Premier League pre-match stats

SATURDAY

BIRMINGHAM CITY v MANCHESTER CITY

Manchester City have scored only seven goals fewer than they have conceded in the top flight (4,795 to 4,802).

BOLTON WANDERERS v ARSENAL

Arsenal have no league win in five – no title winners since 1996 have had such a barren stretch; none of past three champions have gone three games without a win.

DERBY COUNTY v FULHAM

Fulham have fielded four of the eight Northern Irishmen to have appeared in the Premier League this season and five of the 13 Americans to have done so.

MANCHESTER UNITED v ASTON VILLA

United have won their past 13 against Villa but lost the past three against the top flight’s other claret-and-blues, West Ham. United have lost one of past 47 at home to Villa.

PORTSMOUTH v WIGAN ATHLETIC

These are the only Premier League clubs to record average attendances of below 20,000 this season. They met in the bottom division from 1978 to 1980.

READING v BLACKBURN ROVERS

Nine Premier League managers are ex-Manchester United players (eg Steve Coppell, of Reading) or ex-international managers, or both (eg Mark Hughes, of Blackburn).

SUNDERLAND v WEST HAM UNITED

Sunderland, who beat Aston Villa at Villa Park last week, have gone 126 top flight games without winning twice in succession.

SUNDAY

CHELSEA v MIDDLESBROUGH

In the past two and a half years in all competitions Middlesbrough have beaten Chelsea twice, Arsenal twice (plus three draws) and Manchester United once (plus three draws).

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR v NEWCASTLE UNITED

These well-supported clubs have not won the league title for a combined 121 seasons, including this year: Tottenham for 47 seasons, Newcastle for 74.

LIVERPOOL v EVERTON

These met in cups or Charity Shield in seven of the eight seasons to 1991 but have not done so in the subsequent 17 years. Everton have not scored four goals in normal time in the past 104 games against Liverpool. In six of the past 22 derbies there have been at least two red cards.