1
Champions League hopefuls meet
Surprisingly for pre-season predictors, this match is just as important as the January fixture. Nottingham Forest head into level at the weekend with second-placed Arsenal, while Bournemouth are three points behind fourth-placed Chelsea and seven points behind Forest. Scrutiny for both teams has grown, but they continue to answer questions thrown at them. Last weekend, despite being without an out-and-out striker, Bournemouth got past Newcastle four times, giving Nuno Espirito Santo a booking. Justin Kluivert scored his second hat-trick of the season at St James’ Park, as Andoni Iraola’s flexible front four excelled. Nikola Milenkovic and Murillo may be more confident against a natural No 9, but Forest’s centre-back pairing will relish the challenge. I will re-in
2
Brighton hope to lock Everton
Apart from Manchester United and Tottenham, Brighton have not beaten a team from the bottom half of the Amex table so far this season. They drew with Ipswich, Wolves and Southampton and lost to Crystal Palace. Everton’s trip to the south coast means the Seagulls have not beaten their opponents at home this weekend since October 2019, but despite the visitors bouncing back under David Moye, Fabian It should be an opportunity for Hürzeller’s side. , but Hürzeler hopes the return of Danny Welbeck will help them get back into contention for European qualification. ed aaron
3
Elliott deserves to start for Liverpool
Harvey Elliott impressed as a second-half substitute against Lille and in interviews following his match-winning Champions League performance. The 21-year-old highlighted rumors of his exit from his beloved Liverpool in January, but said he would demand more playing time from Arne Slot, with the team flying at the top of the Premier League and Champions League. I admitted that it was stupid. It would not be foolish to state his case for his first league start of the season against Ipswich. Slott rested several defenders against Lille and planned to withdraw both Ryan Greigenberg and Dominik Zobosilai at half-time to keep minutes under control as Liverpool chased four trophies. did. Instead, only Greignbelch finished in the interval due to an injury to Curtis Jones. After just 2 months and a broken leg and 2 cup starts, you should get the opportunity you crave as a result of the slot rotation. The attacking midfielder brought much-needed energy and creativity to Liverpool’s display. A starting role against Ipswich could be a reward. andy hunter
4
Saints desperately need to cut down on errors
Ivan Juric has brought a vague positivity to Southampton when it comes to attacking play, but the team’s foundations are built on sand. No matter what happens in the final third, the defense is responsible for making atrocious mistakes, which they are always willing to admit. Against Forest, Southampton had a dreadful first half, in contrast to the defeat at Manchester United, where they fell behind. Yurik must eliminate these stages of incompetence. Southampton’s main objective from this point on, with their lowest total in Premier League history, is that their starting point is to stop chucking the ball into their own net, literally or figuratively. You need to overplay at the back and eliminate the loss of concentration. Woo
5
Pereira’s honeymoon period is over
The first bumps now feel a long time ago. Vítor Pereira won Wolves’ first two matches, a comprehensive win at Leicester and a deserved victory over Manchester United on Boxing Day. However, since then, Pereira has overseen three successive league defeats, as well as a narrow victory over Bristol City in the FA Cup. Mario Lemina, Wolves’ former captain and one of last season’s best performers, received interest from the Saudi league before the end of the transfer window, as Pereira criticized him after the latest defeat at Chelsea. I don’t play. The body language of Matthews Cunha, their top scorer and talisman. Wolves were previously optimistic about the Brazilian forward extending his contract, which runs until the summer of 2027. ben fisher
6
Chelsea should go for City’s jugular
“They got faster and faster,” was Pep Guardiola’s honest assessment of why Paris Saint-Germain beat Manchester City’s side 4-2 on Wednesday. As a result, the city will be eliminated from European football if it does not defeat Club Brugge next week. Firstly, City will focus on qualification for next season’s Champions League, visiting fourth-placed Chelsea on Sunday and arriving above the hosts. Champions are fragile. Enzo Maresca must smell blood and tell his quick attackers to go for the jugular and profit from the hosts’ continued lack of confidence and ruthlessness. jamie jackson
7
Palace to make Brentford right what is wrong?
If things were different on the first day of the season, where is Oliver Glassner’s side now? Crystal Palace lost 2-1 at Brentford after referee Samuel Barot denied a perfectly good goal from Ebebeki Eze in the first half, leaving the visitors set to win their next seven games in a dreadful start to the campaign. failed. However, that disastrous run is now a distant memory, with Glasner guiding Palace to 12th place after winning three of the last four in the league. They have a chance to get revenge on Thomas Frank’s side on Saturday and know that victory will take them above Brentford. ea
8
Moore giving Tottenham a lift?
Is Tottenham’s clash with Leicester a relegation six-pointer? Both are in absolutely horrible shape. Spurs have not won in six league matches and Leicester have lost seven in a row. The two managers refuse to change their style, but hope that repeating the same thing will lead to a turnaround. Ange Postecoglou restored morale with the win in Hoffenheim, but still has a long injury list and a replacement bench that looks more like a creche. One of those talented youngsters is Mikey Moore, one of the brightest teenagers in the country who impressed with Cameo. Giving the academy product a start against Leicester could be just what is needed. Wingers want to beat opponents with the ball at their feet. If Moore can do that against the Foxes, he might win back a few fans. Woo
9
Duran will want to prove Emery points
After Villa’s poor performance in Monaco, the stage is set. Unai Emery felt the introduction of Jhon Durán reduced Aston Villa’s threat on Tuesday, but it seems unlikely that the striker will be rewarded with promotion to Villa’s starting line-up, although Durán will come off the bench from the bench. What are the chances of him arriving and attacking the winner against West Ham, as he did on the opening day of the season at the London Stadium? Speculation intensified at the end of the week when West Ham riled Villa with another bid for the Colombian. Emery could not hide his anger after the defeat in midweek. Questioning some of his players’ mentality, he acknowledged his latest experiment with Watkins and partner Sing Duran. The Villa manager checked the eight players who followed the plan, but noted that Duran’s name was not among them. Another big goal from Durán is the perfect Riposte. bf
10
Has Pereira lost Fulham’s focus?
With speculation swirling around Andreas Pereira’s future, it wasn’t ideal for the Fulham midfielder to score a goal during the recent defeat to West Ham. Questions will inevitably be asked about Pereira’s focus given that links with Palmeira continue to emerge, and he was an unused substitute in last week’s 2-0 win at Leicester. Despite dropping the Brazilian for Sander Berges, Marco Silva continued to support Pereira in public. Perhaps he will repay that loyalty when Fulham host Manchester United. He will certainly want to impress his old team. jacob steinberg