The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
LONDON, England | Xinhua | The pressure is starting to build on several clubs ahead of the weekend in the Premier League, but nobody will be under the spotlight more in the next 48 hours than Manchester City.
Pep Guardiola’s side travels to play a difficult match away to a high-energy Brighton after losing their last three games, putting them at risk of suffering four consecutive defeats for the first time since 2006.
City travels in the wake of a 4-1 defeat away to Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League and is badly missing Rodri and Kevin de Bruyne, though Kyle Walker’s return should add much-needed pace to the defense.
League leaders Liverpool has the chance to put pressure on Guardiola’s side before the evening kick-off in Brighton, as they face Aston Villa.
On paper, it looks like a tough game, with Ollie Watkins and Leon Bailey posing a potent threat in Villa’s attack, but Unai Emery’s side appears to have dipped slightly in recent weeks as the strain of Champions League play has caught up with them.
Villa looked flat in a midweek defeat against Club Brugge, while Liverpool’s 4-0 demolition of Bayer Leverkusen shows they are still in top form, with Curtis Jones enjoying an excellent season in midfield.
Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood has been the revelation of the season, with his eight goals helping propel his side to third in the classification. However, Forest’s position isn’t just down to Wood’s eight goals this campaign, Nuno Espiritu Santo has made the team very hard to beat, making it a tough challenge for Newcastle United at City Ground, even with Newcastle’s Alexander Isak in excellent form. Isak scored the winner against Arsenal last weekend, leaving Mikel Arteta’s side desperate for a win, having slipped seven points behind Liverpool.
Bournemouth has impressed under Andoni Iraola and now has a chance to build on their victory over Manchester City with a visit to Brentford, who always threatens in attack but appears vulnerable to crosses.
West Ham and Everton go head-to-head in a game between two crisis clubs. Everton’s loss to Southampton last weekend dropped them back into danger, while West Ham suffered a 3-0 defeat at Forest, increasing pressure on Julen Lopetegui, who will be without the suspended Edson Alvarez and Mohammed Kudus.
Second-from-bottom Southampton visits last-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers, where coach Gary O’Neil likely understands that failure to secure a first win of the season before the international break could cost him his job.
With four points from two games, Crystal Palace has climbed out of the bottom three, though they will miss injured forwards Eddie Nketiah and Eberechi Eze for the visit from a tough Fulham side.
Tottenham has been consistently inconsistent this season, alternating wins with losses. Despite a disappointing European outing against Galatasaray on Thursday, they have a chance to secure consecutive league wins when they host Ipswich Town on Sunday. The visitors are still searching for their first win of the season after conceding a late equalizer to Leicester last week.
Leicester travels to Old Trafford, where Manchester United recently beat them 5-2 in the Carabao Cup. That win came against a rotated Leicester lineup, and Sunday’s match is expected to be closer as Old Trafford awaits Ruben Amorim’s arrival as the new head coach. ■
