Another exciting weekend of Premier League action is upon us.
Some intriguing encounters to fasten our eyes on especially the north-west rivalry between Manchester United and Liverpool on Sunday afternoon as Jurgen Klopp’s men look to continue their impressive start to the season at Old Trafford, while Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men – off the back of an impressive comeback in midweek in their UEFA Champions League group tie against Atalanta – look to return to winning ways after picking up just 1 point from their last 3 league games.
Arsenal entertain Aston Villa at the Emirate, the weekend’s first Premier League fixture taking place Friday evening, a tie which could well provide some twist and turns.
Managerless Newcastle United kick-off their post-Steve Bruce era under their new Saudi owners away to Crystal Palace in South London, while Brighton & Hove Albion who currently sit in fourth place in the league table host title-hopefuls Manchester City at the Amex stadium on Saturday tea-time. There’s also an exciting London derby to look forward to as Tottenham Hotspur travel to London Stadium to play David Moyes’ steadily progressing West Ham side.
So, without further ado, lets dive into the action with some previews and predictions:
Arsenal vs Aston Villa, Friday 8:00PM
Arsenal will aim to extend their unbeaten Premier League run to six matches when they welcome Aston Villa to the Emirates Stadium on Friday night.
The Gunners left it late to rescue a point against Crystal Palace on Monday night, while Villa were stunned by a thrilling late Wolverhampton Wanderers comeback in the West Midlands derby at Villa Park.
Patrick Vieira’s return to North London was so nearly a joyous and successful occasion for the former Arsenal captain on Monday, as his Crystal Palace side impressively dominated proceedings at the Emirates and struck through Christian Benteke and Odsonne Edouard after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s opener.
However, Alexandre Lacazette spared Arsenal’s blushes in injury-time, putting an inspiring cameo leading Arsenal’s charge to rescue point in front of their own fans.
While the Gunners have now gone unbeaten in five Premier League games and six across all competitions, the same old questions were asked once again following Monday’s stalemate, which has left Arteta’s side 12th in the rankings after eight matches.
Despite Arsenal’s late efforts, questions are still being asked as to whether Arteta is able to lead this talented group of players forward, and their performance against Palace did not silence any of those doubters. Arsenal have lost just one of their last six Premier League games at the Emirates, though – taking seven points from the last nine on offer at home – but they have suffered back-to-back defeats in their two most recent Friday fixtures without scoring a single goal.
They come up against another tough side in Dean Smith’s Villa who will be looking to right their wrongs after they fell victim to a late Wolves surge, allowing their rivals to come back from two goals down to 3-2 in front of the Villa faithful.
The joy of thrashing Everton and getting one over Manchester United at Old Trafford has since dissipated for Villa, who find themselves one point and one place below Arsenal in the table ahead of Friday’s encounter after winning just two of their last six in the competition.
Smith’s side have also lost three of their four top-flight away matches since the season kicked off and are yet to produce the results that their significant summer of spending may well have promised, but Arsenal fans will need no reminding what happened the last time that Villa paid a visit to the Emirates.
An Ollie Watkins and Jack Grealish-inspired Villa stormed to a superb 3-0 win in the capital back in November 2020, while a 1-0 triumph at Villa Park in February also represented their third win and clean sheet on the bounce against Arsenal after a previous run of seven consecutive defeats.
MATCH FACT: Aston Villa have won three successive Premier League games against Arsenal, as many as they had in their previous 36 attempts. It’s 59 years since Villa last earned four straight league victories in this fixture.
KEY MEN: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Arsenal) & John McGinn (Aston Villa)
LIKELY LINE-UPS:
Arsenal: Ramsdale (GK); Tomiyasu, White, Gabriel, Tierney; Odegaard, Partey, Smith Rowe; Pepe, Lacazette, Aubameyang
Aston Villa: Martinez (GK); Konsa, Mings, Hause; Cash, Luiz, Buendia, McGinn, Targett; Watkins, Ings
SCORE PREDICTION: Arsenal 2-1 Aston Villa
Chelsea vs Norwich City, Saturday 12:30PM
Top meets bottom in Saturday’s Premier League battle at Stamford Bridge, as Chelsea and Norwich City prepare to lock horns on the English capital.
The Blues marched to a hard-thought 1-0 win over Brentford in gameweek eight, while Norwich claimed their second point of the season against Brighton & Hove Albion. Daniel Farke’s men are yet to taste victory in their eight games so far this campaign.
Thomas Tuchel and his Chelsea team went through the most testing of games this season when they travelled to the Brentford Community Stadium to face off against Thomas Frank’s impressive English top-flight newcomers.
It was Ben Chilwell’s sweet strike which may have won the game, but they had goalkeeper Edouard Mendy to thank as he put in one of the most impressive goalkeeping performances in recent Premier League memory, keeping yet another clean sheet for his team. Tuchel’s men have only conceded three goals this term so far, the joint best in the division.
The Blues followed that up with a dominant Champions League performance versus Malmo, as Jorginho netted two penalties alongside goals from Kai Havertz and Andreas Christensen in a 4-0 win. Though, Chelsea come into this fixture with worrying injuries picked up by both Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner.
While Chelsea do not sit atop the pile in their Champions League group, they do lead the way in the Premier League with 19 points taken from a possible 24 and also in the knowledge that at least one of Manchester United or Liverpool will drop points on Sunday.
Sixteen goals scored – at an average of two per game – is not the most prolific record in the top flight, but a mere three conceded at the other end of the pitch typifies the new-found defensive resilience under Tuchel, whose side have also amassed nine goals at home in the league so far this term.
While Norwich’s wait for an elusive first win of the new Premier League season continues, the Canaries have posted two respectable results in recent weeks, playing out back-to-back goalless draws with Burnley and Brighton & Hove Albion
Last weekend’s stalemate with the Seagulls certainly caught the eye given Brighton’s stellar start to the new season, but even though back-to-back clean sheets can certainly be seen as a positive, that has done little to help their standing in the table.
If they are to better their positioning from their previous Premier League season, then they need to start picking up wins and quickly.
Indeed, two points taken from a possible 24 represents the worst tally so far as Norwich remain rooted to the bottom of the table – four points adrift of safety – while they have also chalked up a mere two goals during their dreadful start to life back in the big time.
The Canaries have now gone four league games without a goal since Teemu Pukki’s effort against Watford, and they are yet to find the back of the net away from home this term, while their last top-flight win on the road came all the way back in November 2019.
It has been 27 years since the Blues lost to the Canaries in any competition – a streak which is highly unlikely to end here.
MATCH FACT: Chelsea have won 10 of their last 12 Premier League games against Norwich (drawn two), last losing against the Canaries in the competition back in December 1994 (3-0).
KEY MEN: Kai Havertz (Chelsea) & Teemu Pukki (Norwich)
LIKELY LINE-UPS:
Chelsea: Mendy (GK); Chalobah, Silva, Rudiger; Azpilicueta, Jorginho, Loftus-Cheek, Chilwell; Ziyech, Mount; Havertz
Norwich City: Krul (GK); Hanley, Kabak, Gibson; Aarons, Lees-Melou, McLean, Normann, Giannoulis; Pukki, Sargent
SCORE PREDICTION: Chelsea 3-0 Norwich
Crystal Palace vs Newcastle United, 3:00PM
Newcastle United will endeavour to begin the post-Steve Bruce era in perfect fashion when they travel to Crystal Palace for Saturday’s Premier League clash.
The Magpies’ first clash under new ownership ended in a 3-2 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, while Patrick Vieira’s Eagles were forced to settle for a point against Arsenal.
Despite being dominated for the opening 15 minutes against Arsenal and falling behind to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s opener, Crystal Palace seemed destined to march to a deserved win at the Emirates as Christian Benteke and Odsonne Edouard turned the tie on its head.
Vieira’s men played some superb stuff for much of the game but couldn’t build on their lead, but instead forced back by Arsenal’s late onslaught for an equaliser. It was the same story in the draw against rivals Brighton at Selhurst Park, and one in which Vieira will be enforcing his team must cut out if they are are to fulfil their potential under his tutelage.
The Eagles have now drawn their last three in the Premier League and occupy 14th spot in the table as a result, but if they can continue to produce performances anywhere near as impressive as they did at the Emirates, the Selhurst Park faithful have a bright future to look forward to under Vieira.
However, one win from eight Premier League games in the 2021-22 season is a slightly worrying statistic – with five of those encounters ending with the spoils shared – and they have now conceded eight goals in their last four top-flight matches.
On a more positive note, the return of fans to Selhurst Park has certainly benefitted the Eagles, who are one of three English top-flight teams yet to lose a league game at home this season – taking six points from a possible 12 on home soil so far.
As for Newcastle, Steve Bruce was widely expected to depart St James’ Park before being granted the honour of taking charge of his 1,000th match, but the 60-year-old remained at the helm to witness his side fall to a dampening 3-2 defeat against Spurs on what should have been a joyous occasion in the North East.
However, amid reports of player bust-ups and those in the squad growing increasingly frustrated with Bruce’s tactics, the three-time Premier League winner was relieved of his duties earlier this week as Newcastle’s new owners begin their radical overhaul.
Paulo Fonseca is rumoured to be the Magpies’ leading candidate to take the reins, but Graeme Jones will oversee the trip to Selhurst Park as Newcastle desperately aim to secure their first win of the 2021-22 league season at the ninth attempt.
Only Norwich City have accrued fewer points than 19th-placed Newcastle’s three so far, while 19 goals shipped also represents the worst defensive record in the top flight, and the Magpies are unsurprisingly still seeking their first clean sheet of the season.
Newcastle did manage to secure a 2-0 win at Selhurst Park in this fixture last term – just their second win from six against the Eagles – but Palace prevailed 2-1 at St James’ Park in the most recent fixture back in February.
MATCH FACT: Crystal Palace can go unbeaten in their first five home matches of a PL season for the first time.
KEY MEN: Odsonne Edouard (Palace) & Callum Wilson (Newcastle)
LIKELY LINE-UPS:
Crystal Palace: Guaita (GK); Ward, Andersen, Guehi, Mitchell; Gallagher, Milivojevic, McArthur; Edouard, Benteke, Zaha
Newcastle United: Darlow (GK); Manquillo, Lascelles, Clark, Ritchie; Saint-Maximin, Willock, Hayden, Almiron, Joelinton; Wilson
SCORE PREDICTION: Crystal Palace 2-1 Newcastle United
Everton vs Watford, 3:00PM
Watford will aim to avoid a second consecutive thrashing at the hands of a Merseyside outfit when they do battle with Everton at Goodison Park on Saturday afternoon.
Claudio Ranieri’s side went down 5-0 to Liverpool last weekend, while the Toffees suffered a dampening defeat of their own to West Ham United on home soil.
As injuries begin to take their toll on Everton, Rafael Benitez’s strong start to life back on Merseyside has taken quite the hit in recent weeks, with West Ham coming up trumps by a 1-0 scoreline in last weekend’s clash between the two European hopefuls.
With Abdoulaye Doucoure out for a period of time and Dominic Calvert-Lewin suffering a setback in his recovery from injury, Benitez will have to continue to do without key performers for yet another weekend.
Everton slipped to just their second defeat of the league season, but it is now just one win in four for Benitez’s side in the top flight.
That underwhelming run of form has seen Everton’s European aspirations take quite the early hit, as they now sit eighth in the table but are one of three teams level on 14 points with West Ham and an under-performing Manchester United side.
Defeat to West Ham prevented Everton from claiming a fifth Premier League win on the bounce on home soil, while last season’s torrid fortunes at home means it is now eight league defeats at Goodison Park in 2021, leaving the Toffees at risk of recording their worst-ever Premier League record at home in a calendar year.
Five of Everton’s last eight home meetings with newly-promoted sides in the top-flight have ended in defeat – another worrying statistic for the club – but Watford will still be reliving their previous humiliation at the hands of the other half of the Merseyside duo.
From Mohamed Salah’s peach of an assist and world-class finish to Roberto Firmino’s hat-trick, there was no shortage of joy for Liverpool at Vicarage Road, but it was truly a baptism of fire for Claudio Ranieri upon his return to the Premier League.
Watford’s worrying haul of one point from their last three Premier League games has seen them drop to 16th in the table after eight matches, and the sense of pessimism around Vicarage Road is certainly growing.
Victory at Carrow Road represents the only positive aspect of Watford’s top-flight away journeys so far this term – losing their other three on the road without scoring a single goal – and not since December 2018 have the Hornets claimed an away win against a top-half side.
Watford have suffered three consecutive defeats in their last three clashes with Everton in all competitions, and the Toffees have never lost a Premier League fixture at Goodison Park to their upcoming visitors – posting six wins and two draws from eight games in that hot streak.
MATCH FACT: Everton have never lost a home game to Watford in any competition (13 wins, two draws) – it’s the most they’ve ever faced a side at home without defeat in their history.
KEY MEN: Demarai Gray (Everton) & Ismaila Sarr (Watford)
LIKELY LINE-UPS:
Everton: Pickford (GK); Coleman, Keane, Mina, Digne; Townsend, Allan, Davies, Gordon; Gray, Rondon
Watford: Foster (GK); Ngakia, Troost-Ekong, Cathcart, Rose; Kucka, Sissoko; Sarr, Cleverley, Dennis; Hernandez
SCORE PREDICTION: Everton 2-0 Watford
Leeds United vs Wolverhampton Wanderers, 3:00PM
Wolverhampton Wanderers will be looking to back up their memorable comeback victory over Aston Villa last time out when they travel to face Leeds United at Elland Road on Saturday.
The visitors trailed by two goals heading into the final 10 minutes last weekend but somehow recovered to take all three points, and they may just consider themselves favourites against a Leeds side showing very worrying signs of second season syndrome.
Wolverhampton Wanderers are probably the best recent example of a promoted team successfully backing up an impressive first season in the top flight, and that is something Leeds are eager to emulate this season.
The style and flair with which Leeds played last season meant that not many tipped them to struggle this year, but the early signs in 2021-22 have been ominous for Marcelo Bielsa’s men. The Whites’ energy and enthusiasm on the pitch remains the same, but without the wins on the board to back it up.
Leeds have only won one of their opening eight games of the campaign, scoring seven goals and picking up just six points in that time – a tally which leaves them hovering one place above the relegation zone heading into matchweek nine. It is their worst start to a league season in 33 years, while seven goals in eight games is a sharp decline from the 12 they plundered in the final four games of last season.
Marcelo Bielsa’s men are certainly undergoing a difficult patch and even their goals have dried up too. They have have only managed to score more than once in a game on two occasions from their 10 matches across all competitions so far in 2021-22, and both of those games came in August.
It’s not just at the attacking end where Leeds have struggled so far; only the bottom two – Newcastle United and Norwich City – have conceded more than the 15 the Whites have conceded, while they have faced more shots on target than any other Premier League side in 2021-22.
This will indeed be pleasing reading for Bruno Lage’s rejuvenated Wolves side who are beginning to find their feet in front of goal once again, scoring six times in their last three league games having managed only two in their opening five – one of which was an own goal.
Wolves looked down and out when Aston Villa went 2-0 up last weekend, but they discovered a new found belief and firepower as they came back to win 3-2 within just 15 minutes. It was certainly all the more sweet against their Midlands rivals.
Bruno Lage’s side have overcome a slow start to win four of their last five Premier League games, and another victory this weekend would see them pick up maximum points in four consecutive top-flight outings for the first time since January 1972.
Fifteen points after nearly a quarter of the season would make for a good start to life at Molineux for Lage, whose side are also looking to win four Premier League away games on the bounce.
Only Liverpool, Chelsea and West Ham United have picked up more points on their travels than Wolves so far this season, whereas Leeds have only managed four points and four goals from their four outings at Elland Road.
Wolves also have an impressive record in this particular fixture, winning their last three league trips to Elland Road without conceding a goal, and beating Leeds five times in a row home and away.
MATCH FACT: Leeds have lost each of their past five league games against Wolves, scoring just one goal in the process. They have only had six longer such losing runs against an opponent, most recently against Derby County between 2006 and 2013 (nine in a row).
KEY MEN: Raul Jimenez (Wolves) & Raphinha (Leeds United)
LIKELY LINE-UPS:
Leeds United: Meslier (GK); Llorente, Struijk, Cooper; Klich, Shackleton, Dallas; Raphinha, Roberts, Harrison; Rodrigo
Wolves: Sa (GK); Kilman, Coady, Saiss; Semedo, Neves, Moutinho, Marcal; Traore, Jimenez, Hwang
SCORE PREDICTION: Leeds United 1-2 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Southampton vs Burnley, 3:00PM
Two teams with just one win between them go head to head at St Mary’s on Saturday as Southampton entertain Burnley.
The hosts picked up their first victory of the campaign at the expense of Leeds United last weekend, whereas Burnley only have three draws to show from their opening eight games.
Southampton’s triumph over Leeds last Saturday would have been a significant weight off the shoulders of Ralph Hasenhuttl, but they know they will need to follow that up this weekend against strugglers Burnley.
It has not been an easy start to the season for the Saints, with six of their eight games so far coming against teams that finished in the top half in 2020-21, and a home tie against an out-of-form Burnley side represents their easiest test on paper yet.
The win over Leeds also made it two clean sheets in their last three league outings at home – having not managed to keep any in their previous 11, and their defensive record is now the best of any team in the bottom half.
It is at the other end where they have struggled most, though, scoring just six goals all season – only Burnley and Norwich City have found the back of the net on fewer occasions.
Sean Dyche will be looking to get off the mark this weekend, at Southampton’s expense with their primary objective once again will be to remain in the division. However, like Southampton, they too have had a difficult run of fixtures.
Six of their eight outings have come against teams that finished in the top half last term, including away games against both Liverpool and Manchester City already – a factor which has contributed to their joint league-low tally of just one away point so far.
A 2-0 defeat to the champions last time out was by no means disgraceful – and comfortably a better scoreline than they have suffered in that fixture during recent years – but it does leave them in the relegation zone with only three points to their name so far. They did have their opportunities against Guardiola’s men, but couldn’t locate their clinical edge.
Draws against Leeds and Leicester City were respectable, but a stalemate at home to relegation favourites Norwich, who incidentally are the only team to have scored fewer than Burnley in the league this season, will be seen as two points dropped.
Sean Dyche’s side are now on the longest current winless run in the top four tiers of English football, stretching back 11 games, although there are signs that a first triumph could be just around the corner.
All five of Burnley’s goals this season have given them the lead in matches, but they have thrown that lead away on each occasion, dropping 10 points from winning positions already this term – a joint-high in the league alongside Newcastle United.
MATCH FACT: Burnley have won two of their last four league visits to St Mary’s, as many as in their previous 25.
KEY MEN: Nathan Redmond (Saints) & Dwight McNeil (Burnley)
LIKELY LINE-UPS:
Southampton: McCarthy (GK); Livramento, Bednarek, Salisu, Perraud; Elyounoussi, Romeu, Diallo, S Armstrong; Redmond, Broja
Burnley: Pope (GK); Lowton, Mee, Tarkowski, Taylor; Cornet, Westwood, Cork, McNeil; Barnes, Wood
SCORE PREDICTION: Southampton 1-1 Burnley
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Manchester City, 3:00PM
Third meets fourth in the Premier League at the Amex Stadium on Saturday, as Brighton & Hove Albion play host to Manchester City on the South Coast.
The Seagulls were held to a goalless stalemate by basement side Norwich City last time out, while the champions coasted to a comprehensive 2-0 triumph over Burnley at the Etihad.
While it may be too premature to determine whether Brighton’s fast start to the season is slowly petering out, the Seagulls’ dominance has turned to draws in recent weeks, the latest of which came against bottom-of-the-table Norwich City.
Despite bossing the ball with 65% possession and firing seven shots on target, there was no way through for Graham Potter’s men at Carrow Road, with that result representing their third one-pointer in a row following previous stalemates with Crystal Palace and Arsenal.
However, with 11 points from the last 15 on offer under their belts during a five-game unbeaten league run, the high-flying Seagulls remain in the top four of the rankings, although they are now only above Tottenham Hotspur on goal difference.
It has been a fine start to the campaign from Potter’s men, and a pleasing sign of their progression under the highly-rated former Swansea boss.
Brighton may have only chalked up eight goals at the correct end of the pitch so far – the fewest out of any side in the top half – but only Chelsea and City have shipped fewer than their five at the other end, as Potter’s well-coached side finally produce the results that their performances have so often warranted.
The Seagulls have also suffered just one defeat in their last nine Premier League battles on home soil, but with a league-high 22 yellow cards already this term, indiscipline could prove fatal against the rampant champions.
Continuing their surge in the league following the international break, Man City barely needed to get out of second gear to sink Burnley at the Etihad last time out, with Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne both making the net ripple on home soil in gameweek eight.
Pep Guardiola’s side were expected to face a much sterner test against Club Brugge in the Champions League, but the Belgian champions’ resilience was broken in a storming 5-1 win for City.
On the pitch, Man City have certainly consigned their opening-day defeat to Tottenham Hotspur to history – taking 17 points from the last 21 on offer in the division – and they now occupy third spot in the rankings behind Liverpool and leaders Chelsea.
With only three goals conceded – all of which have come on the road – City’s defensive record is unsurprisingly the joint-best alongside Chelsea, although the travelling party will need no reminding of what happened during their most recent trip to the Amex.
Brighton marched to a remarkable 3-2 win on the South Coast after recovering from going two goals behind back in May, although City have won the other seven Premier League meetings between the two teams and have never failed to score more than twice at the Amex in that time.
This will indeed be a stern test for Guardiola’s men, don’t be surprised to see Graham Potter spoil City’s day once again.
MATCH FACT: City have never lost back-to-back league meetings with Brighton, overall losing just four of their 22 previous such games against the Seagulls (won 14, drawn four, lost four).
KEY MEN: Neal Maupay (Brighton) & Kevin De Bruyne (City)
LIKELY LINE-UP:
Brighton: Sanchez (GK); Dunk, Duffy, Burn; Veltman, Gross, Bissouma, Lallana, Cucurella; Maupay, Trossard
Manchester City: Ederson (GK); Walker, Dias, Laporte, Cancelo; Silva, Rodri, De Bruyne; Sterling, Foden, Grealish
SCORE PREDICTION: Brighton & Hove Albion 1-3 Manchester City
Brentford vs Leicester City, Sunday 2:00PM
Thomas Frank’s impressive Brentford side play host Brendan Rodgers’ recently resurgent Leicester City at the Brentford Community Stadium. The Bees unbelievably unlucky in their close defeat to Chelsea last weekend, with Edouard Mendy in the form of his life to stop Brentford not only claiming a draw, but a well deserved win in all fairness.
Leicester come into this fixture purring, after a fine display against Manchester United last weekend, ending their 29-game unbeaten away Premier League run in a 4-2 win at the King Power.
The Foxes also grabbed all three points in their Europa League group tie against Spartak Moscow in what was a thrilling 4-3 encounter, with Patson Daka – scorer of the fourth against Manchester United – netting all four goals in what was a poacher’s masterclass from the Zambian.
The most pleasing aspect of the two performances was the ruthlessness of Patson Daka, who has gone from failing to find the back of the net to scoring five times in 113 minutes.
With Rodgers naturally considering the possibility of playing the Zambian in tandem with Jamie Vardy, opposite number Thomas Frank will be wary of the new-found threat offered by the visitors.
The Bees will take a lot of positives from their defeat to Chelsea, a game in which they dominated, and really should not have lost. Brentford currently sit in ninth in the Premier League table on twelve points and could find themselves in the top six providing they beat Brendan Rodgers’ men on Sunday afternoon. It represents an unbelievable start to the campaign for the newly promoted side, taking 12 points from a possible 24.
They’ve only conceded seven goals so far this campaign, the best of any of the promoted sides and are building a daring reputation on their home turf as the team to beat. However, Brentford are without a home victory in the league since the opening day, while Ivan Toney remains with just one goal from open play this season.
After going four league games without a win before they entertained Manchester United, The Foxes have been in dire straits, performing below expectations and only registering just six points from a possible 21. However, their impressive win over stuttering Manchester United will have done their confidence the world of good, especially coming back from behind to win the game.
One source of worry for Brendan Rodgers, will of course be his floundering defence. The Foxes have conceded 14 goals so far this season and have just the single clean sheet to their name this season. It will provide a promising incentive for Brentford as they go in search of another scalp against one of the top teams in the Premier League.
MATCH FACT: Brentford can take Leicester City’s winless run in London to five Premier League matches (D1, L3).
KEY MEN: Ivan Toney (Brentford) & Jamie Vardy (Leicester)
LIKELY LINE-UPS:
Brentford: Raya (GK); Jorgensen, Jansson, Pinnock; Canos, Onyeka, Janelt, Nørgaard, Henry; Mbeumo, Toney
Leicester City: Schmeichel (GK); Evans, Vestergaard, Soyuncu; Pereira, Tielemans, Soumare, Castagne; Maddison, Daka, Vardy
SCORE PREDICTION: Brentford 2-2 Leicester City
West Ham United vs Tottenham Hotspur, 2:00PM
West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur head into Sunday’s London derby with just one point separating the clubs in the Premier League standings.
Despite indifferent starts, the teams sit in seventh and fifth place respectively, one victory away from potentially moving into the top four.
While West Ham have performed at a consistently-high level for over 12 months, some of their supporters will still feel in dreamland given the vast improvements made under David Moyes.
Despite having such a small pool of players to choose from, the former Manchester United and Everton boss is making tremendous use of the options available to him.
Nevertheless, the Hammers head into their latest London derby on a steeper upward trajectory than the likes of Arsenal and their next opponents, and there is widespread belief that there is still more to come.
West Ham have, so far, made light work of their opponents in the Europa League, extending their run to three successive victories in seeing off Genk on Thursday night.
However, it is away wins such as the one at Everton last weekend which highlight their resoluteness, Moyes’s men now having 10 points from four away fixtures, which makes for superb reading.
Heading into Sunday’s fixture, Moyes will recognise that West Ham can carry on their superb progress under his tutelage with another win another against their fierce rivals.
From Nuno Espirito Santo’s perspective, he will be in two minds whether this fixture has come at the right time given the backlash after the Vitesse game.
Nuno, with some justification, rested the 11 players who edged out Newcastle United last weekend, but a second-string side were not at the races as they succumbed to a 1-0 reverse.
With Spurs still sitting in fifth position in the table with 15 points from eight games, there is potential for any criticism to subside with a win at the London Stadium.
That said, a fourth league defeat in nine would inevitably see Nuno come under further fire from the Tottenham fans ahead of next weekend’s crucial home clash with Manchester United.
MATCH FACT: West Ham can go three league matches unbeaten against Spurs for the first time since May 2008.
KEY MEN: Declan Rice (West Ham) & Harry Kane (Spurs)
LIKELY LINE-UPS:
West Ham: Fabianski (GK); Coufal, Zouma, Ogbonna, Cresswell; Rice, Soucek; Bowen, Benrahma, Fornals, Antonio
Tottenham: Lloris (GK); Emerson, Romero, Dier, Reguillon; Hojbjerg, Skipp; Moura, Ndombele, Son; Kane
SCORE PREDICTION: West Ham United 1-1 Tottenham Hotspur
Manchester United vs Liverpool, 4:30PM
Two of the Premier League’s giants collide in a clash of the titans at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon, as Manchester United host Liverpool in what is certainly the tie of the weekend.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men have been stuttering of late, dropping down to sixth in the table and leaving his immediate future uncertain despite signing a new contract to remain at the helm. Jurgen Klopp’s men however, are in tremendous form, they remain the only unbeaten side in the league and are just a point adrift of leaders Chelsea.
Champions League nights and Cristiano Ronaldo. There is hardly a better combination in football. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner literally rose head and shoulders above the rest to save United’s bacon in a thrilling 3-2 comeback win over Atalanta BC in midweek.
However, as memorable as their night at Old Trafford was, United’s journey to the King Power last weekend to face Leicester City was anything but, leaving their decent start to the season in quite some peril, its now two defeats in three outings for Manchester United.
The pressure continues to pile on the shoulders of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who is said to retain the faith of the Red Devils board for the time being, but such struggles after welcoming Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane to the club have left more questions needing to be answered.
With only one point from the last nine on offer in the Premier League, sixth-placed United are five points adrift of leaders Chelsea and could very well drop further down the rankings depending on what transpires before the Reds pay a visit to the Theatre of Dreams.
Not since October 2019 have Man United gone four games without a win in the top flight, but the Red Devils only have two victories to boast from their last seven top-flight encounters at Old Trafford, where Liverpool will aim to condemn them to a 10th home clash without a clean sheet in the Premier League.
First Manchester City, then Watford, then Atletico Madrid’s defence were powerless to stop Mohamed Salah with the ball glued to his feet, as the Egyptian king continued to stake his claim as the best player in the world with yet another stunning solo effort at the Wanda Metropolitano – although James Milner’s deft touch was a significant help in finding the back of the net.
Before running out 3-2 winners in the Spanish capital, Liverpool gave Claudio Ranieri a harsh welcome back to life in the Premier League with a five-star performance against Watford, as Roberto Firmino took home the match ball while Sadio Mane also grabbed a goal at Vicarage Road.
Still unbeaten in all competitions since the season commenced, second-placed Liverpool are one point behind leaders Chelsea at the time of writing and are the only team in the top flight without a single defeat to show from their opening eight matches.
Liverpool’s 18-game unbeaten league run is currently the longest in the top four English divisions, and their thrilling 4-2 success at Old Trafford last term represented their sixth Premier League game without defeat against United.
Who will come out on top come Sunday evening?
MATCH FACT: Only Wayne Rooney (6) has more Premier League goals for Manchester United against Liverpool than Marcus Rashford (4).
KEY MEN: Bruno Fernandes (Man Utd) & Mohammed Salah (Liverpool)
LIKELY LINE-UPS:
Man Utd: De Gea (GK); Wan Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Shaw; Fred, McTominay; Greenwood, Fernandes, Rashford, Ronaldo
Liverpool: Alisson (GK); Trent AA, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson; Fabinho, Henderson, Milner; Salah, Firmino, Mane
SCORE PREDICTION: Manchester United 1-2 Liverpool
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