Premier League Week 29 Fixtures: Breaking Down the Weekend's Best Matchups

As grudge matches at both ends of the table present themselves in Week 29, each win, loss or draw could have a lasting impact on the Premier League table.

West Brom take on Manchester United, while Crystal Palace and Southampton go to war to save their respective campaigns, with survival and European football at stake.

Meanwhile, the small matter of a top-five clash between Chelsea and Tottenham will have Champions League-chasing Spurs salivating at the thought of ending Jose Mourinho's unbeaten home run at Stamford Bridge.

With half of the league in FA Cup quarterfinal action it's up to the rest of the league to provide our weekly dose of drama as Matchday 29 gets underway.

West Brom vs. Manchester United

If you're partial to the odd bet, you may be forgiven for thinking that this one may end up with honours even.

The Baggies have notched one win and five draws from their last six matches at the Hawthorns and will look to keep their survival dreams alive when United travel to the Midlands.

Pepe Mel's men were not in action last time out as Sunderland's Capital One Cup final defeat to Manchester City took precedence, leaving the side with a fortnight to prepare for the visit of David Moyes' men.

Meanwhile, the Manchester derby was also put on hold due to cup commitments, meaning that Moyes has had plenty of time to focus on United's league form.

The Baggies are sitting one place above the drop zone in 17th with a game in hand. But knowing that 18th-placed Sunderland have two games in hand over them, a must-win pressure has been added to their preparations.

The side overcame United at Old Trafford earlier this season, bagging a 2-1 win with Morgan Amalfitano and Saido Berahino sealing a memorable win at the Theatre of Dreams.

However, there's certainly much more pressure this time around for both clubs, as Mel looks to guide his side to safety and Moyes looks to finally give his fans something to cheer about.

Per the Mirror's Alan Wilson, the hosts look set to be without key players Chris Brunt and James Morrison for the match, with Nicolas Anelka due to start his five-match ban.

Despite this, though, Mel remains confident of doing a good job at West Brom and stated an open-door policy with his players, telling the Express & Star:

The meetings are part of my role as head coach.

The most important thing for a head coach is players – I’m extremely interested to find out what they think. And it’s intelligent to try to adapt the style of play to what they most want.

They are small things but they will make us better because it will make the players more comfortable.

Recently it was commented that being a head coach is a risky business. I came here extremely excited to do a good job – and I’m certain I’m going to carry this out.

Meanwhile, City's cup win has opened the league's sixth place as Europa League qualification, which could mean European football next season for United.

Moyes will be looking to save his side's season and, knowing a qualification place is up for grabs, will be looking for his side's second win on the bounce.

The Red Devils sit three points behind sixth-placed Everton, who are not in action this weekend, so Moyes' side could leapfrog Roberto Martinez's men with a victory.

They'll need to be sure of all three points, too, as they face second-placed Liverpool on Matchday 30, while the Baggies will travel to struggling Swansea.

Crystal Palace vs. Southampton

Both Crystal Palace and Southampton will go into their match with very different agendas, as the hosts hope that a victory will pull them away from the bottom three.

Sitting in 16th place, Tony Pulis' men have a game in hand over the sides above them and could move up to 14th with a win at Selhurst Park.

However, just one place below them, West Brom also have a game in hand, with 18th-placed Sunderland holding two games in hand over their relegation-battling opponents.

Pulis will be hoping that Manchester United beat the Baggies by a big margin at the Hawthorns, as Mel's side have conceded less goals than any of the remaining bottom six.

Sunderland are not in action at the weekend and could be boosted by knowing how Palace fare in their tie, giving the Black Cats plenty of time to monitor just how many points they will need to avoid the drop.

Sitting in ninth and just nine points away from a qualification place, Saints know that they need a win at Palace if they're to breach Europe next season.

They take on Norwich in Matchday 30 and know that two wins out of their next two could put them within touching distance.

But they'll have to overcome Palace's excellent form of late, as they sit fifth in the Premier League Form Guide.

Three wins in their last six will give the Eagles plenty of confidence going into the match, with Southampton losing their last two matches and winning just two from their last six.

Chelsea vs. Tottenham

Jose Mourinho's side are the only top-four club to feature in Matchday 29. They take on fifth-placed Spurs, who will be harbouring ambitions of Champions League qualification next season.

The hosts, currently top of the table with a four-point lead over Liverpool and third-placed Arsenal, will know that a win over their London rivals will give them a further boost as they look to pick up this year's title.

Five wins out of the last six at home will also give Blues' fans cause for optimism in the tie at Stamford Bridge, as Mourinho looks to put pressure on their title rivals.

However, with Spurs and an in-form Emmanuel Adebayor who, as tweeted by the Premier League, has been vital in recent weeks for his side's Champions League push:

The Togolese striker scored in the same fixture last year, equalising after Oscar had given his side the lead. 

Ramires then restored the Blues' lead before half-time, with Gylfi Sigurdsson netting a late winner to earn a share of the spoils.

This time around, though, Tim Sherwood's side will be looking to take all three points, as they know victory remains crucial to maintain their push into the top four.

Manchester City occupy fourth place but with two games in hand and a realistic chance of becoming joint-leaders with Mourinho's men, Spurs must look to overtake fierce rivals Arsenal if they're to reach next year's Champions League.

Six points behind Arsene Wenger's side, Spurs know that a win at the Bridge will put them one step closer to the major European tournament.

Sherwood's men take on the Gunners in Round 30, so two wins on the bounce could see Spurs leapfrog Arsenal and breach the top four.

Meanwhile, Chelsea get the opportunity to continue their push towards a title win as they travel to struggling Aston Villa.

Follow me @DanBrett90 for more breaking news and insight from the beautiful game.