MANCHESTER CITY will be desperate to avoid a third successive defeat when they face neighbours Manchester United as the Premier League returns this weekend.
Alexander Isak is set for his Liverpool debut after his record-breaking move from Newcastle as champions Liverpool boast the top division’s only 100 percent record.
The Manchester derby at the Etihad Stadium pits two troubled sides against each other, both of whom have just one win from three matches.
Manchester City’s consecutive defeats against Tottenham and Brighton have raised questions about Pep Guardiola’s expensive overhaul of his side after last season’s third-place finish.
Guardiola’s problems have hardly eased with Egypt forward Omar Marmoush ruled out of Sunday’s derby with a knee injury.
Rayan Cherki and Mateo Kovacic remain sidelined and there are also questions over the fitness of John Stones, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Rico Lewis, Nico O’Reilly and Abdukodir Khusanov.
Manchester United needed a last-gasp penalty from Bruno Fernandes after another error-strewn display against Burnley as they finally clinched their first win of the season.
That dramatic victory came after Ruben Amorim’s team were beaten by Arsenal, drew with Fulham and suffered a humiliating League Cup exit at fourth-tier Grimsby.
Isak says not everyone has the whole picture of the circumstances behind his record-breaking move to Liverpool, but Arne Slot’s vision for the former Newcastle striker will start to become clear against Burnley on Sunday.
Liverpool paid a British-record £125 million to finally lure Isak to Anfield on transfer deadline day after a prolonged pursuit of the Sweden star.
Having boldly declared his intention to create history at Liverpool, the 25-year-old trained with his new teammates for the first time this week and is expected to make his debut at Turf Moor.
Reds boss Slot has an embarrassment of riches in attack after a spending spree and it will be fascinating to see how he fits Isak into a forward line already featuring Mohamed Salah, Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike and Cody Gakpo.
Chasing a record 21st English crown, Liverpool are already top of the table again with three successive victories, making Isak’s arrival on Merseyside a daunting proposition for their title rivals.
Just three months after he was unceremoniously sacked by Tottenham, Ange Postecoglou will be back in north London on Saturday as the Nottingham Forest boss takes charge of his new team against Arsenal.
Postecoglou was hired by Forest this week following the dismissal of Nuno Espirito Santo after he impressively steered Forest to their first European campaign for 30 years.
The engaging Australian’s welcome return to the Premier League comes possibly tinged with a hint of schadenfreude after Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy was forced to step down from his role last week.
However, Forest’s volatile owner Evangelos Marinakis could prove even more demanding to work for than Levy as he immediately piled pressure on Postecoglou by claiming Forest were in a position to challenge for major trophies. – AFP
