PREVIEWS, TABLES, FIX XTURES AND STATS
SATURDAY, 12.30PM, BT SPORT
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is again having to answer questions about his United future with the dramatic win over Villarreal failing to mask another poor display. The arrival of midweek hero Cristiano Ronaldo has no doubt upped the stakes at Old Trafford. After his first bad week since taking charge, a 2-0 win over Norwich was just what Everton boss Rafael Benitez needed. ‘Watching them in training, I expected we could do well but in the Premier League you never know,’ he said. ‘I think that we will get better.’ MATCH STAT EVERTON HAVE SCORED THREE PENALTIES THIS TERM, THE MOST IN THE TOP FLIGHT
BURNLEY V NORWICH SATURDAY, 3PM
Boss Sean Dyche refuses to accept Burnley are unlucky to still be searching for their first league win after drawing 2-2 at Leicester last weekend. ‘You either win or you don’t, it’s as simple as that,’ he said. ‘Deserving points and actually getting them means nothing at the end of the season.’ Hard-luck stories will not be accepted against a Norwich side who have lost their last 16 top-flight games but Daniel Farke said: ‘The key people at this club know the way we want to go and nothing will change our approach.’
MATCH STAT CHRIS WOOD GOT BOTH GOALS IN BURNLEY’S 2-0 HOME WIN OVER NORWICH IN 2019-20 SATURDAY, 3PM
Saints are another team desperate to get off the mark having undone some of the good work from drawing 0-0 at Manchester City by losing at home to Wolves. Their poor form seems to have run through the club with a miserable second half of last season and their B team, supposedly enhancing the path to the first team since being renamed from the Under-23s a year ago, not having won since February. Chelsea are depleted by losing N’Golo Kante to Covid, with Mason Mount and Christian Pulisic injury absentees. MATCH STAT LAST SEASON’S RESULT WAS 3-3 AND SAINTS ARE UNBEATEN IN THREE AGAINST CHELSEA
LEEDS V WATFORD SATURDAY, 3PM
Leeds are another side without a victory so far. Is it a case of second-season syndrome for Marcelo Bielsa’s team? Have they been found out? There wasn’t too much wrong with their performance in the breathless 2-1 home defeat to West Ham and they must see this as the start of four winnable games. Teenage defender Charlie Cresswell may get another start after a classy debut for the visit of a Watford side who were largely let off by the number of chances Newcastle missed before Ismaila Sarr secured a 1-1 draw last weekend.
MATCH STAT
RAPHINHA HAS SCORED FIVE GOALS FROM OUTSIDE THE BOX DURING HIS YEAR AT LEEDS WOLVES V NEWCASTLE SATURDAY, 3PM
Newcastle are the fifth of the winless wonders and manager Steve Bruce was left wondering how after the way they dominated at Vicarage Road. ‘We’ve created enough chances to win three games,’ said Bruce. Its a situation Bruno Lage has been familiar with but after a second away win – thanks to Raul Jimenez’s sensational strike at Southampton – Wolves are now looking to get off the mark at Molineux. This looks like a Pools coupon banker – the last five Premier League meetings have all finished 1-1.
MATCH STAT FIVE TEAMS ARE WITHOUT A WIN AFTER SIX GAMES FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 1964-65
NOTHING quite matches the atmosphere of an emotionally charged Anfield and that will certainly be the case on a day when Liverpool pay their respects to a true legend.
Not only was Roger Hunt a key figure in England’s 1966 World Cup-winning team but the man known as ‘Sir Roger’ on Merseyside was one of those who played a major role in making Liverpool the mighty force they are today, scoring on his debut with Bill Shankly’s side still in the Second Division and netting the opener in the 1965 Wembley final with Leeds that saw them win their first FA Cup.
The Kop at its most passionate isn’t always something Manchester City have coped with – just think about them trailing 3-0 within 31 minutes of a Champions League quarter-final in 2018 and their 3-1 reverse the following year that underlined the belief Liverpool’s 30-year wait to be crowned English champions was coming to an end.
It has already been a demanding week for the reigning champions, with Gabriel Jesus’ goal having secured victory from their best
performance of the season so far at Chelsea, before a 2-0 defeat in a game of the highest quality at Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday.
Raheem Sterling and Bernardo Silva hit the woodwork in France while PSG’s Gianluigi Donnarumma was by far the busier goalkeeper in the kind of match by which City were entitled to feel drained.
It was a very different story for Jurgen Klopp as his side went on their now traditional goal spree at Porto, their 5-1 victory once again demonstrating how their famed front three is back firing on all cylinders – Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino with two each and Sadio Mane also on target – even if it is the 20-year-old homegrown midfielder Curtis Jones who increasingly makes them tick.
The main worry at the moment in the league leaders’ quest to regain the title is their defensive vulnerability, although the deep crosses that caused them so many problems in last weekend’s 3-3 draw at Brentford would be a change from City’s usual style.
Neal Maupay’s reward for his delightful last-gasp leveller against Crystal Palace was a chat with his hero and fellow Frenchman Thierry Henry on Sky Sports. And not content with cupping his ears to the Palace fans, one of the Premier League’s best wind-up merchants wasn’t letting Henry have his own way when the Gunners legend joked: ‘Neal, relax against Arsenal.’ ‘You know I like scoring against Arsenal,’ he replied. After three straight wins, this is a test of whether Mikel Arteta’s side have really turned a corner.
ARSENAL HAVE NOT FAILED TO SCORE IN A GAME AGAINST BRIGHTON SINCE 1982
MATCH STAT BRIGHTON V ARSENAL SATURDAY, 5.30PM, SKY SPORTS CRYSTAL PALACE V LEICESTER SUNDAY, 2PM, SKY SPORTS
That Maupay goal was a real sickener for Palace, who deserved more than a point against their bitter rivals. ‘It is brutal and I am really sorry for the players,’ said boss Patrick Vieira, but at least his side gave a demonstration of the front-foot football their fans had been craving. Leicester’s defence has been creaking this season, having conceded ten goals in their six games so far, after injuries to Jonny Evans, Wesley Fofana and James Justin. ‘We’re not as stable as I would want us to be,’ admitted Foxes boss Brendan Rodgers.
MATCH STAT SIX BACK-FOUR COMBINATIONS IN THE FOXES’ NINE GAMES IN ALL COMPETITIONS SO FAR TOTTENHAM V ASTON VILLA SUNDAY, 2PM
While Tottenham’s priority in the summer was keeping Harry Kane at all costs, Aston Villa were meticulously planning for life without Jack Grealish. Having won nine away games last season, they are off the mark this time around thanks to Kortney Hause’s late winner at Manchester United – and an even later penalty miss from Bruno Fernandes. Villa look well organised from set-pieces and full of spirit, everything Tottenham haven’t been in conceding three goals in each of their last three games. MATCH STAT OLLIE WATKINS GOT THE WINNER IN VILLA’S 2-1 VICTORY AT TOTTENHAM IN MAY
WEST HAM V BRENTFORD SUNDAY, 2PM
Michail Antonio is having a ridiculous season. Goal and an assist, two goals and an assist, goal and an assist, two yellow cards, goal and, finally, last-minute match-winner in his six Hammers appearances so far. Even in that last game Leeds fans felt he should not have been on the pitch after a stray elbow but his value to David Moyes’ side is immense. Not that Brentford respect reputations as they showed by – in the words of their manager Thomas Frank – going ‘toe-to-toe’ with Liverpool, in the remarkable 3-3 draw. MATCH STAT WEST HAM WON 4-0 WHEN THE CLUBS LAST MET IN THE LEAGUE IN 1993