Manchester City aim to break losing streak as Arsenal face Chelsea

LONDON – Manchester City is determined to avoid a third consecutive Premier League defeat for the first time in seven years as they face Brighton on Saturday.

In another crucial fixture, Arsenal is set to challenge resurgent Chelsea, creating an exciting weekend for Premier League football fans.

With four teams contending for the top spot in the league, the weekend’s action will commence with Liverpool facing Everton in the Merseyside derby.

City’s recent defeats by Wolves and Arsenal marked their first back-to-back losses in the league since 2018.

To find the last time the champions lost three consecutive matches, one needs to go back to early 2016 during Manuel Pellegrini’s tenure.

However, Brighton poses a considerable threat to City.

The Manchester club is on a run of 20 straight home wins in all competitions, and Guardiola has praised Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi, acknowledging him as “one of the most influential managers in the last 20 years.”

This season, City has adopted a style similar to Brighton’s, attempting to bait opponents into pressing before quickly moving the ball into open spaces.

Brighton, however, is grappling with the challenges of their first-ever European campaign alongside Premier League commitments, leading to a winless streak of four games in all competitions, although they still hold sixth place in the table.

Arsenal‘s recent victory against City has boosted their confidence, igniting hopes that they can end their 20-year title drought.

Mikel Arteta’s side currently stands second in the league, behind Tottenham only on goals scored.

If Arsenal wins their upcoming match, they could top the table on Saturday since Tottenham is not in action until Monday.

The international break seems to have come at an unfavorable time for Chelsea, who have recorded back-to-back league victories under their new manager Mauricio Pochettino.

With six goals scored in the games against Fulham and Burnley, Chelsea has seemingly rediscovered their scoring form.

Their encounter with Arsenal, however, is expected to provide a challenging test, revealing if Chelsea’s resurgence is genuine.

Chelsea has not beaten Arsenal in the league at home since 2018.

A victory in this clash would be a substantial step for Pochettino in winning over Chelsea fans and potentially affecting the title race.

Liverpool, managed by Jurgen Klopp, appears to be returning to their peak form. They are currently just three points behind the league leaders.

In contrast, Everton has struggled and seems headed for another relegation battle after gaining only seven points from their opening eight games. Everton has not won at Anfield since 1999.

Klopp faces a selection dilemma due to the 1130 GMT kick-off on Saturday, merely days after several key players represented their countries in South America.

Alexis Mac Allister, Luis Diaz, and Darwin Nunez played full 90-minute matches for Argentina, Colombia, and Uruguay, respectively.

These matches concluded in the early hours of Wednesday UK time, and Klopp must consider the impact of this grueling schedule on his team.

As the Premier League unfolds this weekend, football enthusiasts await thrilling contests and potentially groundbreaking outcomes in the race for the title.