At a Glance
- Manchester United face Manchester City at Old Trafford in Matchweek 22’s headline fixture
- Caretaker boss Michael Carrick takes charge of United for the first time
- Arsenal travel to Nottingham Forest aiming to protect top spot
- All matches air across NBC, USA Network, Peacock and NBC.com from Jan. 17-19
Why it matters: The title race tightens and relegation fears grow as the league resumes after the FA Cup break.
The Premier League roars back this weekend with a marquee Manchester derby, a resurgent Arsenal protecting first place, and a London derby that could shape the relegation picture.
Matchweek 22 kicks off Saturday, Jan. 17 and runs through Monday, Jan. 19. Twenty clubs will squeeze ten games into three days, every point precious at both ends of the table.
Manchester Derby Headlines Opening Day
Old Trafford hosts the standout fixture as Manchester United welcome Manchester City at 7:30 a.m. ET on USA/USA Network.
United enter under new, temporary leadership. Club icon Michael Carrick steps up as caretaker manager after the midweek departure of Erik ten Hag. His first assignment: halt a run of one win in six league outings and revive a fading push for European qualification.
City arrive six points behind league-leading Arsenal and searching for momentum. Pep Guardiola’s side have drawn their last three league games, surrendering ground in a title race they have dominated for much of the past decade.
A victory for either side would ripple across the table. For United, three points could vault them back into the top-half conversation. For City, a win keeps pressure on Arsenal and Liverpool in the tightest title fight in years.
Arsenal Aim to Stay Top
League leaders Arsenal face a tricky Sunday lunchtime trip to 17th-place Nottingham Forest, live on NBC/NBC.com and Peacock at 12:30 p.m. ET.
Mikel Arteta’s side reclaimed first place with a midweek win and now confront a Forest outfit buoyed by survival hopes and a raucous City Ground atmosphere. Under Sean Dyche, Forest have lost only once in their last six league matches on home soil.
Striker Victor Gyokeres arrives in confident mood after scoring once and setting up another in Forest’s 3-2 Carabao Cup semifinal first-leg win at Chelsea on Wednesday. Arsenal’s attack, led by Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz, must find a way through a compact back five that has surrendered the fourth-fewest shots per game since Dyche’s appointment.
Three points would keep Arsenal ahead of Liverpool on goal difference and maintain their advantage over chasing Manchester City.
Tottenham-West Ham Derby Carries Relegation Weight
Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United renew hostilities Sunday at 10 a.m. ET on Peacock, both sides desperate for very different reasons.
Spurs sit 14th, four points above the drop zone and ravaged by injuries to key starters James Maddison, Micky van de Ven and Richarlison. The club this week re-signed England midfielder Conor Gallagher from Atletico Madrid for £34.6 million, hoping his energy and ball-winning can stabilize a midfield that has leaked chances.
West Ham occupy 18th place, seven points from safety and winless in eight league matches. Manager Thomas Frank, appointed in November, has tightened defensive structure but seen scoring chances dry up; the Hammers have netted just four times in that winless stretch.
History favors Tottenham, unbeaten in the last five league meetings at home, yet derby tension and relegation desperation level the ledger. A Hammers win would drag Spurs deeper into danger; a Spurs victory could nudge their rivals closer to the Championship.
Full Matchweek 22 Schedule
All times Eastern. Check local listings for channel positions.
Saturday, Jan. 17
- 7:30 a.m. | Manchester United vs. Manchester City | USA/USA Network
- 10 a.m. | Chelsea vs. Brentford | NBCSN/Peacock
- 10 a.m. | Leeds United vs. Fulham | Peacock
- 10 a.m. | Liverpool vs. Burnley | USA/USA Network
- 10 a.m. | Sunderland vs. Crystal Palace | Peacock
- 10 a.m. | Tottenham Hotspur vs. West Ham United | Peacock
- 12:30 p.m. | Nottingham Forest vs. Arsenal | NBC/NBC.com & Peacock
Sunday, Jan. 18
- 9 a.m. | Wolves vs. Newcastle | USA/USA Network
- 11:30 a.m. | Aston Villa vs. Everton | USA/USA Network
Monday, Jan. 19
- 3 p.m. | Brighton & Hove Albion vs. Bournemouth | USA/USA Network
How to Watch
Television: Select matches air on NBC and USA Network. Check the schedule above for assignments.
Streaming: Every match streams live on Peacock. Games shown on NBC or USA Network also stream simultaneously on NBC.com with cable authentication. The new NBC Sports Network app carries the same feeds for mobile and connected devices.
Replays and highlights: Peacock offers full-match replays shortly after final whistles, while the Premier League YouTube channel posts extended highlights for all fixtures.
Financial Rules on Horizon
Starting next season, the Premier League will cap club spending at 85 percent of revenue under new financial regulations approved by member clubs last month. The measure aims to curb runaway wage bills and level competitive balance.
Clubs breaching the threshold face potential points deductions and transfer restrictions, mirroring stricter controls already in place in UEFA competitions.
Key Takeaways
- Michael Carrick’s United tenure begins with the toughest possible test against a City side desperate to keep pace at the top
- Arsenal’s visit to Nottingham Forest is the weekend’s form-versus-league-position subplot
- Tottenham and West Ham meet in a relegation six-pointer masked as a derby
- All 22 fixtures air across NBCUniversal platforms, with streaming options expanding access
- Next season’s 85 percent spending cap looms as clubs plan summer budgets
