The midweek fixtures involving teams at the top and bottom ends of the table could have a major bearing on the race for top four and the battle for relegation. Five of the top six— with Manchester United taking on Manchester City — and two of the relegation-threatened teams are in action over Tuesday and Wednesday.
Tottenham Hotspur vs Brighton and Hove Albion
With Arsenal and Manchester United losing at the weekend, and Chelsea only picking up a point at home against Burnley, Tottenham has remained third on the table having been in danger of dropping out of the top four after its 1-0 defeat at the Etihad Stadium .
It has made a confident start to life at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, winning each of its three fixtures there without conceding. It takes on Brighton on the back of reaching its maiden Champions League semifinal and running City close in Saturday's league fixture.
With Son Heung-Min filling providing the attacking impetus in the absence of talismanic forward Harry Kane and the defence being resolute, Tottenham will fancy itself against Chris Hughton's side.
A run of four defeats and one draw has drawn Brighton, currently 17th, into the relegation picture. It faces a monumental battle to avoid the drop with fixtures against Arsenal and Manchester City to come following Tuesday's fixture against Spurs. With 34 points to its name, Brighton may need to accrue a minimum of five points from a possible twelve to avoid relegation and good results against the top-six clubs are the need of the hour.
Team news: Hugo Lloris missed the league fixture against City with a muscle injury but is expected to return to lead Spurs on Tuesday, while Kane remains out with an ankle injury. For Brighton, Davy Propper will be assessed after he picked up a hamstring injury in the 0-0 draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers, while forward Anthony Knockaert will serve the last of his three-match ban.
Watford vs Southampton
Southampton is another team that's involved in the relegation battle. However, with 36 points from 34 matches, its task isn't as stiff as Brighton or 18th-placed Cardiff City.
Four more points will almost certainly secure its top-flight status for another season and facing Watford is an opportunity to take itself closer to safety.
Watford, currently eighth, has a chance to move up to seventh and finish the Premier League season as the best of the rest. It has an FA Cup final to look forward to and building momentum towards the Wembley showpiece should be the focus for Javi Gracia and his team.
Team news: Troy Deeney is out suspended after elbowing Lucas Torreira in the home fixture against Arsenal, while Argentine attacker Roberto Pereyra is a doubt with a hip injury.
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