Manchester United and Manchester City both face big tests in Week 11 of the 2017-18 Premier League as they take on Chelsea and Arsenal, respectively on Sunday.
City, the division leaders by five points, are playing with an unshakeable swagger as things stand, with their 3-2 win over West Bromwich Albion another test passed. Arsenal appears to have turned something of a corner in recent weeks, but going to the Etihad Stadium is a rigorous examination of any side.
The same can be said of a trip to Stamford Bridge, where Jose Mourinho and his United side will be keen to make a statement. Chelsea, meanwhile, needs a win to ensure they remain in touch at the top of the pile.
While it’s premature to crown Pep Guardiola’s side as the champions in waiting, the football they’re playing at this moment is among the finest the Premier League has seen.
City is in total control of every game, boasting so much composure, and when it comes to breaking down a deep-sitting defence, they rarely appear short of ideas. In the final third, there is pace, guile, power and precision.
As noted by the team’s official Twitter account, in October the Etihad outfit really stepped up a level:
In practice, Arsenal is an ideal opponent, too. The Gunners rarely alter their approach, with Arsene Wenger setting his sides up to dominate possession and create chances. Often the space they leave gives opponents space to attack, although frequently they don’t boast enough class to capitalise.
City does, so there must be some switch in onus from Arsenal; they’ll need to be aware defensively, combative and ready to soak up pressure. They’ll need to show character, too, something that has been questioned at times this term but shown in their last three matches, coming from behind to win in each.
Chelsea vs Man Utd
The 1-0 victory over Tottenham felt like a massive three points for Manchester United in the context of this season, as they beat a title rival and kept the pressure up on Manchester City.
Mourinho, putting a finger to his lips at full-time, clearly felt as though he had a point to prove, too. And you can bet he’ll feel the same on Sunday when he’s back at his old club; he memorably told Chelsea supporters heckling him last season in the FA Cup loss that “I’m still number one.”
Sunday’s match is a chance to do that, as United have endured some chastening experiences at Chelsea as of late.
They were hammered 4-0 by the Blues last term in the Premier League meeting between the two sides, while Ander Herrera was given his marching orders in the aforementioned loss in the FA Cup. With two former Chelsea men in the spine of the Red Devils side in Romelu Lukaku and Nemanja Matic, there’ll be an eagerness among the visitors.
Spurs, meanwhile, host Crystal Palace ahead of the two Manchester clubs’ fixtures on Sunday, and Liverpool’s visit to West Ham United is arguably the pick of Saturday’s clashes.
Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool has won just one of their five away Premier League matches so far this season and has conceded 15 times on the road.
Top Scorers
PREMIERSHIP
Harry Kane Tottenham 8
Sergio Agüero Man City 7
Romelu Lukaku Man Utd 7
Raheem Sterling Man City 7
Gabriel Jesus Man City 6
Álvaro Morata Chelsea 6
Leroy Sané Man City 6
Jamie Vardy Leicester 6
A. Lacazette Arsenal 5
LA LIGA
Lionel Messi Barcelona 12
Simone Zaza Valencia 9
Cédric Bakambu Villarreal 8
Rodrigo Valencia 6
Antonio Sanabria Real Betis 6
Mikel Oyarzabal Sociedad 5
Cristhian Stuani Girona 5
Maxi Gómez Celta Vigo 5
José Morales Levante 4
SERIE A
Ciro Immobile Lazio 14
Paulo Dybala Juventus 11
Mauro Icardi Inter 11
Dries Mertens Napoli 10
Edin Dzeko Roma 7
Fabio Quagliarella Sampdoria 6
Gonzalo Higuaín Juventus 6
Cyril Théréau Udinese 6
José Callejón Napoli 5
BUNDESLIGA
P-E. Aubameyang Dortmund 10
R. Lewandowski Bayern 10
M. Gregoritsch Augsburg 5
Timo Werner Leipzig 5
Maximilian Philipp Dortmund 5
Mark Uth Hoffenheim 5
Martin Harnik Hannover 5
Alfred Finnbogason Augsburg 5
Kevin Volland Leverkusen 5
LIGUE I
Falcao Monaco 13
Edinson Cavani PSG 11
Nabil Fekir Lyon 9
Mariano Lyon 8
Neymar J. PSG 5
Malcom Bordeaux 5
Memphis Depay Lyon 5
Karl Ekambi Angers 5
Clinton N’Jie Marseille 5
Mario Balotelli Nice 5
Possible Line-Up
Man Utd XI: De Gea, Bailly, Smalling, Jones, Valencia, Paul Pogba, Matic, Young, Mkhitaryan, Lukaku, Rashford
Subs: Mata, Martial, Lingard, Blind, Romero, Darmian, McTominay, Ander Herrera
Chelsea: Courtois; Azpilicueta (c), David Luiz, Rudiger; Zappacosta, Bakayoko, Fabregas, Alonso; Pedro, Morata, Hazard
Subs: Caballero, Cahill, Christensen, Ampadu, Drinkwater, Willian, Batshuayi
Man City XI: Ederson, Walker, Stones, Otamendi, Delph, De Bruyne, Fernandinho, Silva, Sterling, Aguero, L Sane.
Subs: Bravo, Mangala, Touré, Adarabioyo, Díaz, Gündogan, B Silva, Jesus, Danilo
Arsenal XI: Cech, Koscielny, Mertesacker, Monreal, Bellerin, Ramsey, Xhaka, Kolasinac, Ozil, Sanchez, Lacazette
Subs: Macey, Iliev, Debuchy, Holding, Maitland-Niles, Coquelin, Elneny, Wilshere, Walcott, Iwobi, Nelson, Giroud, Akpom, Chambers.
Chelsea vs Man Utd (Head-to-Head)
Team P W D L
Chelsea 159 47 50 62
Man Utd 159 62 50 47
Man City vs Arsenal (Head-to-Head)
Team P W D L
Arsenal 172 87 43 42
Man City 172 42 43 87
WEEKEND FIXTURES
EPL
Stoke v Leicester
S’ampton v Burnley
Hud’sfield v West Brom
Newcastle v Bournemouth
Swansea v Brighton
West Ham v Liverpool
Tottenham v C/Palace
Man City v Arsenal
Chelsea v Man Utd
Everton v Watford
LA LIGA
Real Betis v Getafe
Valencia v Leganés
Deportivo v Atlético
Alavés v Espanyol
Barcelona v Sevilla
Levante v Girona
Celta Vigo v Athletic
Sociedad v Eibar
Villarreal v Málaga
Real Madrid v Las Palmas
BUNDESLIGA
Frankfurt v Bremen
RB Leipzig v Hannover
Freiburg v Schalke
Augsburg v Leverkusen
M’gladbach v Mainz
Hamburger v Stuttgart
Dortmund v Bayern
Köln v Hoffenheim
Wolfsburg v Hertha
SERIE A
Bologna v Crotone
Genoa v Sampdoria
Inter v Torino
Fiorentina v Roma
Chievo v Napoli
Cagliari v Hellas
Juventus v Benevento
Lazio v Udinese
Atalanta v SPAL
Sassuolo v Milan
LIGUE 1
Rennes v Bordeaux
Angers v PSG
Nantes v Toulouse
Montpellier v Amiens
Troyes v Strasbourg
Monaco v Guingamp
Nice v Dijon
Marseille v Caen
Metz v Lille
St-Étienne v Lyonn
Premier League
Pos Team P W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Man City 10 9 1 0 35 6 29 28
2 Man Utd 10 7 2 1 23 4 19 23
3 Tottenham 10 6 2 2 19 7 12 20
4 Chelsea 10 6 1 3 18 10 8 19
5 Arsenal 10 6 1 3 19 13 6 19
6 Liverpool 10 4 4 2 17 16 1 16
7 Burnley 10 4 4 2 9 9 0 16
8 Watford 10 4 3 3 15 18 -3 15
9 Newcastle 10 4 2 4 10 9 1 14
10 S’ampton 10 3 4 3 9 10 -1 13
11 Leicester 10 3 3 4 14 14 0 12
12 Brighton 10 3 3 4 10 11 -1 12
13 Hud’sfield 10 3 3 4 7 13 -6 12
14 Stoke City 10 3 2 5 11 20 -9 11
15 West Brom 10 2 4 4 9 13 -4 10
16 West Ham 10 2 3 5 10 19 -9 9
17 Swansea 10 2 2 6 7 12 -5 8
18 Everton 10 2 2 6 7 20 -13 8
19 Bo’mouth 10 2 1 7 6 14 -8 7
20 C/Palace 10 1 1 8 4 21 -17 4
Spanish
Pos Team P W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Barcelona 10 9 1 0 28 3 25 28
2 Valencia 10 7 3 0 27 11 16 24
3 Real Madrid 10 6 2 2 19 9 10 20
4 Atlético 10 5 5 0 15 6 9 20
5 Sevilla 10 6 1 3 11 9 2 19
6 Villarreal 10 5 2 3 16 11 5 17
7 Leganés 10 5 2 3 9 5 4 17
8 Real Betis 10 5 1 4 19 18 1 16
9 Sociedad 10 4 2 4 21 20 1 14
10 Espanyol 10 3 4 3 9 12 -3 13
11 Getafe 10 3 3 4 13 11 2 12
12 Levante 10 2 6 2 11 13 -2 12
13 Girona 10 3 3 4 11 15 -4 12
14 Celta Vigo 10 3 2 5 19 16 3 11
15 Athletic 10 3 2 5 10 12 -2 11
16 Deportivo 10 3 2 5 13 19 -6 11
17 Eibar 10 2 2 6 5 22 -17 8
18 Las Palmas 10 2 0 8 8 25 -17 6
19 Málaga 10 1 1 8 6 21 -15 4
20 Alavés 10 1 0 9 4 16 -12 3
Bundesliga
Pos Team P W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Bayern 10 7 2 1 24 7 17 23
2 Dortmund 10 6 2 2 27 11 16 20
3 RB Leipzig 10 6 1 3 16 12 4 19
4 Hannover 10 5 3 2 14 9 5 18
5 Schalke 10 5 2 3 13 10 3 17
6 M’gladbach 10 5 2 3 16 18 -2 17
7 Hoffenheim 10 4 4 2 17 14 3 16
8 Leverkusen 10 4 3 3 22 15 7 15
9 Augsburg 10 4 3 3 15 10 5 15
10 Frankfurt 10 4 3 3 11 10 1 15
11 Hertha 10 3 4 3 11 12 -1 13
12 Stuttgart 10 4 1 5 9 11 -2 13
13 Mainz 10 3 2 5 11 16 -5 11
14 Wolfsburg 10 1 7 2 10 13 -3 10
15 Freiburg 10 1 5 4 6 20 -14 8
16 Hamburger 10 2 1 7 7 17 -10 7
17 Bremen 10 0 5 5 3 12 -9 5
18 Köln 10 0 2 8 4 19 -15 2
Italian
Pos Team P W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Napoli 11 10 1 0 32 8 24 31
2 Inter 11 9 2 0 22 8 14 29
3 Juventus 11 9 1 1 33 10 23 28
4 Lazio 11 9 1 1 31 12 19 28
5 Roma 10 8 0 2 17 5 12 24
6 Sampdoria 10 6 2 2 22 13 9 20
7 Fiorentina 11 5 1 5 19 13 6 16
8 Milan 11 5 1 5 16 16 0 16
9 Torino 11 4 4 3 16 18 -2 16
10 Atalanta 11 4 3 4 18 15 3 15
11 Chievo 11 4 3 4 14 19 -5 15
12 Bologna 11 4 2 5 9 12 -3 14
13 Udinese 11 4 0 7 18 22 -4 12
14 Cagliari 11 3 0 8 9 20 -11 9
15 Crotone 11 2 3 6 8 21 -13 9
16 SPAL 11 2 2 7 9 19 -10 8
17 Sassuolo 11 2 2 7 6 19 -13 8
18 Genoa 11 1 3 7 10 17 -7 6
19 Hellas 11 1 3 7 7 24 -17 6
20 Benevento 11 0 0 11 4 29 -25 0
