Manchester City host Arsenal in a showdown between the Premier League title favourites on Sunday, whereas Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou badly wants a win when his aspect host Brentford. Liverpool want to bounce again from a shock house defeat to Nottingham Forest when Bournemouth go to Anfield and Manchester United search revenge with a visit to Crystal Palace. Here’s a have a look at the choose of this weekend’s Premier League motion.
Early title tussle
A battle between the highest two pits the unstoppable drive in City’s in-form striker Erling Haaland in opposition to the immovable object in Arsenal’s obturate defence.
Haaland has struck a Premier League report 9 occasions within the opening 4 video games of the season.
But Arsenal have solely conceded as soon as, when right down to 10 males in opposition to Brighton, and saved clear sheets already away at Aston Villa and Tottenham.
The high two in every of the previous two seasons already occupy these positions as soon as extra.
“It’s one other unbelievable crew that defend rather well,” mentioned City boss Pep Guardiola. “They do not concede possibilities, they do not concede objectives. In many features they management all the things.
“Was the most important problem for the title the final two seasons, they’re there and might be there for a few years as a result of they created a depth of squad and a younger crew.”
City are the one aspect with an ideal 12 factors to this point, however a depleted Arsenal made certain they’re solely two factors behind by grinding out a 1-0 victory over Spurs in final weekend’s north London derby.
The Gunners are set to be lacking captain Martin Odegaard as soon as extra as a result of an ankle harm however can welcome again Declan Rice from suspension.
City are additionally set to be with out their inventive hub as Kevin De Bruyne limped out of Wednesday’s 0-0 Champions League draw in opposition to Inter Milan.
Postecoglou beneath strain
Arsenal’s third consecutive away derby win at Tottenham ramped up the scrutiny on Postecoglou.
Spurs have taken solely 4 factors from their opening 4 Premier League video games of the season and their kind has been trending downwards for a while.
After a blistering begin beneath the previous Australia supervisor, Tottenham have gained simply 13 of their final 32 league video games, together with seven defeats within the final 11.
Postecoglou has insisted he’ll ship silverware in his second season in cost however narrowly prevented a League Cup exit to second-tier Coventry in midweek.
With journeys to Manchester United and Brighton to return, Spurs must regular the ship in opposition to a Brentford aspect that troubled City final weekend in a 2-1 defeat.
Man Utd’s momentum
What a distinction per week has made for United boss Erik ten Hag.
The Dutchman returned from the worldwide break beneath strain after back-to-back defeats to Brighton and Liverpool.
But two victories and 10 objectives in opposition to Southampton and Barnsley has lifted the temper forward of the journey to Palace.
The low level of a dismal league marketing campaign final season arguably got here in a 4-0 thrashing by the Eagles in May.
But Ten Hag believes this weekend might be a unique story as he’s now blessed with choices slightly than combating an harm disaster.
“It was a 4-0, completely deserved, however Saturday might be totally different,” mentioned Ten Hag. “From February onwards, we needed to discover 11 gamers to assemble a crew.
“Now it’s 18 and we are able to choose one.”
Fixtures (all occasions GMT)
Saturday
West Ham v Chelsea (1130), Aston Villa v Wolves, Fulham v Newcastle, Leicester v Everton, Liverpool v Bournemouth, Southampton v Ipswich, Tottenham v Brentford (all 1400), Crystal Palace v Man Utd (1630)
Sunday
Brighton v Nottingham Forest (1300), Man City v Arsenal (1530)
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