Premier League Matchday 6: Title rivals clash before North London derby

Manchester City are out for revenge at Chelsea in the Premier League as they look to atone for their Champions League final defeat.

The meeting of the two title favourites headlines a weekend which also sees Arsenal and Tottenham meet in the North London derby.

Chelsea vs Manchester City (12.30pm, Saturday, BT Sport)

Chelsea are looking for history to repeat itself as they welcome Manchester City to Stamford Bridge for a blockbuster clash.

The Blues have won all three games against City since Thomas Tuchel took over in January, including the Champions League final and FA Cup semi-final.

Now they have a chance to lay down a marker in the title race after battling to a 1-1 draw with 10 men at Liverpool last month.

But City have enjoyed recent trips to West London, winning last season and on three of their past four visits in the league.

Kevin De Bruyne, who was sold by the Blues before he could make his mark there, has scored in each of his past three league games against them and will be keen to remind the home crowd what they are missing.

Manchester United vs Aston Villa (12.30pm, Saturday)

In Premier League history, no side has won more often against an opponent than Manchester United’s 37 against Aston Villa.

And Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will want that dominance to continue as they look to take advantage of whoever drops points at Stamford Bridge this weekend.

The Red Devils have only lost once in their past 45 league games with Villa — a 1-0 defeat at Old Trafford way back in December 2009.

It is a miserable run for the Villans, who have lost both of their away games so far this term, shipping six goals in the process.

They will be wary of any fouls in the box too, with United midfielder Bruno Fernandes scoring from the penalty in all three of his games against them.

Everton vs Norwich (3pm, Saturday)

The pressure will continue to build on Norwich boss Daniel Farke if his side are unable to pick up their first points of the season at Everton.

Defeat at home to Watford last weekend made it 15 league losses in a row for the Canaries and Farke — the longest losing run by a specific manager in English top-flight history.

The German will hope his side take inspiration from their 2-0 win at Goodison Park two years ago, though they have not won in any of their 14 Premier League away games since then.

For Everton, Rafael Benitez will be desperate to bounce back from a disappointing 3-0 loss at Villa Park last Saturday.

They are looking for a fourth successive home victory, which would be their best run on Merseyside since Marco Silva was in charge two years ago.

Leeds vs West Ham (3pm, Saturday)

Winless Leeds host West Ham looking to avoid making their worst start to a top-flight season in 86 years.

Not since the 1935-36 season have the Whites failed to win any of their first six league games.

And with three draws and two defeats so far this campaign, Marcelo Bielsa’s side may be beginning to fear second-season syndrome.

The Hammers won both meetings between the sides last campaign and will want to bounce back from their heartbreaking defeat to Manchester United, which saw Mark Noble miss a stoppage-time penalty.

Said Benrahma will be key if they are to do that having scored three goals and set up two already in 2021-22.

Leicester vs Burnley (3pm, Saturday)

Burnley must end a 14-year wait for victory at Leicester if they are to pick up three points for the first time in 2021-22.

The Clarets sit second bottom of the Premier League with one point from five games, having thrown away leads three times already.

For the Foxes, three defeats have already put them on the back foot as they try to break into the top four and secure Champions League football again.

Boss Brendan Rodgers has a 100% record at home to Burnley in his career and will be relying on Jamie Vardy to help Leicester find some consistency.

The veteran striker, 34, has been involved in six of the Foxes last seven league goals across last season and this one, scoring five and setting up one.

Watford vs Newcastle (3pm, Saturday)

A return to Watford likely means more pain for Steve Bruce and Newcastle after a dismal opening month of the campaign.

The Magpies have never won a top-flight game at Vicarage Road, winning on one of their last nine trips including meetings in the second tier.

And the Hornets’ home form was imperious as they won promotion back to the top flight at the first time of asking, with 13 wins from their past 15 outings in Hertfordshire.

Newcastle have faced more shots (93) than any other Premier League side this season and will have to stop the dangerous Ismaila Sarr if they are to succeed — he has scored the most goals (three), created the most chances (nine) and had the most shots (13) for Watford.

With two goals and one assists in his past three games, Allan Saint-Maximin will need to be at his best if the Toon Army are break their 2021-22 duck.

Brentford vs Liverpool (5.30pm, Saturday, Sky Sports)

Brentford and Liverpool meet in a competitive game for the first time since 1989 — and the first time in the league since the 1946-47 campaign.

So while Jurgen Klopp will be confident of beating the Premier League debutants, he will pay little attention to the fact they have won each of their last four meetings with the Bees.

The Reds are on a 15-game unbeaten run in the league and, like United, will want to take advantage of the fact Man City and Chelsea play each other in the early stages of the title race.

Brentford will provide a difficult test for Klopp’s men after a 2-0 win at Wolves continued their fine start to Premier League life.

They will need to be wary of striker Ivan Toney, who has notched two goals and one assist already, as well as having the most shots (12) and creating the most chances (seven) for Thomas Frank’s Bees.

Southampton vs Wolves (Sunday, 2pm, Sky Sports)

Turning draws into victories is top of Ralph Hasenhuttl’s to-do list as Southampton take on Wolves at St Mary’s.

An impressive display at Manchester City last week made it four draws in a row for the Saints — their longest run of stalemates since 1995.

But Hasenhuttl will be wary that the 21 points they have picked up in 2021 is the lowest of any side to have played in the top flight over the last two seasons, with only five victories since January.

It is not much better for Bruno Lage and Wolves, who have lost seven of their last eight games, including four of five this campaign.

But the Molineux outfit’s xG of 9.2 is the third-best in the Premier League and will give Lage confidence that a winning run is just around the corner.

Arsenal vs Tottenham (Sunday, 4.30pm, Sky Sports)

The first North London derby of the season sees Arsenal and Tottenham’s seasons heading in opposite directions.

Optimism is back at the Emirates after back-to-back wins over Norwich and Burnley, as well as a comfortable Carabao Cup success over Wimbledon.

Though Spurs also progressed in the cup, 3-0 defeats to both Crystal Palace and Chelsea have Nuno Espirito Santo under early pressure.

And with just one victory in their past 28 league games at Arsenal, the Portuguese boss will need Harry Kane to find form and add to his 11 goals against the Gunners — more than anyone else has managed in this fixture.

Arsenal, meanwhile, are looking to win back-to-back games against their neighbours for the first time since the 2013-14 season, following their 2-1 victory in March.

Crystal Palace vs Brighton (8pm, Monday, Sky Sports)

Selhurst Park will be rocking as the Premier League action concludes with a fierce derby between Crystal Palace and Brighton.

And the Seagulls will be eyeing an end to their four-game winless run against their rivals as they continue to impress under Graham Potter.

They are unbeaten in their past four trips to South London, drawing their past two after a 2-1 victory in March 2019 and come into the game on the back of two away wins in the league.

Palace were comfortably beaten by Liverpool last weekend but have yet to concede a goal at home this year, drawing 0-0 with Brentford and beating Tottenham 3-0.

Wilfried Zaha is persona non grata on the South Coast for his exploits against Brighton and will be looking to make it five goals in his last five games against the Seagulls on Monday.