United aim for hat-trick of wins, as Arsenal handed Sanchez boost
FRESH from consecutive 4-0 wins, Manchester United will be aiming for a hat-trick of victories when they face 2015 champions Leicester City at Old Trafford tomorrow.
Jose Mourinho’s side have been the most impressive of any of the title contenders in the Premier League so far with new signing Romelu Lukaku claiming three goals from the opening two games.
Leicester, though, have also given their fans plenty of encouragement with a confident 2-0 win over promoted Brighton and Hove Albion following on from their 4-3 defeat at Arsenal in the league’s opening game.
If United needed any reminder of the threat that Craig Shakespeare’s team pose on the break, City led 3-1 at the Emirates before Arsenal’s late comeback.
Recent form in head-to-head games suggests United should have the upper hand though – they triumphed 4-1 in the corresponding fixture last season and then enjoyed a 3-0 win at the King Power Stadium.
Chelsea bounced back from their opening-day shock home defeat to Burnley with victory over London rivals Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley last week, but face another tough test against Everton on Sunday.
Ronald Koeman’s Everton impressed in their 1-1 draw at Manchester City on Monday with Wayne Rooney scoring his second goal in as many games.
Spanish midfielder Cesc Fabregas is available for selection after completing his suspension, but skipper Gary Cahill remains suspended after his opening-day red card.
Everton will be without French midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin, who was sent off at the Etihad on Monday, and also have to cope with a tight schedule that saw them travel to Croatia yesterday for a second-leg Europa League tie with Hajduk Split.
Liverpool, who qualified for the Champions League group stage on Wednesday with a win over Hoffenheim, have their biggest test of the Premier League season so far when they host Arsenal at Anfield.
Wembley Stadium will see a repeat of the 1962 FA Cup Final when “home side” Spurs host Burnley looking to bounce back from their loss to Chelsea last week.
Promoted Huddersfield Town look to extend their 100 percent record when they host Southampton.
Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez is fit to face the Reds and is focused on giving “absolutely everything” for the team despite uncertainty over the striker’s future at the club, manager Arsene Wenger has said.
The Chilean, Arsenal’s top scorer with 24 league goals last season, has attracted plenty of interest from rival clubs as he enters the final year of his contract and missed the first two Premier League games of the season with an abdominal strain.
“Sanchez has worked hard to be back and available again,” Wenger told a news conference yesterday. “Alexis works very hard, he’s very focused and gives absolutely everything.
“He looks ready, he has not played for long time so I will have to decide what I do with him. (He could start) but we have to make that decision. We play on Sunday and he looks in good shape.”
French media have linked Sanchez with a move to Paris St Germain, while British media have reported that City are also interested in reuniting the 28-year-old with their manager Pep Guardiola, whom he played for at Barcelona.
Wenger said Sanchez had not been distracted by the transfer speculation and did not rule out the possibility of the Chilean committing to fresh terms.
“I don’t think he’s too much disturbed by all the noise, players at that level are used to it now,” the manager added. “He is very focused, very happy and the fact he goes into the last year of his contract doesn’t mean we can’t extend it.”
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is another player with less than a year of his deal to run and Wenger said he wanted the 24-year-old to stay at the club.
“I want Alex... to be one of the big players for the future, one of the players the team can be built around,” Wenger added.
“I want to keep my best players .... We’ve invested time and money, and confidence in players like Ox and they have a responsibility. I hope he commits.”
Centre-back Laurent Koscielny is back from suspension for the trip to Anfield, where Arsenal have not won in the league since 2012.
Wenger’s team suffered their first defeat of the season when they went down 1-0 at Stoke last Saturday, leaving the Gunners on three points from their opening two games. – Reuters