PREVIEWS, TABLES, FIX XTURES AND STATS
MAN CITY V ARSENAL SATURDAY, 12.30PM, BT SPORT
Arsene Wenger used to get great value out of the Carabao Cup by blooding youngsters. Perhaps it has just given Mikel Arteta the lift he needed by fielding his biggest names. After Covid, PierreEmerick Aubameyang’s first contribution of the season was a hat-trick in the 6-0 win at West Brom, which must lift spirits after back-to-back Premier League defeats, even if their next task is probably the toughest of all. Pep Guardiola said Aymeric Laporte will keep his place after shining in City’s 5-0 win over Norwich last week. MATCH STAT ARSENAL HAVE LOST THEIR FIRST TWO GAMES WITHOUT SCORING FOR THE FIRST TIME
ASTON VILLA V BRENTFORD SATURDAY, 3PM
Brentford head to a ground where they have never won, although their recent record against Villa is good – three successive away draws and home wins. Dean Smith’s Villa are showing real ruthlessness, scoring from all four shots on target in the league so far before a young side won 6-0 at Barrow in midweek. His old club have four points out of six so far but will want to get Ivan Toney, scorer of 31 goals in the Championship last term, off the mark soon
– even if his performances have been good. MATCH STAT ONLY TWO CLUBS HAVE KEPT CLEAN SHEETS IN THEIR FIRST THREE PREMIER LEAGUE GAMES
BRIGHTON V EVERTON SATURDAY, 3PM
Brighton hope Neal Maupay will recover in time from a shoulder injury as they look to continue their winning start to the season. Nobody has done more in their league games to give Graham Potter’s side a clinical edge to go with their attractive approach play and the future looks bright with a 2-0 Carabao Cup win at Cardiff for a side with an average outfield age of 20. One of Rafael Benitez’s early signings Andros Townsend got Everton’s winner at Huddersfield to continue an unbeaten start to the season.
MATCH STAT BOTH THE SEAGULLS AND EVERTON HAVE TAKEN 34 POINTS FROM 25 GAMES IN 2021
NEWCASTLE V SOUTHAMPTON SATURDAY, 3PM
Ralph Hasenhuttl has had to endure two 9-0 defeats during his reign as Southampton boss so it is perhaps no surprise he willed his side on to score more goals in the club-record 8-0 win at Newport in the Carabao Cup. He has made no secret of his ambition to get to the final although like their hosts they are still looking for their first league win, despite the vibrant 1-1 draw with Manchester United. For Newcastle fans it feels like nothing has changed, two defeats followed by a Carabao Cup exit to Burnley on penalties. MATCH STAT JAMES WARD-PROWSE REPORTEDLY IS SOUTHAMPTON’S FIRST £100,000-A-WEEK PLAYER
NORWICH V LEICESTER SATURDAY, 3PM
If Norwich have been rattled by back-to-back defeats on their Premier League return they have a funny way of showing it, bashing Bournemouth 6-0 in the Carabao Cup. The likes of Christos Tzolis and Josh Sargent, who scored twice each have certainly expanded manager Daniel Farke’s options. Leicester came unstuck at West Ham on Monday when Ayoze Perez’s red card did nothing to spare him from the ire of fans who already see him as their weak link. Even if the challenge was without malice, he starts a three-game ban. MATCH STAT LEICESTER HAD GONE 39 GAMES WITHOUT A RED CARD BEFORE PEREZ’S DISMISSAL
THE BIG MATCH WOLVES
V MAN UNITED SUNDAY, 4.30PM, SKY SPORTS
OLE GUNNAR Solskjaer managed his 100th Premier League game in charge of Manchester United on Sunday, a milestone he has appeared very unlikely to reach for much of his reign at Old Trafford.
A first trophy may still elude the Norwegian but he has brought some consistency back, albeit while keeping United’s trademark of doing things the hard way.
Since his appointment United have taken 184 points, a total only bettered by Manchester City (224) and Liverpool (223). Not only that but should they avoid defeat at Molineux, United would set a new Premier League record of 28 away games unbeaten.
But, as midfielder Paul Pogba underlined after last week’s 1-1 draw with Southampton, records will never be a substitute for trophies at Old Trafford.
The Frenchman feared even at this early stage of the season United might live to regret their failure to take all three points after he had set up Mason Greenwood’s equaliser, ten minutes into the second half.
BY JOHN PAYNE
Next up is a trip to the Black Country, where Bruno Lage’s desire to ensure Wolves play more on the front foot than under his predecessor Nuno Espirito Santo is being felt.
The Old Gold club may not have got the rewards they deserved in the 1-0 defeats to Leicester and Tottenham but with the number of chances they are creating that will surely only be a matter of time.
Having carved out 17 at the Foxes and 25 against Spurs, they took their tally to 70 in three games with 28 in a totally dominant Carabao Cup win at Nottingham Forest.
It may have taken almost an hour to get the opener they deserved but Daniel Podence – who could easily have had a first-half hat-trick – played a starring role as Forest were hammered 4-0.
Lage also expects Adama Traore, one of the most fearsome sights in the Premier League, to stay despite continued overtures from Tottenham. What better time to show off the new, more exciting Wolves than in a game when all the attention will be on the visitors?
WEST HAM V CRYSTAL PALACE SATURDAY, 3PM
Maybe the London Stadium isn’t so bad after all, eh Hammers fans? Their 4-1 win over Leicester under the lights, capped by Michail Antonio’s photobook brace, was perhaps the night they were able to shed the ghosts of Upton Park and finally feel at home – and David Moyes’ vibrant side will only have them coming back wanting more. Palace supporters may have thought Roy Hodgson wasn’t positive enough but Patrick Vieira is finding the same old problems with their lack of cutting edge an early cause for concern. MATCH STAT PALACE ARE STILL TO SCORE UNDER VIEIRA AFTER A 1-0 CARABAO CUP LOSS AT WATFORD
LIVERPOOL V CHELSEA SATURDAY, 5.30PM, SKY SPORTS
Virgil van Dijk faces the biggest test since his return to fitness for Liverpool as he comes up against Romelu Lukaku at Anfield. Lukaku marked his second Chelsea debut with a perfect performance in their 2-0 win at Arsenal but Van Dijk is more likely to relish the physical battle. Thomas Tuchel’s side won at Anfield last term when Mason Mount got the only goal. Meanwhile, Jurgen Klopp has led calls for Reds’ fans to ditch the ‘Chelsea rent boys’ chant after it was heard in their opening-day win at Norwich.
MATCH STAT LUKAKU HAS SCORED IN JUST ONE OF HIS LAST 11 APPEARANCES AGAINST LIVERPOOL
BURNLEY V LEEDS SUNDAY, 2PM, SKY SPORTS
It felt harsh of Klopp to accuse Burnley of ‘wrestling’ in his side’s 2-0 win at Anfield last weekend. Referee Mike Dean clearly did not agree, not dishing out a solitary card to a team whose disciplinary record suggests any robustness is within the rules. Sean Dyche’s side will be looking to get their season up and running against a Leeds line-up who won 4-0 at Turf Moor in May. Chris Wood, one of those Klopp singled out, will be hoping to prove a handful to a side for whom he scored 44 goals in 83 games. MATCH STAT BURNLEY HAVE GONE A PREMIER LEAGUE RECORD 95 GAMES WITHOUT A RED CARD
TOTTENHAM V WATFORD SUNDAY, 2PM
Whether he likes it or not, Harry Kane will continue to be lauded as one of Tottenham’s own for a good while yet after Manchester City failed to cough up the cash to sign him. The way things have started under Nuno Espirito Santo, ‘1-0 to the Tottenham’ may become another song of choice. Popular left-back Danny Rose will be hoping to feature at his old club having taken the man-of-the-match award in the Hornets’ 1-0 Carabao Cup win over Crystal Palace, while new signing Juraj Kucka could return from a leg injury. MATCH STAT WATFORD’S LAST LEAGUE WIN AT SPURS WAS A 5-1 SUCCESS IN MAY 1985