10 causes to be excited for the return of the Premier League
- The Premier League returns this weekend after the international break
- The pressure is on Manchester United to pick up a much-needed win
- LISTEN NOW: It’s All Kicking Off!, available wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes every Monday and Thursday
Fans can breath a sigh of relief as another international break is ticked off the football calendar.
The Premier League returns this weekend, and there are some intriguing fixtures to look forward to.
We are still in the early stages of the season, but already the table is starting to take shape, with Liverpool leading the way ahead of Manchester City and Arsenal, while four teams are still looking for their first win.
Can any of them break their duck this weekend?
It will be fascinating to find out, and Mail Sport has taken a look at 10 reasons to get excited about the Premier League taking centre stage once more.
A London derby to whet the appetite
What’s the first game of the weekend, you ask? Well, that would be the small matter of a London derby between Tottenham and West Ham.
Both teams have had indifferent starts to the season, and are separated by only two points. Spurs have impressed at times, picking up comprehensive wins over Everton, Manchester United and Brentford.
But they remain a vulnerable side, and that was evident when they threw away a two-goal lead to lose 3-2 to Brighton just before the international break.
Meanwhile, Julen Lopetegui is yet to fully convince that he is the man to take West Ham to the next level following the summer departure of David Moyes. However, the Irons thrashed Ipswich 4-1 in their last outing.
Can they build on that or will Tottenham bounce back from their collapse at Brighton?
Tottenham and West Ham face each other in a London derby in Saturday’s lunchtime kick-off
Ten Hag must win
Once the Saturday lunchtime kick-off is out of the way, we will move on to the 3pm games which will see Manchester United return to action.
They host Brentford with the pressure firmly on Erik ten Hag. Heading into the weekend, United sit 14th and have not won any of their last five games in all competitions.
Some may have expected Ten Hag to lose his job over the international break, but he has clung on for now and will hope to buy himself some more time with a crucial win.
Brenford will be no pushovers, though. They have taken 10 points from seven matches and are currently above United in the table.
If they can beat the Red Devils on Saturday, Ten Hag’s time at Old Trafford could be up.
The pressure is on Erik ten Hag’s Man United to pick up a win against Brentford on Saturday
Jonny Evans’ new role at 36
An interesting sub-plot at Old Trafford will be how United deal with their left back crisis.
Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia have not featured this season, while Noussair Mazraoui underwent a minor heart procedure last week and will be unavailable against the Bees.
So, who steps in? It could be 36-year-old Jonny Evans.
The veteran defender was superb in United’s goalless draw with Aston Villa before the international break, but this would be a whole new challenge.
It is hard to see him making many overlapping runs for Marcus Rashford, but he has been one of United’s more consistent players since returning to the club and could be trusted by Ten Hag to thrive in an unfamiliar role on Saturday.
Jonny Evans was superb at Aston Villa but could be asked to play at left back this weekend
Two relegation six-pointers
Isn’t it a bit early to be talking about relegation six-pointers? Perhaps, but already there is sense that the teams currently down at the foot of the table will be battling it out between themselves come the end of the season.
Four of the bottom six face each other on Saturday, with Leicester travelling to Southampton while Ipswich take on Everton.
The three promoted clubs only have one win between them, and Everton are also struggling once more under Sean Dyche.
These head-to-head battles could be pivotal, and all four sides will know they need to start putting a string of results together to move away from the relegation zone.
Home form may also be a critical factor, meaning Ipswich and Southampton could be feeling the heat slightly more to pick up three points from their respective fixtures.
Ipswich and Everton have had difficult starts to the season and face each other on Saturday
Southampton and Leicester need to start stringing results together quickly
Can Brereton Diaz finally get a win?
Southampton forward Ben Brereton Diaz has now gone 20 games without picking up a win in the Premier League.
He spent the second half of last season on loan at Sheffield United before they suffered relegation, and the current campaign hasn’t started much better at St Mary’s.
He already holds the record for the longest run of matches without a top flight win, with his next closest challenger being Marvin Sordell with 17.
Will that number stretch to 21 this weekend, or can Brereton Diaz finally get off the mark?
Southampton will hope for the latter, with Russell Martin’s men badly needing a victory to get their season up and running.
Ben Brereton Diaz has not won any of the 20 Premier League matches he has played in
The return of some star names
Fans always want to see the best players out on the pitch, and some of the Premier League’s biggest stars could return from injuries this weekend.
Kevin De Bruyne has been missing in recent weeks, but Manchester City are hopeful that he could be back when they travel to Molineux to face Wolves on Sunday.
Tottenham captain Heung-min Son is also closing in on a comeback after picking up a hamstring problem last month, while Newcastle’s strike force of Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson may be fit to take on Brighton.
Kevin De Bruyne has watched on from the sidelines in recent weeks but could play on Sunday
Tottenham captain Heung-min Son is also closing in on a return to action
Can Arsenal cope with injuries?
One team sweating on the fitness of a number of key players are Arsenal.
They were already without captain Martin Odegaard and Ben White before the international break, and Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli both hobbled off while playing for England and Brazil, respectively, over the past week.
This could mean that Mikel Arteta is without his first choice wingers and main playmaker for the trip to Bournemouth on Saturday evening.
Arsenal were largely fortunate with injuries last season as they pushed Manchester City all the way in the title race.
They have been thrown more challenges in the opening weeks of this season, and must now prove they can handle the adversity and still keep pace with their rivals.
Bukayo Saka limped off with an injury in England’s 2-1 defeat by Greece last week
Gabriel Martinelli is also a doubt for this weekend after picking up an injury while playing for Brazil
Arsenal’s chance to reach major milestone
Arsenal can become just the second club to reach 2,000 top flight wins if they beat Bournemouth on Saturday.
Liverpool reached the milestone a few seasons ago and now have 2,065 victories, with Manchester United down in third on 1,908.
Everton (1900) and Aston Villa (1,723) complete the top five.
Arteta will no doubt be simply focusing on how to get past the Cherries, but if they do it will be a big moment in Arsenal’s history.
Haaland faces his favourite club
Erling Haaland pretty much scores against everyone, but he has taken a particular fancy to Wolves.
In just four appearances against the Midlands club, he has scored eight times. That is more than he has managed against any other Premier League team.
He already has 10 league goals this season, and will be confident of adding to his tally at Wolves.
Gary O’Neil’s men have taken just one point from seven matches and conceded 21 goals in total.
If they do not tighten up at the back, Haaland will likely get on the scoresheet again.
Erling Haaland has a brilliant record against Wolves, scoring eight goals in four matches
Liverpool’s acid test
Apart from one blip at home to Nottingham Forest, it has been pretty much plain sailing for Arne Slot at Liverpool so far.
But the Reds face a major test of their title credentials on Sunday when they host Enzo Maresca’s in-form Chelsea.
The Blues have been steadily improving under their Italian manager, and have arguably the best player in the league in Cole Palmer to call upon.
Arne Slot’s Liverpool have made a very strong start to the season
They face a tricky test on Sunday when they take on a Chelsea side containing Cole Palmer
The same fixture last season saw Liverpool run out 4-1 winners, but Chelsea are a different proposition altogether now.
A win for Slot’s Liverpool could prove they’re the real deal, but a loss may signal they still have some way to go before reeling in the likes of Manchester City and Arsenal.
