Premier League Matchday 11 preview: Man City travel to Liverpool, Man Utd host Newcastle, and more

Friday night fixture

Brentford vs Brighton

Brentford are without a win in three matches and last week’s humbling at the hands of Newcastle will be a cause for concern for Bees boss Thomas Frank. Their inconsistency this season could be problematic in their bid to avoid a relegation battle. And things are not going to be any easier with Brighton visiting.

Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi will be eager to get his first win as the new manager. Despite impressing under De Zerbi, they have very little to show for in the three games he has been in charge of apart from that scintillating 3-3 draw at Anfield against Liverpool. A win over Brentford this weekend will firmly put them among the favourites for a top-ten finish.

(Update: Brentford defeated Brighton 2-0 in the Friday kick-off)

Saturday fixtures

Leicester City vs Crystal Palace (5 pm IST)

The Leicester City board’s faith in under-fire manager Brendan Rodgers will be tested again this weekend. Despite a convincing 4-0 win against fellow strugglers Nottingham Forest a fortnight ago they were unable to follow it up after losing 2-1 away to Bournemouth. They remain rooted at the bottom of the table and anything less than a win at King Power Stadium against Crystal Palace could be catastrophic for the Foxes and Rodgers.

Crystal Palace travel to Leicester on the back of a 2-1 win against Leeds United. Patrick Viera’s men are a solid unit and can cause problems for any team. Eberechi Eze is in fine form for the Eagles and if Wilfried Zaha regains his scoring touch Leicester could be in a world of trouble,

Wolves vs Nottingham Forest (7:30 pm IST)

Wolves will head into the weekend without a permanent manager. After a deal to bring Julen Lopetegui to the Molineux failed to materialise, the hierarchy at Wolves have reportedly turned their attention to their former manager Nuno Espírito Santo. Regardless of who is in charge for this week’s fixture, Wolves will be well aware that beating a struggling Nottingham Forest is a must.

Steve Cooper’s position as Nottingham Forest’s manager appears to be safe for the time being. In a rather unusual move, they sacked their head of recruitment and head scout. While it is unorthodox, the £145 million spending spree this summer is not a good reflection on the club’s strategy. If Forest do not get a point at least from this weekend, Cooper’s days as Forest manager could be numbered.

Fulham vs Bournemouth (7:30 pm IST)

Fulham has been given a harsh dose of reality after back-to-back defeats. At Craven Cottage the home crowd will play a factor in helping their team find a bit of form against a resurgent Bournemouth. However, they could be without their talisman and leading marksman, Aleksandar Mitrovic, who missed last week’s defeat to West Ham through injury.

Interim Bournemouth manager Gary O'Neil deserves a lot of praise for how he has turned the club’s fortunes around. They are unbeaten in the five games he has been in charge and they would be keen to keep the momentum going with another positive result in London this weekend.

Tottenham vs Everton (10 pm IST)

Tottenham bounced back from the North London derby defeat with a 1-0 win over Brighton. While it wasn’t the most convincing of displays, Antonio Conte’s men got the job done thanks to a clever header by Harry Kane. Conte can expect his team to comfortably beat Everton this weekend but Everton have shown resilience despite injuries to key players in recent weeks.

Frank Lampard’s Everton were second-best against Manchester United last week, but they did show plenty of fight toward the end of the match to push the Red Devils to their limits. Another positive for Toffees boss Lampard is the return of Dominic Calvert-Lewin from injury. It remains to be seen if he is match-fit to play the full 90, but he does offer Lampard a new dimension to Everton’s attack.

Sunday fixtures

Southampton vs West Ham (6:30 pm IST)

Since beating Chelsea in August, Southampton have lost all four league games. They are just one point above the relegation zone, and manager Ralph Hasenhüttl desperately needs to turn things around quickly in order to avoid being sucked into a relegation battle. Whereas their opponents this week have turned things around with four wins in a row.

West Ham’s recent upturn in form will be a relief for fans who had high expectations this season. The shaky start to the season did not instil a lot of confidence, but recent results have given fans renewed hope. Manager David Moyes will be thrilled with new signing Gianluca Scamacca after the striker’s excellent start with his new club. West Ham are the clear favourites heading into the fixture but Southampton have demonstrated their powers of recovery in previous seasons.

Manchester United vs Newcastle (6:30 pm IST)

Manchester United’s last league game at home was on 4th September when they dismantled league leaders Arsenal. They have since had a couple of matches postponed and a run of consecutive away games. Erik ten Hag will be looking forward to being in the dugout again at Old Trafford for a league fixture. He will hope that in-form wingers Marcus Rashford and Antony can cause problems for the Newcastle defence.

Eddie Howe’s magpies have found their goal-scoring touch, and the return of midfielder Bruno Guimarães to full fitness and firing on all cylinders does offer Howe plenty of firepower in attack. Newcastle scored nine goals in the last two games but they will be up against a determined Manchester United defence, which is unfortunately fragile during counterattacks.

Leeds United v Arsenal (6:30 pm IST)

Leeds haven’t had a particularly good run of results in recent weeks and manager Jesse Marsch would be concerned by their inconsistent performances. They face a daunting task this weekend as league leaders Arsenal visit Yorkshire. If they can get at least a point from the game it could catapult them out of the rut they are in.

Arsenal are flying high at the moment with eight wins out of nine games this season. Mikel Arteta’s young squad have shown great maturity in how they handled adversity and how they have stepped up in the big games. They are a well-drilled and organised unit with great attacking flair up front. They should be able to dispatch Leeds comfortably but the question remains whether this squad is big enough to keep up this form till the end of the season.

Aston Villa vs Chelsea (6:30 pm IST)

Despite a decent run of results, Steven Gerrard’s Aston Villa are still 16th in the table. They had to rely on the evergreen veteran Ashley Young to score a spectacular goal from outside the box to come away with a point against a struggling Nottingham Forest. Gerrard will need all of his players to be at their very best against resurgent Chelsea. The lack of goals from his forwards is another cause for concern for the English manager as the league heads into a very congested fixture list in the coming weeks.

Graham Potter appears to have stamped his authority on Chelsea. Since replacing Thomas Tuchel as the manager of the Blues, Chelsea have five games unbeaten with four wins. Chelsea are expected to win comfortably this weekend, but a trip to Villa Park is never easy despite Villa’s form this season. Chelsea are currently in the top four and if they continue winning games at this rate they could become serious contenders for the title.

Liverpool vs Manchester City (9 pm IST)

Liverpool’s poor run in the league has dropped them to 11th in the table. Their defeat to league leaders Arsenal last week has all but extinguished any title aspirations. But their midweek 7-1 demolition of Rangers in the Champions League offers a bit of relief to Reds boss Jürgen Klopp. And Trent Alexander Arnold’s injury might be a blessing in disguise as the right-back has become a liability in defence. Whereas Mohammed Sarah’s quick-fire hattrick in midweek is a sign that the Egyptian could be back to his best.

Manchester City are almost unstoppable at the moment with Erling Haaland scoring goals for fun. He has already scored 15 goals this season in just nine games! And with Kevin de Bryune, Phil Foden, and Bernardo Silva constantly finding him with the right balls, the 22-year-old Norwegian could break several scoring records this season. City boss Pep Guardiola will be careful not to underestimate Liverpool because Liverpool at Anfield with the Kop in full volume could be intimidating for any away side.

You can watch the Premier League Disney+ Hotstar.