Manchester United have an opportunity to consolidate last week’s unexpected gains when they bullied Liverpool into a 2-1 English Premier League submission in front of the feared Kop.
Ruben Amorim’s men host Brighton and Hove Albion at the Theatre of Dreams on Saturday at 6.30pm, fresh from the morale-boosting first back-to-back league win under the Portuguese mentor.
This is before Liverpool get a chance to redeem themselves after four defeats in a row in all competitions. Of course, they snapped that horror run with a 5-1 drubbing of Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday.
Brentford have found their mojo
The Merseysiders travel to the Gtech Community Stadium in Brentford for a date with the Bees for the last game of the day at 9pm.
Keith Andrews’ men have found their footing since the departure of their gaffer, Thomas Frank. The latter was lured by London lights to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, where he is now in charge of the home team.
On Monday night, Brentford beat Londoners, West Ham United, 2-0. Seemingly, Nuno Espírito Santo will need more than a prayer and blessing to turn the ship around at the London Stadium.
The Portuguese’s boys have only won one game since his arrival to replace Graham Potter on September 27. And it was his first game in charge against his previous employers, Nottingham Forest.
Earlier at 4pm on Saturday, troubled Newcastle United host Fulham at St James’ Park and Chelsea, Sunderland at Stamford Bridge.
Games of the round
Games to look forward to with interest, though, are Arsenal against Crystal Palace at the Emirates and Aston Villa against Manchester City at Villa Park, both at 4pm on Sunday.
Palace have become a formidable team under Austrian Oliver Glasner’s guidance. They have already secured two trophies during his tenure.
At the end of last season, they tamed Manchester City 1-0 in the FA Cup final, then snapped a 29-game unbeaten Liverpool run in the Community Shield earlier this season when they beat the Merseysiders 3-2 on penalties after the game ended 2-apiece.
The Glaziers will feel the missing link is now an Arsenal scalp.
At Villa Park in Birmingham, two Spaniards will grace the dugouts opposite each other.
Unai Emery of the Basque Country will pit his Villa boys against a Manchester City managed by Catalonian Pep Guardiola.
Unai, the Spanish shepherd
Emery has shepherded his team to calmer waters recently after a poor start to the season. Aston Villa struggled at the start of the season, failing to secure a win in their first six matches across all competitions.
However, they have recently turned things around, achieving five consecutive victories in their last five games. In contrast, Manchester City remain unbeaten in their last nine matches in all competitions since their loss to Brighton at the end of August.
In the last game of Round 10, Everton open the Hill Dickinson Stadium gates to Tottenham Hotspur on Merseyside, looking for a win.
Hotspur, as they now prefer to be called, have endured a mixed season – three losses, four draws and six wins in all competitions this season, starting with a UEFA Super Cup penalty defeat to PSG. This despite the English punditry class lauding Frank as an excellent manager.
The current top three teams—Arsenal, Manchester City, and Liverpool—are unlikely to be challenged this weekend. However, it won’t be an easy match, especially for Arsenal, so Gunners fans should prepare for any eventuality.
