After an exciting round of Champions League fixtures, we return to Premier League action today with Manchester United hosting Everton at Old Trafford.
Liverpool lead the standings and they’ll be eager to get back to winning ways in the Premier League. Below them, Manchester City, Chelsea, Manchester United, Everton and Brighton are all on 13 points after six games. Newly promoted Norwich City find themselves rock bottom, while the likes of Burnley, Newcastle United, Leeds United and Southampton’s search for first league win of the season continues.
Without much delay, let’s take a look at the 5 things to look forward to in Matchday 7:
Can Liverpool pass the Manchester City test?
Liverpool will host Manchester City at Anfield on Sunday which promises to be a game full of thrills and spills.
The Reds have been fantastic so far this season and flexed their muscles with a 5-1 away victory over FC Porto in the Champions League on Tuesday. Last weekend, however, they dropped points in a thrilling 3-3 draw with Brentford in west London, with the newly-promoted side giving a blueprint to teams waiting to take points off Jurgen Klopp’s side.
Having being held to a draw by Brentford, Liverpool wouldn’t want to give away further points so early in the season but they are up against defending champions Manchester City, who beat the Reds 4-1 at Anfield last season, of course, without the fans.
It’ll be a titanic battle between two tactically astute managers in Klopp and Guardiola, with the onus on the home side of taking the game to the Mancunian visitors.
Mikel Arteta and Arsenal’s revival to continue?
Arsenal have managed to put the horror start behind them and look like a new team under Mikel Arteta. 3 wins in as many games, 5 goals scored and just one goal conceded in the north London derby against Tottenham are all good signs.
The Gunners were back to their sublime, free-flowing attacking best in the north London derby as they cut Tottenham’s defence to ribbons on so many occasions. Their opponents, Brighton will look to continue their impressive start to the season after a 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace in the M23 derby on Monday.
Arsenal will look to take all three points at the Emirates Stadium, but don’t expect it to be a cakewalk for them against a well-drilled, exciting Brighton side.
Norwich City’s golden chance to break the duck
Norwich City manager Daniel Farke is already feeling the heat after a wretched start to the season following their promotion.
6 games played, 16 conceded, two goals scored and zero points on the board is a reading Farke will want to avoid. However, that’s the reality and the Canaries will get no better chance to break their duck against a Burnley side struggling for form.
Undoubtedly, Turf Moor is a difficult place to go and get a result but if the Norwich players stay disciplined, compact and essay their roles on Saturday, they’ll give themselves a great chance of returning home all smiles.
Manchester United’s response against Everton
Manchester United lost their first league game of the campaign at home to Aston Villa last Saturday. While the Red Devils got a much-needed win in the Champions League against Villarreal on Wednesday thanks to a dramatic stoppage-time winner by Cristiano Ronaldo, it was a lucky escape and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer would know that.
Despite a decent start, the pressure is on Solskjaer to make the team perform and get three points against an in-form Everton side over the weekend. Everton have done very well under new manager Rafael Benitez so far and will prove a stern test for Man United.
After back-to-back mediocre performances at Old Trafford, whether or not Solskjaer gets the desired response from his boys on Saturday remains to be seen.
Can Chelsea bounce back against Southampton?
Chelsea have suffered back-to-back defeats, with two great tacticians in Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola and Juventus’ Max Allegri exploiting those chinks in their armour inside a week.
Thomas Tuchel has looked clueless perhaps for the first time as a Chelsea boss in the last two games. Romelu Lukaku’s struggles are apparent up front, with the Blues’ big-money marksman not linking up with creative players well enough. He’s also not enjoyed good service from the wing-backs, which has resulted in the Pensioners failing to score despite dominating possession.
On Saturday, Chelsea will face Ralph Hasenhuttl’s Southampton—a high-pressing, energetic side that commit a lot of men forward. The Saints have lost their last game and are expected to put up strong resistance at Stamford Bridge.
