Chelsea vs Manchester City
It will be a Champions League rematch in the early game on Saturday, as Manchester City travel to Stamford Bridge to take on the early Premier League pace-setters, Chelsea.
Both City and Chelsea are among the favourites to win the title this season, but Pep Guardiola’s side will need to recover from a disappointing draw last weekend. City were well below par against Southampton, as they failed to make a breakthrough, and were fortunate not to have lost the game. Guardiola made no secret about the lack of home attendance in the build-up to that fixture at the Etihad, which seemingly put more pressure on his side to get the win. They are now three points off Manchester United, Liverpool and the Blues, and a six-point disadvantage could give themselves a mountain to climb.
Chelsea enjoyed success against City in the Champions League final at the end of last season, and Thomas Tuchel’s side has continued that momentum into this term. The Blues have been outstanding in their outings this term, winning four of the five games that they have played. Chelsea were excellent once again last weekend, as they beat Tottenham Hotspur 3-0 away from home, with N’Golo Kante, Antonio Rudiger, and Thiago Silva finding the back of the net.
Good scenes. 👌 pic.twitter.com/dhVQh0JYuC
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) September 20, 2021
Both Chelsea and City have recorded 17 wins apiece in this fixture in all competitions since 2007. However, City have won two of their previous four trips to Stamford Bridge. Another game with both teams scoring looks like a solid prediction, as both sides have scored in each of the last four meetings between the sides.
Arsenal vs Tottenham Hotspur
The games on Sunday will be headlined by the first North London derby of the season, as Nuno Espirito Santo takes his Tottenham Hotspur side to the Emirates.
Spurs will need a response, as they have been hammered 3-0 in each of their last two fixtures in the Premier League. Palace inflicted a first defeat of the season on Spurs after the international break, before Chelsea humbled Tottenham with the same scoreline this past weekend. Those two most recent results have seen the work done by the former Wolves coach over the early weeks of the season quickly undone. Spurs were perfect after three games, but defeat this weekend could see them slip below their North London rivals.
https://twitter.com/Arsenal/status/1440015846202650625?s=20
The pressure on Mikel Arteta was rising after three defeats to start the season. Zero goals were scored in those opening matches against Brentford, Chelsea and Manchester City, but the Gunners have at least responded over recent weeks. Victory over Norwich in their last home game was quickly followed up with another three points on the road against Burnley, with Martin Odegaard scoring the important winner.
Away wins in the North London derby have been very uncommon over recent seasons, with Arsenal’s win over Tottenham at White Hart Lane in March 2014 being the last time the three points have gone to the travelling side. The past three derbies have been won by the hosts, with Arsenal claiming the most recent win in March, and Tottenham winning the two games before that.
Manchester United vs Aston Villa
The Red Devils are back in Premier League action this weekend, as they also get underway in the earlier time slot on Saturday afternoon when Aston Villa visit the Theatre of Dreams.
Manchester United are one of three teams locked on 10 points at the top of the league table coming into matchday six. The Red Devils have won four of their five games, and maintained their unbeaten league record that stretches back to January 2020 with a hard-fought success at West Ham United last weekend. Cristiano Ronaldo scored his fourth goal in three games since returning to United to level the scores, before a fine Jesse Lingard strike ensured maximum points at the London Stadium. David De Gea’s late heroics when saving a Mark Noble penalty also ensures that confidence remains high within the camp of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side.
Coming up clutch 😎👏
🧤 @D_DeGea#MUFC | @RemingtonUK pic.twitter.com/d4MhC3MRY9
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) September 20, 2021
Aston Villa claimed a much-needed second win of the season this past weekend, as they beat Everton 3-0 at Villa Park. The introduction of Leon Bailey changed the game in their favour, with the former Bayer Leverkusen star scoring the third and setting up the second. The ever-impressive Matty Cash had earlier gave Villa the lead that they were searching for to move up to tenth in the league standings.
Aston Villa’s record against United will not give them much optimism this weekend, as they have beaten the Red Devils just once in all competitions since 2007. That victory came back in December 2019, and the Villa have lost 13 of the previous 15 against United.
