Premier League Clash: Manchester United to Rebound Against Liverpool

Manchester United will seek to bounce back from their 2-1 loss to Brighton last week when they host arch-rivals Liverpool in a fiery encounter at Old Trafford in the third round of the English Premier League on Sunday. The match will be the first showdown between Dutch managers Erik ten Hag of Manchester and Arne Slot, newly arrived at Liverpool.

Slot has had a perfect start to his challenging task of succeeding renowned German coach Jürgen Klopp with two wins in his first two Premier League matches without conceding a goal. He faces his first major test to gain further confidence from Liverpool fans at one of Klopp’s least favorite stadiums, where the two most successful clubs in English football will clash.

Despite Liverpool’s dominance over United during Klopp’s nine-year tenure, they have won only two of 11 away matches against United. This includes a 3-4 FA Cup quarter-final defeat and a 2-2 league draw last season. However, the pressure is currently greater on Ten Hag.

The Dutch coach retained his position by winning the FA Cup, defeating Manchester City 2-1 in May, despite finishing eighth in the league. United began this season with a late win over Fulham 1-0, but they fell short in the final moments against Brighton, losing 2-1 in the second round. A new defeat would certainly increase the pressure on Ten Hag.

Tottenham’s last two visits to St. James’ Park have resulted in crushing defeats, losing 1-6 and 0-4 to Newcastle. Both teams have four points from their first two matches, but they need to prove their ambitions to return to the Champions League next season. Newcastle narrowly beat newly-promoted Southampton 1-0 with 10 men in the first round but was lucky to escape with a point after a 1-1 draw with Bournemouth.

Eddie Howe’s men also needed penalties to overcome Nottingham Forest in the midweek League Cup, and there is frustration over their inability to strengthen the squad in the transfer market. Meanwhile, Tottenham secured a commanding 4-0 win over Everton last weekend, but their 1-1 draw with Leicester City in the opening round exposed familiar weaknesses for Ange Postecoglou’s men away from home.

League champions Manchester City visit West Ham in London, aiming for their third consecutive win, relying heavily on their Norwegian giant Erling Haaland, who has scored four goals in two games to top the scorers’ list.

Arsenal, seeking to end Manchester City’s four-season dominance of the title, hosts Brighton at Emirates Stadium in North London. Both teams have had strong starts, with Arsenal defeating Wolves 2-0 at home and Aston Villa 2-0 away. In contrast, Brighton, managed by the youngest coach in Premier League history, Fabian Hürzeler (31), started strongly with a 3-0 win at Everton, followed by a 2-1 victory over Manchester United.

Brighton was one of the biggest spenders during the summer transfer window, with around £200 million invested in eight new players. Brighton’s coach knows the challenge against Arsenal won’t be easy, saying, “They are one of the best teams in the world right now. They have few weaknesses, with quality and solutions for all phases. We need a good day to get a positive result. We’ll need individual performances and great team spirit. We’re going there to win because my team has the potential.”

Chelsea, fresh from a 6-2 thrashing of Wolves last weekend, the biggest win of the season so far, plans to exploit Crystal Palace’s poor start, having lost their first two matches to Brentford and West Ham, leaving them without any points. The same round sees several other important matches, with Everton hosting Bournemouth, Leicester City taking on Aston Villa, Ipswich Town facing Fulham, Nottingham Forest against Wolves, and Brentford against Southampton on Saturday.