Liverpool can take one other big step in the direction of only a second English top-flight title in 35 years towards fragile Manchester Metropolis on Sunday as Ruben Amorim goals for a primary Premier League win as Manchester United supervisor.
The highest-of-the-table conflict at Anfield affords Arsenal, who face West Ham, and Chelsea, who host Aston Villa, the prospect to realize floor.
AFP Sport picks out among the key speaking factors forward of this weekend’s motion:
Liverpool’s league to lose?
Arne Slot’s rampant Reds go into the weekend off the excessive of beating Actual Madrid 2-0 to high the Champions League desk.
Liverpool have barely put a foot incorrect within the Premier League both, surging into an eight-point lead after simply 12 video games.
All three groups who’ve loved a lead of eight factors or extra at this stage of the season in Premier League historical past have gone on to win the title.
Metropolis are there for the taking.
Winless in six matches, the English champions are bodily and mentally “fragile”, in response to supervisor Pep Guardiola, who’s experiencing the worst run of his profession within the dugout.
“It has been, is being and shall be a troublesome season for us. We’ve got to simply accept it for a lot of circumstances,” he stated.
Even at their finest throughout a wonderful period underneath the Catalan, Metropolis have did not tame Anfield, with their final win there in entrance of a crowd coming again in 2003.
Amorim seeks house comforts
Amorim didn’t maintain again after seeing Manchester United labour to a 1-1 draw at lowly Ipswich in his first match in cost final weekend.
“We’re going to undergo for an extended interval,” stated the Portuguese coach. “This may take time, however I do know we have now to win video games.”
The go to of struggling Everton to Previous Trafford affords the Pink Devils the proper likelihood to kickstart life underneath their new boss.
The Toffees (10) are one in every of solely three sides to have scored fewer Premier League targets this season than United’s 13.
Sean Dyche’s males are simply two factors above the relegation zone and haven’t crushed United away from house since 2013.
United, who sit twelfth, have to benefit from house benefit to maneuver swiftly again up the desk with daunting journeys to Arsenal and Metropolis to come back in two of their following three league video games.
Villa hit the skids
Aston Villa are one other facet struggling for type. A 0-0 draw towards Juventus in midweek prolonged their winless run to seven video games in all competitions.
Unai Emery’s males are nonetheless nicely positioned to progress to the knockout phases of the Champions League of their first style of Europe’s elite competitors for 4 a long time.
However their European exertions are starting to take a toll domestically. Villa have taken simply seven factors from their previous seven league video games to slide to eighth.
Subsequent up is a troublesome journey to Chelsea, who’re flying excessive in Enzo Maresca’s first season in cost.
The Blues sit third, forward of Arsenal on targets scored, and will simply finish the weekend as Liverpool’s closest challengers ought to Metropolis fail to finish their winless run at Anfield.
Arsenal have bounced again to type with complete wins over Nottingham Forest and Sporting Lisbon and can go second for twenty-four hours no less than with victory at West Ham on Saturday.
Fixtures (all instances GMT)
Friday
Brighton v Southampton (2000)
Saturday
Brentford v Leicester, Crystal Palace v Newcastle, Nottingham Forest v Ipswich, Wolves v Bournemouth (all 1500), West Ham v Arsenal (1730)
Sunday
Chelsea v Aston Villa, Manchester United v Everton, Tottenham v Fulham (all 1330), Liverpool v Manchester Metropolis (1600)
kca/jw/jc