(Photo courtesy of EPL)
By Dennis Mungai
Finally the English Premier League is back this weekend after a 2 week international break. Eight matches are set to be played on Saturday, with the early kick off match being a derby between Liverpool and their local rivals Everton. Everton look rejuvenated with the return of Dominic Calvert Lewin and look set to cause an upset against Klopp’s men.
The 5 pm local time kick off matches include Wolves travelling to Bournemouth, Brentford hosting Burnley and Man City host Brighton. Pep Guardiola is looking to avoid a third straight league defeat for his team, which last happened in 2016. City welcome back Rodri from suspension, while John Stones is also fit from a muscle injury. Newcastle host Crystal Palace in the other five o’clock games, with Nottingham Forest facing Luton at the same time.
The big match of the weekend is the north London derby between Chelsea and Arsenal. Mikel Arteta’s men are level on points with leaders Spurs and are still unbeaten after 8 games. It is not yet confirmed whether star man Bukayo Saka will start but the Gunners look to upset the slow but steady resurgence at Chelsea.
Chelsea beat Burnley 4-1 last time out and will look to capitalize on their new found form. Their star player Raheem Sterling delivered a man of the match perfomance and all eyes will be at Stamford Bridge when the two teams lock horns. Man United travel to Sheffield in the late night game, hoping to make it two wins from two games after their last minute comeback win against Brentford last time out.
On Sunday, Aston Villa host West Ham,looking to continue their 10 match winning home streak against David Moyes’ men. Ollie Watkins is in good form, scoring 4 goals and providing 4 assists since the start of the season. A win for either team would see them end the weekend inside the prestigious top 4 spots, a guaranteed Champions League spot for next season. The games conclude on Monday when top of the table Spurs host Fulham. Ange Postecoglou’s tactics has seen his team rise to top spot in the league, still unbeaten and collecting 20 points from 8 games.