After a what now feels like a year of the international break, club football returns and the most exciting league in the world makes a return too. The Premier League returns this weekend coming with two feature derby matches that are sure to bring in a crowd, Arsenal vs Tottenham Hotspur is on Saturday and Sunday we get to witness the 188th Manchester Derby between Man United and Man City.
Premier League fans won’t have to wait for long to be treated, as the Emirates plays host to Arsenal welcoming Tottenham Hotspur in the opening game of the day, bringing back Premier League football in a fashionable way. Arsenal (18 points) lead Spurs (17 points) by 1 point after managing a total of 6 wins and only 1 loss in their 7 games so far. Spurs are 3rd on the table, level on points with 2nd placed Manchester City, and have won 5 and drawn 2 of their 7 games so far. The last time Arsenal finished above Spurs on the table was back in the 2015/16 season, and there will be an air of determination for the Gunners to keep on course to finish ahead of their fierce rivals for the first in just over half a decade.
Both teams boast a variety of new additions to their squads to add quality to their so they can compete at the level required. Arsenal have recently acquired the services of former Manchester City duo, striker Gabriel Jesus and left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko. While they also included the young promising winger Marquinhos in their shopping cart and American goalkeeper Matt Turner. Tottenham Hotspur have gone on a haul in the transfer addidng the likes of Richarlison from Everton, Ivan Perisic, penning Christian Romero on a permanent deal having been on loan last season, midfielder Yves Bissouma from Brighton and other players to boost additions in other departments. This is sure to be an interesting game for the spectators and a very close one to call with both teams in sizzling form and it really can go either way.
Manchester United will have a lot on their plate when they travel across the city of Manchester face a very daunting task of getting the better of an elite Manchester City side. Erik Ten Hag’s men come into this tie having racked up 4 victories in a row which include impressive 2-1 and 3-1 wins against Liverpool and Arsenal respectively. They’ll be hoping to cause an upset against the heavy favourites who will most likely line up with an in-form Erling Haaland up front, who has scored an impressive 11 goals in his first 7 Premier League games.
Manchester City are currently unbeaten and are 2nd in the Premier League with 17 points after 5 wins and 2 draws from 7 games this season so far. In the process they have been able to score a whopping total of 23 goals compared to Manchester United’s 8 goals in the Premier League so far. Now the question remains that can United’s defence, that has conceded 8 goals in 6 games this season, stop the threat of Erling Haaland and his Manchester City teammates? By the looks of it, Haaland is set for another goal scoring appearance.
At the Selhurst Park on Saturday, Crystal Palace will be hosting Chelsea in what would be Graham Potter’s Premier League for The Blues. Chelsea parted ways with 2021 Champions League winner Thomas Tuchel 3 weeks ago, and saw the former Brighton manager Potter as a fit replacement. Chelsea currently sit 7th with 10 points from 6 games played this season (3W, 1D, 2L) and trail fellow Londoners Arsenal and Spurs by 8 points and 7 points respectively. Palace sit on 16th with 6 points from 6 games, just 2 points above the relegation zone, they are in for a tough task when they come up against the unpredictable Chelsea and if Potter’s form is anything like he managed with Brighton you wouldn’t give Palace a chance. However Palace can find solace in the fact that they’re notorious ‘giant slayers’ and have given fantastic performances against the big 6 and sometimes even causing upsets, but considering their form going into this one and the team they’re up against, it’s unlikely that’ll be the case.
8th placed Liverpool come up against Graham Potter’s previous employers, Brighton and Hove Albion. The Merseyside club face this task having been on somewhat poor form, by their standards, having only managed 2 wins, 3 draws and lost once in their 6 games this season. Liverpool are desperately searching for points so as not to fall behind in the title race so soon, as they have been the closest contenders to Manchester City’s dominance in recent years, and a win here will boost their confidence and might even give them momentum to get back to winning ways. It will not be an easy task though as they face a Brighton side that is currently 4th on the log with 13 points (4W, 1D, 1L), but the Seagulls are yet to play without Graham Potter as their manager, so everyone is eager to see how they’ll fair without their master tactician. It might not be as close as people predict it to be and Liverpool might just reignite their form that gave them the 9-0 win against Bournemouth, and take all the 3 points.
We are all glad club football is back, and some of us are ecstatic over the prospect of the winnings to be reflected on the bet slips.
