- We examine the talking points leading up to the Premier League weekend, including Liverpool’s desire for revenge at Old Trafford.
We examine the talking points leading up to the Premier League weekend, including Liverpool’s desire for revenge at Old Trafford and the significance of Rodri at Manchester City.
Arsenal face the Brighton test
Arsenal players celebrate against Newcastle. Photo/ The Independent
This weekend, Arsenal will travel to Brighton for another challenging test of their undefeated 2024 campaign as they aim to put further pressure on league leaders Liverpool. The cornerstone of Arsenal’s championship challenge has been their defense, and on Saturday night at the Amex Stadium, the Gunners will be looking for their fifth straight away clean sheet.
Arsenal has only maintained five straight clean sheets away from home in league play once previously, in 1996–1997; no goalie in the Premier League has done it in the last two years.
Brighton, who have won their previous three games at home and only lost one of their previous eight on the South Coast, will put Arsenal’s recently unbeatable defense to the test. The Seagulls are seventh in the Premier League in terms of shots (452) and shots per game (15.1), even if they did not perform as well as they did the previous year.
Is Rodri City’s main man?
Manchester United manager Pep Guardiola with midfielder Rodri. Photo/90MIn.com
Midweek saw Rodri’s incredible record at Manchester City reach 43 league games without a loss. Should his team win the title this season, Rodri will be a heavy favorite to win Footballer of the Year.
This season, the 26-year-old has a career-best eight goals and 12 assists across all competitions. He also leads his teammates in touches, passes into the final third, and possession gained.
“Rodri’s the best. He’s the best in his position. He can do everything,” Guardiola said following the Spaniard’s performance against Aston Villa.
Although Rodri is a guy who can really do it all, his assist against Villa was the kind of silk that isn’t generally associated with midfield bullies. Unstoppable for this squad, he will be essential to the club’s prospects of winning this Saturday against Crystal Palace, a side that City has lost to in three of their previous five encounters.
No love lost for Sean Dyche
Sean Dyche. Photo/ Forbes.
This weekend’s Premier League match between Everton and Burnley will give the Sean Dyche derby even more significance. The victors of this weekend’s match will advance significantly in the direction of safety. Both teams scored significant points in the middle of the week.
Dyche is aware of the recent progress made by his former team. Burnley’s four-game undefeated streak has given them new life, after they appeared to be dead and buried a few weeks ago. While Nottingham Forest and Everton’s point deductions have reduced the distance between them and the clubs above, Arijanet Muric’s arrival in goal has given the Clarets more stability.
After working for ten years to solidify the Clarets in the top division, Dyche would undoubtedly like both clubs to make it through this season, but previous allegiances will be set aside for this weekend’s scrap. Everton’s victory at home would give them a lot of breathing room and move Burnley closer to the relegation zone.
Liverpool looking for revenge
Liverpool’s defeat against Manchester United last month ended Jurgen Klopp’s dreams of a historic quadruple and caused them to go out of the FA Cup. The way the Reds lost was spectacular; Amad Diallo’s last-second extra-time winner pushed them out of the cup.
Despite having a late lead in both normal time and the extra session, Liverpool lost to their bitter rivals due to a series of individual mistakes. This weekend, the two clubs square off once more in the Premier League as Manchester United attempts to undermine Klopp’s team’s championship drive.
If Liverpool wins this season, they would tie Manchester United’s record of 20 Premier League titles, and the Red Devils will be determined to thwart that attempt. Liverpool lost control of the game last time out at an electrifying Old Trafford, and Klopp will be looking for calmness from his players this time around. There is no margin for mistake due to the intensity of the title battle.
Wounded Villa face Brentford
Leon Bailey. Photo/ ston Villa
Mid-week, a weakened Aston Villa team—which had traveled to the Etihad without Ollie Watkins, Emiliano Martinez, and John McGinn, among others—lost 4-1 to the champions.
The possibility of all three of those players playing again against Brentford would be a major boost for the top-four contenders, who have lost their last four games and Tottenham now has the upper hand. Spurs are now in fourth place, but a victory over Villa in their upcoming match would put them above the opposition, and Unai Emery will be anxious to avoid making any more mistakes.
After their matchup with the Bees this weekend, the Villans head to Arsenal, another title contender. To keep their Champions League dreams going, they need to win three points.
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