Manchester City can return to the top of the English Premier League – albeit temporarily – for the first time since November, if it beats Everton in an early kickoff tomorrow evening.
City, aiming to be the first club in England to win the top-flight title for four consecutive seasons, last topped the table in Week 12 but fell to second place on Nov 26 behind Arsenal.
A dip in form saw it drop to fourth in December, but it regained its mojo at the start of the year and now can leapfrog Liverpool by beating Everton.
As it stands, Liverpool leads the way with 51 points from 23 matches. City is two points behind, having played a game less, while Arsenal is third with 49 points from 23 games. Aston Villa is fourth, two points behind the Gunners.
While its form on the pitch has been near perfect since January, more problems are looming for City following its proposed move to sign highly-rated winger Savio from Troyes.
The Brazilian joined the French side in 2022 for €6.5 million but has spent this season on loan at Girona.
City Football Group owns the three clubs, and the Premier League is monitoring the agreement to ensure it complies with regulations governing transfers between clubs that share ownership.
The deal takes place against the backdrop of an ongoing investigation against City for 115 alleged financial regulation violations between 2009 and 2018.
Everton is following the case closely as earlier this season, it was found guilty of breaching the “Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Regulations (PSR) relating to the three-year reporting period ending in the 2021-22 season”.
The Premier League docked Everton 10 points, and the club faces a second charge for a further breach of the same rules. Nottingham Forest is also being charged. Both clubs will know their fate in April.
FIXTURES (Malaysian time)
SATURDAY
Manchester City vs Everton (8.30pm)
Wolves vs Brentford (11pm)
Fulham vs Bournemouth (11pm)
Tottenham vs Brighton (11pm)
Luton vs Sheffield United (11pm)
Liverpool vs Burnley (11pm)
SUNDAY
Nottingham Forest vs Newcastle (1.30am)
West Ham vs Arsenal (10pm)
MONDAY
Aston Villa vs Manchester United (12.30am)
TUESDAY
Crystal Palace vs Chelsea (4am)