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By Peter Akinbo.
Nigerian midfielders, Alex Iwobi and Joe Aribo, at the halfway point of the Premier League season already face a test to escape the relegation spots and this weekend’s fixtures sees the two battle to remain in the English top-flight.
Iwobi’s Everton who sit at 19th on the table with 15 points will face fellow relegation candidates West Ham who occupy 18th place and have the same number of points as the Toffees in a crucial clash at the London Stadium.
Asides determining what team will have worse struggles at the bottom of the pile, the result of this game could determine who the next manager to be sacked will be as David Moyes and Frank Lampard are currently the two favourites to be sacked.
Iwobi will be instrumental to any success the Merseyside club will have in this tie as he has created the most chances among the Everton squad and he is also third on the EPL assists charts with five assists behind Kevin De Bruyne who has 10 and joint-second Bukayo Saka and Cristian Eriksen with seven.
For Aribo, Southampton have a tricky tie in their hands as they welcome Aston Villa to the St Mary’s stadium on Saturday (today) and the Saints will be looking to extend their winning run in all tournaments to four matches.
Aribo has failed to make a single assist this season for the Saints and has also failed to find the back of the net since October 1, 2022. The Nigeria international will need to recover his early season form to avoid a drop to the Championship division.
In the Italian Serie A, teammates Cyriel Dessers and David Okereke are still winless in 18 games and are the last team on the table with seven points. With 17th placed Sassuolo on 16 points, goal shy Cremonese led in attack by Dessers and Cremonese will need to find a better run of form to remain in the Serie A.