The Premier League finally returns on Friday night after what seems like an eternity following a three-week absence due to the international break and FA Cup quarter-finals.
Key fixtures this weekend could shape the title race, the battle for European spots, and the scrap for survival. Games to keep an eye on include Manchester City’s visit to Chelsea, Tottenham’s trip to Sunderland under new boss Roberto De Zerbi, and Manchester United’s clash with old rivals Leeds United on Monday night.
So, without further delay, here are the standout stats to watch out for during Gameweek 32.
Stats you might see
Wolves hunt Hammers hat-trick
- If Wolves win, it would be just their eighth victory in all competitions this season – three of those wins would have come against West Ham, accounting for 37.5% of their total wins this term.
West Ham and Wolves get proceedings underway at the London Stadium on Friday night. The Hammers, 18th, can swap places with fellow Londoners Tottenham (17th) if they beat rock-bottom Wolves, who may be all but officially down, but have been in decent form of late and have already beaten the Iron twice this season in the league and cup.
West Ham can, however, draw on a record or five wins from their last five Premier League home games against Wolves, with Jarrod Bowen scoring in each of his last three home games against the Midlands club.
Arsenal’s corner quest
- Arsenal (16) can set a new outright Premier League record of 17 goals scored from corners in a single Premier League season.
Arsenal have played three different cup matches since they last had an outing in the Premier League. They lost the Carabao Cup final to Manchester City, and were then dumped out of the FA Cup by Championship side Southampton, however, they did at least respond with an important 1-0 win away to Sporting CP in the Champions League.
Focus now shifts back to the league, where Arsenal are chasing a third run of five consecutive Premier League wins this season when they host Bournemouth on Saturday lunchtime.
If the Gunners score from a corner it will be their 17th goal from a corner this season, which would set a new outright record of goals scored from corners in a single Premier League campaign.
Bournemouth, meanwhile, are on the cusp of history themselves, with the chance to set a new club record of 12 league games unbeaten, while a draw would see the Cherries become the first side since Manchester City in 2009 to record six consecutive Premier League draws.
On top of that, if Bournemouth’sr new shining star Junior Kroupi scores he will become the first teenager to score 10+ goals in his first season in the Premier League since Robbie Keane for Coventry City in 1999-00 (12).
Thiago targets milestone
- Igor Thiago is on the brink of history: his next goal will take him to 20 for the season, matching the Brentford single-season record in the Premier League currently held by Ivan Toney and Bryan Mbeumo.
Brentford (7th) and Everton (8th) are locked on 46 points, which firmly puts both clubs in the conversation for a top-5 finish, with a wobbling Liverpool (5th) just three points ahead with seven games to go.
It’s a difficult clash to call with Brentford losing just once in their last eight games, while Everton boast one of the best away records in the league. The decisive factor, though, could prove to be Igor Thiago, who is chasing down Erling Haaland in the Golden Boot race. His next goal would be his 20th of the Premier League campaign, matching the club record for the Bees, which is jointly held by Ivan Toney (2022-23) and Bryan Mbeumo (2024-25).
Brighton’s road to wins
- Brighton could win three successive Premier League away games for only the second time in their history.
Brighton make the trip up to Burnley in great form, having won four of their last five league games, including a 2-1 win over Liverpool last time out. The Seagulls have been victorious in both of their last two away games against Brentford and Sunderland, and could now win three successive games on the road for only the second time in the Premier League.
19th-placed Burnley are 10 points adrift of safety with seven games to go, winning just one of their last 22 games since October. Defeat to Brighton on Saturday would be their 20th of the season, which would be their joint-third most in a Premier League campaign.
Fulham have Reds on their radar
- Liverpool could lose four games in a row in all competitions twice in the same season for the first time in the Premier League era.
Liverpool’s season is in real danger of falling apart following three successive defeats in three different competitions. On Saturday evening, the Reds finally return to Anfield for the first time since mid-March, but face an in-form Fulham side that have won three of their last five matches, firing them within five points of Arne Slot’s team.
Failure to win would see Liverpool go four league games without victory against Fulham for the first time since 1966-67, with the Cottagers having won two and drawn one of the last three meetings.
If Liverpool lose again, it would mark a second run of four consecutive defeats in all competitions this season – something Liverpool have never previously endured in the Premier League era.
Howe chasing Toon greats
- Eddie Howe will draw level with both Bobby Robson and Kevin Keegan for the most Premier League wins in charge of Newcastle (83) if the Toon beat Crystal Palace.
Neither Crystal Palace (14th) or Newcastle (12th) have set the league alight this season, but after a three-week break, they will both hope to end the season strongly, starting with Sunday’s clash at Selhurst Park.
If Newcastle secure the spoils, manager Eddie Howe would move onto 83 Premier League victories in charge of the club, drawing him level with both Bobby Robson and Kevin Keegan for the most managerial wins in Newcastle’s Premier League history.
Forest’s home drought
- Nottingham Forest could fail to score in four successive top-flight home games for the first time since 1911.
Nottingham Forest carved out a credible draw away to Porto during the week, but now attention immediately turns back to their fight for survival. They registered a superb 3-0 victory away to relegation rivals Tottenham in their most recent league outing, but their form at home has been alarming.
Forest have failed to win any of their last seven league games in front of their own fans and have failed to even score in the last three at the City Ground. In fact, the last time they went four home league games without a goal in the top-flight dates back over 100 years to 1911.
Sunderland seek Spurs sting
- Sunderland could beat Tottenham for the first time in 16 Premier League matches dating back to April 2010.
Tottenham have turned to Roberto De Zerbi in their attempt to retain their Premier League status. The Italian takes charge of a club who are winless in 13 Premier League games (D5 L8), which includes five winless matches under Igor Tudor.
Tudor is also the only Spurs manager in the last 10 to lose his first league match at the helm, while De Zerbi has made a habit of fast starts: winning his first league game in three of his last four managerial roles.
Spurs can at least take encouragement from their record against upcoming opponents Sunderland, having gone 15 Premier League games unbeaten in this fixture since April 2010. However, given their current form, that streak will be under threat when they travel to the Stadium of Light on Sunday.
City’s spring surge
- Manchester City could claim their 29th win from their last 32 Premier League matches in the month of April.
This tends to be the part of the season where Manchester City really start to purr. Pep Guardiola’s men are on the hunt for a domestic treble, having already lifted the Carabao Cup and reached the FA Cup semi-finals, now attention turns to gobbling up Arsenal’s point advantage in the league.
History suggests that they could well do that, given that Man City have, quite remarkably, won 28 of their last 31 Premier League games in April. On top of that, they are currently unbeaten in their last nine top-flight games against Sunday’s opponents Chelsea, winning six.
Chelsea have picked up just one win from their last six league games, which has dropped them to 6th, and they could lose three league games in a row without scoring for the first time since 1998.
Leeds’ Old Trafford hoodoo
- Manchester United could extend their unbeaten league home run against Leeds to 19 matches dating back to 1981.
Last but certainly not least we have Manchester United vs Leeds on Monday night. Man United have roared up to 3rd following an impressive run of form under Michael Carrick, who has won all six of his Premier League matches at Old Trafford. If he makes it seven in a row on Monday, only Sven-Goran Eriksson (9) and Manuel Pellegrini (11) would have enjoyed longer winning home starts in Premier League history.
Heading into gameweek 32, only Arsenal have accumulated more points (31) since Christmas Day than Man United (29), who boast an 18 game unbeaten home league run against Leeds (W11 D7) dating back to 1981.
Leeds, meanwhile, are aiming to avoid losing both league fixtures against United in the same season for the first time since 1994-95 as they bid to pick up pivotal points in their push for survival.
