The Premier League is back on our screens this weekend and there is an intriguing schedule of fixtures to come.
There are plenty of different stories set to unravel between this evening and Sunday night at around 7pm.
It is never a boring weekend of football in England’s top flight and this weekend will be no different with interesting issues boiling in the background of every club involved in the Prem.
We have had a look at the matches to come and analysed the biggest talking points for punters that we expect will be discussed throughout the weekend and beyond.
Mo Salah Liverpool form
Questions have reared their heads this season already regarding the playmaker and whether or not Salah should be dropped by Liverpool manager Arne Slot over poor performances.
It is an incredible fall from grace for the Egyptian King whose statistics have crumbled in front of fans’ eyes in what has been a staggering dip.
Just three goals in all competitions for the 33-year-old have come this term which is a far cry from his numbers even at this stage of the campaign last year where he had five goals and the same number of assists in that time.
Liverpool and Egypt forward Mohamed Salah
At any other club and for most other players, three strikes and three assists from 11 would hardly be considered a crisis but for the ever-reliable Salah it certainly is.
One question this weekend will be whether Slot even decides to pick him against Brentford away from home.
Salah was benched in Liverpool’s 5-1 mauling of Frankfurt in their midweek Champions League tie but he could return to the fold against the Bees. Though he will certainly have to dramatically improve to keep hungry attackers out of the starting line up at Anfield.
Sean Dyche back in Premier League dugout
Nottingham Forest sacked Ange Postecoglou after just 39 days in what was a baffling end to an unusual beginning to the Australian’s career at the City Ground.
Big Ange did not look a suitable replacement for Nuno Espirito Santo in the first place and that proved to be the case when he was axed early on.
One man who did look like he would fit at Forest when Nuno got the bullet was former Burnley and Everton boss Sean Dyche who has a history of stabilising clubs at their time of need.
Fans will want the new manager bounce under Dyche at Forest and their 2-0 victory over FC Porto in the Europa League last night was the ideal start for the 54-year-old coach.
In the Premier League it is a different kettle of fish and away from home against Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth certainly is not the easiest start to life in the new gig.
But it will be interesting to see how Dyche goes and how he sets up his squad to take on the attacking Cherries in a bid to land three vital early points.
Can Manchester United win again?
Say what you want about Ruben Amorim but his victory for Manchester United last weekend away at Liverpool was a turn up for the books.
The Portuguese boss scalped his rivals 2-1 in front of their own supporters to win his second game on the spin at the club for the first time in a long time.
This weekend United are back at home at Old Trafford and they take on Brighton who are 10th in the division and just one point behind their opponents on 12.
If the Red Devils can secure a third win in a row, the momentum will shift in their favour and there will be an air of optimism at the Theatre of Dreams for the first time in years. And we don’t feel that is an exaggeration, either.
United have not come close to stringing a good run of form together until now and they could move up the table despite the recent doom and gloom.
Arsenal building title momentum
Mikel Arteta has been always the bridesmaid, never the bride in recent years.
The Spaniard has finished second the past three years in a row but Arsenal want to win the whole thing this season if they can push for it.
The Gunners will look to take advantage of Liverpool’s recent dip in form but will have to keep winning and that continues with Crystal Palace at the Emirates this weekend.
Arsenal are unbeaten in their last seven matches against the Eagles with six wins and a draw with their most recent defeat to Palace coming back in April 2022.
Patrick Vieira was the Palace boss at the time which should date the result but the 3-0 loss Arteta suffered that day is in the distant memory category.
The current league leaders want to continue their form as they are six wins and one draw from eight with only the loss at Anfield sticking in the throat.
If they can beat Palace this weekend, they will be a force to be reckoned with.
Meeting at the bottom of the table
It has been a season to forget so far for West Ham who sacked Graham Potter before he could do much more damage at the helm.
The Hammers sit second bottom ahead of only Wolves with just one victory so far and a draw to their name.
Nuno Espirito Santo is their new head coach after he, too, was binned at Forest but the Portuguese gaffer won’t have too long to try and build the Irons into a winning machine before the campaign begins to float away from him.
It’s a trip to Leeds United this weekend at Elland Road for the Hammers and Daniel Farke’s outfit have also started poorly.
The Whites are ahead of their foes on 16th but not by much.
It may not exactly be considered a six-pointer quite yet in the Premier League but these are the games both clubs’ seasons will be determined by.
It will not be against the big six. Matches against the clubs around you in the division are the vital ones and this result and fixture could lay down an early marker for whichever side comes out on top.
