Christopher Nkunku staked his claim for a starting spot with a hat-trick against Barrow in a sparkling showing alongside Joao Felix for Chelsea. Enzo Maresca made 11 changes to his team but any fears of an upset were over after just 15 minutes of the contest at Stamford Bridge. Joao Felix cleverly set up Christopher Nkunku for the opener with a lofted pass, before the striker flicked home a Malo Gusto cross to give Barrow a mountain to climb.
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Liverpool will aim to maintain their record-breaking start under new manager Arne Slot when they visit Crystal Palace on Saturday in the first game of the Premier League weekend.
The Reds picked up their eighth win in nine games under the Dutchman on Wednesday as they saw off Bologna in the Champions League and can extend their lead at the top of England’s top flight with victory at Selhurst Park.
Palace were magnificent in Oliver Glasner’s first six months in charge but his side’s only successes of the new campaign have come in the Carabao Cup, failing to secure any victories in their six league matches so far.
Crystal Palace team news
Palace need Eze on form on Saturday / Harriet Lander/GettyImages
Palace boss Glasner is still searching for the winning formula this season but has been hamstrung by a few significant absentees so far in 2024/25. Chadi Riad, Chris Richards, Cheick Doucoure, Matheus Franca and Rob Holding are unavailable to the 50-year-old.
Eberechi Eze scored the only goal of Palace’s last meeting at Anfield as they won 1-0 at Anfield in April. The Croydon club need their talisman firing if they are to break Liverpool’s recent winning run, with Eze only contributing one goal in six league games so far.
Liverpool team news
Nunez could be dropped / Alex Livesey – Danehouse/GettyImages
Liverpool have had a few fitness issues of late with Alisson missing a couple of games and Federico Chiesa not featuring in the victory over Bologna. The Brazilian goalkeeper returned against Wolves but the Italian winger is still a major doubt to feature at Selhurst Park.
Darwin Nunez was given the nod up front in midweek but couldn’t make a significant impact and is likely to be replaced in the starting XI by Diogo Jota. There could also be some rotation at left-back with Kostas Tsimikas replacing Andy Robertson.
Liverpool have the chance to head into the October international break having retained their spot at the top of the Premier League table and the Reds are favourites to secure the win that would help them do that.
Slot’s side had a few iffy moments against Bologna and there is some hope for Palace if they can make good on their chances, but only Southampton have scored fewer league goals than the Eagles so far.
The Merseysiders should claim all the points on Saturday but it could be another slender margin of victory away from home.
Prediction: Crystal Palace 1-2 Liverpool
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Emirates Stadium will play host to Sunday’s Round 7 EPL game between Arsenal and Southampton with Arsenal heading into the game as favourites with the bookmakers.
Arsenal vs Southampton Preview
Not to oversimplify this match preview or anything but this one simply boils down to how ruthless Arsenal are going to be on the day.
With a few players nursing some knocks after a brutal September we might see a few changes to the team with the likes of Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling in contention to start, but the approach should still be the same.
The Saints won’t put up too much of a fight either, with one point thus far and 12 goals conceded.
Quite a lot has changed from the side that took points off Arsenal in both meetings during the 2022-23 campaign and none of it is for the better.
Photo:Getty
Arsenal welcome a familiar face back to the Emirates Stadium on Saturday as Aaron Ramsdale returns with Southampton.
The goalkeeper left the club over the summer in a deal worth up to £25million, a year after signing a new contract and then almost immediately losing his starting sport to David Raya.
It will prove another daunting task for Ramsdale and his Saints side, who remain winless after six games, as the Gunners look to keep pace with Premier League table-toppers Liverpool, who face Crystal Palace in the earlier kick-off.
The last time these two teams met in the league, they shared a 1-1 draw and a 3-3 draw, as the Gunners fell short in the title race. Mikel Arteta will know further dropped points will prove costly once again.
Arsenal vs Southampton team news
Both Ben White and Jurrien Timber are in contention to feature, despite recent injury scares. White missed the wins over Leicester and PSG entirely while Timber was replaced at half-time against the French giants.
Arteta has confirmed that the pair are “close” to being ready to feature against Southampton, as is Takehiro Tomiyasu as he pushes to make his first appearance of the season.
Mikel Merino returned from injury against PSG to make his long-awaited debut, and is in the frame to get his first Premier League minutes under his belt against Saints. Oleksandr Zinchenko could return after the international break, but Martin Odegaard is not yet close to being in first-team contention.
It’s as case of as you were for Southampton, with Gavin Bazunu, Kamaldeen Sulemana, Jack Stephens and William Smallbone no closer to returns. As mentioned, Aaron Ramsdale will be facing his former club for the first time.
Arsenal vs Southampton prediction
Mikel Arteta will be well aware of the damaging results against Southampton in the previous two times these two teams met, but this Saints side do not appear to pose the same threat as the squad of two seasons ago despite being relegated.
More importantly, this Arsenal squad also looks far stronger than the team battling for the title in April 2023, so should have little problems recording another win this weekend.
The wobble against Leicester will be a concern, but the return of Mikel Merino to fitness is a boost in the midfield.
Arsenal to win, 3-0.
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Barcelona and Juventus monitoring Man Utd’s Garnacho
Barcelona and Juventus are reportedly on high alert as Manchester United winger Alejandro Garnacho continues to endure a frustrating start to the season, according to The Sun.
The 19-year-old Argentine has seen surprisingly limited action, sparking rumours of tension with United manager Erik Ten Hag. Reports suggest that a social media post by Garnacho, expressing frustration over his lack of playing time, led to a disagreement with the Dutch boss. As Garnacho’s situation remains unresolved, two of Europe’s biggest clubs, Barcelona and Juventus, are closely tracking the talented winger who is valued at around £50 million.
Arsenal set to begin contract talks with Partey
Arsenal are preparing to open contract negotiations with midfielder Thomas Partey after both the club and the Ghanaian international turned down a potential move to Saudi Arabia during the summer transfer window, according to TBR Football.
He is expected to be offered a two-year contract extension, which would keep him at the Emirates until the age of 33. Mikel Arteta and his coaching staff are reportedly strong supporters of Partey and are eager to keep him as a key part of their squad as they continue to challenge for Premier League success.
Real Madrid hope Bellingham will help sign Alexander-Arnold
Real Madrid are looking to sign Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Jude Bellingham’s relationship with the Liverpool star may help their pursuit.
Journalist Miguel Delaney has now revealed that while Alexander-Arnold may not be too keen to leave Liverpool, his friendship and overall relationship with Bellingham may aid Real Madrid in their bid to convince the full-back to make the move to Santiago Bernabeu next summer.
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Manchester United had a stoppage time header from substitute Harry Maguire to thank for rescuing a draw against Porto at the Estadio do Dragao on Thursday night.
As a direct result, manager Erik ten Hag is under slightly less pressure than he was about to be had United lost again, conceding three goals for the second time in five days.
His team led 2-0 at one stage and it looked as though it was a performance to silence the critics, at least until the weekend when it’s a trip to high-flying Aston Villa. But the kind of collapse seen all too often in recent seasons happened and United trailed 3-2 until Maguire intervened.
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The best and worst of the Red Devils were on display with Marcus Rashford showing his class to have them cruising with a two-goal lead. Nothing is ever simple with Ten Hag’s team, though, and their defensive weakness was completely exposed as Porto fought back to lead before Maguire’s late header.
United were off to a perfect start when Rashford cut through two Porto players with a quick move and beat Diogo Costa, who should have done better, just seven minutes in. The England international continued to poke at Porto’s back line and soon created another goal, playing a perfectly-weighted pass to Rasmus Hojlund to score, with Costa again not covering himself in glory.
Despite the crushing blows, the Dragons weren’t quite slain and stunned their visitors when Andre Onana’s save fell perfectly for Brazilian forward Pepe to finish just before the half-hour mark. Seven minutes later, Samu Omorodion got ahead of Matthijs de Ligt to head in the equaliser.
The Portuguese side started better in the second half, too, and it took less than five minutes to complete the comeback as the two scorers combined – Pepe cutting back for Samu, who once again beat De Ligt to the ball.
The situation got even more farcical for United as Bruno Fernandes was sent off in the 81st minute, leaving them looking doomed until Maguire got on the end of Eriksen’s corner to level it. Now four games without a win, the pressure keeps building on the Dutch coach, who will have to explain why his team suffered such an implosion.
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An enthralling clash is on the cards as the wounded Red Devils face a resolute Spurs side at the Theater of Dreams.
Manchester United has started the new season rather unconvincingly. They won their opening match against Fulham but then suffered two consecutive defeats. After securing another victory, they dropped points once again in their last match. Currently, Manchester United sits in 11th place in the standings, with seven points. Additionally, this week, the “Red Devils” played against Twente in the UEFA Europa League and could only manage a 1-1 draw.
Tottenham also had a less than stellar start to the new Premier League campaign. They drew with Leicester in their opening match, followed by a victory over Everton. However, they then faced two consecutive defeats against Newcastle (1-2) and Arsenal (0-1). In their most recent game, Spurs convincingly defeated Brentford 3-1. Tottenham also has seven points and currently holds a better goal difference than Manchester United. They began their UEFA Europa League campaign with an emphatic 3-0 victory.
Photo: Getty Images
MAN UTD TEAM NEWS: NO NEW INJURIES
After their 1-1 draw with Twente in the UEFA Europa League in midweek, Erik ten Hag confirmed there were no knocks so there are, presumably, no fresh injury concerns for the Dutchman to deal with ahead of this one.
In fact, England midfielder Mason Mount is back fit and available and featured against the Eredivisie outfit. They do remain without defensive quartet Leny Yoro, Victor Lindelof, Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia.
TOTTENHAM TEAM NEWS: SON EAGER TO IMPRESS
Ange Postecoglou has confirmed that club captain Son Heung-min wants to train on the day before the game and the Australian has said that he will be given ‘every chance’ to prove his fitness and feature at Old Trafford.
Fellow forwards Wilson Odobert and Richarlison are both expected to continue to be unavailable for this weekend with Richarlison not yet seen on grass, in comparison to Odobert.
STALEMATE AT OLD TRAFFORD?
Manchester United are attempting to evolve with the same management and basically the same players that have underperformed in the league in the last year or so. However, some will believe there have been improvements, albeit any that there have been have been nominal. Spurs, though, have never and remain a team you cannot trust to put a fragile and vulnerable side to the sword. With the lack of goals in United games and lack of consistent efficiency for Spurs, a low-scoring affair seems likely.
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Liverpool travel to the Molineux to take on bottom-of-the-table Wolves, who have just lost one of their key defenders for the season.
The Reds have scored 11 goals in three games since suffering their first defeat under the Dutchman against Nottingham Forest, with positive starts in both the Champions League and Carabao Cup complimenting their current rank of second in England’s top flight.
They are firm favourites against a Wolves side that is yet to win a league game this season, while Slot has also confirmed a major injury boost ahead of kick off.
Salah will be back in Liverpool’s starting XI / Dan Mullan/GettyImages
After a somewhat promising display against Arsenal – despite a defeat – on the opening weekend of the season, Wolves find themselves bottom of the Premier League table heading into the latest round of fixtures, having picked up just a single point in their four league games since.
Their latest outing saw them come up short against west midlands rivals Aston Villa. Despite leading the game until the 73rd minute through a Matheus Cunha strike, Gary O’Neil’s men conceded three times in the closing stages to make it a third straight defeat in all competitions.
EASY LIVERPOOL WIN?
With the shock defeat at home to Nottingham Forest notwithstanding, Liverpool have been hugely impressive in attack this season with goals being spread across their various attacking assets, and that does not spell good news for a Wolves side who have just lost one of their key defenders to injury.
The fierce competition for places in the Liverpool frontline is bringing out the best in Slot’s attackers, and they look primed for another goal-laden victory against a weakened Wolves rearguard. Expect the visitors to be leading at both half-time and full-time.
Credit: 90Mins/TheStatsZone
An in-form Chelsea host the unbeaten Seagulls in a mouthwatering clash at the Bridge on Saturday.
After a shoddy pre-season and opening weekend defeat to the champions, Enzo Maresca’s Blues have rattled off a four-game unbeaten run to sit fifth in the league table through five games.
Chelsea’s confident start to the campaign continued with a 3-0 beatdown of West Ham last week and 5-0 thumping of Barrow in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night.
Brighton progressed into the fourth round of the aforementioned competition the week prior as they beat Wolves 3-2. The Seagulls are no strangers to fast Premier League starts, but Fabian Hurzeler will know that his side have to be at their very best to maintain their unbeaten opening to the new season this weekend.
Hurzeler’s side were held by counter-attacking specialists Nottingham Forest at the Amex last weekend.
CHELSEA TEAM NEWS: GUSTO & LAVIA RETURN
Former Manchester City and Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia has returned to full fitness and the Belgium midfielder is expected to be involved this weekend but a start is likelier to come in the UEFA Europa Conference League next week.
They have just one first-team injury issue with that being club captain Reece James and his return, as ever, is still unpredictable. Malo Gusto has returned to full fitness and played in midweek against Barrow
Gusto played 45 minutes in midweek / Gaspafotos/MB Media/GettyImages
BRIGHTON TEAM NEWS: JOAO PEDRO STILL OUT
As he was seemingly returning from injury, Brighton boss Hurzeler has confirmed that Joao Pedro will once again be unavailable for this one and he is unsure how long the Brazilian forward will be sidelined for.
As well as the former Watford man, Matt O’Riley remains injured with fellow new signing Brajan Gruda a doubt, whilst both James Milner and Solly March are out injured.
Pedro will miss Saturday’s game / Steve Bardens/GettyImages
Chelsea welcome a Brighton and Hove Albion side that may be a little concerned about their performances against Ipswich and Forest, albeit the Seagulls were probably the better side against the latter and definitely the better side against the former. A defeat, though, does feel around the corner and now they travel to a Chelsea side that look genuinely good and consistent for the first time in a while so a home win would still appear a good bet for this one.
Credit: 90Mins/TheStatsZone
With implications at both ends of the table, it may seem like a fairly innocuous, run of the mill encounter at the Emirates Stadium but, for different reasons, both Arsenal and Leicester City are in desperate need of the three points.
Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images
With their first five Premier League matches behind them, Arsenal have weathered the storm of their early schedule that looked tough on paper, and was only further compounded by the unforeseen hazards that could have cost them dearly if not for the resolution of the side and manager Mikel Arteta. From costly injuries to baffling officiating, the Gunners were forced to show their mettle early on and made what would have otherwise been a series of frustrating circumstances – almost entirely on the road, mind you – turn into a gauntlet that left them more galvanized than anything.
Arsenal now have a different task ahead of them: managing expectations and refocusing. The upcoming slate is favorable in many ways, as Arsenal play their next three matches before the October international break at The Emirates, welcoming two teams from near the bottom of the table with a high-profiled Champions League home fixture nestled in between.
Goalkeeper David Raya is a reported injury doubt for his side’s Premier League game against Leicester this weekend. The 29-year-old missed Arsenal’s 5-1 Carabao on Wednesday, with 16-year-old Jack Porter deputising in his place. The former Brentford star played in the 2-2 draw against Manchester City last weekend but reportedly left the Etihad with an apparent limp after picking up an issue during the game. Now, he is in a race against time to face Leicester.
Photo:Getty
FUNCTIONAL FOXES
Under the management of former Swansea City and Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper, Leicester City have quite a limited and small-ish squad that isn’t expected to be overly competitive in the top-flight. It will therefore be a bit of a surprise for them to have suffered just two defeats in their opening five matches.
Despite that resilience and functionality, the lack of attacking threat is a concern and has massively contributed to them being winless in the league. There was a lot of criticism aimed at Cooper in midweek, too, as they were held to a goalless draw by Walsall before being the League Two high flyers on penalties in the EFL Cup.
Steve Cooper has reported there are ‘bumps and bruises’ from the Foxes’ midweek clash against Walsall but did not divulge who was suffering and is a potential doubt, although there are a few confirmed absentees.
Defender Jannik Vestergaard remains unavailable for the visitors with fringe goalkeeper Jacub Stolarczyk also sidelined. Zambian striker Patson Daka has been out all season and that is still the case for this weekend.
ARSENAL FOR THE WIN
Arsenal haven’t been overly free flowing or high scoring for quite a while now but they manage the opposition and matches extremely well. This is a game that, even with the continued absence of captain Martin Odegaard, should see them overwhelm the opposition, though. Leicester will once again look to be defensive and difficult to beat but the expectation remains a comfortable Gunners win, especially at the Emirates.
Credit:TheStasZone
Manchester City will look to continue their charge towards a fifth consecutive Premier League title on Saturday lunchtime when they visit Newcastle United at St James’ Park.
After their dramatic late draw with Arsenal at the Etihad last weekend, Man City look to continue their unbeaten start to the campaign against Newcastle.
Haaland mercurial once again / Getty images
MAN CITY PREVIEW: LATE DRAMA AT THE ETIHAD
Substitute John Stones’ late strike salvaged a point for Man City last weekend, with a fine defensive display from ten-man Arsenal frustrating Pep Guardiola’s men for the majority of the second half.
City’s midweek League Cup encounter with Watford was a little more straightforward, with the Premier League outfit progressing to the round of 16 courtesy of a 2-1 victory, goals from Jeremy Doku and Matheus Nunes doing the damage.
Man City were dealt a cruel injury blow in their title tussle with Arsenal last week as midfield star Rodri came off injured with a devastating ACL injury. The Spaniard is expected to miss most of the season, leaving Pep Guardiola in need of a new stabilising presence in the middle of the park.
The former Barcelona boss also has worries over Kevin De Bruyne’s fitness. The Belgian made his comeback from a severe injury in this fixture last season, inspiring his side to a dramatic 3-2 success after coming on as a 69th-minute substitute.
Oscar Bobb and Nathan Ake remain on the sidelines with plenty of changes expected from the starting XI that beat Watford on Tuesday.
Manchester City midfielder Rodri is injured in a collision with Arsenal’s Thomas Party leading to his substitution.
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NEWCASTLE TEAM NEWS: ISAK STILL NURSING TOE INJURY
Despite playing last week, Alexander Isak is still dealing with a toe injury, and having not trained fully this week, is once again a doubt. Anthony Gordon could occupy a central striker role should the Swede miss out.
Matt Target is the latest player to join the absentee list with the the full-back currently suffering from an eczema flare-up.
Manager Eddie Howe remains without central defenders Sven Botman and Jamaal Lascelles, while midfielder Lewis Miley and forward Callum Wilson remain unavailable.
Harvey Barnes has been the Magpies’ standout performer at the start of the season and has scored in three successive league games. He should start on the right wing in an attack featuring Anthony Gordon on the opposite flank
Barnes is in great form / Naomi Baker/GettyImages
NEWCASTLE VS MAN CITY PREDICTION
Although being held at home by a side with ten men is rarely seen as a positive result, the manner of Man City’s late draw with Arsenal last weekend will have felt like a victory in some respects, and come the end of the season that could prove to be a vital point in the title race.
There has also been a fair degree of drama in this fixture over the past couple of seasons, with the last two Premier League meetings at St. James’ Park producing 11 goals in total – a 2-3 win for City last season and a 3-3 draw the previous campaign. Given how below-par Newcastle have been this season though, despite their respectable position in the table, this could be more of a one-sided affair.
With the likes of Erling Haaland in such a rich vein of form, a high-scoring City win could be on the cards.
Credit: 90 Min
The Frenchman has been behind Nicolas Jackson in the pecking of late, but he was in fine form at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday
Chelsea’s third arrived before the half-hour mark to effectively end the game as a contest. Felix’s free-kick flew over the wall, hit the post and went in on off the back of helpless Barrow goalkeeper Paul Farman.
The Blues then simply picked up where they left off after the break. Nkunku and Mykhailo Mudryk combined to tee up Pedro Neto for his first Chelsea goal and the Blues’ fourth of the night.
Nkunku’s hat-trick then arrived when he robbed a dawdling Farman and slotted the ball home to seal a comprehensive win and a place in the next round for Maresca’s men.