After an exciting round of European fixtures, we return to Premier League action on Friday evening with Brentford hosting Brighton at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Arsenal are at the summit of the Premier League and will be keen to retain their position when they travel to Leeds United. Below the Gunners, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea and Manchester United will all look to build on their last weekend’s wins. Meanwhile, Leicester City, Wolves and Southampton must aim to bounce back after losing games last time out.
With that said, here are three things to look forward to in Premier League matchweek 11.
#Can Liverpool stop Man City?
Liverpool hosting Manchester City at Anfield on Sunday will be the biggest game of the Premier League weekend, with both teams in contrasting forms.
Following the 3-2 defeat to Arsenal away last weekend, Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool look to be out of the title race already but their ability to make life difficult for Manchester City has been evident from the past fixtures.
There are problems in almost every area of the pitch for the Reds, and with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Luis Diaz suffering injuries at Arsenal, the size of stopping the City juggernaut—led by Erling Haaland—has just become bigger. However, with Anfield set to be at their full voice from the first blow of the whistle, Klopp and co. must believe.
#Can Aston Villa stun Chelsea?
It has been a poor start for Aston Villa this season, sitting 16th in the table and just three points above the relegation zone. Steven Gerrard’s side are unbeaten in their last four league games, though, which includes a 1-1 draw with Midlands rivals Nottingham Forest on Monday.
Up next for Aston Villa is a home game against an in-form Chelsea side that has been unbeaten since the appointment of Graham Potter, winning four out of five games across all competitions. Considering the contrasting fortunes of the two clubs, the weekend’s fixture will be a sort of free hit for Gerrard’s Villa side.
In Philippe Coutinho, Jacob Ramsey and Ollie Watkins, Villa do have a few players with the individual quality to cause problems to the Blues backline but can they fight as a unit and pull off an upset at Villa Park?
#Can Casemiro enjoy an unblemished game against Newcastle?
Casemiro’s first Premier League start for Manchester United against Everton on Sunday was certainly a mixed bag; the defensive midfielder took time to settle down at Goodison Park, made a few sloppy passes and was hounded by Amadou Onana that saw him give the ball away for the Everton goal.
However, he did make amends for his mistake by robbing Alex Iwobi in midfield before setting up Cristiano Ronaldo for his 700th goal in club football. Casemiro did go on to show his class by controlling the tempo of play in United’s gritty 2-1 win over Everton, which saw him being adjudged the Man of the Match.
Scott McTominay being suspended against Newcastle United after picking up five yellow cards should give Casemiro another league start, but can the Brazilian show his quality in front of a jam-packed Old Trafford and enjoy a faultless 90 minutes this time around?
#Can Brendan Rodgers avoid the chop?
A 4-0 thumping of Midlands rivals Nottingham Forest at the King Power Stadium last week gave Leicester City their first win of the season while easing some pressure off of Brendan Rodgers’ shoulders. But the knives were soon out against Rodgers when Leicester City lost 2-1 to Bournemouth away at the weekend.
The way the Foxes conceded twice in a matter of minutes and crumbled in the defeat to Bournemouth did little for Rodgers’ credibility. Back at home against Crystal Palace, should Leicester fail to get a win on Saturday, it is very much possible the club say their final thanks to the Northern Irishman for his valuable contributions.
