Premier League preview: Arsenal's Liverpool hex, Rebecca Welch makes history, Luton emotion

Rebecca Welch will make refereeing history this weekend.

A lot is on line at Anfield on Saturday evening as Liverpool welcome Arsenal to Anfield. Whoever wins will be top of the Premier League tree on Christmas Day.

The Gunners do not have history on their side: they have not won at Liverpool’s home for 11 years. Manager Mikel Arteta, who was in midfield for Arsenal for their last Anfield triumph back in 2012, is urging his players to end their Merseyside hoodoo. The Spaniard toasted four years as Arsenal manager earlier in the week and during that time he has overseen wins at Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham, while this season they beat Manchester City at the Emirates Stadium.

Next up, for Arteta, is to leave Anfield with three points: “We have done it at Old Trafford, we have done it at Stamford Bridge and many other places where we haven’t done it for years,” he said. “This is the next challenge. Go there and win. If you want to be at the top you have to go to those places and be dominant. That’s what we’re going to try to do.”

Arsenal led 2-0 at Anfield last year before they were pinned back and had to settle for a draw. Ahead of that trip, Arteta had called Anfield a “jungle”, while in the Amazon ‘All or Nothing’ documentary he was shown piping in ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ while his players trained – although that led to a 4-0 thrashing to Jurgen Klopp’s side. “It’s going to be a great atmosphere,” added Arteta. “The two teams are in a really good moment.”

There are five other matches on the EPL card – Wolves and Chelsea complete it on Christmas Eve – and Nottingham Forest will hope for a new manager bounce after Nuno Espirito Santo replaced Steve Cooper earlier this week when they take on Bournemouth at the City Ground. The Portuguese admits he might have to win some of the fans over. “That is part of football. Fans judge us, we will judge ourselves, for what we achieve,” he said. “But more than anything it is about what they can see. What I can promise to them is an organised team that will give everything that they have on the pitch.”

The Cherries will be in action for the first time since their match against Luton was abandoned following Tom Lockyer’s cardiac arrest. Kenilworth Road, the home of the Hatters, will no doubt be an emotional stadium for the visit of Newcastle. Their manager Rob Edwards said: “ I’ve been really careful not for anything to seem like we’re using it. It’s about ‘what would Locks want?’. I think that’s the most important thing now, and what does this group of people want? We’re a really tight-knit group, a family, and we’ve got to look after each other now.”

History will be made at Craven Cottage when Rebecca Welch becomes the first woman to take charge of a top-flight match when Fulham face Burnley at Craven Cottage. “For us she is going to be the ref in the game,” said Fulham boss Marco Silva. “For us it has to be something normal. I know it’s not normal because it’s the first time but for us it’s completely the same.”

In the other two matches, Tottenham host Everton, while West Ham v Man Utd is the lunchtime kick-off on Sky Sports.