As Eric Dier pointed out, the schedule for top English clubs “does not make sense.” The World Cup brings more games more often. Tottenham, for example, has an unbroken chain of midweek games building up to the World Cup.
That includes this week. While oftentimes it is European play that happens in midweek, the Premier League must stay up to date in regards to the season as a whole. Spurs have a massive game against fellow top-four challenger Manchester United this week, the highlight of the games on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
However, fans of the Premier League almost had their first top-of-the-table clash of the season. The schedule lists Arsenal to host Manchester City this week. However, as a result of a postponement of a Europa League game, the Arsenal-City fixture is not going to happen until the new year, most likely.
Therefore, the most enticing game of the week is that United-Spurs clash. Yet, there are other noteworthy fixtures coming up. For example, Brentford welcomes Chelsea with the Blues on fine form in the league. Also on Tuesday, Liverpool looks to build on its massive win over City when it welcomes West Ham to Anfield. After a massive struggle to start the campaign, West Ham found some stability, and is now at 12th in the table.
Finally, the week’s action concludes with Leicester City welcoming Leeds. The season has not been too kind to these clubs early on. However, three points with a month before the World Cup would go a long way in terms of confidence.
During the four kickoffs at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, GOAL RUSH returns. The whip-around style show will have all the goals and highlights throughout all games.
EPL Commentators on NBC: Oct. 18 to 20
All of the following times are U.S. Eastern Time.
Tuesday, Oct. 18
2:30 p.m. — Brighton and Hove Albion vs. Nottingham Forest. USA Network, Universo, fubo TV, Sling Blue, DirecTV Stream, Hulu + Live TV. — Jim Proudfoot and Matt Holland.
3:15 p.m. — Crystal Palace vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers. Peacock Premium — Joe Speight and Andy Townsend.
Wednesday, Oct. 19
2:30 p.m. — Brentford vs. Chelsea. USA Network, Universo, fubo TV, Sling Blue, DirecTV Stream, Hulu + Live TV. — Jim Proudfoot and Matt Holland.
2:30 p.m. — Bournemouth vs. Southampton. Peacock Premium — Gary Taphouse and David Prutton.
2:30 p.m. — Liverpool vs. West Ham United. Peacock Premium — Bill Leslie and Efan Ekoku.
2:30 p.m. — Newcastle vs. Everton. Peacock Premium — David Stowell and Michael Bridges.
3:15 p.m. — Manchester United vs. Tottenham Hotspur. Peacock Premium — Peter Drury and Lee Dixon.
Thursday, Oct. 20
2:30 p.m. — Fulham vs. Aston Villa. USA Network, Universo, fubo TV, Sling Blue, DirecTV Stream, Hulu + Live TV. — Seb Hutchinson and Leroy Rosenior.
3:15 p.m. — Leicester City vs. Leeds United. Peacock Premium — Conor McNamara and Chris Sutton.
