 27 league goals from set-pieces this season while they are the only team yet to score from a penalty or direct free kick.

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Fulham v Crystal Palace (1400)

* Fulham are looking to complete a first Premier League double over Palace after winning 3-0 at Selhurst Park this season.

* Fulham are winless in their last five London derbies.

* Crystal Palace’s top scorer this season is midfielder Eberechi Eze, who has scored 10 times. Six goals came in his last seven appearances.

Liverpool v Aston Villa (1400)

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* Liverpool have won nine of their last 10 Premier League games against Villa but their last loss was the 7-2 defeat in October 2020.

* Since Unai Emery took charge of Villa, they have won 45 points to move up to eighth. Only Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool have won more points.

* Liverpool have won their last seven matches to move up to fifth in a late push for Champions League qualification. They sit one point behind Newcastle United and Manchester United who both have a game in hand.

Wolverhampton Wanderers v Everton (1400)

* Wolves have won their last four home games, keeping a clean sheet in wins over Chelsea, Brentford, Palace and Villa.

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* Wolves have scored the fewest goals in the Premier League this season (30).

* Everton boss Sean Dyche has not lost against Wolves in his last six meetings (W3 D3).

Nottingham Forest v Arsenal (1630)

* Arsenal are looking to win five Premier League matches in a row against Forest. They won the reverse fixture 5-0 at Emirates Stadium.

* Forest have beaten Arsenal at home in their last two meetings in FA Cup ties in 2018 and 2022.

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* Arsenal have lost only three away games this season and the only time they failed to score was in a 1-0 defeat by Everton.

Sunday, May 21

West Ham United v Leeds United (1230)

* West Ham have not lost their final home league game since 2016-17 (W3 D2).

* Leeds, 18th, have not kept a clean sheet since beating Southampton 1-0 in February, a run of 13 games in all competitions.

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* Leeds are on a seven-match winless run (D2 L5) and have conceded more goals than any team this season (71).

Brighton & Hove Albion v Southampton (1300)

* Relegated Southampton are unbeaten in their five away games against Brighton in the Premier League (W3 D2).

* Southampton are winless in their last 11 league games (D3 L8).

* Brighton top scorer Alexis Mac Allister has scored seven times in his last 12 home starts in the league.

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Manchester City v Chelsea (1500)

* City could be crowned champions before the game if Arsenal lose at Forest while victory for Pep Guardiola’s side will see them win the title regardless.

* City have beaten Chelsea three times this season without conceding in the League Cup, Premier League and FA Cup.

* City are on a 14-match unbeaten run in the league (W13 D1) while Chelsea have just one win in their last nine (D3 L5).

Monday, May 22

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Newcastle United v Leicester City (1900)

* After winning 3-0 in the reverse fixture, Newcastle are looking to do the double over Leicester in the Premier League for the first time in 28 years.

* Newcastle have the joint-best defensive record in the league along with Manchester City, conceding 31 goals in 35 games.

* Leicester are 19th, two points from the safety zone with rounds left.

-Reuters

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Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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Premier League

Former Arsenal soccer player Partey charged with five counts of rape

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 Premier League - Arsenal v Manchester City - Emirates Stadium, London, Britain - February 2, 2025 Arsenal's Thomas Partey during the warm-up before the match REUTERS/David Klein/File Photo

Thomas Partey, who formerly played for English Premier League soccer club Arsenal, has been charged with rape and sexual assault, London’s Metropolitan Police said on Friday.

Partey, a Ghana international, was charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, with the charges relating to three women and the offences reported to have taken place between 2021 and 2022, the statement said.

Partey’s management did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

He is due to appear at London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Aug. 5.

Partey, 32, was signed by Arsenal from Atletico Madrid for 50 million euros ($59 million) in October 2020 and became a key member of Arsenal’s first team.

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He was first arrested in July 2022, though he was not named at the time and continued to play for Arsenal while investigations were ongoing.

-Reuters

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Rashford, Garnacho among five players seeking Man Utd exit

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Premier League - Manchester United v Newcastle United - Old Trafford, Manchester, Britain - December 30, 2024 Manchester United's Marcus Rashford warms up as a substitute during the match REUTERS/Phil Noble/File Photo

Five players including England forward Marcus Rashford and Argentina winger Alejandro Garnacho have informed Manchester United that they wish to explore a future away from the Premier League side, a club source said on Friday.

Brazilian midfielder Antony, Dutch defender Tyrell Malacia and England international Jadon Sancho are also looking to leave the club, the source added.

Rashford, who has made more than 400 senior appearances for United, has fallen out of favour with manager Ruben Amorim, played for Aston Villa on loan while United had their worst-ever Premier League campaign, finishing 15th in the standings.

Amorim had called Rashford’s work rate into question, saying he would rather put a goalkeeper coach on the bench than a player not giving their all.

Rashford said he was feeling fitter and better since joining Villa, where he scored two goals in 10 league appearances.

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United also failed to qualify for the Champions League as they lost the Europa League final 1-0 to Tottenham Hotspur. Garnacho, who was a late substitute in the final, voiced his displeasure on social media after the loss.

“Up until the final, I played every round helping the team, and today I play 20 minutes, I don’t know,” he wrote in a post . “The final will influence (my decision), but the whole season, the situation of the club.”

Sancho was on loan at Chelsea, where he made 31 league appearances last season. Antony, who joined United from Ajax Amsterdam in 2022 for a reported initial transfer fee of more than $100 million, scored five goals in 17 LaLiga appearances on loan at Real Betis.

Malacia joined Dutch side PSV Eindhoven on loan in February.

-Reuters

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Fernandes rejects Al-Hilal offer to stay at Manchester United

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Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes turned down the opportunity to join Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal in order to keep playing “at the highest level”, he said on Tuesday.

The Portuguese midfielder admitted that he had considered the move, which media reports said was worth four times his current salary, after being contacted by Al-Hilal’s president.

“There was that possibility, the president of Al-Hilal called me a month ago to ask me about it,” Fernandes, who is preparing to face Germany with Portugal, told reporters on Tuesday.

“It was a big offer, very ambitious. There was a waiting period for me to think about the future.”

Fernandes ultimately decided to stay at United and said he was motivated by his desire to continue playing at the top level and encouraged by his family and the club’s coach Ruben Amorim.

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“I would be willing to do it if Manchester United thought so,” Fernandes added. “I spoke to the coach Ruben Amorim who really tried to talk me out of it. The club said they would not be willing to sell me, only if I wanted to leave.

“I spoke to my wife and family, and she asked me what my personal goals were in my career.

“It would have been easy to move there but I want to keep myself at the highest level, playing in the big competitions and I feel capable of it. I am happy with my decision.”

The 30-year-old Fernandes scored 19 goals and provided 19 assists in 57 appearances across all competitions for United last season, winning the club’s Player of the Year award for the fourth time.

However, it was a season to forget for the team, as they finished 15th in the Premier League, their lowest league finish in half a century, and lost the Europa League final to Tottenham Hotspur.

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-Reuters

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