After an exciting round of Carabao Cup fixtures during the week, we return to Premier League action this weekend. Liverpool are still top of the league, six points ahead of Manchester City, followed by Leicester City and Chelsea, who are both eight points behind the leaders. The Reds travel to Villa Park to face Aston Villa, while City face Southampton yet again at the Etihad Stadium, after their win against the same opponents mid-week in the Carabao Cup.
Arsenal are in fifth place with 16 points, despite two disappointing league results in the last two games. Manchester United have bounced back with a couple of away wins in multiple competitions, and they will face another tricky away test against Bournemouth on Saturday.
3 things to look forward to in Premier League Matchweek 11
Arsenal’s performance against Wolves after Granit Xhaka fiasco
Granit Xhaka was in the eye of the storm last weekend in the Premier League game against Crystal Palace as he hit back at his own fans after being booed at the Emirates Stadium. He was left out of the squad for the mid-week League Cup game against Liverpool, and it is unlikely that the Arsenal captain will return for the game against Wolves this weekend.
The Xhaka incident overshadowed the poor performance by Arsenal who let a two-goal lead at home slip, which will be a massive worry for manager Unai Emery. Arsenal played out an exciting 5-5 draw (losing on penalties) against Liverpool, once again letting a big lead slip, in the League Cup in mid-week. The Gunners need to be more solid at the back if they stand any chance of fighting for a top 6 position in the league and they will have to do so starting this week, against Wolves.
It remains to be seen if Arsenal brush aside the Xhaka controversy and get back to winning ways in the league as they have won just one of their last four league games.
Sheffield United’s potential rise to the top 6
Sheffield United have been the surprise package of the season so far. The Blades, who were promoted to the Premier League along with Norwich City and Aston Villa, have climbed into the top 10, and are level on points with Manchester United and one ahead of Spurs.
Chris Wilder’s men have the opportunity to move into the top 6 this weekend if they secure a win against Burnley at Bramall Lane, and other results go in their favour.
Everton and Tottenham Hotspur’s chance to rejuvenate
Two teams that were expected to compete for a top 6 position ahead of the 2019-20 season were Everton and Tottenham, who had invested a lot of money in the summer transfer window but have had a poor run of results this season.
Everton are 16th in the league with 10 points, while Tottenham have secured two points more than them and are in 11th. One of these sides can kickstart their season and push upwards in the table this weekend. They face each other at Goodison Park on Sunday, and a loss for either manager could result in a harrowing couple of weeks ahead.
