As the FIFA World Cup now just six – say it, six – weeks away, the fixture pile-up picks up speed for another weekend of Premier League action and Gameweek 10.
Once again, it is leaders Arsenal who take top billing on Sunday as Liverpool roll up to the Emirates Stadium. With seven league wins from eight this season, Mikel Arteta’s men show no signs of losing their momentum, however, the Reds stand as big mental test.
Having lost five league meetings on the bounce against Jurgen Klopp’s men, the Gunners last scored against Liverpool back in 2020 at Anfield. Their last victory at home meanwhile, was in the same pandemic campaign 2-1 but before that, one needs to go back a further five years. As the Merseysiders continue to struggle for form, without an away win all season and with defeats at Old Trafford and in Naples already, this looks like the perfect chance for Arsenal tick off another box. An Arsenal win at 13/8 with SpreadEx looks well poised to us.
Before then, Manchester City welcome Southampton to the Etihad. Pep Guardiola’s men have now scored an astonishing 42 goals in all games this term, with 11 in the last two alone. Erling Haaland is of course supplying the majority of those and the Norwegian has now found the net in every game since late August, with home hattricks against Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest and Manchester United. When will his run end? After grabbing another double against Copenhagen and having been rested at half time, probably not here.
The Saints could be forgiven for feeling a sense of dread ahead of this one; shipping five in the same fixture last season, a fourth Haaland hattrick carries 5/1 odds with William Hill, but this could be a game for cumulative goals. Over 4.5 goals at 6/4 widely may seem a steep base, but with Ralph Hasenhuttl clinging to his job, City could push the Austrian over the cliff here. Over 5.5 goals will fetch 7/2 with VBet, with 6.5 at 15/2 with Betfair. Still counting? How about over 7.5 goals with Coral and Ladbrokes at 14s? Southampton hold the unwanted record of conceding nine against two Premier League sides: For City to become the third, over 8.5 goals tots up to 33/1 with SportNation.
Following that, Tottenham search for a response at Brighton. With the wheels on the Spurs train beginning to wobble, it will be fascinating to see how Roberto Di Zerbi approaches his first home game in charge of the Seagulls against compatriot Antonio Conte, after he saw his side hit three at Anfield. A man who transformed Sassuolo’s attack in Serie A previously, Di Zerbi looks like he may do the same with Brighton. The hosts look excellent value for goals and to notch over 1.5, a 7/5 price with SportingIndex is interesting. As too is the form of Leandro Trossard who bagged a stunning hattrick at Anfield last weekend. The Belgian could be central to the new era at Brighton and to either score or assist is 9/4 with PaddyPower or 5/2 with SkyBet to have 2+ SOT.
Back in the capital, Chelsea entertain manager-less Wolves. Having shipped five goals in the last two games, the hosts dispatched a depleted Milan on Wednesday night and Graham Potter will look to build momentum here. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang who has now netted in back-to-back games across the board and the Gabonese can cause problems for the visiting side. An Auba brace at 8/1 with SkyBet looks appealing. The game should also in some capacity see former Blues favourite Diego Costa involved. Guaranteed to receive quite the reception having led Chelsea to two Premier League titles , the Spaniard may yet lose brownie points in front of his former adoring fans. For Costa to either score or – perhaps more likely – be carded in GW10, odds of 7/4 with PaddyPower seem amenable.
