Premier League Preview: Arsenal vs Tottenham and 4 more Sunday matches
The return of the Europa League and Conference League makes this the BIGGEST Sunday of the Premier League season so far with 5 matches. We’re taking a closer look at all of the action, starting with a huge derby in the capital:
It’s been a while since the North London Derby meant quite as much as it does this weekend. Spurs are playing swashbuckling, attacking football under new boss Ange Postecoglou, while Arsenal are grinding out results without quite getting into third gear so far this season. Both sides have 13 points after 5 rounds.
Derby day is always a barometer of either side’s progress and Sunday’s meeting will be a fascinating test for both Postecoglou and Mikel Arteta. The Gunners have prevailed in each of the last 3 league derbies at Emirates Stadium. Both sides scored in all 3 of those.
Speaking of swashbuckling style, Roberto De Zerbi’s Seagulls are playing some of the most attractive football in Europe. Their 3-1 win at Old Trafford last weekend saw them score for a 21st Premier League match on the trot and they’ve scored 15 league goals this season, the most of any team.
Bournemouth have yet to win a league match this season but are still clear of the relegation zone, for now, thanks to respectable draws with West Ham, Brentford and Chelsea. Only Everton and Luton have scored fewer goals than the Cherries (4) after 5 rounds though.
The Blues haven’t really gotten going yet. A goalless draw against Bournemouth doesn’t tell the full story but it does point to a lack of efficiency. They’ve got just 1 win from 5 league games this season and scored only 5 times.
It hasn’t been smooth sailing for Aston Villa and Unai Emery either, although they did claim a last-gasp 3-1 win against Crystal Palace last weekend to get them back on track. The home side have lost each of the last 3 Premier League H2Hs between these clubs.
Jürgen Klopp’s team were written off in some quarters after a serious midfield revamp which saw Fabinho, James Milner, Jordan Henderson, Naby Keïta and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all leave the club.
They’re now unbeaten in 16 EPL matches and have won 4 in a row, scoring 11 goals in the latter sequence. Mo Salah has directly contributed to 201 goals in 223 EPL appearances for the Reds, underlining his status as one of the greats.
West Ham took their first defeat of the campaign against Man City last weekend despite going ahead in that match. Liverpool will need to be cautious of the set-piece threat posed by James Ward-Prowse. The ex-Southampton man has scored or assisted in each of his last 6 league games.
The Magpies desperately needed a win after 3 straight defeats and they claimed a narrow one against Brentford. Now they visit Sheffield United, a team that have claimed just 1 point from 5 matches since their return to the top flight, in a 2-2 draw with fellow strugglers Everton.
The Blades need to start picking up more points soon otherwise a relegation battle will become an inevitability. However, recent clean sheets against Brentford and AC Milan underline that Newcastle remain a tough nut to crack.
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