5 talking points ahead of this weekend’s Premier League action

Liverpools seemingly inexorable march to a first league title in 30 years pitches them into battle with a resurgent Southampton this weekend as things hot up at the other end of the table.A gap is starting to open up between the bottom six and the rest, and there is little margin for error with games running out fast.Here, the PA news agency takes a look at the latest round of Premier League fixtures.Big boots to fillThis is his stage.@B_Fernandes8 #MUFC pic.twitter.com/RguCXvPhLh Manchester United (@ManUtd) January 31, 2020Manchester United new boy Bruno Fernandes could make his debut on Saturday evening as Ole Gunnar Solskjaers men entertain Wolves. As if an initial price-tag of 46.6million which could eventually rise by a further 12.7million was not enough, the 19-times-capped Portugal international will have to cope with the burden of following Cristiano Ronaldo from Sporting Lisbon to Old Trafford, where it all worked out rather well for the current Juventus superstar.Danny buoyed?View this post on Instagram "Straight away I called my agent and said 'I want to go' and 'can you make it happen?'" Danny Rose reveals he's the one that instigated the move to #NUFC having heard the club were in the market for a left-back.A post shared by Newcastle United FC (@nufc) on Jan 30, 2020 at 12:17pm PSTDanny Rose admitted last year that he could not wait to retire from football after growing weary of the racism that continues to blight the game. Having found himself surplus to requirements at Jose Mourinhos Tottenham, the 29-year-old England full-back faced a tough decision. However, a loan move to Newcastle has handed him a chance to prove himself all over again, and his first opportunity could come in Saturdays vital home clash with Norwich.Its tough at the bottomHow happy are you out of 10 with the #PL table after 24 matches? pic.twitter.com/6wdRThEGIv Premier League (@premierleague) January 30, 2020If there is such a thing as a relegation six-pointer, there are two of them this weekend. Eighteenth-placed Bournemouth would leapfrog Carabao Cup finalists Aston Villa, who are two places and as many points better off, with a win over them at the Vitality Stadium, while West Ham who are clear of the bottom three only by virtue of goal difference would drag Brighton in 15th firmly back into the mix with a home victory against the Seagulls.Crunch time for CanariesNorwich manager Daniel Farke takes his side to Newcastle on Saturday (Antony Devlin/PA)If the need for all those inside the bottom six becomes more pressing by the week, the plight of promoted Norwich grows ever more stark. Daniel Farkes men head into their trip to Newcastle having collected just 17 points from their first 24 games and one win in their last 11 league games to lie six points adrift of second-bottom Watford. A failure to address that run at St James Park could see them slip further off the pace.Saints aliveHasenhttl previews Southampton's trip to LiverpoolCan we make it five Premier League away wins in a row? The boss previews the toughest test of all, as we prepare for Liverpool FC:Posted by Southampton FC on Thursday, January 30, 2020Southamptons recent fightback has been little short of remarkable. Few would have given them much chance of survival on the night at the end of October that they were trounced 9-0 at home by a rampant Leicester. Three months on, they head for Anfield on Saturday having lost just one of their last nine games in all competitions and are only three points worse off than Manchester United in fifth.(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){
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