Premier League Preview: Match Week Five

The match of the weekend, and the season so far, is Sunday when Arsenal visits the Etihad to face Manchester City. The Gunners have run second to Manchester City in each of the last two title races. Is there any reason to expect a different result this season? City’s Erling Haaland remains the most dangerous scoring threat in the Premier League. The defending champions’ depth is such that even the potential absence of star Kevin De Bruyne for Sunday’s match is largely met with a shrug as Manager Pep Guardiola can merely insert last season’s Premier League Player of the Year Phil Foden into De Bruyne’s midfield spot. Arsenal will be more impacted by the absence of its captain Martin Odegaard in the center of its own midfield. The Gunners survived not only Odegaard’s absence but also that of Declan Rice to put down rival Tottenham Hotspur last weekend, but will they have enough to get a result this weekend? Mikel Arteta’s men posted a clean sheet in both league matches against the champions last season. Goalkeeper David Raya, the returning Rice, and the center back pairing of Saliba and Gabriel could prove problematic for Haaland and friends. Bukayo Saka has been the engine for Arsenal’s attack, assisting on four of the club’s six league goals to date and scoring one of the other two.

Haaland v Arsenal defence. What. A. Match 😳#MCIARS | @ManCity | @Arsenal pic.twitter.com/a8fGLOmpZc

— Premier League India (@PLforIndia) September 20, 2024

Manchester United has suddenly become a goal scoring juggernaut. The Red Devils demolished Barnsley 7-0 in the Carabao Cup during the week, just days after a 3-0 league spanking of Southampton. Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho have both looked lively against lesser competition. The match at Selhurst Park might also see the return of striker Rasmus Hojlund from injury. Crystal Palace, meanwhile, is still looking for a first win this season as the Eagles adjust to life after Michael Olise, the young winger who left for Bayern Munich over the summer. Palace should still offer threat with the newly acquired Eddie Nketiah joining Jean-Philippe Mateta and Eberechi Eze in what should be a competent attack. The Eagles are vulnerable in transition, however, which is where Manchester United shines.

Elsewhere in London are two derbies which could be telling. Manager Ange Postecoglou is understandably no longer adored by Spurs fans. The Australian was a big hit last year when he led his club, reeling from the transfer loss of striker Harry Kane, to seven wins and two draws to begin his time with Spurs. Tottenham Hotspur was top of the Premier League table at the end of October last season. Fast forward and the same club won just two of its last seven matches to finish the season outside the top four. The north London side has one win this season and has lost back-to-back games, including last week’s home derby with Arsenal. Postecoglou’s crew can ill afford a third consecutive loss and another losing effort at home when Brentford visits Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday. Fortunately for Spurs, Brentford’s Yoane Wissa was injured in the Bees’ loss to Manchester City. Wissa’s three goals this season had been part of the solution to replacing former striker Ivan Toney’s production in Brentford’s attack.

West Ham is still struggling to solve its own striker problem. The Hammers acquired Niklas Fullkrug from Borussia Dortmund in this summer’s transfer window, seemingly to provide an upgrade on incumbent Michail Antonio. Manager Julen Lopetegui, however, has continued to favor long time Hammer Antonio and now Fullkrug is nursing a calf injury from international duty. Another transfer miss up front would come on the heels of the misguided 2023 acquisition of Danny Ings. Antonio and Ings combined for just seven league goals last season. Chelsea, of course, has also been accused of needing a striker upgrade. The Blues, however, are pretty optimistic about their attacking possibilities. There is still belief in the potential of young striker Niclas Jackson who just signed an extension with the club. Cole Palmer, of course, is world class. Noni Madueke has claimed the right wing with a promising start to the season which included a hat trick versus Wolves. Jadon Sancho had an electric debut on the left wing last week. Add in players such as Christopher Nkunku, who struck the winner at Bournemouth, and Joao Felix and it seems a potent mix. That is not good news for Lopetegui who could find himself presiding over the first West Ham club to suffer three opening league home defeats for the first time in the Hammers’ history.

Another new manager will be looking for his club to bounce back this weekend when Liverpool hosts Bournemouth. Manger Arne Slot and the Reds shockingly lost at Anfield last week to Nottingham Forest. Bournemouth have lost nine times and drawn once in their ten previous visits to Anfield.

Nottingham Forest and Brighton are both surprisingly undefeated this season. One of those records will be blemished when the Tricky Trees head to the South Coast to face the Seagulls on Sunday. A tight low scoring struggle can be expected. Only Arsenal and Liverpool have conceded fewer than the pair of goals that both Forest and Brighton have conceded after four matches this season. Brighton has been involved in half of the eight goalless draws in the Premier League this calendar year. Forest’s Callum-Hudson Odoi is a good candidate to break up such a deadlock in as he did in last week’s 1-0 win at Liverpool. Only Phil Foden and Eberechi Eze have scored more league goals from beyond the penalty box in 2024 than the former Chelsea man.

Two relegation rumbles take place this weekend when Ipswich Town visits Southampton in a battle of newly promoted clubs and Everton has a go at Leicester. Ipswich Town has captured a point in each of its last two matches after opening losses to Liverpool and Manchester City. Southampton, meanwhile, has lost all four of its matches, conceding three goals in each of its last two losses. Everton’s match with Leicester is pivotal. The Toffees, losers of all four of their matches, have relinquished two goal leads in each of their last two defeats and can ill afford another devastating blow to morale with a loss to the Foxes. Other matches this weekend include a daunting visit by presently relegation bound Wolverhampton to Aston Villa and a more entertaining match on paper when Newcastle goes to Craven Cottage to face Fulham.