Liverpool fight Man Utd this week
Liverpool - Man Utd: 23:30 on Sunday, March 5, Hanoi time.
For the first time in many years, Man Utd faced Liverpool in the upper position, both in terms of position on the scoreboard and in form. "Red Devils" are currently third in the Premier League, 10 points more than their rivals and unbeaten in the last 11 matches. Winning the League Cup and tickets to the quarterfinals of the FA Cup further motivated Erik ten Hag's teachers and students.
Although unbeaten in the last four rounds, including three victories, the season continued in a rather gloomy context for Liverpool. They stopped in the FA Cup and lost to Real 2-5 in the first leg of the 1/8 Champions League round. If there are no surprises, it is likely that the goal of Jurgen Klopp's teachers and students from now until the end of the season is only to enter the top 4 of the Premier League.
The last time Man Utd won at Anfield was on January 17, 2016, when former striker Wayne Rooney scored the only goal. The visitors hope their recent form will help them break that record. Ten Hag's teachers and students gained more confidence by defeating their rival 2-1 in the first leg. It was Ten Hag's first victory in the Premier League, marking the strong rise of Man Utd after losing to Brighton and Brentford in the first two rounds.
Man Utd scored at least two goals in the last 12 matches in all competitions and won the most points in the Premier League since the World Cup (23). But they are more or less unstable away from home. In fact, Man Utd have conceded 20 goals away from home while scoring 17 goals. The last seven times as guests on the field of the Big 6 teams, they did not win.
Christian Eriksen, Anthony Martial and Donny van de Beek continue to be absent from the Man Utd side. The away team needs to wait for the medical test results to know if Jadon Sancho and Luke Shaw can play or not. Liverpool are without Thiago, Luis Diaz, Joe Gomez and Calvin Ramsay. Naby Keita was injured in the match against Crystal Palace, so the possibility of playing is still open.
Man City - Newcastle: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 4
Meeting Newcastle in the early match of the 26th round of the Premier League will be an opportunity for Man City to put pressure on the top of the Arsenal table. The five-point gap between the two teams is not impossible to level, and Man City still has a match against opponents at the Etihad in April to turn the tide. But first, Pep Guardiola's teachers and students need to stay stable, which they often did well in previous seasons.
Newcastle is not an easy opponent to play. "Shoot" has only lost to Liverpool this season. However, this is probably the ideal time for Man City to welcome Eddie Howe's teachers and students, because Newcastle have not won the last four matches and have just experienced the sadness of losing to Man Utd in the League Cup final.
Newcastle's decline on the pitch was accompanied by an off-field scandal. Recently, Premier League clubs expressed anger when a court in the US revealed evidence that Newcastle owner Yasir al-Rumayyan has the power as a minister of Saudi Arabia. This is in contrast to Newcastle's commitment to insist that they are not controlled by the Saudi state after being acquired in October 2021. This incident will make the match at Etihad even more worth waiting for, because Man City has also prospered thanks to investment from the UAE.
Newcastle continue without Emil Krafth, while an ankle injury in the League Cup final could keep Bruno Guimaraes out. Man City lacks reserve goalkeeper Stefan Ortega but can welcome the return of central defenders John Stones and Aymeric Laporte.
Arsenal - Bournemouth: 22:00 Saturday, March 4
Arsenal opened the season to a successful end-of-season boost with a 4-0 win over Everton in midweek. Everton are the first of four teams in the bottom half of the scoreboard to visit Emirates Stadium between now and April 1, alongside Bournemouth, Crystal Palace and Leeds. Along with the trip to Fulham, this is a series of matches for the "Gunners" to accumulate points before the match at Man City next month.
There are controversies about Arsenal's form this season. Everton coach Sean Dyche admired the efforts of the "Gunners". He said: "Until the end of the game, they still press and are determined in each situation. That is the spirit of a championship team." But on talkSPORT, commentator Adrian Durham said that Mikel Arteta's teachers and students were lucky because opponents often lose pillars when confronting them.
Arsenal show that they have enough squad depth to overcome a tight schedule. The appearance of Eddie Nketiah and Thomas Partey in the second half helped the "Gunners" secure three points against Everton. This weekend, Partey can start for the first time in three weeks, allowing Jorginho to rest. As for Bournemouth, they beat Wolves 1-0 in the last time away from home, but it was difficult for Gary O'Neil's teachers and students to replicate that feat against the top team.
Bournemouth have a difficult time with the absence of David Brooks, Marcus Tavernier, Matias Vina and Illia Zabarnyi. Arsenal are without Mohamed Elneny and Gabriel Jesus. Nketiah suffered mild pain in the win over Everton but was still able to play.
Chelsea - Leeds: 22h Saturday, 4/3
News of Chelsea looking for a new coach to replace Graham Potter began to appear after they lost consecutively to Southampton and Tottenham. Zinedine Zidane and Luis Enrique are considered bright candidates. Therefore, if losing to Leeds at home this weekend, it could be the end for Potter - one of the current highly regarded British military leaders.
Potter's struggles at Chelsea can be explained by many factors. But being spent by the leadership team up to 398 million USD to strengthen the force seems to be a "double-edged sword" for the 47-year-old coach. Chelsea became unbalanced when they had to find a place for rookies like Mykhailo Mudryk or Enzo Fernandes. They have to sacrifice to serve the adaptation process of these players.
It can be seen in the position of Benoit Badiashile, a 21-year-old central defender who is quick and strong but only promotes those qualities when playing with Thiago Silva. When the Brazilian centre-back was given a break in the defeat to Southampton, Badiashile immediately showed his inexperience.
Chelsea cannot use the 38-year-old Silva regularly and the injury against Tottenham will keep the midfielder out for six weeks. That poses the problem of finding a leader in the defense for Potter when Wesley Fofana was born only three months before Badiashile, and Kalidou Koulibaly has been disappointing since moving to last summer.
Leeds lack Rodrigo, Adam Foreshaw and Stuart Dallas but can welcome back Luis Sinisterra and Pascal Struijk in this match. On the Chelsea side, besides Silva, they do not have Christian Pulisic, N'Golo Kante and Edouard Mendy while Armando Broja will be absent until the end of the season.
Wolves - Tottenham: 22:00 Saturday, March 4
Taking advantage of Newcastle's busy play in the League Cup final, Tottenham took fourth place with two consecutive victories over West Ham and Chelsea. They created a difference of four points despite playing more than two matches. But the 0-1 loss to Sheffield United in the fifth round of the FA Cup on March 1 means that Tottenham could very well go through another season empty-handed.
Coach Antonio Conte will continue to be absent from the coaching chair when Tottenham march to Molineux Stadium. But this will be the last match that assistant Cristian Stellini has to work on, because Tottenham announced Conte will return to work on March 5, after more than a month of absence due to gallbladder surgery.
Conte's return may entail changes in force. One of those looking forward to it is rookie Arnaut Danjuma. The Dutch winger has only made one appearance in the Premier League after being loaned back by Tottenham from Villarreal. In the defeat to Sheffield, instead of Danjuma, Stellini chose Lucas Moura, who has not started since November 1. That choice contributes to a lackluster and sluggish attack, something Danjuma could change.
Wolves and Tottenham are both going through a crisis of forces. The away team will be without Hugo Lloris, Yves Bissouma, Rodrigo Bentancur, Ryan Sessegnon while Emerson Royal's ability to play is unclear. Wolves, without Sasa Kalajdzic, Boubacar Traore, Hugo Bueno, Chiquinho, Hwang Hee-Chan and rookie Matheus Cunha are also unlikely to be able to play.
Barca - Valencia: 22:15 Sunday, March 5
The 1-0 victory at Real in the first leg of the King's Cup semi-final is a timely awakening for Barca after being knocked out of the Europa League by Man Utd and losing to Almeria. That result opens another door to win titles with Xavi's teachers and students, besides La Liga, the tournament they are seven points ahead of Real.
This weekend, Barca takes on the 18th team Valencia. "The Bats" just broke the streak of six consecutive defeats with a 1-0 victory over Sociedad in the previous round. But that was only the sixth victory from the beginning of the season for teachers and students Voro. Valencia's loss in La Liga (12) is only less than Elche (16) and Real Valladolid (10) and they have not won at the Nou Camp in this arena since 2016.
Barca will not have Xavi in the chair to direct this match after the 43-year-old coach received his fifth yellow card from the beginning of the season in the defeat to Almeria. Barca coach was fined for reacting to the decision of referee Ortiz Arias. Two assistants Oscar Hernandez and Sergio Alegre will replace Xavi to direct. Midfielder Gavi is in a similar situation and his absence will cause a bit of difficulty for Barca because Pedri is also injured.
Similar to Pedri, Ousmane Dembele and Robert Lewandowski cannot play this match because of a hamstring injury. The away team's force is more seriously damaged when Gabriel Paulista, Marcos de Sousa, Jose Gaya, Edinson Cavani, Nico Gonzalez and Jaume Domenech are all absent.
Betis - Real: 3pm Monday, March 6
Real's two recent results, a 1-1 draw with Atletico in La Liga and a 0-1 loss to Barca in the first leg of the King's Cup semi-final, made Carlo Ancelotti worried about the situation of the home team. "White vultures" fall into the position of chasing rivals Barca in two domestic arenas and their ambition to defend the La Liga championship could be dashed if they drop points again.
Real's performance this season will most likely be determined by their performance in March. Ancelotti's teachers and students will meet Real Betis and Espanyol, before kicking the second leg of the 1/8 Champions League round - a match that is somewhat easier to breathe thanks to them defeating Liverpool 5-2 in the first leg.
Positive results in these matches will create psychological momentum for Real when entering El Clasico. The match at the Nou Camp on March 20 will determine the La Liga race. Then there is the semi-final second leg of the King's Cup in early April. Real beat Betis 2-1 in the first leg and hope to replicate that result. But Ancelotti's teachers and students also need to be careful because all three of their defeats this season took place away from home.
Real will be without Luka Modric after the veteran midfielder received all five yellow cards in the Madrid derby last week. David Alaba and Ferland Mendy continue to sit out with hamstring injuries. Betis lost Nabil Fekir for the rest of the season while Sergio Canales, Rui Silva, Edgar Gonzalez and Juan Cruz could not return.
Roma - Juventus: 2:45 a.m. Monday, March 6
Roma's goal of entering the top 4 of Serie A was dealt a blow by a 1-2 defeat to the bottom team Cremonese in the previous round. This is a relatively unexpected result, because Roma is in good form in 2023. However, the fact that Jose Mourinho's teachers and students lost to Cremonese twice within a month, before that in the quarter-finals of the Italian Cup, revealed the problems. problems that Juventus can exploit.
"Old lady" has come back strongly recently with 10 consecutive matches unbeaten in all arenas. That streak of form led Juventus to the round of 16 of the Europa League and the semi-finals of the Italian Cup. In Serie A, Max Allegri's teachers and students are 12 points behind the top four, a commendable achievement after the club was deducted 15 points for financial fraud. Juventus have won six of their last seven away games and kept seven clean sheets in 11 away from home this season.
Roma have won the last four home matches without conceding a goal. That will be a fulcrum for them to change their recent bad confrontation record against Juventus. The last four encounters, Roma did not win, including three defeats. As for Mourinho, although he once roamed with Inter, he only won Juventus twice during his career in Serie A.
The two teams did not suffer much damage in terms of force. Arkadiusz Milik is the only case absent from Juventus, while Roma is also missing Ebrima Darboe.
Stuttgart - Bayern: 0:30 on Sunday, March 5
With Dortmund beating RB Leipzig 2-1 in the early match of the 23rd round of the Bundesliga, Bayern will march to Stuttgart with a lot of pressure, especially when their focus is scattered for the second leg of the 1/8 round. Champions League meets PSG in the middle of next week.
The biggest problem with Julian Nagelsmann will be solving the problem of defence. His best defender Benjamin Pavard will not be able to attend the match against PSG due to receiving a red card in the first leg. The man who is likely to replace Pavard - Dayot Upamecano - has just returned from suspension. Nagelsmann can place Upamecano in the starting line up against Stuttgart so that the midfielder has the best preparation for the Champions League, which means Pavard has to be a substitute.
Stuttgart is very thirsty for points in the relegation race. They are equal on points to the 17th team Bochum and are ahead on goal difference. Last weekend, Stuttgart received the fourth defeat in the last five Bundesliga rounds, with a score of 1-2 at Schalke 04. With the current strength, it is difficult for Bruno Labbadia's teachers and students to create a shock when Bayern desire to win. to reclaim the top of the table.
Bayern are still without Lucas Hernandez and Manuel Neuer. The top concern for Nagelsmann at the moment is the health of Leroy Sane, a player with signs of muscle strain due to overload. Noussair Mazraoui is about to recover from Covid-19 but his ability to play is not clear. Stuttgart is without Serhou Guirassy due to injury but their biggest loss is the suspension of Borna Sosa.
PSG - Nantes: 3pm on Sunday, 5/3
PSG received Nantes in round 26 of Ligue 1 with the goal of maintaining an eight-point gap with second-place Marseille, thereby preparing the best mentality for the great battle with Bayern in the second leg of the 1/8 Champions League round, after losing. 0-1 in the first leg.
Before the match, the inside of PSG became confused because of the trouble off the pitch of the stars. Defender Achraf Hakimi is being investigated for rape according to a report from a French woman that he committed this act while his wife and children were away.
Meanwhile, Lionel Messi experienced a moment of fear when a group of gunmen fired dozens of times into the supermarket owned by his wife's family in his hometown of Rosario. This group left a message threatening Messi, claiming to find the 35-year-old striker when he returned. With these problems in mind, PSG need psychological help from coach Christophe Galtier, whose future could change depending on next week's Champions League results.
Trouble off the field will probably make Hakimi absent. PSG are also without injury trio Presnel Kimpembe, Neymar and Renato Sanches while Marco Verratti is suspended. As for Nantes, their defense became fragile when Charles Traore and Nicolas Pallois were sidelined.
