Premier League leaders Manchester City aim to extend their flawless start to the season this Saturday when they travel to face an improving Aston Villa. Unai Emery’s side has found significant rhythm recently, securing four wins and a single draw across their last five matches. For City, Erling Haaland is in contention to return after missing the midweek 5-1 Champions League victory over AEK Athens. Despite their perfect start, the league leaders remain without Mateo Kovacic, Nico O’Reilly, and Antoine Semenyo; the latter faces an eight-week absence due to a knee injury. Manchester City currently seeks to become only the third side to open a Premier League campaign with eight consecutive victories.
Reflecting on the team’s ambitions, center-back Marc Guehi emphasized the club’s singular focus on reclaiming the title. Speaking ahead of the Villa fixture, Guehi noted that while he has no personal goal tally, the collective success of Manchester City is his primary objective. He acknowledged the heartbreak of missing the trophy in the previous two editions, stating, “We’ll definitely be trying to do that. We have got off to a great start, and we want to keep the streak going. The goal is to lift the trophy at the end.” Having won all of their seven matches and sit on top of the table but have a long way to go, marc Guehi wants to see City back EPL title: City are unbeaten in the ongoing season. “No goals personally, but any goal for Manchester City is my goal, and that’s always to challenge and win trophies.
Meanwhile, Arsenal prepares to host Everton, though they face a major setback as Bukayo Saka is ruled out. The England winger sustained a sharp quadriceps injury during the 10th minute of Wednesday’s 2-2 Champions League draw against Bayern Munich. Manager Mikel Arteta may look to Eberechi Eze, who replaced Saka midweek, or rotate the squad using options like Viktor Gyokeres, Mikel Merino, Max Dowman, and Myles Lewis-Skelly. Bukayo Saka will miss Arsenal’s home game against Everton after the England winger suffered a sharp pain in his quadriceps and was forced off after just 10 minutes of his side’s 2-2 draw away to Bayern Munich in the Cham.
Elsewhere, Chelsea will host Tottenham at Stamford Bridge. Spurs enter the match fresh off a 3-1 victory over Coventry City, while Chelsea has climbed to fourth place following back-to-back wins. In other Sunday fixtures, Liverpool hosts a third-placed Brighton side led by Fabian Hurzeler, providing a stern test for Liverpool’s occasionally vulnerable defense.
Pressure continues to mount at Manchester United, where a 4-1 Champions League loss to Como has intensified scrutiny on manager Michael Carrick. Reports of frustration from captain Bruno Fernandes have added to the tension, making Sunday’s home match against Bournemouth a critical juncture for the coach. Simultaneously, Crystal Palace manager Pierre Sage faces mounting pressure as his team prepares for a match against a Newcastle United side eager to bounce back from consecutive league defeats.
Finally, Fulham visits Coventry City, looking to build momentum after their first win of the season over Hull City last weekend. Hull City, meanwhile, hosts Brentford on Sunday. The home side expects the return of forward Mohamed-Ali Cho, with Roberto Vaz also potentially available. Conversely, Brentford faces a depleted midfield with Vitaly Janelt and Yegor Yarmolyuk both suspended following their dismissals in the 2-1 defeat to Liverpool.
