Chelsea v Southampton, Crystal Palace v Aston Villa, and more: football

Key events

I strongly fancy Villa to get a result at Palace. I know Palace can play – I really liked Daniel Munoz when I saw him live last season – but Villa have legs and quality in midfield, with goals on pitch and bench. If they defend sensibly, they’ll be hard to stop.

Ah man, it’s good to see Marcus Rashford smiling again. Obviously he needs to take responsibility for himself, and Ruben Amorim has been unequivocal that he desperately needs so talented a player but doesn’t feel Rashford is selectable. However it’s no great surprise that he’s been ground down by the misery at Old Trafford – if he’d been somewhere more wholesome, he might’ve matured into a world-beater – and the change should do him well.

Iraola has some terrific eyebrows. He’s also wearing a jumper like Bruce Grobbelaar’s in Panini 85. More news as I get it.

Photograph: Panini

I’m glad Wharton’s back too. He was the guy, I’m told, England players were going back to their clubs and telling their managers to sign; I expected a big season from him and though it’s not worked out that way, his talent is not in question.

Oliver Glasner is glad to have Wharton back and glad he’s pain-free. Now he needs to get match-fit and the match-up works for him – he’s smart and good at finding players in the pocket.

Fabian Huerzler is glad to have Estupinan back, while Gomez has earned his start by training well. The data tells him Bournemouth are one of the most physical teams in the league, and he’s expecting a gouh game/

Ally McCoist, usually so sensible, just called the return of Jadon Sancho “a bonus”. I don’t even know where to begin with that.

More teams…

Chelsea: Jorgensen; Gusto, Tosin, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Enzo; Palmer, Sancho, Neto; Nkunku. Subs: Sanchez, Acheampong, Fofana, James, Samuels-Smith, Amougou, Dewsbury-Hall, George, Mheuka.

Southampton: Ramsdale, Sugawara, Bree, Bella-Kotchap, Walker-Peters, Downes, Smallbone, Fernandes, Aribo, Kamaldeen, Onuachu. Subs: McCarthy, Stephens, Harwood-Bellis, Wood, Manning, Wellington, Grønnbæk, Dibling, Archer.

It’s a funny thing, really. The standard at the top of the league is not great – I don’t think it’s controversial to say the top few are way off the best we’ve seen – but the standard below has never been higher. Every side, down to Tyler Dibling at Southampton, has the capacity to hurt any opponent.

In particular, Milos Kerkez, Dean Huijsen and Antoine Semenyo are very tasty indeed. Let’s hope they stay put this summer and Iraola is allowed to build.

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Bournemouth might be my favourite Premier League team. I love how hard they run, how brave they are and how good their individuals are. Andoni Iraola might be a superstar.

Wolves, who beat Bournemouth at the weekend, are understandably unchanged; Marco silva, though, makes five changes after defeat at Palace, the injured Emile Smith Rowe and Antonee Robinson, Calvin Bassey, Alex Iwobi and Raul Jimenez left out; Rodrigo Muniz, Jorge Cuenca, Andreas Pereira, Ryan Sessegnon and Issa Diop come in.

Over to Selhurst Park where Palace, who beat Fulham at the weekend, bring Adam Wharton for Jefferson Lerma; Villa, who saw off Chelsea, leave out Ian Maatsen, Tyrone Mings, Matt T. Cash and Marco Asensio; Andres Garcia, Axel Disasi, Lucas Digned and Lamare Bogarde come in.

Back to our teams: at the Amex, Brighton welcome back, as one is mandated to say, Pervis Estupinan, recovered from injury, with Diego Gomez, recently signed from Inter Miami, handed his first start for the club; Jack Hinshelwood and Yasin Ayari move to the bench.

Bournemouth, meanwhile, bring in Tyler Adams for the suspended Illia Zabarnyi, while David Brooks replaces Marcus Tavernier.

Tonight’s full fixture list:

Photograph: Guardian

Let’s have some teams…

Brighton: Verbruggen, Estupinan, Van Hecke, Webster, Lamptey, Gomez, Baleba, Rutter, Mitoma, Minteh, Joao Pedro. Subs: March, Gruda, Adingra, Welbeck, Ayari, Wieffer, O’Riley, Rushworth, Hinshelwood.

Bournemouth: Kepa, Hill, Huijsen, Cook, Kerkez, Adams, Christie, Brooks, Kluivert, Semenyo, Outtara. Subs: Dennis, Scott, Evanilson, Tavernier, Sinisterra, Soler, Jebbison, Akinmboni, Winterburn.

Crystal Palace: Henderson, Richards, Lacroix, Guehi, Munoz, Wharton, Hughes, Mitchell, Eze, Sarr, Mateta. Subs: Turner, Lerma, Nketiah, Clyne, Kamada, Esse, Chilwell, Devenny, Kporha.

Aston Villa: Martinez, Garcia, Konsa, Disasi, Digne, McGinn, Bogarde, Tielemans, Ramsey, Rogers, Watkins. Subs: Olsen, Zych, Mings, Maatsen, Rashford, Asensio, Malen, Bailey, Jimoh-Aloba.

Wolves: Sa, Doherty, Ait-Nouri, Bueno, Munetsi, Andre, J Gomes, Cunha, Semedo, Toti, Bellegarde. Subs: Johnstone, Traore, Strand Larson, Doyle, Sarabia, Djiga, Lima, Pond, Mane.

Fulham: Leno, Andersen, Muniz, Traore, Cuenca, Berge, Pereira, Lukic, Castagne, Sessegnon, Diop. Subs: Benda, Bassey, Reed, Jimenez, Cairney, Iwobi, Willian, King, Robinson

Preamble

It’s not even March and already, we know who’s going to win the league, who’s going to finish second, and who’s going to go down. On the face of things, this English Premeer League season is both over and a bust.

However there’s always a however so, however: the fun in “oor league” has not, this season, been at either end, but in between. So, though we might’ve sneered had someone shown us tonight’s fixtures in August, Brighton v Bournemouth has all the makings of a terrific contest, two tough, attacking teams at the cutting edge of progress with a Champions League spot well with their ambit.

Nor is that it. Aston Villa, somehow still in the hunt – and still in this year’s competition – take on Crystal Palace, while the improving Wolves and, most particularly, the wonderful Matheus Cunha, meet Fulham.

Add to that the late game, in which Chelsea attempt to halt a run of three straight defeats, with Southampton seeking the win that would lift their points tally above the 11 accumulated by Derby in 07-08 – English football’s lowest in the three-points-for-a-win era – and that’s a lovely evening we’ve got for ourselves.

Brighton v Bournemouth, Crystal Palace v Aston Villa and Wolves v Fulham: kick-off 7.30pm GMT.

Chelsea v Southampton: kick-off 8.15pm GMT.