The relegation battle takes centre stage in the first part of a full midweek programme in the Premier League on Tuesday.
Huddersfield are the only team in the bottom three in action, but the four teams immediately above the drop zone will all be looking to secure vital points and climb the table.
Here, Press Association Sport looks at five talking points ahead of the action.
Can managerless Leicester stop the rot?
Can Cardiff get back on track?
“We’ve responded to knock-backs in the last couple of years and it looks like we’ll have to do it again.”
? https://t.co/bi7vxqyFnw#CityAsOne
— Cardiff City FC (@CardiffCityFC) February 22, 2019
Back-to-back wins over Bournemouth and Southampton had Cardiff heading in the right direction, but hopes of a third successive top-flight victory for the first time since 1961 disappeared with a 5-1 thumping by Watford on Friday. That left the Bluebirds just a point above the relegation zone and manager Neil Warnock in no doubt that his players will need to produce a response against Everton. “We have to bounce back again now,” Warnock said. “We’ve had it for the last two years. We keep getting knockbacks and people writing us off.”
Is Everton manager Marco Silva’s position under threat?
MS on their long break “It was a good time to speak with them (players) and settle some things. It is always important when you can speak about it.
— Carl Markham (@carlmarkham) February 25, 2019
There are worrying similarities between Everton’s form and that of Leicester, with the Toffees having lost five of their last six games in all competitions, losing nine and winning just three of the last 14 Premier League matches since the start of December. That means Everton are just a point better off than Leicester and they were also knocked out of the FA Cup by Championship side Millwall, but Silva insists Tuesday’s game is not a must-win for his side ahead of Sunday’s Merseyside derby. “We must show we can change the last results
and it is a good opportunity for us,” he said. “That does not mean it will be an easy match. If it’s a must-win or not let’s see during the match.”
Can Huddersfield avoid equalling an unwanted record?
Will Miguel Almiron build on his promising start at Newcastle?
