Key events
Women’s Super League
Arsenal host Aston Villa in today’s only Women’s Super League match, in a match that kicks off at noon (BST) at the Emirates. Renee Slegers were held by Manchester United last weekend, a result that saw them fall two points behind Chelsea who have won their first three games this season. We’ll have team news from the Emirates at 11am and bring you news of any early goals as they go in.
Yesterday in the Guardian, Tom Garry reported that the West Ham head coach Rheanne Skinner said she thinks all of last Sunday’s WSL matches should have been postponed, following the desperately sad news of the death of the former Liverpool and West Ham manager Matt Beard was made public last Saturday. Of the four matches scheduled for last Sunday, only Liverpool’s trip to Aston Villa was postponed.
“I don’t know why any of the games were on at the weekend because [of] the amount of people, players, coaching staff across the game that have obviously known Matt,” said Skinner. “I think the expectation on what people had to do at the weekend was not assessed properly at all.”
The Madrid derby
Having won their opening six games of the La Liga season, Real Madrid make the short trip to the Wanda Metropolitano to face city rivals who have acquired just nine points thus far but come into the game on the back of a thrilling midweek win against Rayo Vallecano. While Real Madrid’s full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold remains sidelined with a hamstring injury, there could be English representation on the pitch in the form of Atlético midfielder Conor Gallagher.
After going six games without a goal, Julian Alvarez hit his straps in fine style with a hat-trick against Rayo, while his teammate Marco Llorente put on a masterclass that suggests Real won’t have it all their own way this afternoon. “We expect a tough atmosphere that will make us play with energy and concentration to be able to win,” said Real Madrid head coach Xabi Alonso ahead of a game that kicks off at 3.15pm (BST). Yup, I thought it would be later this evening too.
Meanwhile in the Championship and beyond
Following last night’s draw between West Brom and Leicester City at the Hawthorns, there’s another Midlands derby taking place today. The Championship’s top scorers Coventry City host big-spending Birmingham City in one of three lunchtime kick-offs in the second tier. At the same time in Wales, Swansea City are slated to host Millwall, while Wrexham will be hoping to make it three wins on the bounce in all competitions when they host John Eustace’s Derby County.
At the top of the table, Middlesbrough will be hoping to maintain or extend their four-point lead with a win a Southampton side that has underwhelmed so far this season, while bottom side Sheffield United will go to Oxford United in their ongoing quest to acquire first point of the season.
There are five Scottish Premiership fixtures taking place today, the pick of them arguably Hibernian’s trip to Celtic Park to face champions who have looked out of sorts at home and in Europe, despite being unbeaten after 10 games in all competitions. Hibs find thesmelves in a similar sort of pickle, unbeaten but with just win out of four league games to their name. Level with Celtic on point but behind them on goal difference, Hearts host Falkirk at Tynecastle, while bottom side Aberdeen will hope to at least double their tally of one point with a positive result at Motherwell. In today’s other Scottish top flight games, Dundee United host Kilmarnock, while St Mirren host Dundee.
Today in the Premier League
While other opinions are available, if totally invalid, the pick of today’s top flight games for me as a Sunderland fan, is taking place at the City Ground. The white-hot favourites of many people to go straight back down as soon as they won the Championship play-off, Sunderland spent the summer doing what looks to have been some extremely diligent and tenacious work in the transfer market and have got their season off to a great start, taking eight points from their first five games.
Of course it’s still early doors for Regis Le Bris’s side but the early portents look promising. They travel to Nottingham Forest for today’s 5.30pm (BST) kick-off, where Ange Postecoglou will be hoping to get his first win in five games as Forest head coach on the board, in his first home game. While Forest have yet to notch upo a victory under the Australian, they looked pretty impressive (going forward at least) in drawing with Real Betis in Seville on Wednesday.
I will also be doing the Guardian minute-by-minute report of the lunchtime kick-off between Brentford and Manchester United. The fixture marks Bryan Mbeumo’s return to the Gtech Stadium following his summer move to Manchester United and also provides Ruben Amorim with his latest opportunity to string back-to-back league wins together for the first time since taking over at Old Trafford. It’s another game I’m very much looking forward to, particularly if it’s anything like the corresponding white-knuckle ride last year.
Elsewhere, Leeds host Bournemouth, while quite a few shrewdies think Crystal Palace might be the team good enough to finally exploit those Liverpool vulnerabilities. No end of Brighton players will get to audition for their summer moves to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, while Manchester City will be expected to see off Burnley but may not have it all their own way. Later tonight, a Wolves side that has lost all five of its opening Premier League games has a long overdue appointment in the surgery of everyone’s favourite physician, Doctor Tottenham. No prizes for guessing what’s going to happen at White Hart Lane, eh?
Today’s headlines
Harry Kane has become the fastest player this century to reach 100 goals for a club playing in one of Europe’s top five leagues after scoring twice in Bayern Munich’s 4-0 win over Werder Bremen last night. Kane reached his century in 104 games, beating the joint record held by Cristiano Ronaldo and Erling Haaland by one match.
Arne Slot has confirmed in an interview with TNT Sports’ Ally McCoist that Liverpool’s owner, Fenway Sports Group, is to pay the final two years of Diogo Jota’s contract to the late striker’s family.
Enzo Marseca has confirmed that Cole Palmer will miss Chelsea’s next three matches in a bid to recover from a troublesome ongoing groin issue. The midfielder will miss his side’s Premier League games against Brighton and Liverpool, either side of a Champions League match against Benfica.
Leicester City secured a last-gasp draw with West Bromwich Albion courtesy of a Nat Phillips own-goal deep in added time at the Hawthorns, where the two Championship sides drew one goal apiece.
The Football Association says it will carry out an immediate safety review of perimeter walls at football grounds in the National League system after the tragic death of former Arsenal youth player Billy Vigar from a “significant brain injury” he suffered while playing for Chichester City at Wingate and Finchley FC last Saturday.
This weekend’s Premier League fixtures
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Brentford v Manchester United (12.30pm BST)
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Leeds United v Bournemouth (3pm)
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Chelsea v Brighton
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Manchester City v Bournemouth
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Crystal Palace v Liverpool
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Nottingham Forest v Sunderland (5.30pm)
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Tottenham Hotspur v Wolves (8pm)
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Aston Villa v Fulham (Sunday 2pm)
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Newcastle United v Arsenal (4.30pm)
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Everton v West Ham (Monday 8pm)
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View the Premier League table
Saturday matchday live
Good day to you wherever you are in the world, on another busy day of football action around the UK and Europe. There are seven Premier League matches scheduled for today, the first of them between Brentford and Manchester United as Bryan Mbeumo returns to the Gtech Stadium for the first time. Brentford head coach Keith Andrews says he expects home fans to give the Frenchman a wamr welcome but hopes his players will give him an afternoon to forget.
The comments section below is open so feel free to get in touch to let us your plans for the footballing day that’s in it, who you’ll be supporting and how you think they might fare. It should go without saying that the more pessimistic you are, the more pleased we’ll be to hear from you.
