(Football news) The fixture to look out for this weekend is undoubtedly Liverpool vs Arsenal on Saturday, 11 pm IST. Despite Mikel Arteta’s side having a terrible start in the Premier League campaign, the Gunners have caught up and are currently one two points and one place behind Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool who have failed to win their last two games before the international break began.
The reds’ 25 game unbeaten run was ended by West Ham in a 3-2 loss on November 7th and a 2-2 draw against Brighton the week before means that Liverpool are four points behind league leaders Chelsea and face a tough test against in-form Arsenal. However, Jurgen Klopp’s team will not be panicking ahead of Arsenal’s visit to Anfield this Saturday as they have already qualified beyond the group stage of the Champions League and will give the Premier League fixture their full focus instead of keeping one eye on Porto’s visit in the mid-week. Moreover, Liverpool’s next three fixtures are at Anfield where they have remained unbeaten in their last 13 games and remain the Premier League’s highest goalscorers.
After losing their first three games in the Premier League, Arsenal are in fine form, having won 20 out of a possible 24 points along with seven clean sheets, three of them came in a row before the international break. A victory against Liverpool at Anfield would mean Arsenal would be in a Champions League spot for the first time since October 2020 but the Gunners will be wary of their opponents as Liverpool have lost only once out of the last 11 Premier League meetings with seven wins since Jurgen Klopp has taken over.
The international break has not served Liverpool well with the likes of Andrew Robertson and Divock Origi doubtful while Jordan Henderson is ruled out along with Roberto Firmino, Joe Gomez, James Milner, Naby Keita, Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott. For Arsenal, Thomas Partey makes a return into the first team while Granit Xhaka and Sead Kolasinac remain sidelined. Despite Arsenal’s good form, Liverpool will be in a vengeful mood after their recent results and are expected to secure all three points.
Premier League leaders Chelsea will visit Leicester City at the King Power Stadium this weekend, hoping to extend their lead at the top of the table. The Blues are currently three points ahead of 2nd place Manchester City and have won their last three away games without conceding a goal.
For Leicester, Youri Tielemans remains a doubt after experiencing some calf discomfort against Leeds before the international break while Wesley Fofana and Ryan Bertrand are ruled out of the clash. For Chelsea, Romelu Lukaku and Mason Mount are finally in contention and could make their much awaited return this weekend while Mateo Kovacic and Timo Werner remain sidelined. The Blues are expected to secure all three points against Brendan Rogers’ team.
Manchester United will make a trip to Vicarage Road on Saturday, hoping to return to winning ways after losing 2-0 to Manchester City before the international break. Watford are in poor form as well, having three wins, one draw and seven defeats in 11 Premier League matches and are currently 17th, two points ahead of Burnley. For Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, this is a must win fixture, especially considering that their next two matches are against Chelsea and Arsenal and this may very well be the only three points they get in the next three fixtures.
For Watford, the likes of Francisco Sierralta, Christian Kabasele, Ken Sema, Kwadwo Baah and Peter Etebo are injured while Juraj Kucka is unavailable due to suspension. For Manchester United, Raphael Varane, Edinson Cavani and Paul Pogba are injured while Scott McTominay and Luke Shaw are available for selection. With the pressure on Solskjaer and the presence of Ronaldo, anything less than three points would be a failure and the Red Devils are expected to get the win this weekend.
Reigning Premier League champions Manchester City will welcome Everton to the Etihad Stadium this weekend with Pep Guardiola’s team a possible six points adrift of league leaders Chelsea depending on the result by the time the fixture takes place. For City, Ferran Torres remains a long term absentee while Jack Grealish is doubtful but Aymeric Laporte is back after serving his suspension.
Everton have not won any of their last five Premier League fixtures and are almost in a crisis situation. The likes of Abdoulaye Doucoure and Dominic Calvert-Lewin are unavailable due to injuries while Mason Holgate is suspended but Andre Gomes and Yerry Mina should be available to Rafa Benitez. Anything other than a Man City win would be a terrible result for Pep Guardiola and the champions of England should comfortably win this fixture.
