Super Saturday beckons for English football followers as two hot derbies will be played this afternoon.
Arsenal take on North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur at the Emirates Stadium while Liverpool square up to cross-town foes Everton in the Merseyside derby.
After last weekend’s Premier League matches, Arsenal are still undefeated (like Chelsea) and lead Tottenham, still unbeaten on their travels, by two points.
Arsene Wenger, the Arsenal manager, believes that Danny Welbeck could become another Thierry Henry after opening his account for his new club in the 3-0 defeat of Aston Villa.
German playmaker Mesut Ozil, dismissed as a lightweight liability on the left of Arsenal’s midfield this season, responded with a dynamic performance at Villa.
Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino has been frustrated by his side’s slow start to the campaign after Spurs fell to a 1-0 defeat at home to West Brom.
Critics were quick to turn on Pochettino, claiming that the Argentine was supposed to banish his side’s blues at White Hart Lane, especially against less-quoted teams like West Brom.
In the last 10 Premier League seasons, the head-to-head record speaks loudly for the Gunners as Spurs have won only once.
September 2013: Arsenal-Tottenham 1-0.
November 2012: Arsenal-Tottenham 5-2.
February 2012: Arsenal-Tottenham 5-2.
November 2010: Arsenal-Tottenham 2-3.
October 2009: Arsenal-Tottenham 3-0.
October 2008: Arsenal-Tottenham 4-4.
December 2007: Arsenal-Tottenham 2-1.
December 2006: Arsenal-Tottenham 3-0.
April 2006: Arsenal-Tottenham 1-1.
April 2005: Arsenal-Tottenham 1-0.
The other much-awaited derby is the clash at Anfield between Liverpool and Everton with both teams having struggled so far.
While the Reds have obtained two wins, the Blues have only one success to show this season.
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has urged his team to prove that they can cope with the pressure of being back among Europe’s elite.
Captain Steven Gerrard has also appealed to his Liverpool team-mates not to let their season “fizzle out” following their recent difficulties.
Everton produced yet another insipid defensive display as they went down to Crystal Palace 3-2 at Goodison Park. This result meant that Everton have conceded 11 goals in their three home games, much to the disappointment of manager Roberto Martinez.
Leaders Chelsea have relinquished their perfect record after their draw against Manchester City but are still unbeaten.
Chelsea entertain Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge.
Manager Jose Mourinho claimed that Frank Lampard’s ‘love story’ with Chelsea came to an end long before he scored the equaliser for City.
Manuel Pellegrini, the City boss, remarked that Mourinho was only intent on avoiding defeat in the 1-1 draw at the Etihad Stadium.
Paul Lambert was left to rue a virus which plagued his Villa squad ahead of the 3-0 loss to Arsenal.
Sixth-placed Manchester City will be on their travels as they play guests to Hull at the KC Stadium. The Citizens are still in search of their first away win.
Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal will call on his players to pick themselves up and show that they are not a team from the lower half of the classification when they host West Ham.
Van Gaal slammed his players after they blew away a 3-1 lead to lose 5-3 at Leicester. United’s defensive frailties were laid bare in the most embarrassing fashion at the King Power Stadium.
The Hammers are on a high after claiming back-to-back wins for the first time since December.
After a powerful start to the campaign, Swansea have now lost two games in a row. This afternoon, they travel to Sunderland.
In the Midlands, West Brom cross swords with Burnley at the Hawthorns tomorrow. West Brom have moved off the bottom of the table after their victory at Tottenham, thanks to James Morrison’s second-half header.
Burnley desperately need a win as their dream return to the Premier League risks becoming a nightmare.
Stoke City will be looking for their first home win when they meet Newcastle on Monday night.
Fixtures and forecast
Premier League
Arsenal-Tottenham (18.30) - 1
Chelsea-Aston Villa - 1
C. Palace-Leicester - 1
Hull-Man. City - 2
Liverpool-Everton (13.45) - 1
Man. United-West Ham - 1
Southampton-QPR - X
Sunderland-Swansea - X
Tomorrow:
West Brom-Burnley (17.00) - 1
Monday:
Stoke-Newcastle (21.00) - X
Standings: Chelsea 13; Southampton, A. Villa 10; Arsenal, Swansea 9; Man. City, Leicester 8; West Ham, Tottenham 7; Hull, Liverpool 6; Man. Utd, Stoke, Everton, C. Palace, WBA 5; Sunderland, QPR 4; Burnley, Newcastle 3.
The Championship
Birmingham-Fulham - X
Blackburn-Watford - 1
Blackpool-Norwich - 2
Bolton-Derby - 2
Bournemouth-Wigan - X
Brentford-Leeds - X
Cardiff-Sheff. Wed. - 1
Charlton-Middlesbrough - X
Huddersfield-Millwall - 1
Ipswich-Rotherham - 1
Nottm Forest-Brighton - 1
Tomorrow:
Reading-Wolves (14.15) - 2
League One
Barnsley-Swindon - X
Bradford-Port Vale - 1
Bristol City-MK Dons - 1
Chesterfield-Notts County - 1
Coventry-Preston - X
Crawley-Yeovil - X
Crewe-Colchester - X
Leyton Orient-Rochdale - 1
Oldham-Scunthorpe - 1
Peterborough-Fleetwood - 1
Sheffield Utd-Gillingham - 1
Walsall-Doncaster - X
League Two
Accrington-Plymouth - X
Burton-Cheltenham - 1
Carlisle-Tranmere - X
Dagenham-York - X
Exeter-Bury - 2
Hartlepool-Portsmouth - 2
Luton-Oxford - 1
Morecambe-Northampton - 1
Newport-AFC Wimbledon - 1
Southend-Shrewsbury - 1
Stevenage-Mansfield - X
Wycombe-Cambridge - 1
Hot four
Arsenal, Chelsea, Man. United, Southampton.