The best and worst of the Matchday 11 EPL schedule

As the English Premier League approaches Week 11, Tottenham Hotspur remain at the top of the table, tied on points with Liverpool but carrying a sizable lead on goal differential. There’s plenty of action to indulge on this week even though there really aren’t any giants going head-to-head, so let’s look at the best and worst of Week 11.

Best of Week 11

West Ham v. Manchester United

Saturday, December 5, 12:30p.m. ET
London Stadium, London
Watch on NBCSN and Universo

Normally, nobody would really peg this as a “best of” match of the week, but this season’s a little different as West Ham uncharacteristically sits in 5th place while Man United is still mid-table at 9th place. Regardless of table position, they’re only one point apart as Man United has 16 — which is only five points out of first place. The race is tight at the moment, but it’s still relatively early in the season so there could be lots of movement before this campaign is done. Both teams are riding a 3-game winning streak and both will obviously be looking to extend that to 4 this weekend, but who actually gets it done is completely up in the air. West Ham will have to try and get things done without star Michail Antonio, who picked up a hamstring injury in last week’s match against Aston Villa. For Man U, Marcus Rashford will be eyeing a return after being sidelined with a shoulder injury. An appearance from him would be huge for the Red Devils.

Worst of Week 11

West Brom v. Crystal Palace

Sunday, December 6, 7:00a.m. ET
The Hawthorns, West Bromwich
Watch on Peacock

West Bromwich Albion finally grabbed their first win of the season last week as they took out last-place Sheffield United with a 1-0 victory. West Brom now sits in 18th place, just one point away from Fulham and escaping the relegation zone. Crystal Palace isn’t doing much better, currently in 15th place with only one win on the season, losing 3 of their last 4 matches. Palace hasn’t kept a clean sheet since their opening weekend match against Southampton, conceding in each of their 9 league matches since week 1. Luckily for Palace, Wilfried Zaha could be back in contention for the starting 11 after returning to training earlier this week. This match most likely won’t be a very contentious affair, with a low-scoring (if anyone scores at all) result, but 3 points would be very much welcome by either team regardless of how it gets done.

Week 11 Sleeper

Tottenham v. Arsenal

Sunday, December 6, 11:30a.m. ET
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
Watch on Peacock

It might be surprising to see a first-place team considered in a sleeper match, but just because Arsenal has had a run of bad form doesn’t mean they’re an easy win by any means. Sure, they’ve only got one win this season and are riding a three-game winless streak, but they’ll be heading out on the road to face a banged-up Spurs team who are coming off a scoreless draw with Chelsea last week. Jose Mourinho has said that Erik Lamela will be out for this weekend, while Harry Kane, Carlos Vinicius, and Sergio Reguilon are all injured but are questionable for the weekend’s affair. If all of those players will be missing for this contest, the Gunners may have a decent chance at creating a result this weekend. Spurs have several options to cover at striker for Kane with Son Heung-min, Lucas Moura, and Gareth Bale, but none of them have the attacking prowess that Kane does and Arsenal will be hopeful that they can keep the league leaders off the score board. On the other side, Thomas Partey and David Luiz are questionable for the Gunners this weekend as well but seem likely to play. With a full 3 points, Arsenal could feasibly make the jump from 14th to 8th with a big win and some help from other results around the league. Regardless, it’s a big chance for the Gunners to climb the table and break the top 10 while taking advantage of the Spurs’ injury situation.

This Weekend’s Full Schedule

All times listed are Eastern.

Saturday, December 5

7:30 a.m.: Burnley v. Everton — NBCSN, Universo
10:00 a.m.: Manchester City v. Fulham — NBCSN, Universo
12:30 p.m.: West Ham United v. Manchester United — NBCSN, Universo
3:00 p.m.: Chelsea v. Leeds United — NBCSN, Universo

Sunday, December 6

7:00 a.m.: West Bromwich Albion v. Crystal Palace — Peacock
9:15 a.m.: Sheffield United v. Leicester City — Peacock
11:30 a.m.: Tottenham Hotspur v. Arsenal — Peacock
2:15 p.m.: Liverpool v. Wolverhampton Wanderers — Peacock

Monday, December 7

3 p.m.: Brighton & Hove Albion v. Southampton — NBCSN