Manchester City are on course to smash records, north London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham duel at the Emirates and David Moyes hopes to get a tune out of West Ham.
Here, Press Association Sport looks at five talking points ahead of this weekend’s Premier League action.
Paradise City
If Manchester City continue at their current scoring rate they will finish the season with around 130 goals, smashing the previous record – 103 by Chelsea under Carlo Ancelotti in 2010 – to smithereens. Leicester are up next to feel the force of Sergio Aguero, Kevin De Bruyne, David Silva, Gabriel Jesus and co, and another victory will ensure Pep Guardiola’s all-stars end the weekend at least eight points clear of their closest, but already distant, challengers.
North London calling
Once upon a time the north London derby was all about bragging rights. Now, apparently, it is power shifts after Tottenham finally started finishing above Arsenal following 20 years of inferiority. No doubt Spurs look the far better bet to challenge for the title at the moment, but should Arsenal inflict a bloody nose on them at the Emirates – and form does tend to go out of the window in these matches – then they will move to within just one point of their great rivals.
Come on feel the Moyes
All the noises coming out of West Ham since David Moyes replaced Slaven Bilic suggest the Scot has been working his under-performing squad to the bone. Having three assistant managers may sound more like a department store than a football club but the new regime of Stuart Pearce, Alan Irvine and Billy McKinlay have also been overseeing the punishing training sessions. The fruits of their labour should be apparent when the Hammers head to Watford on Sunday.
Pretty vacant
Everton were expected to have a new manager in place in time for the trip to Crystal Palace. But they failed with an approach for Watford boss Marco Silva while Sam Allardyce ruled himself out and Sean Dyche continues to insist he is perfectly happy at Burnley, urging everyone to ‘move on’. So David Unsworth, who was initially given four games to prove himself and won just one – against Watford before the international break – will somehow still be in the dug-out at Selhurst Park.
I believe in miracles
England’s World Cup preparations were hit by the usual host of withdrawals ahead of the Wembley friendlies against Germany and Brazil. But of the players who pulled out of the squad through injury Tottenham trio Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Harry Winks, Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling and Fabian Delph, and Liverpool’s Jordan Henderson, are all expected to be in contention for their clubs this weekend. The so-called club-versus-country row is set to rumble on.
Source: By Press Association Sport Staff
