Stamford Bridge Boil Again As Liverpool Come Calling This Weekend
By Tanko Bauka
Enzo Maresca, the head coach of Chelsea football club, may have retained the club owner’s and management staff’s support, but he needs to put his house in order as he cannot afford any further slip as the league enters week 7 this weekend.
Chelsea have lost their two last matches, a 2-1 loss to Manchester United and a 3-1 defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion, though both losses with a one man down, but the Blues need to be discipline and cautious as they welcome the Defending Champion and league leader Liverpool FC which also lost their last two matches, a 2-1 loss to Crystal Palace and a 1-0 loss to Victor Osimehin Galatarary in the UEFA Champion League.
Stamford Bridge is the venue for this encounter, and Liverpool FC sit on top of the league table with 15 points, while Chelsea are in the 8th position and have 8 points.
The two giants would go into the encounter having at the back of their mind that the other teams are lurking in the background to capitalise, and both teams cannot afford to lose more ground.
Under fire and inconsistent Manchester United will welcome impressive Sunderland to Old Trafford to seek to lift the enormous burden on the shoulders of the head coach Ruben Amorim and go for the three points at stake while Leeds United entertain Tottenham Hotspurs at Elland Road as they continue to impress on their return to life in the Premier League.
Arsenal will also seek to continue with their fine form as they ambush their next-door neighbours, West Ham United, in a London derby at the Emirates Stadium, while Brentford battle Manchester City, as Newcastle United engage Nottingham Forest at St. James’ Park Stadium, Wolves play Brighton and Hove Albion while Aston Villa engage Burnley.
In the Spanish La Liga, Real Madrid would seek to redeem themselves after the heavy defeat against arch rival, Atletico Madrid, in the Madrid derby, as they welcome Villarreal to Santiago Bernabeu in the capital Madrid, while FC Barcelona will be on the road to take on Sevilla.
Celta Vigo battle Atletico Madrid while Girona host Valencia, and Athletic Bilbao engage Mallorca.
Real Oviedo welcome Lavente as Osasuna and Gatafe battle each other.
In the Italian Serie A, Juventus is prepared to welcome AC Milan, while Napoli host Patrick Vieira’s Genoa at the Diego Armando Maradona stadium, and even as Fiorentina engage AS Roma.
Inter Milan host newly promoted Cremonese at San Siro. Lazio battle Torino with Lookman, Ademola, Atalanta entertain Cesc Fabregas, Como leaving Parma, and Lacce to slug it out for the three points.
In the German Bundesliga, Harry Kane would seek to continue his goal-scoring skills as Bayern Munich faces a stern test from Eintracht Frankfurt, while Borussia Dortmund face a strong opponent in RB Leipzig.
Bayer Leverkusen welcome Union Berlin, while SC Freiburg travel to take on Borussia Monchengladbach, as FC Augsburg engage Wolfsburg, with Stuttgart hosting Heidenheim.
Fixtures across Europe
English Barclays Premier League
Friday
AFC Bournemouth vs Fulham
Saturday
Leeds United vs Tottenham
Manchester United vs Sunderland
Arsenal vs West Ham United
Chelsea vs Liverpool FC
Sunday
Wolves vs Brighton Albion
Newcastle United vs Nottingham
Everton vs Crystal Palace
Aston Villa vs Burnley
Spanish La Liga
Friday
Osasuna vs Gatafe
Saturday
Real Oviedo vs Lavente
Girona vs Valencia
Athletic Bilbao vs Mallorca
Real Madrid vs Villarreal
Sunday
Deportivo Alaves vs Elche
Sevilla vs FC Barcelona
Real Sociedad vs Rayo Vallacano
Espanyol vs Real Betis
Celta Vigo vs Atletico Madrid
Italian Serie A
Friday
Hellas Verona vs Sassoulo
Saturday
Parma vs Lacce
Lazio vs Torino
Inter Milan vs Cremonese
Atalanta vs Como
Sunday
Udinese vs Cagliari
Fiorentina vs AS Roma
Bologna vs Pisa SC
Napoli vs Genoa
Juventus vs AC Milan
German Bundesliga
Friday
Hoffenheim vs Koln
Saturday
FC Augsburg vs Wolfsburg
Werder Bremen vs FC St Pauli
Dortmund vs RB Leipzig
Leverkusen vs Union Berlin
Frankfurt vs Bayern Munich
Sunday
Stuttgart vs Heidenheim
Hamburger vs Mainz 05
Monchenglabach vs SC Freiburg
