- Roberto De Zerbi will aim for his team’s first victory.
- He has so far led the Seagulls to a dramatic 3-3 draw at Liverpool and a close 1-0 loss to Tottenham.
- Pep Guardiola’s team is only in second place behind early leaders Arsenal.
Brentford vs Brighton: Roberto De Zerbi, who replaced Graham Potter as Albion’s head coach, will aim for his team’s first victory under his leadership. He has so far led the Seagulls to a dramatic 3-3 draw at Liverpool and a close 1-0 loss to Tottenham on Saturday at the Amex Stadium.
However, Pep Guardiola’s team is only in second place behind early leaders Arsenal, who go to Leeds, when they take on Liverpool, who are already trailing them by 13 points.
- Brighton at Brentford: Home win 32%, away win 43%, draw 25%
- Leicester at Crystal Palace: 44% at home, 31% away, 25% tied
- Bournemouth at Fulham: Home win: 47%; Away win: 27%; Draw: 26%
- Nottingham Forest at Wolves: Home victory 55%, Away victory 19%, Draw 26%
- Everton at Tottenham: Home victory 67%, Away victory 13%, Draw 20%
- Chelsea at Aston Villa: Home win 25%, Away win 50%, Draw 26%
- Newcastle vs. Manchester United: Home win: 49%, Away win: 28%, Draw: 23%
- West Ham at Southampton: Home victory 36%, Away victory 38%, Draw 26%
- Arsenal at Leeds: Home win 21%, Away win 58%, Draw 22%
- Liverpool vs. Man City: 33% at home, 45% away, and 21% tied.
The following article by Sussex World examines some of the hot topics before this week’s Premier League games.
Haland and Salah
Thanks in large part to Mohamed Salah’s amazing six-minute hat-trick in the Champions League victory over Rangers on Wednesday, Liverpool is optimistic that a turning point has been reached. However, the Reds’ match against Manchester City on Sunday is expected to be considerably different as they seek their first Premier League victory since August 31. 20-goal Erling Haaland is anticipated to be back in the visiting lineup, well rested after receiving a midweek night off.
Leeds going the Gunners
Arsenal will remain in first place if they defeat Leeds at Elland Road earlier in the same afternoon, regardless of what happens at Anfield. After a spirited 3-2 triumph against Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium last weekend, the Gunners strengthened their already-impressive resume. Thursday night’s 1-0 Europa League victory over Bodo/Glimt gave them their seventh straight victory overall. Since May 2003, they have won 10 of the 12 encounters between the two teams in all competitions without losing either at home or away.
Guimares or Ronaldo?
Cristiano Ronaldo has played in just one Premier League game this year, but last Sunday’s winner against Everton, the 700th of his professional career, served as a reminder to Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag of his enduring power. Eight goals have been scored in 13 outings across all competitions against Newcastle, the opponents this weekend. Bruno Guimaraes, a Brazilian international, has emerged as a new hero for the rapidly developing Magpies after scoring twice in last weekend’s 5-1 victory against Brentford. He will look to add to that performance on his first visit to Old Trafford.
Both Steven Gerrard of Aston Villa and Brendan Rodgers of Leicester have busy weekends ahead. Prior to Saturday’s home match against Crystal Palace, the Foxes, the surprise 2016 champions, are at the bottom of the standings with only one victory to their record this year. To the dismay of some supporters, Gerrard’s Villa are four spots and five points ahead but have only won once in their previous seven games, Chelsea coming to visit on Sunday.
Spurs fashion
On Saturday night, Tottenham will host Everton in North London, but there are still concerns about their approach under manager Antonio Conte. Despite having a perfect record in six home matches this season, they have yet come under fire for what is thought to be a lack of fluidity in their play. However, concerningly, Spurs may be set to find their groove once more as seen by Harry Kane and Son Heung-min scoring both goals in Wednesday’s 3-2 Champions League triumph over Eintracht Frankfurt.
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