Manchester City vs Brighton & Hove Albion
For the first time since December 2018, Man City has lost two consecutive matches. Therefore, this is an important match for the blue half of Manchester, they cannot lose any more points.
Of course, Brighton & Hove Albion is a very difficult opponent, but Pep Guardiola will feel more confident when he returns to Etihad Stadium, where Manchester City has won the last 20 consecutive matches in all competitions.
Furthermore, we have reason to believe that this will not be too difficult a match for Man City. In the previous two rounds, Arsenal and Wolverhampton Wanderers both defended firmly by dropping the team deep before defeating them with quick ball situations. That is very different from the usual style of Roberto De Zerbi.
The Seagulls are only loyal to one way of playing, which is to pass the ball riskyly in the back defense to lure the opponent to rush forward and make mistakes, then they will attack quickly with the speed of the wingers. That is the reason why Brighton has the most goals in the tournament with 21 goals, but they also conceded 16 goals.
There are always spaces to exploit when playing Brighton, with opportunities to win the ball in the final third for direct attacks or long passes through their often high midfield.
Will Erling Haaland open fire against Brighton?
Recently, Pep Guardioal was very pleased with his players, as they knew how to hold the ball and dribble in transition to create space for Erling Haaland. The Norwegian striker has not scored in the last 2 matches in the English Premier League. However, he has never failed in three consecutive matches.
Haaland will definitely find space to finish the match – and then Man City will put the recent disappointing series of matches behind them.
Chelsea vs Arsenal
Arsenal had a landmark victory over Man City in the previous round. However, that is not all. If Arsenal want to do better in the 2023/24 season and win the Premier League, they will need to make a habit of winning matches against the “Big Six”.
Chelsea’s consecutive victories in the past few weeks have shown that Mauricio Pochettino is on the right track.
Pochettino will find a way to beat Arteta.
However, after a summer of overhauling the squad with young players, they need more time to combine well together. Kai Haveverts will definitely be the focus of the match as he has just moved to Arsenal from Chelsea. He will bring his experience to suggest to Mikel Arteta.
That could have a huge impact on Saturday night’s match, as Chelsea are on a two-match losing streak at Stamford Bridge, and have lost five of their last six Premier League matches against Arsenal – including two in the Premier League. last season.
But perhaps the most important factor is Bukayo Saka’s return from injury. If he is not in good form or continues to sit on the field, Arsenal’s creativity will be significantly reduced, which is a big problem when Chelsea has only conceded 4 goals in the last 8 matches in all competitions. .
Liverpool vs Everton
Liverpool have not won in the previous two rounds, while Sean Dyche’s Everton are in good form with two consecutive wins – including a win in the English League Cup.
Liverpool’s high defense continues to have problems, especially when they face teams with the ability to quickly change positions to break through a midfield that is fragile after the departure of Liverpool. Fabinho.
Everton can exploit this. Coach Sean Dyche’s team plays direct, switching quickly with long passes to open up loopholes on the opponent’s wings.
Liverpool are particularly vulnerable to their speedy wingers. Trent Alexander-Arnold is struggling with the dual role of right-back and central midfielder while Konstantinos Tsimikas could take over the position left by Andrew Robertson.
Alexander-Arnold’s task in the next match is very heavy.
That is an opportunity for Jack Harrison – who scored a goal and had an assist for Everton in the win over AFC Bournemouth in the previous round.
Liverpool is still highly appreciated because Jurgen Klopp has a squad with more stars, but Everton is very dangerous. They have scored 9 goals in the last 4 matches in all competitions with an expected goals index – xG of 14.7 in the Premier League this season, only slightly lower than Manchester City.
Therefore, Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s return to high form with 3 goals in the last 4 matches in all competitions, along with Harrison’s quick integration, will make Liverpool fans worried.
Thinh Nguyen | 12:24 October 21, 2023
