5 things to watch for in the Premier League this weekend
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The top flight resumes after the international break
The Premier League is back in full swing this weekend after the international break. It gets underway with a huge game as Manchester City take on Liverpool in Saturday’s early kick-off.
There’ll be plenty more excitement to follow too. There are nine games in total this weekend, with another on Monday evening.
Here are five things you should be keeping an eye out for:
Will Philippe Coutinho start for Liverpool?
Philippe Coutinho’s prospective move to Barcelona was one of the sagas of the summer.
He submitted a transfer request to try and join the La Liga giants. But Liverpool didn’t budge, despite Barcelona offering well over £100m for his services.
A back injury has prevented the playmaker from appearing for the Reds so far this season. He looked in decent shape for Brazil on international duty though.
A front trio of Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah has excelled in Coutinho’s absence. Will there be room for him at the Etihad Stadium?
Can Arsenal get back on track?
That Liverpool frontline tore Arsenal to shreds in their last outing. They ran out 4-0 winners and could easily have scored more goals.
The Gunners now face Bournemouth at home on Saturday. The Cherries are without a point from three games. They could be an ideal opponent for an Arsenal side that has been very poor so far.
Arsenal did manage to hold onto Alexis Sanchez on Transfer Deadline Day. However, he was reportedly desperate to join Manchester City. Will he be in the right frame of mind here?
Will Crystal Palace show signs of progress under Frank de Boer?
Frank de Boer had a challenge on his hands from the start at Crystal Palace. The former Ajax boss wanted to bring a more progressive style of play to Selhurst Park.
However, his predecessors included Sam Allardyce and Tony Pulis. Both achieved good results with a totally different approach. The squad doesn’t look well suited to a fluid passing game either.
Patience was always required. But the Eagles didn’t expect so little progress so far. Palace are in 19th without a point.
De Boer has already held showdown talks over his future. He needs a good result against Burnley on Sunday.
Can Everton push for a top four spot?
Everton showed real ambition this summer by spending over £130m to compete for a Champions League place.
Ronald Koeman significantly improved his options in goal, defence and midfield. However, the Toffees didn’t bring in the proven striker he wanted to replace Romelu Lukaku.
It remains to be seen whether Wayne Rooney and Sandro Ramirez can fill the void left by Romelu Lukaku in attack.
Everton were swept aside by Chelsea in their last outing. Tottenham Hotspur come to town this weekend. They’ll want to show they can compete with the best teams in the country.
Manchester United aim to extend perfect record
Manchester United are the only side in the league with three wins out of three. They’ve scored ten goals. And have yet to concede any.
Jose Mourinho addressed many of last season’s weaknesses with smart signings. Nemanja Matic’s arrival has freed Paul Pogba to excel further forward. Romelu Lukaku will help to turn last year’s too-frequent draws into wins.
United will need to beat Stoke away for the first time in the league since April 2013 to keep their impressive record going.
Mourinho has won the title in the second season at all of his previous clubs. This season’s evidence so far suggests he has every chance of continuing that streak.
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