With the uncharacteristically mellow din of the deadline day behind them, the Premier League clubs will look forward to getting on the pitch and letting some of the football do the talking.
This week’s headline fixture is the attractive clash between Manchester City and Arsenal but a number of other teams will play for crucial points.
Here we will look at 3 players who are likely to play a key role in their team’s fortunes this weekend.
PAUL POGBA
Manchester United face a Leicester City side who have taken 4 points off Liverpool and Manchester City recently. The Foxes have found the right gear at the right time against these teams and will back themselves to pull off another upset against the Red Devils.
But things might not be so simple for them especially if Paul Pogba manages to hit his stride, something he has been doing regularly since Jose Mourinho’s exit. The Frenchman has scored 6 goals and notched 5 assists in his last 7 appearances in the league. He will certainly prove to be a handful for the home team provided he is declared fit for the game.
KEVIN DE BRUYNE
Manchester City face a massive week ahead with fixtures against Arsenal, Everton and Chelsea coming at them back to back. The Sky Blues have not looked the same team as last season and have dropped points against the likes of Wolves, Crystal Palace, Leicester City and Newcastle United. Aside from the loss against Chelsea, though, they have been impressive against the big guns and the availability of De Bruyne will give them a massive edge.
The Belgian has struggled with injuries this season but is back now and having worked up a good rhythm, will be raring to anchor the team once again. His incisive passing and work-rate will come in handy and if he can reignite his partnership with David Silva, things will surely look rosier for City by the end of the week.
SADIO MANE
Liverpool’s front three have been in decent form this season and the goals have been more evenly distributed amongst them. Mohamed Salah took time to get going but has been regular in finding the back of the net notching 16 times already. Firmino has also found the back of the net 9 times which has ensured relentless pressure on the opposition defences.
But with 2 goals in his last 2 matches and 10 overall, the man to look forward to on Sunday will be Sadio Mane. The Senegalese has not let his two fellow attackers overshadow him and the desire of each player to get on the scoresheet has worked pretty well for the table toppers thus far.
