PL pre-match stats: Roo hot, Al’s Blues run

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Brendan Rodgers will be looking for an improvement in front of goal from Mario Balotelli, who has scored only one Premier League goal from 56 attempts this season. The Italian may get a few chances against QPR, with Rangers having allowed their opponents more shots on target than any other team in the top flight (183).

Arsenal are rather more solid at the back, with the Gunners going to Hull having not conceded a goal in the first half of their last 13 matches.

Manchester United could be without Wayne Rooney against West Brom, and the visitors to Old Trafford may be relieved to see the England captain on the sidelines on Saturday, with Rooney having scored in each of his last six starts against the Baggies.

United would be right to be wary of Tony Pulis’s side at corners and free-kicks, with West Brom having scored the highest percentage of goals from set pieces of any team in the Premier League this season (56%).

Manchester City will be looking to fill their boots versus Tottenham, with the champions having netted 15 goals in their last three games against Spurs.

Chelsea are looking to seal the title this weekend, but they come up against Alan Pardew and his Crystal Palace side, with the Eagles boss having won four of his last six matches against the Blues.

Leicester City v Newcastle United

Newcastle United have won five and lost none of the last nine league matches against Leicester City.

The Magpies are unbeaten in their last five away league games against the Foxes (W1 D4), though they have drawn the last four in a row.

Newcastle have scored a divisional-high 69% of their goals in the second half of games this season.

The Magpies have lost seven successive league games for only the second time in their history (10 in Aug-Oct 1977 the most).

Newcastle have gone just 12 minutes short of seven hours of Premier League football away from home since they last scored on the road.

Newcastle have the worst record of any club in the Premier League since John Carver took charge (nine points, -15 goal difference).

Papiss Demba Cisse serves the last match of his seven game ban. He has been missed after scoring a goal every 92 minutes on average this season, the best rate of any player with five or more goals in the top flight.

The Magpies have scored more goals from substitutes than any other team in the top division (9).

When Newcastle reached 35 points they were 17 ahead of Leicester but the Foxes can close the gap to one point with a win in this game.

Only Arsenal, Everton and Chelsea (13 each) have picked up more points in the last five games than Leicester (12).

Aston Villa v Everton

Gabriel Agbonlahor has scored seven goals against Everton, more than he has mustered against any other opponent in the Barclays Premier League.

Everton have taken as many points (16) in their last six Premier League games as they did in the previous 19 matches.

Agbonlahor made his Premier League debut against Everton back in March 2006 and scored in that game.

Aston Villa have won just one of the last 12 Premier League games against Everton (W1 D7 L4) and none of the last eight (D4 L4).

This will become the first fixture in English league history to have been played 200 times. Of the 199 so far, Villa have won 72, Everton 74 and there have been 53 draws.

Christian Benteke has scored eight goals in his last seven Premier League outings.

Roberto Martinez’s side have dropped more points from winning positions than any other team in the Premier League this season (19).

Aston Villa are averaging a goal every six shots under Tim Sherwood compared to one every 16 under Paul Lambert.

The Villans have scored the highest percentage of first half goals in the Premier League this season (69%).

The Toffees have conceded the lowest percentage of first half goals in the top flight this season (37%).

Liverpool v Queens Park Rangers

Philippe Coutinho has scored in both of his Barclays Premier League games against Queens Park Rangers.

QPR have picked up seven points away from home in their last five Premier League away games after accruing none in their first 11 on the road this season.

Liverpool have won 19 and lost just one of 22 home league games against QPR.

The Reds have lost just one of their last 11 Premier League matches at Anfield (W7 D3 L1).

QPR have allowed their opponents more shots on target against them than any other team in the top flight (183).

Liverpool have not scored in their last two Premier League games – they haven’t failed to score in three in a row since March 2005.

Mario Balotelli has one goal to his name from 940 Premier League minutes of action for Liverpool, despite attempting 56 shots (inc. blocked).

Since the start of last season, Charlie Austin has scored 36 league goals for QPR (inc. playoffs) – 29 more than any other player for the club (Zamora the next most with seven).

Liverpool have won just four points from their last five Premier League games (W1 D1 L3); only Burnley (1) and Newcastle (0) have won fewer in their last five matches.

Queens Park Rangers have won just two of their last 17 Premier League matches (D4 L11).

Sunderland v Southampton

Sunderland have only won one of the last nine Barclays Premier League meetings with Southampton (W1 D4 L4).

Southampton are unbeaten in their last six league visits to the Stadium of Light (W1 D5 L0), but did lose there in both cup competitions last season.

Southampton’s 8-0 win in the reverse fixture was their biggest margin of victory in a league match since December 1921 (8-0 versus Northampton Town).

Sunderland suffered their biggest defeat in league football since a 0-8 defeat at Watford in September 1982.

Sunderland scored three own goals in that 0-8 defeat and this has contributed to the fact that they have netted the joint-most own goals (5) in the Premier League and Southampton have benefited from the most (5).

Saints have now recorded their best ever Premier League points haul (57), despite having four games to play.

Sunderland have won just one of their last 10 Premier League games (W1 D4 L5).

Dusan Tadic is one of only two players to get a hat-trick of assists in a PL game this season; he did it in the reverse fixture against Sunderland (Puncheon v West Ham the other).

Ronald Koeman’s side have picked up just one point from their last four Premier League away matches.

The Black Cats have scored just five goals in their last 10 league outings and never more than once in a single game in this run.

Swansea City v Stoke City

Swansea are unbeaten in their last five home games against Stoke (W4 D1 L0).

Peter Crouch has scored four goals in his last six Barclays Premier League games against Swansea City.

Stoke have won just one of their last six Premier League matches (W1 D2 L3).

Swansea have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last seven Premier League games at Liberty Stadium.

Gylfi Sigurdsson is only the third player to reach double figures for goal assists this season (10) after Cesc Fabregas and Angel Di Maria.

The Swans have seen their woodwork struck 18 times this season, more than any other team in the top flight.

The Potters are the only team in the Premier League this season who have not picked up any red cards.

However, only Crystal Palace (462) have committed more fouls than Stoke City (433) this season.

Stoke only need one more win to equal their best ever points tally in a Premier League season which came in 2013-14 (50), while Swansea have already set a new high in the competition with 50 points this season.

Charlie Adam has scored in three of his last four Premier League appearances.

West Ham United v Burnley

West Ham have won just two of their last 17 Premier League games (W2 D7 L8) but those two victories in that run have been at Upton Park (W2 D3 L3).

Burnley have failed to score in seven of their last eight Barclays Premier League matches and netted only one in the other game.

The Hammers have scored more headed goals than any other team in the top flight (15).

33% of the goals Burnley have conceded have been from headers; the league’s highest proportion.

Adrian is the ninth goalkeeper in Premier League history to save three penalties in a row; no keeper has ever done four.

Sam Allardyce’s side have scored just three goals in their last seven Premier League outings.

The Clarets have the worst chance conversion rate in the top flight this season, scoring with just nine per cent of their shots.

West Ham are the only team not to score from the penalty spot in the Premier League this season, missing their one opportunity.

Only 30% of West Ham’s shots have come from outside the penalty area, the lowest proportion in the Premier League.

But the Hammers have scored with 9.5% of their long range attempts, the best conversion rate from outside the area of any team.

Manchester United v West Bromwich Albion

Wayne Rooney has scored in each of his last six Barclays Premier League starts against West Brom (seven goals total).

West Bromwich Albion have won just one of their last 21 league matches against Manchester United (W1 D4 L16).

Rooney has scored 15 in his last 16 Premier League games at Old Trafford.

West Brom have failed to score in 10 of their last 13 league visits to Old Trafford.

Man Utd have failed to score in their last two Premier League games. They have not failed to score in three consecutive games since August 2007.

West Brom have scored the highest percentage of goals from set pieces of any team in the Premier League this season (56%).

The Baggies have scored 14 goals from headers this season (only West Ham with 15 have more) accounting for a division-high proportion of 44% of their total.

The Baggies have shipped 11 goals in the opening 15 minutes, the highest number in the Premier League.

The Baggies have netted more goals from corners than any other team in the top flight this term (12) and only Burnley (12) have conceded more than West Brom (10) via this route.

West Brom scored with their only two shots on target in the 2-2 draw with Man Utd at the Hawthorns back in October.

Chelsea v Crystal Palace

Chelsea have lost just one of their last 14 league matches against Crystal Palace (W9 D4 L1).

Alan Pardew has won four of his last six Premier League matches as an opposition coach against Chelsea.

When Palace met Chelsea back in October, it was only the 12th time in Premier League history that both teams were reduced to 10 men before half-time.

Crystal Palace have recovered more points from losing positions than any other team in the Premier League this season (18).

Chelsea have scored 198 goals in Premier League London derbies at Stamford Bridge.

Palace have only won seven of their 30 Premier League London derbies away from home (W7 D8 L15).

Jose Mourinho has coached Chelsea in 95 Premier League games at Stamford Bridge, losing just one (W74 D20 L1)

The Blues have kept five clean sheets in their last six Premier League games against London opposition, but conceded five in the other game (3-5 v Spurs).

Palace have committed more fouls than any other team in the Premier League (462).

The Blues have kept the most clean sheets in the Premier League this season (16), while Palace have kept the joint-fewest (6).

Chelsea will seal the title with a win. Their 2004-05 crown came in the 35th game, their 2005-06 one in the 36th game and their 2009-10 triumph on the final day.

Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester City

Tottenham have kept just one clean sheet in their last 11 Premier League outings.

Manchester City have won seven and lost just one of the last eight Barclays Premier League meetings with Spurs.

Manuel Pellegrini has seen his side score 15 goals in their last three Premier League games against Spurs and at least four in each match.

Sergio Aguero has netted nine goals in six Premier League appearances against Spurs.

Edin Dzeko has scored six goals in six Premier League matches against Tottenham, though four of them came in one game, a 5-1 win at White Hart Lane.

Samir Nasri has scored four Premier League goals against Tottenham Hotspur, more than against any other opponent in the competition.

When these two sides met back in October, four penalties were awarded in a Premier League game for only the second time (Bradford v Derby, April 2000).

Christian Eriksen has scored the most winning goals in the Premier League this season (7).

Spurs have taken fewer points than any other team in the head to heads between the top six teams going into this weekend (8).

City have lost their last four Premier League away games in a row. They haven’t lost five on the bounce since April 2006.

Hull City v Arsenal

Hull City have lost five and drawn one of the last six Barclays Premier League games against Arsenal, including defeats in all three games at the KC Stadium.

The Gunners have won eight and lost none of the last nine meetings with Hull in all competitions.

Alexis Sanchez has scored in both of his appearances this season against Hull City.

Olivier Giroud has scored six goals in his last seven Premier League away matches

Arsenal have won their last four Premier League away games all by a one-goal margin.

The Gunners haven’t conceded a first half goal in their last 13 Premier League matches.

Arsene Wenger’s side have more points after 33 games this season than any campaign since 2009-10; this despite having fewer points after 12 games than any other Premier League campaign.

Hull come in to this game on the back of a two game winning streak – they have only won three PL games in a row on one previous occasion; October 2008, when they won four successive PL matches.

Danny Welbeck has scored just four goals in 27 Premier League appearances this season – he’s scored more goals for England (six in seven games) since August.

Since their return to the Premier League in August 2013, Hull’s Ahmed Elmohamady has fired in 429 crosses from open play – 89 more than any other player.