Liverpool to inflict more damage on Arsenal: Richard Buxton
In his picks for this weekend's matches, our columnist believes that Arsenal will continue to find Anfield a tough place to visit
The trip to the newly promoted Canaries should be third-time lucky for Frank Lampard.
| NORWICH CITY | CHELSEA |
But the new Chelsea manager knows that he cannot take such formalities for granted at Carrow Road, after failing to win his opening two English Premier League games.
Smatterings of positives have been offset by the Blues' failure to truly get off the mark this season. They do, however, possess a developing secret weapon in Mason Mount.
The 20-year-old will be a useful addition for the trip to Norwich, having scored there last season when Derby County ran out 4-3 winners over the eventual Championship winners.
Lampard's hopes of another victory in East Anglia will hinge on how porous Daniel Farke's side are in defence, as much as Chelsea keeping the prolific Teemu Pukki under wraps.
Prediction: 1-3
Farce invariably lurks around the corner at Old Trafford nowadays.
Paul Pogba's penalty shenanigans continued United's theme of modern-day mishaps, but a sense of order should be restored against a Palace team who have not won a top-flight game at the Theatre of Dreams since Sir Alex Ferguson teetered on the brink in December 1989.
| MAN UNITED | CRYSTAL PALACE |
Fans are unlikely to be turning on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in a similar fashion, especially if he maintains the Red Devils' home record this weekend, while surpassing last season's standards.
United recorded an appalling two clean sheets at home during the previous EPL campaign.
Even matching that low bar after a second game would be an achievement for Solskjaer's charges, not to mention a huge boost to goalkeeper David de Gea.
Old Trafford has the potential to become a fortress again, with the 20-time English champions' starting line-up this season boasting an average age of 24.
Another comfortable scoreline, as was against Chelsea, seems a foregone conclusion.
Prediction: 3-0
The form book will finally go out the window for at least one side at Anfield on Sunday morning (Singapore time).
| LIVERPOOL | ARSENAL |
The Reds and the Gunners remain the only EPL teams to maintain 100 per cent starts.
But Juergen Klopp's side are firm favourites, despite injury and performance concerns.
Adrian's blunder in the win over Southampton last weekend will demand more from the hosts' defence, who themselves have been caught out by a higher pressing line in recent weeks.
Yet Liverpool remain an immovable presence in their own domicile, as Arsenal know all too well.
The Londoners have lost by four-goal margins in their two previous visits to Merseyside.
Emerging with anything less than that can be considered a blessing for Unai Emery.
Prediction: 3-0
The video assistant referee (VAR) conspired against the champions in a near-flawless display against Tottenham Hotpsur.
| BOURNEMOUTH | MAN CITY |
Pep Guardiola's rage over his side's technology-based injustice will not have subsided, even if City emerge victorious at the Vitality Stadium for a fifth consecutive EPL fixture.
That appears even more probable as Bournemouth deal with a mounting injury crisis. Up to seven of Eddie Howe's players are set to miss Sunday's encounter between the teams.
City need to fire a reinforced statement of intent, with Liverpool intent on taking full advantage of their Spurs slip-up, and Guardiola could not have asked for a better opportunity.
Hopes of repeating the 30 shots Mauricio Pochettino's side faced last weekend are ambitious,with the Cherries still capable of saving relative face, unlike their trips to the Etihad Stadium.
Prediction: 1-2
Son Heung Min's return from suspension is perfectly timed for Spurs' renaissance plans.
| TOTTENHAM | NEWCASTLE |
Where the South Korea attacker fits into their starting line-up is a different issue altogether.
Lucas Moura's immediate impact at the Etihad may see Son cast in a similar role on the bench, especially with the Lilywhites eyeing a hat-trick of home wins against Newcastle.
Since slumping to third in a two-horse EPL title race with a loss to the Magpies on the final day of the 2015/16 season, Pochettino's players have managed to eke out narrow victories.
They will more than fancy their chances of a more comfortable outcome this time around,with Steve Bruce's much-maligned side barely testing Arsenal or Norwich over recent weeks.
Prediction: 3-0
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