FOOTBALL: Preview of weekend actions
Emmanuel Alfred
The league is back this weekend with mouthwatering actions and we are going to delve into some of them
Poch in search of first win as Chelsea boss
Millions have been spent on player acquisition and even a new coach hired but the result has stayed the same for the Blues.
They were comfortably beaten last weekend by West Ham with Moises Caicedo causing a penalty on his debut.
At Stamford Bridge, they will be hosting newly promoted side, Luton Town and will hope to kickstart their season with a win.
Spurs to continue with impressive performance
Tottenham Hotspur provided a comprehensive performance against Manchester United last week with a 2-0 victory but needs to continue with the performance when they face Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium.
They seem to handle the absence of Harry Kane decently but Ange Postecoglou knows a recognized striker can never be overlooked in a season where goals often plays a determinant factor if they are get Champions League qualification.
Arsenal in search of flawless start to the season against Fulham
The Gunners are one of three teams with a perfect start to the season and will hope to make it three when Fulham FC visit the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.
Arsenal have been boosted with the return of Brazilian forward, Gabriel Jesus as his abilities help to add sleekness to their attack.
Aleksander Mitrovic recently left the Cottagers and joined Saudi Pro League club Al Hilal. They do need a replacement and Marco Silva has indicated interest in Columbian forward, Duvan Zapata from Italian club, Atalanta.
Forest to pile more pressure on Ten Haag
Manchester united still looks like a team in transition after €600m being spent under Dutchman, Eric Ten Haag. Despite signing a ball playing goalkeeper the team is still facing the same issues they faced during David De Gea’s time as Andre Onana has saved a total of 11 shots in just two games.
The injury list is increasing after we have learnt that midfielder, Mason Mount and defender, Luke Shaw have joined new striker, Rasmus Hojlund on the sidelines.
Ten Haag needs to find a winning formula and really fast against a Nottingham Forest side who are very good on the counter.
Liverpool to continue dominance against Newcastle
It’s been a mixed bag for Liverpool this week- the Reds got the red card given to Alex McAllister overturned but are now dealing with the nagging interest of Saudi Arabian club Al-Ittihad in talisman, Mohammed Salah.
Head Coach, Jurgen Klopp has insisted that the forward is not for sale but has to deal with facing a very good Newcastle United side who will want to bounce back from the defeat against Manchester City last week.
The good news for Liverpool is that the Magpies has not defeated them since December 2015 in the Premier League.
City travels to face Sheffield United
Pep Guadiola must be a happy man: Portuguese midfielder, Bernardo Silva earlier in the week put pen to paper in a new deal that will see him stay at the Etihad Stadium till 2026 staving interests from European giants Paris St. German and FC Barcelona.
They have also added to their squad talented Belgium winger, Jeremy Doku from Stade Rennais on a five-year deal and will need his pace and trickery on the flank to create goalscoring opportunities for Erling Haaland and Julian Alvarez in the absence of playmaker, Kevin De Bruyne.
La Liga
Madrid continue to count on Bellingham
Jude Bellingham has been scintillating form since joining Real Madrid from Borussia Dortmund in the summer with the Englishman scoring three goals in two matches and Madrid getting two wins out of two.
They face Celta Vigo who is coached by former Manager, Rafa Benitez and will hope to overcome what will be a tricky test on Friday.
Villareal to stun Barcelona?
Barcelona travel to face Villareal at the Estadio Ceramica and they will need Robert Lewandowski to come to the party. The Polish forward has been silent in the first two games of the season and they will pray that he gets in the action as his goals helped the team to win the League last season.
They have been dealt with an injury to midfielder, Pedri and will hope that doesn’t leave the midfield open against the Yellow Submarines who know how to punish teams at home.
Giroud and Pulisic to continue with goals?
Former Chelsea forwards Olivier Giroud and Christian Pulisic will wish to continue with goals as they host Torino tomorrow.
The duo were on target in AC Milan’s win over Bologna on Monday night and a win will help to set the tempo for a title challenge for the Rossoneri.
Juve needs to sustain tempo
The Old Ladies were ruthless against Udinese whom they blew away in the first half in a 3-0 win.
Juventus know that if they need to reclaim their spot at the top by the end of the season, they will have to continue in dispatching teams particularly at home.
Osimhen need to stay fit
The Nigerian forward managed to stay in Naples amid interests from Manchester United, Chelsea and Bayern Munich but Napoli will hope that he stays fit in a quest to defending their Serie A crown they won impressively.
Napoli hosts Sassuolo on Sunday and Osimhen needs to keep scoring like he did in match day one.
Inter face Cagliari
Lautaro Martinez needs to score like he did against Monza where he got a brace.
The Nerazurri are still hunting for a number 9 but it’s refreshing for Coach, Simone Inzaghi to know that the Argentine is capable of getting the goals in back of the net.
Cagliari are no pushovers and can hurt them if given the chance.
