Player to score – Bruno Fernandes (Man Utd v Arsenal)
Manchester United have found their groove under Erik ten Hag after a dreadful start to the season, winning three games in a row. Bruno Fernandes has looked more like his old self, emboldened by the additional responsibility placed on him by the new manager at Old Trafford. Rather than being part of United’s attacking moves, Fernandes is doing more to finish them.
Ten Hag might make some changes to the team that started against Liverpool, Southampton and Leicester City with Antony available after completing his €100m move from Ajax on transfer deadline day, but Fernandes will almost certainly keep his place. The 27-year-old will get into goalscoring positions against Arsenal and he has looked sharp enough in recent matches to take one of them.
Bruno Fernandes has netted 37 Premier League goals since joining the club in January 2020.
The tally is even more impressive when compared with others during that time:
Kevin De Bruyne — 28 goals
Ilkay Gundogan — 23 goals
James Maddison — 22 goals pic.twitter.com/NTxnmiJI4D— The FTBL Index 🎙 ⚽ (@TheFTBLIndex) September 1, 2022
Player to be carded – Nathan Patterson (Everton v Liverpool)
Liverpool will arrive at Goodison Park this weekend on the back of wins over Bournemouth and Newcastle United. Jurgen Klopp’s side have had their struggles early on this season, but the Reds remain as dangerous as ever in the wide areas and this will put a lot of pressure on Nathan Patterson as the Everton right wing back.
Patterson was impressive for the Toffees as they drew 1-1 at Leeds United on Tuesday night, but he will be on the same wing as Luis Diaz who will force the Scotland international into uncomfortable positions. Patterson is a good bet to pick up a yellow card as collateral damage in the Merseyside Derby.
Match to be a draw – AC Milan v Inter
The first Derby della Madonnina of the season will take place at the San Siro on Saturday with AC Milan and Inter both targeting the Serie A title this season. Stefano Pioli’s side are unbeaten in their last 20 matches in the league with AC Milan also keeping a clean sheet in six of their last seven outings in front of their own fans.
Inter have started their Scudetto challenge with three wins from four matches. Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez’s strike partnership looks strong again after the former’s return to the club, but AC Milan have kept a clean sheet in each of their last two matches. Both teams would likely settle for a point from this encounter.
Both teams to score – Newcastle Utd v Crystal Palace
Newcastle United have scored in all but one of their Premier League fixtures this season with the Magpies finding the back of the net five times in their two matches at home. Alexander Isak made an instant impact, scoring on his debut against Liverpool on Wednesday night and the Swede will be a threat once again this weekend.
What a goal from Saint Maximin 😳 https://t.co/s7dxa8v8dB
— Zubayr 👆 (@imansizhayatyok) August 28, 2022
Crystal Palace, however, will carry their own threat. The Eagles have also scored in all but one of their five Premier League fixtures so far this season with Wilfried Zaha in exceptional form – the Ivory Coast international has scored four times in his last three games. Palace have the attacking talent to find the net at St James’ Park.
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Manchester City have flexed their attacking muscle as defending Premier League champions in recent weeks with Pep Guardiola’s side scoring no fewer than 10 goals in their last two games. Erling Haaland has settled in quickly, scoring nine times in his first five Premier League appearances.
Aston Villa, on the other hand, have lost five of their last six Premier League matches and have failed to score more than once in four of their five games in the division this season. Steven Gerrard needs results to prove he is still the man for the job at Villa Park, but that will be tough this weekend when City visit.
