(Football news) The match of this weekend is undoubtedly Liverpool vs Manchester City, two recent Premier League champions facing off against each other at Anfield. One can almost say that it was Liverpool who stopped City from winning three titles in a row and despite it being too early to consider this fixture a title decider, it will severely dent the hopes of the losing side’s ambitions.
Featuring two of the best managers in England, Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola will be vary of the damage the other side can inflict and will look to avoid defeat at any cost, particularly with a two week international break coming up. It won’t be too far-fetched to suggest that both managers might accept a draw on such an occasion and if history means anything, there have been three draws in the last seven meetings between the two sides.
Liverpool are the only unbeaten side in the Premier League but have drawn their last two matches against Chelsea and Brentford. Manchester City on the other hand were extremely impressive against Chelsea but lost this mid-week to Paris Saint-Germain and will look to make amends. Mohamed Salah is in red hot form, having scored eight goals in eight matches across all competitions. The Egyptian has always been prolific against City, scoring three goals in their last four meetings. Sadio Mane is another player for Liverpool that Pep Guardiola will be vary of, the Senegalese footballer has scored three goals in his last five Premier League games and also got a goal in the Champions League clash against Porto.
Liverpool vs Manchester City will be broadcasted on Sunday, 3rd October, 9 pm IST.
Manchester United will welcome Everton to Old Trafford in the first fixture of the Premier League this weekend with victory for either side taking them on top of the Premier League table until the other sides have their say. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team has been inconsistent to put it mildly and have lost their last two home games against West Ham in the Carabao Cup and Aston Villa in the Premier League. Their performance against Villarreal in the Champions League was poor as well and were fortunate to win because of David De Gea’s heroics and a late Ronaldo winner.
Everton have not defeated Manchester United at Old Trafford since 2013 but if recent results are to be used as evidence, the team has never looked more vulnerable than it does today. Harry Maguire is unlikely to feature in the team and Luke Shaw remains a doubt, which means Victor Lindelof is likely to partner Raphael Varane while Alex Telles might be retained at left back, particularly after his impressive goal against Villareal. Everton will also be a fresher side after getting a week's rest since they defeated Norwich and will look to exploit that with a high tempo game. Both teams have scored four in their last five meetings against each other and it’s likely that we would see some goals in this fixture again.
Manchester United vs Everton will be broadcasted on Saturday, 2nd October, 5 pm IST.
Chelsea will be out for blood, after losing two consecutive games Thomas Tuchel will want all three points when the Blues take on Southampton this weekend. However, three points are absolutely not guaranteed as in the last three seasons, Chelsea have drawn twice and lost once against Southampton and will be wary of Ralph Hasenhüttl’s team who have already taken points from both the Manchester clubs.
Tuchel will be worried that his side have lacked a cutting edge against Manchester City and Juventus. Chelsea managed just one shot on target across the two matches and despite having a phenomenal team on paper, they need to make amends and quickly to keep Premier League hopes alive. This will be especially relevant against Southampton who are notoriously difficult to break down. However, it will undoubtedly be an upset if Chelsea don't get anything other than three points from this fixture.
Chelsea vs Southampton will be broadcasted on Saturday, 2nd October, 7:30 pm IST.
Arsenal will travel to the Amex Stadium to face Brighton & Hove Albion who have made an impressive start to their Premier League season. The Gunners have won three consecutive matches with their most recent 3-1 win over Tottenham their best performance so far. However, Graham Potter’s Brighton have won four of their six matches this season and are currently just a point off Premier League leaders Liverpool. Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal will be looking to maintain momentum, especially after their dominating victory at the Emirates last week and will need all three points in this fixture to keep their top 4 hopes alive.
One positive for Arsenal is that Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang looks to have finally found his scoring boots with two goals in five league games and a hat-trick against West Brom in the Carabao Cup. The Gabonese striker has scored three goals in seven appearances against Brighton and looks fully fit to make a difference yet again.
Brighton vs Arsenal will be broadcasted on Saturday, 2nd October, 10 pm IST.
