Manchester City is striving to avoid a third consecutive Premier League defeat, a situation not encountered in seven years, as they welcome Brighton on Saturday. Meanwhile, resurgent Chelsea faces a challenging encounter against Arsenal. This weekend could see four teams vying for the top spot, commencing with the Merseyside derby between Liverpool and Everton. AFP Sport offers a glimpse into the featured matchups.
Can Manchester City Reverse Their Decline?
City’s recent losses to Wolves and Arsenal before the international break marked their first back-to-back league defeats since 2018. The last time the champions suffered three consecutive losses was back in early 2016 during Manuel Pellegrini’s tenure. However, Brighton poses a considerable threat to City, who have an impressive streak of 20 consecutive home wins in all competitions. Guardiola has lauded Brighton’s manager, Roberto De Zerbi, as one of the most influential in the last two decades. This season, City seems to have adopted a strategy similar to Brighton’s, enticing opponents to press before swiftly exploiting open spaces. Nonetheless, Brighton has grappled with the demands of their inaugural European campaign alongside their Premier League obligations. Despite not winning in their last four games across all competitions, De Zerbi’s side still holds the sixth position in the league.
Arsenal’s recent last-minute victory over City two weeks ago has bolstered their belief that they can end a 20-year title drought. Under Mikel Arteta, the Gunners are currently second in the league, trailing only due to goal difference compared to north London rivals Tottenham. A victory on Saturday would place Arsenal at the top of the table, as Spurs are not in action until Monday.
The international break might have come at an inopportune time for Chelsea, as they have secured two consecutive league wins under Mauricio Pochettino for the first time. The Blues have rediscovered their scoring prowess, netting six times in wins against Fulham and Burnley. However, Arsenal presents a more formidable test to ascertain whether Chelsea’s turnaround is genuine. In the league, Chelsea has not won at home against their London rivals since 2018. If Pochettino can end this dry spell, he may win over the Stamford Bridge crowd after a challenging start to his tenure and also assist his former club, Spurs, in the title race.
Klopp’s Dilemma with South American Stars
Another season marked by contrasting fortunes seems to be unfolding in Merseyside. Liverpool, under Jurgen Klopp, has displayed signs of a resurgence and currently sits just three points off the league summit. In contrast, Everton appears to be headed for another relegation battle after securing only seven points from their first eight games, despite a relatively straightforward schedule. The Toffees have not won at Anfield when playing in front of a crowd since 1999. Everton manager Sean Dyche acknowledges the challenge: “Their record is very strong, they are a very good outfit, we know that.” Klopp faces a selection dilemma as he is unhappy with the early kickoff on Saturday, coming just days after some of his key players represented their countries in South America.
Alexis Mac Allister, Luis Diaz, and Darwin Nunez, after featuring for Argentina, Colombia, and Uruguay, respectively, are among the players who played 90 minutes in matches that concluded in the early hours of Wednesday UK time.
[Note: The times mentioned are in GMT, and the fixtures listed are as per the schedule provided.]
