The international break has finally come to an end, which means that the play in the Premier League can resume. There are some huge fixtures in the top-flight in England this weekend, which will kick off with the Merseyside derby on Saturday lunchtime.
Everton vs Liverpool
When these two Merseyside rivals meet on Saturday lunchtime it will be ten years to the day since Everton last beat Liverpool. It’s fair to say that the confidence has never been higher to change that, as the Toffees have been one of the standout teams in the Premier League so far this campaign.
Everton are the current league leaders and will come into this clash having won all four games that they have played in this season. Carlo Ancelotti has immediately installed a different confidence in this team, and they could be in the hunt for a top-four finish. The Toffees won their last game before the international break 4-2 against Brighton. James Rodriguez continued his excellent form by scoring twice in that game, while Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Yerry Mina also found the net.
Jurgen Klopp will be hoping for a response from his side as they were dreadful in their last league game against Aston Villa. They conceded seven goals, which was the first time that Liverpool had conceded that many in a single game. There was a defensive mistake made by the Reds that led to every single goal, and removing those lacklustre mistakes will be the key to them getting anything from this game.
However, Everton’s form coupled with the fact that they have waited for a win over their rivals means that we are picking that the ten-year wait finally comes to an end this weekend.
Pick: Everton at 2.85 with BetXChange.
Manchester City vs Arsenal
It also hasn’t been plain sailing for Manchester City so far this season, but they will be confident that they will be able to cut the difference between themselves and their title contenders this weekend. However, they will be coming up against an Arsenal side that have impressed since the start of the season.
Champions League football will be the aim for the Gunners this term, and they have started this season with three wins from four. Their only defeat so far was suffered against Liverpool. But, they were able to bounce back to form with a win over Sheffield United before the international break. Bukayo Saka and Nicolas Pepe were both on the scoresheet in that win.
Pep Guardiola’s side haven’t won in two Premier League games, but will remain the favourites coming into this match. They still haven’t addressed the defensive issues that hindered their progress last season, but the arrival of Ruben Dias could change that. City have an incredible record against the Gunners, as Arsenal haven’t won at the Etihad for five years.
Arsenal still haven’t looked defensively solid themselves, and the attacking threat that City has will ensure that they will be able to get a hard-fought win from this fixture.
