Liverpool has endured a nightmare start to the Premier League season, and their struggles are set to continue this weekend as they take on Manchester City.
A team without a manager takes on a team whose manager has been under tremendous pressure at Molineux on Saturday and while this is unlikely to be a classic, it is a fascinating test of how well Nottingham Forest is adapting to Premier League life.
Forest has given manager Steve Cooper another contract, which is a vote of confidence. However, having been given plenty of money to spend, he is still under pressure to produce a team with a better chance of surviving in the top flight.
His team’s abysmal away record, with a goal difference of -12 on the road, does not inspire confidence, nor does their tendency to give away winning positions. On the other hand, they are up against a team in Wolves that appears to be drifting and has scored only three goals this season. Back the draw here.
Tottenham is aiming for their third win in three games here, and they have a great chance of securing the victory against a limited Everton team.
Spurs are well positioned in the table, lying third behind Manchester City and Arsenal, with a four-point lead over Chelsea. They earned a creditable win against Brighton last weekend and survived a tough game against Eintracht Frankfurt in midweek to win 3-2 and top their Champions League Group.
Everton may be hoping that fatigue will come into play for Tottenham, and manager Frank Lampard will also hope to have Dominic Calvert-Lewin back, although whether he will be able to play a full game remains to be seen. Lampard has overseen some steady improvement at Everton, and they have battled well on occasions this season, but Tottenham is on a roll and should edge this one.
This is always a fiercely contested match-up, with a rivalry that goes back to the mid-1990s when Newcastle, under Kevin Keegan was briefly considered the main challenger to Manchester United.
Newcastle’s status had dwindled significantly since then. Still, the influx of new money last season and the arrival of Eddie Howe as manager have turned the Magpies into a top-ten team with legitimate expectations of breaking into the Big Six who have dominated the Premier League.
Both teams appear to be on the up at the moment. Manchester United are a better team than last season, and Erik ten Hag has guided them to fifth place in the table with four wins from their last five, including a win over the current league pacesetters Arsenal.
Newcastle’s progress has been more uneven, and they’ve arguably drawn too many games, but big victories over Fulham and Brentford have restored some momentum, and they will head to Old Trafford in a confident mood. This promises to be an entertaining game, but with both teams closely matched, a draw looks like the best betting option.
This fixture, and the reverse game at the Etihad Stadium, have been must-watch matches over the last few years as Liverpool and Manchester City have dueled for the Premier League title, a long way clear of the rest. Those days may be at an end, however.
This season, Liverpool has been at their best, scoring nine against Bournemouth in the Premier League and seven against Rangers in the Champions League midweek. But they have also been remarkably vulnerable at the back, while none of the potential replacements for Sadio Mane have worked. Mental and physical fatigue may also have played a part in their slow start after last season when they came close in both the Champions League and Premier League but won.
The assumption that most pundits and bettors are making is that they will eventually be back to their best. Still, in the short term, they cannot be backed against opponents who are even stronger this season, thanks to the arrival of Erling Haaland. A City win is the only sensible option here.
For more than a decade and a half, Teri Geis has carved a niche in the world of betting. Her writing has graced the pages of some of the industry's heavy hitters, including the likes of Betfair, ESPN, and Sporting Life. With her extensive understanding of sports betting, readers can now peruse her insightful reviews, features, and previews here on this website.