Arsenal and Manchester United in clash of the titans
Facing one of the biggest threats to their unbeaten start under Ruben Amorim, Manchester United stop over at the Emirates for a Premier League spectacle with Arsenal on Wednesday night.
Both English titans won emphatically in gameweek 13, as the Gunners crushed West Ham United 5-2 before the Red Devils put four past Everton without reply at Old Trafford.
Arteta’s men are once again the closest challengers to runaway leaders Liverpool, even if they are only above Chelsea on alphabetical order.
As much as international breaks can be a bugbear for football fans, Arsenal have been a team transformed since the November hiatus and will now play a landmark match at their Emirates home, which is set to host its 500th competitive club game on Wednesday evening.
Alongside Brentford and Brighton, Arsenal are one of just three teams in the division with their unbeaten home record still intact, and six of their last seven battles at the Emirates – where they are also on a 12-game scoring sequence in all competitions – have ended in victory.
While Arsenal as a whole have been resurrected since Premier League football returned, newly-appointed Man United boss Amorim has overseen the revival of two stuttering strikers during the embryonic stages of his Mancunian adventure.
Indeed, both Marcus Rashford and Joshua Zirkzee conjured up braces in the 4-0 triumph over relegation-threatened Everton on Sunday, a result that marked Man United’s fourth home success on the spin in all tournaments after Amorim’s Old Trafford debut in the Europa League ended 3-2 in favour of the Red Devils.
As potent as Man United have been at their Old Trafford base under Ruud van Nistelrooy and Amorim, their powers often elude them on the road, a bad omen before a visit to Arsenal’s Emirates fortress.
History will be written if our prediction comes true, as an Arsenal win would see them beat Man United in four successive league matches for the first time ever.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Leaders Liverpool pit their wits against Newcastle
Still on a one-way street to Premier League title glory after the weekend’s events, runaway leaders Liverpool pit their wits against Newcastle United at St James’ Park on Wednesday evening.
Arne Slot‘s men effectively knocked Manchester City out of the title race with a 2-0 triumph over the faltering champions on Sunday, one day after the Magpies were pegged back in the final moments of a 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace.
No team in Premier League history with at least a six-point lead after 13 games has failed to win the title, and many believe that the race for glory is already a foregone conclusion while Liverpool continue to sweep aside foes left right and centre; they have now won seven games in a row in all competitions.
Furthermore, each of the Reds’ last eight matches has seen Slot’s side net multiple goals, and the former Feyenoord boss is yet to suffer his first road defeat since stepping into Jurgen Klopp‘s shoes, only suffering one minor away aberration in October’s stalemate with Arsenal.
Having failed to defend their goal in the dying embers of Saturday’s stalemate, the Magpies have a paltry two wins to show from their last nine Premier League contests and have failed to score in two of their last three top-flight games at St James’ Park, where they could now lose back-to-back Premier League matches for just the third time post-takeover.
The Newcastle faithful would do well to look away now, as their side are also on a six-game losing sequence against Liverpool and have gone winless in 15 consecutive matches against the Reds since 2015.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Nottingham Forest travel away to face suffering Man City
Currently outside of the Champions League picture let alone the Premier League title race, confidence-depleted champions Manchester City have a seven-game winless run to end when Nottingham Forest arrive at Etihad the on Wednesday night.
Pep Guardiola‘s troops could not stop the Liverpool juggernaut on Sunday, losing 2-0 to the runaway leaders, while the Tricky Trees edged out Ipswich Town 1-0 to get back to winning ways.
A defiant Guardiola found the energy to raise six fingers to the Liverpool crowd as the customary “sacked in the morning” chants bellowed out from the Anfield stands, as the City boss sought to remind the merry Merseyside contingent of just how many times he has conquered the land.
However, six is also how many defeats Man City have suffered in their last seven games following Sunday’s unsuccessful stopover at Anfield.
Reeling from losing four straight Premier League games for the first time since 2008, Guardiola’s crisis club are at risk of going down in back-to-back top-flight home games for the first time since May 2021.
No team should rock up to the Etihad and resign themselves to defeat during City’s unforeseen slump, and a Forest side should give Guardiola’s team an excellent run for their money.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Real Madrid look to keep pressure on leaders Barca when they travel to Athletic Club
Real Madrid will look to keep the pressure on leaders Barcelona when they travel to San Mames for Wednesday’s La Liga fixture against Athletic Bilbao.
Los Blancos will head into the fixture in second place in the league table, while the Champions League-chasing hosts are sitting in fourth position.
After achieving a fifth-placed finish last season, Athletic are now looking to secure Champions League qualification for the first time since 2013-14.
Athletic have won seven, drawn five and lost three of their 15 La Liga matches, leaving them in fourth position and above fifth-placed Villarreal on goal difference.
Real Madrid would have been bitterly disappointed after they fell to a 2-0 defeat in last week’s Champions League away clash against Liverpool – a result that represented a third loss in four European games and has left Los Blancos down in 24th place in the league phase.
But while they may be struggling in the Champions League, Real Madrid are starting to build momentum on the domestic front, winning three consecutive league games without conceding to take advantage of Barcelona’s three-game winless run in La Liga (D1, L2).
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
FIXTURES
Everton 19:30 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Manchester City 19:30 Nottingham Forest
Newcastle United 19:30 Liverpool
