Premier League Round 7: Man City debuts super quartet
With the return of David Silva, Man City can field their four best attacking stars for the first time in the key match against Tottenham with the goal of consolidating their top position.
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Tottenham - Man City (6:45 p.m. Saturday, September 26, online on VnExpress):Fantastic Four Last week, due to David Silva's injury during the warm-up, Man City fans missed the chance to see the super quartet of David Silva - Kevin De Bruyne - Raheem Sterling - Sergio Aguero play together. This week, it is very likely that the above expectations will be met. On the home side, they also have great attacking players. Young talent Delle Alli is in the stage of showing off, Son Heung-min seems to be a valuable contract, Christian Eriksen is gradually regaining his peak form. This will be a very interesting match between the two teams' attackers. |
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| Mauricio Pochettino's headache comes from the fact that he can hardly help his student Harry Kane regain the form that helped him finish second in the race for the Golden Boot last season, behind only Aguero. The England striker is going through a difficult time, being scrutinized by experts and ridiculed by fans. Recently, Pochettino had to speak up and ask people to stop talking about Kane. In his last 14 appearances in the Premier League, Kane has only scored two goals, in stark contrast to the "lucky" image he sowed in the hearts of many at White Hart Lane last year. This weekend, Man City will be without the service of "rock" Vincent Kompany. But even so, scoring goals is probably still a luxury for Harry Kane. |
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Leicester - Arsenal (9pm Saturday September 26): Another painful moment The defeat in the last round against Chelsea was a pain for Arsenal. They lost to their rivals without scoring a goal, even had two players sent off, including Gabriel Paulista's red card, which somewhat upset the "Gunners". This week, Arsene Wenger's team will face a team that is likely to cause them further disappointment. |
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Leicester are fourth in the table, a position more familiar to Arsenal than Claudio Ranieri's men. Leicester have what Arsenal crave. The team that was long considered a top relegation candidate last season is the only team yet to taste defeat in the Premier League this year. Leicester have a fighting spirit that saved them last season and looks to have continued into the early part of this season. At the King Power Stadium this weekend, the home side will be determined not to let their visitors overtake them in the table. Arsenal will struggle if they cannot find a weakness in Leicester's system, but they must not forget that the home side's attack, spearheaded by Riyad Mahrez (pictured), has scored 13 goals in six games, while Wenger's attacking-minded side have only managed five. |
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Liverpool - Aston Villa (9pm Saturday, September 26): Gloomy Anfield Neither Liverpool nor Villa are in good form at the moment. Liverpool have gone four Premier League games without a win, while Villa are just one point above the relegation zone, having failed to win all season. The sale of Christian Benteke (pictured, in black) to Liverpool may have weakened Villa's attack, but it is worth noting that the visitors have now scored two more goals than their main striker's purchasers. Benteke will miss this game against his former club due to a hamstring injury, but his mentor, Brendan Rodgers, cannot escape the pressure. Villa have not lost at Anfield since December 2012, regardless of whether they were managed by former manager Paul Lambert or current manager Tim Sherwood. That will be a difficult problem for Rodgers to solve. |
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| In this match, the home fans will be waiting for Danny Ings (pictured) to score. This promising new signing scored his first goal for the Anfield team last weekend against Norwich and is expected to continue to shine. |
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Man Utd - Sunderland (9pm Saturday, September 26): Rooney needs to make his mark Louis Van Gaal may be having trouble deciding how to use Wayne Rooney (pictured). Whether in the centre-forward position or playing deep, the Man Utd captain has been a disappointment in recent times. But Rooney needs to start against Sunderland. Because no one knows how long new signing Anthony Martial will continue his sublime days. Rooney, the heart of the "Red Devils", needs to be kept warm both physically and mentally to be able to make his mark at the right time. Since April, Rooney has not scored a goal in the Premier League and the match against Sunderland will be an opportunity for him to end his sad days. |
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| In this match, Man Utd have problems at left-back. With both Marcos Rojo and Paddy McNair injured, Louis Van Gaal was forced to use Ashley Young (red shirt, pictured) on the left wing of the defense in the match against Ipswich and this is likely to be repeated. Another option for the Dutch strategist is to have Matteo Darmian play left-back and Antonio Valencia will take charge of the right wing. Daley Blind can also play well on the wing but Van Gaal prefers that one of his two central defenders must be left-footed. |
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Southampton - Swansea (9pm Saturday, September 26): Swansea and the thirst for goals This is a match for Swansea to demonstrate their ambition to improve their position each season. Before this season, and even after the first few matches, Gary Monk's team still looked like a safe bet for those betting on a place higher up the table. But in recent weeks, culminating in the defeat to Hull City in the League Cup on 23 September, the Welsh team's attack has begun to show serious problems. Jefferson Montero has not scored since his first goal at the start of the season, Gylfi Sigurdsson has yet to score, and Swansea is too reliant on Bafetimbi Gomis (pictured). To improve on last season, Swansea need to knock out the teams above them, and Southampton are one of them. Ronald Koeman's side are in good spirits after a thumping 6-0 win over MK Dons. Graziano Pelle, Sadio Mane, Dusan Tadic and Shane Long are all in good form, so Swansea need goals to get points. This task will be made more difficult for them if the home side have left-back Ryan Bertrand available. |
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Stoke - Bournemouth (9pm Saturday, September 26): Wilson dreams of being selected for the national team Charlie Austin earned an England call-up last season after maintaining his goalscoring form in the top flight. Callum Wilson is having the same dream. Although Eddie Howe has revealed that Roy Hodgson has never seen Wilson in person, this weekend’s game could be a chance for the England manager to see the Bournemouth striker’s pace, power and agility. Stoke, without Ryan Shawcross, will certainly be vulnerable at the back, with the hosts yet to find a way to fill the void left by their key centre-back. |
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West Ham - Norwich (9pm Saturday, September 26): Looking for stability West Ham, proud to be the ones who stopped Man City's winning streak when they defeated the reigning runners-up 2-1 last weekend, are third, a position worth celebrating. But assessing West Ham's current form is not an easy task. They just lost to Leicester in the League Cup on September 23, a defeat that even former coach Sam Allardyce, if still in charge, would not have accepted easily. West Ham fans who once booed Allardyce's cautious tactics found excitement with Bilic's strong attacking philosophy. The brave spirit helped West Ham have unexpected victories against Arsenal, City and Liverpool. But fans will also remember the defeats to Bournemouth and Leicester right at Upton Park. West Ham's problem is that they have to find stability. Norwich could be a gentle lamb if the home team can show the form that helped them destroy Man City, but it could also be a nightmare if West Ham let Bournemouth lead 0-5 in the first half. |
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Newcastle - Chelsea (11:30 p.m. Saturday, September 26): Chance for Remy Diego Costa has been banned for three games. Chelsea will be without their main striker for the trip to St James' Park. But that gives Loic Remy (pictured, right) a chance to face his old team. Jose Mourinho seems to prefer the French striker over Radamel Falcao. Remy's chances at Stamford Bridge are limited because Costa has been in such good form, although the former Newcastle player was selected to start against Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Champions League. However, Remy is a skilled striker, quick, skillful and sharp. Newcastle defenders are no strangers to him and will have to keep an eye on this explosive striker for the visitors. Seeing how Watford's Troy Deeney and Odion Ighalo destroyed Newcastle's defense, the next match could very well see Loic Remy shine. |
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Watford - Crystal Palace (10pm Sunday, September 27): Allan Nyom Wall Odion Ighalo and Troy Deeney have provided a bright face for Watford's attack in their first games back in the Premier League. But Allan Nyom (pictured, left) has also been integral to Watford's good start to the season. The Cameroon defender spent six years in Spain with Granada and Nyom's solidity on his English debut has helped Watford keep a clean sheet at home so far. If Palace are to breach Watford's defence, Nyom's right flank will be difficult to exploit. |
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West Brom - Everton (2am Tuesday, September 29): Waiting for Lukaku to shine Romelu Lukaku is a fantastic striker. He is strong, he has been bought for a lot of money, sometimes people forget he is only 22. He can shine, as he did in the 3-0 win over Southampton, but he can also disappear behind the defence. The worry is that Everton do not have a reliable replacement for Lukaku. Roberto Martinez may give Gerard Deulofeu, who played well against Reading in midweek, his first start for Everton when he returns to the Hawthorns this weekend. Deulofeu could share the burden with Lukaku, something Arouna Kone cannot do. |
According to VNE
