It will be a case of master versus apprentice when Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea lock horns, while Sunderland continue life post-Paolo Di Canio.
Spurs face Blues; City go to Villa; Black Cats entertain Reds
It will be a case of master versus apprentice when Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur lock horns on Saturday lunchtime, while Sunderland continue life post-Paolo Di Canio on home soil against Liverpool.
Swansea City and Arsenal should put on a show to satisfy the purists on
Saturday Night Football, while there will be a tale of two cities in the opening encounter of a
Super Sunday double-header as Stoke play host to Norwich.
The Premier League weekend kicks off at White Hart Lane, with
Tottenham Hotspur's home date with
Chelsea expected to see as many eyes fall on the respective dugouts as events unfolding on the field. Spurs boss Andre Villas-Boas learnt his coaching trade under the watchful eye of Jose Mourinho, but is now very much his own man and will want to show the self-proclaimed 'Special One' that he took plenty from the time spent as his go-to scout. Spurs' record against the Blues is not the best, to put it mildly - winning just three of 42 Premier League meetings - but they have opened the season in impressive style and boast the meanest defence in the top flight. Chelsea have also kept things tight at the back, conceding only twice, but both sides have struggled at the opposite end of the field and will want to address those issues on derby day.
Manchester City have no such troubles at present, with 12 goals plundered in their last three outings in all competitions. Four of those came during last weekend's derby demolition of Manchester United, with a resounding victory over their fiercest rivals suggesting that all is well in the City camp under new boss Manuel Pellegrini. His next challenge is to keep the momentum going during a trip to
Aston Villa. The one criticism of City under Pellegrini would be their performances on the road in the league, and Villa Park has not always been a happy hunting ground for the Blues. Villa have, however, come unstuck in each of their two home league games so far and conceded four in front of their own supporters in a Capital One Cup clash with Tottenham on Tuesday.
Midweek cup duty was a lot kinder to
Manchester United - and it needed to be given how things have gone for David Moyes so far. The fixture list has done the new Red Devils boss few favours, but he knows that the expectation at Old Trafford is to win every game, regardless of the opposition. Overcoming Liverpool on Wednesday has helped to ease some of the pressure on his shoulders and United would appear to be a position to really ignite their season.
West Bromwich Albion are next on the calendar, before a number of winnable fixtures on paper carry the reigning champions through October. Moyes cannot afford to take the Baggies lightly, though, and a 5-5 draw the last time the two clubs met suggests there could be more fireworks at the Theatre of Dreams on Saturday.
Fulham could do with finding a spark of their own from somewhere, with a slow start having dropped them into the bottom three. Goals are proving to be something of a problem for the Cottagers, which is surprising given the enviable array of attacking talent they have at their disposal. A welcome victory in League Cup competition on Tuesday saw them inflict a first defeat on Everton under Roberto Martinez, so Martin Jol will be hoping that the tide has turned.
Cardiff City are the next visitors
