Red Devils, Gunners renew their rivalry
SuperSport viewers on DStv and GOtv can look forward to a classic Premier League rivalry, as Manchester United welcome Arsenal to Old Trafford on the evening of Sunday 4 September 2022.
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This was once a meeting of the league’s absolute powerhouses, but the Red Devils and the Gunners are no longer considered title contenders – with a place in the top four now the height of their realistic ambitions.
Nonetheless, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is hoping for a strong performance at ‘The Theatre of Dreams’ as his side look to continue their progression – something that United counterpart Erik ten Hag will no doubt be envious of.
“We know the challenge of going to Old Trafford, and this game will be no different,” explained Arteta.
Key players
Casemiro – Man United have for several years been crying out for a midfield ‘general’ and Brazilian Casemiro could well be the solution. The 30-year-old will look to protect his backline and win the ‘engine room’ battle to lay a platform for success.
Martin Odegaard – The Norwegian attacking midfielder has enjoyed a brilliant start to the campaign for Arsenal, linking superbly with the likes of Gabriel Jesus and Bukayo Saka to set the Gunners’ forward line alight.
Head-to-head stats
In head-to-head stats, Man United and Arsenal have met in 236 matches across all competitions since 1894. The Red Devils have claimed 100 wins compared to 86 for the Gunners, while 50 games have been drawn.
AC Milan, Inter Milan clash at San Siro in derby game
A thrilling encounter is on the cards as the two most recent winners of Serie A clash in the Milan derby on Saturday. AC Milan and Inter Milan have made similar starts to the season and appear evenly matched heading into this one.
Although they are still unbeaten this season, AC Milan would have been targeting a much better start to the campaign. They have claimed two wins and as many draws from their opening four matches, slightly off last season’s start where they began with three victories and a draw.
AC Milan failed to find their spark in midweek as they were held to a 0-0 draw at Sassuolo. The problem for AC Milan is that they have struggled to find that attacking quality that was so easy to come by last season.
The likes of Olivier Giroud and Rafael Leao have not been at their best this season, but manager Stefano Pioli will take solace in the fact that the Rossoneri are still unbeaten.
Inter Milan’s start to the campaign has only been slightly better than AC Milan’s as they sit just one point above their rivals. They have claimed three wins this season but have already been outclassed 3-1 by Lazio.
The Nerazzurri bounced back from the defeat at Lazio in style as they triumphed 3-1 over Cremonese on Tuesday.
One difference between the two sides is that Inter Milan have not lacked quality in the final third. There is little to separate between AC Milan and Inter Milan at the moment and they are likely to battle to a draw
Credit: mrfixitstips.co.uk
Barcelona to record 3rd straight win against Sevilla
Barcelona will be looking to record a third straight La Liga victory when they continue their 2022-23 campaign against Sevilla at Estadio Ramon on Saturday night.
The Catalan outfit will enter the contest in Seville off the back of a 4-0 win over Real Valladolid, but an off-colour Sevilla suffered a 2-1 defeat to Almeria in their last match.
Sevilla have finished fourth in La Liga in each of the last three campaigns, and they were only three points off second-place Barcelona in Spain’s top flight last term, but it would be fair to say that their form in the early stages of this season has been slightly alarming.
It is still so early in the season, but Sevilla are languishing down in 15th spot in the table, having picked up just one point from three matches, which is certainly a concern heading into a clash with Barcelona.
Sevilla’s defensive problems are a concern ahead of this match, and we are finding it really tough to back the home side to get anything from the contest.
Barcelona have so much attacking talent, and we are expecting Xavi’s side to make it three straight wins in relatively comfortable fashion considering the difficulty of the match.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Chelsea, West Ham in all-London showdown at Stamford Bridge
Stamford Bridge forms the backdrop for an all-London Premier League showdown between Chelsea and West Ham United.
Coming into Saturday’s clash, Thomas Tuchel’s side squandered a 1-0 lead secured by Raheem Sterling as Southampton bounced back to beat them 2-1 at St Mary’s Stadium.
With the latest £75m addition of Wesley Fofana, the under-fire Blues manager is running out of excuses as his men need a victory to regain confidence and keep pace with fellow top-four bidders.
West Ham’s visit to the Bridge could, therefore, be timed to perfection, considering David Moyes’ lads are experiencing a wasteful start to the season.
Michail Antonio and his teammates had lost their opening three Premier League matches without scoring despite the club’s extravagant spending over the summer.
A disheartening loss at Southampton means Tuchel is facing the risk of losing back-to-back Premier League matches for the first time as a Chelsea manager, and the gaffer will try to avoid it.
