Can two Premier League under-performers make sure they brag in the capital this weekend?
Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, both European finalists last season, both suffered disappointing Premier League campaigns this time.
The Gunners are coming to the end of a transitional year in which Unai Emery was sent in for serious underperformance and Mikel Arteta began, slowly but surely, to oversee a revolution at the Emirates stadium.
Things are starting to change, and after losing the first two games after restarting, they went back with three straight wins, fueling hope for European qualification.
Their hopes were dented against Leicester City during the week, while the Gunners held 1-1, but they will be desperate to win again against their neighbors.
The Spurs were lackluster in the defeat of Sheffield United and performed better if they beat Everton 1-0 on Monday evening.
Fans will expect a better performance against the Gunners on Sunday, when the two clash with SuperSport and a defeat would represent a significant setback for Jose Mourinho’s troubled first year with the Spurs.
“Every game is a challenge and we’ve played many in the past few weeks,” Arsenal’s Kieran Tierney told reporters before the game. “Tottenham is a huge game for the club and a huge game for fans.
“We will recover, there are positives to be taken from the Leicester game,” he added. “We are disappointed with the result and we drop two points, but there are still positive aspects and we will recover 100% and come back again.”
Both clubs will be eager to leave recent controversies behind; Eddie Nketiah’s red card was one of the main talking points in the Gunners’ draw with Leicester, while Eric Dier’s recent suspension and the highly publicized images of Hugo Lloris and Son Heung who were fighting halfway against Everton drew the attention of a precious victory for the Lilywhites.
Can they add three more points on Sunday?
Also in the Premier League this week, Liverpool will host Burnley on Saturday, while Chelsea are away from Sheffield United on the same day.
Were the Reds imperious as they shot down Brighton and Hove Albion on Wednesday, with Mohamed Salah unstoppable, able to get another home win against a stubborn Burnley team as they hunt Manchester City’s Premier League record high?
Sean Dyche’s team is significantly reduced in numbers due to player injuries and departures due to the conclusion of the contracts, but it nevertheless shot down West Ham United on Wednesday and will represent severe opponents.
The Lame will be supported by their victory over the Wolverhampton Wanderers – they have seven points out of nine now after a slow start after the blockade – but can they extend their unbeaten streak against a Chelsea team that closes in the top three?
Calendar on SuperSport
Thursday 9 July – Aston Villa vs Manchester United (Premier League)
Thursday 9 July – Verona – Inter (Serie A)
Saturday 11 July – Sheffield vs Chelsea (Premier League)
Saturday 11 July – Liverpool vs Burnley (Premier League)
Saturday 11 July – Brighton vs Manchester City (Premier League)
Saturday 11 July – Juventus vs Atalanta (Serie A)
Saturday 11 July – Valladolid vs Barcelona (LaLiga)
Saturday 11 July – Atletico Madrid vs Real Betis (LaLiga)
Sunday 12 July – Naples – AC Milan (Serie A)
Sunday 12 July – Tottenham vs Arsenal (Premier League)
Thursday, Manchester United will return to action at Aston Villa, for which security has slipped away after Watford’s victory over Norwich City.
The Red Devils hit a peak as the season draws to a close, with Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba’s excellence in midfield at the base of Anthony Martial’s menacing forward play, Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood.
Finally, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer appears to have found his best XI, although Victor Lindelof has been replaced by a back problem in the 5-2 demolition of Bournemouth, which may require a reshuffle.
In Spain, Barcelona’s wobble seems to be behind them after they ended their winless game in two games with consecutive wins against Villarreal and Espanyol.
Of course, they didn’t have things their way against their rivals in the city, with Ansu Fati and Pol Lozano seeing red for each team.
However, Luis Suarez’s goal 11 minutes from the second half eventually resolved the problem and brought Barca one point behind Real after playing more.
If Real Madrid beat Deportivo Alaves, who have lost their last five games, on Friday at home, as they should, the pressure will return to the Catalan giants when they go to Real Valladolid, living on SuperSport, on Saturday night.
This weekend we will also have two gluttonous gourmands in Italy, starting from Juventus against Atalanta on Saturday evening.
Juve were exposed against AC Milan in Tuesday night’s thriller, taking the lead 2-0 after goals by Adrien Rabiot and Cristiano Ronaldo, only for the hosts who roared in contention with four goals in the last half an hour.
The article continues below
She ended the Old Lady’s four-game Serie A win and it was their first league loss after losing to Hellas Verona in early February.
Defeats for Lazio and Internazionale against Lecce and Bologna respectively means that the defeat was not as expensive as it could have been, although Atalanta in third place is in an excellent winning run and will be eager to get an affirmative victory.
Milan may have turned a corner under Stefano Pioli – they have taken 13 points from the last 15 – and can overcome Napoli and move to the Europa League with a victory in Campania on Sunday.
.
