With Daily Star Sport evaluating the early title contenders’ fixtures, one of the most competitive starts to a Premier League season in recent memory will shortly resume.
Only eight games have been played, but the Premier League title battle is still very much in play.
The best division in world football can be decided by the tiniest of margins, as recent campaigns have shown, and this season may be even closer than usual. In the early stages, four main competitors have emerged.
With Manchester United and Chelsea struggling, it appears that the remaining top six opponents will compete to become the next English champions. Tottenham and Arsenal are unbeaten and in first place.
Manchester City, who lost two straight league games before the break for the international break, has demonstrated they are not unbeatable by finishing third, with a revitalised Liverpool trailing closely behind.
Before club football resumes this weekend, Daily Star Sport is analysing each contender’s upcoming six games to see who might gain an advantage and who might lose ground.
As he anticipates what will happen for his team, Jurgen Klopp will be licking his lips. They play five teams, all of which are in the bottom half of the table, including four at home, in addition to the obviously difficult job of travelling to the Etihad next month.
They may easily score freely in those games and end up with a maximum of 15 points. But a loss at City away may ruin all of that hard work. It wouldn’t be the first time the title has been decided by that game.
Arsenal
Chelsea (A)
Sheffield United (H)
Newcastle (A)
Burnley (H)
Brentford (A)
Wolves (H)
The schedule doesn’t look as favourable for Arsenal, but after their recent 1-0 victory against City, they won’t be intimidated by any challenge. Even if Chelsea has recently shown promise, you would support Mikel Arteta’s team to win this weekend.
A trip to St James’ Park presents a significantly greater risk, albeit they managed to avoid it in May with a 2-0 victory. Beyond that, a lot of things appear to be in the distance.
Tottenham
Fulham (H)
Crystal Palace (A)
Chelsea (H)
Wolves (A)
Aston Villa (H)
Man City (A)
Spurs supporters won’t want us saying this, but of the four teams, they are the ones you would least expect to still be in contention when it matters most. It’s unclear how long they will be able to capitalise on Ange Postecoglou’s successful transition to life in north London.
To be fair to them, they haven’t exactly had it simple thus far. Selhurst Park and Molinuex haven’t been convenient destinations this season, despite the fact that their next six don’t appear to be too bad on the surface. A excellent litmus test will be the matchup at home against Villa, who are also competing for a top-four spot.
Metro City
Brighton (H)
Manchester United (A)
Bournemouth (H)
Chelsea (A)
Liverpool (H)
Tottenham (H)
The hardest of the runs belongs to City, but does that matter much to Pep Guardiola’s Treble winners? Brighton and their adversary United have both conceded goals.
And it won’t be long before Erling Haaland rediscovers his scoring touch and unexpectedly sets yet another Premier League record. Mind you, it’s a terrible proposition to face Liverpool and Tottenham back to back, especially because they haven’t fully found their footing yet.