The Premier League weekend is set to resume with a blockbuster game as North London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur face off on Saturday. The game is widely being dubbed as the best North London derby in terms of quality, with both teams making blistering starts to their seasons.
Arsenal sit at the top of the table with 6 wins from 7 games, while Spurs are 3rd with 5 wins and two draws. Mikel Arteta has got Arsenal playing some beautiful football and his new signing Gabriel Jesus hitting the ground running. They lost their last game 3-1 against Manchester United but followed it up with a Europa League win over FC Zurich.
Antonio Conte has made Tottenham into a team that is very hard to beat, with Spurs the only side alongside City to stay unbeaten in the league. Harry Kane has led the line brilliantly with 6 goals, while Heugh-min Son announced his return with a hat-trick in his last game. Spurs are coming on the back of a narrow 2-1 win over Fulham.
Manchester United take on local rivals Manchester City in their first game after the international break on Sunday at the Etihad. Managers Pep Guardiola and Erik Ten Haag will meet for the first time in the Premier League at opposite ends of the dugout and the game will be very important for either manager.
City start as favourites for the game as they are clearly a level above their rivals with a squad filled with quality players. Erling Haaland’s arrival this summer has transformed the champions’ attack as the Norwegian made the best start to a season in Premier League history with 11 goals from the first 7 games.
After a horrible start to the season, Ten Haag’s Man United have come storming back with four wins on the trot, including victories over Liverpool and Arsenal. The defence has worked well with Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane while keeping two clean sheets in their last four. The duel between Haaland and United’s centre-backs might be where the game is decided.
City are currently 2nd, 1 point behind Arsenal, with 5 wins and 2 draws, while United are 5th, with 4 four wins and two losses. Pep Guardiola wouldn’t settle for anything less than a victory as they hope to keep pace with early pace-setters Arsenal, while Ten Haag could make a huge statement with victory over the champions. City haven’t lost since in the league February, while United have won three of their last four games at the Etihad.
Liverpool are badly in need of a victory but will be made to work hard for it by an ever-impressive Brighton side. The Reds have had a tough start to the season, although their league position doesn’t tell you the whole story. They are currently in 8th with just two wins from their first six games.
New signing Darwin Nunez is having a tough introduction to Premier League football, with the striker scoring just one league goal so far. Jurgen Klopp’s side were battered 4-1 away at Napoli before getting a lucky win against Ajax in the Champions League. This will be Brighton’s first game since Graham Potter left the club for Chelsea. The Seagulls are above Liverpool in the table and might be playing Jurgen Klopp’s side at just the right time.
Fulham have enjoyed a good start to their season as they host Newcastle at Craven Cottage. Newcastle have had some encouraging performances, although they have only one win this season but have only lost once. Aleksandar Mitrovic is proving his doubters wrong with a fine start to his campaign with 6 goals.
Chelsea go away to Crystal Palace in another London derby this weekend. This will be Graham Potter’s first game in charge of the Blues in the Premier League and has a difficult assignment at Selhurst Park.
Southampton welcome Everton to St. Mary’s on Saturday, while Bournemouth take on Brentford at the Vitality Stadium. Wolves and West Ham are struggling this season in 17th and 18th respectively and would want a victory when they face other at the London Stadium.
In the other games on Sunday, Leeds take on Aston Villa at Elland Road, while the bottom two, Leicester City and Nottingham Forest clash at the King Power Stadium.
