Chelsea will welcome Liverpool to Stamford Bridge in a high-stakes Premier League clash on Saturday, while Arsenal look to leapfrog into first place with a home tie against struggling West Ham.
Liverpool enter the fixture under pressure after suffering consecutive defeats, ending what had been a flawless start to the season across all competitions.
Arne Slot’s men had strung together seven straight wins, but cracks in the team have begun to show, despite a record £450 million spending spree in the summer.
Big-money signings Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz have yet to score in the Premier League, while Mohamed Salah has seen his influence reduced — most recently starting on the bench in the 1-0 Champions League loss to Galatasaray.
Defensively, the Reds have looked shaky, with new recruits Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong struggling to settle, and Ibrahima Konate enduring poor form.
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher criticised the team’s style, saying: “Liverpool aren’t playing football at the moment, they are playing basketball. It is just end to end and I don’t think top teams play like that.”
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Chelsea, meanwhile, are also enduring a rough patch, with just one point collected from their last three league games. Injuries and suspensions have compounded their problems, leaving Enzo Maresca’s squad depleted. Key absentees include Cole Palmer, Liam Delap, and Levi Colwill, while Trevoh Chalobah is suspended after being sent off in last week’s 3-1 defeat to Brighton.
Elsewhere, Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim faces mounting pressure to deliver against an in-form Sunderland side.
Crystal Palace, sitting third, will look to preserve their status as the only unbeaten team in the league when they face Everton.
Below are the Premier League fixtures scheduled for the weekend:
Friday
Bournemouth v Fulham
Saturday
Leeds v Tottenham
Arsenal v West Ham
Man United v Sunderland
Chelsea v Liverpool
Sunday
Aston Villa v Burnley
Everton v Crystal Palace
Newcastle v Nottingham Forest
Wolves v Brighton
Brentford v Manchester City
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