Arsenal's Premier League Credentials Face Aston Villa Test, Manchester United Travel To Brighton

23.08.2024 - 12:40 sports.ndtv.com

Arsenal's Premier League title aspirations face an early test away at bogey team Aston Villa on Saturday, while Manchester United's defence are set for a stiff examination at Brighton.After a chaotic summer at Stamford Bridge and an opening defeat to Manchester City, Chelsea are looking to steady the ship and give manager Enzo Maresca his first Premier League win at Wolves.

Ahead of the Matchdat 2, let's take a look at some of the key games of this weekend's action. Arsenal seek Villa revenge Arsenal's two defeats to Villa last season cost them the chance of a first league title in 20 years.

The Gunners are gearing up to again try to dethrone Manchester City but a trip to Villa Park begins a tough run of fixtures so early in the season.

Arsenal will also travel to north London rivals Tottenham and City in their opening five games. Mikel Arteta's men got off to a winning start at home to Wolves as Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz showed no sign of fatigue from their exertions at Euro 2024.

Football Manchester United Manchester City English Premier League Villa Aston Villa Kai Havertz Tottenham Hotspur Enzo Maresca Britain Liverpool

Gordon Strachan insists Celtic will have to give one of the big guns a bloody nose to give them their best chance of progressing to the Champions League knockout stage.

Aston Villa face backlash over Champions League ticket prices

Aston Villa are facing a backlash from their own fans after pricing tickets as high as £97 (€115) for their home Champions League matches this season.

Haaland’s hat-trick lifts Man City as Arsenal pay price for Rice red card

Erling Haaland fired Manchester City to the top of the Premier League with a hat-trick in the champions’ 3-1 win at West Ham, while Declan Rice was controversially sent off as Arsenal were held to a damaging 1-1 draw by Brighton on Saturday.

Chelsea Held By Crystal Palace As Newcastle United Sink Tottenham Hotspur

Chelsea suffered fresh frustration after blowing the lead in a 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace, while Newcastle beat Tottenham 2-1 on Sunday. Enzo Maresca's Chelsea have won only once in the first three league games of the Italian's reign after a chaotic close-season. Beaten by Manchester City on the opening weekend, Chelsea powered to a 6-2 win at Wolves last weekend before scraping into the UEFA Conference League group stage after a 2-1 loss at Servette on Thursday. Former Leicester boss Maresca insists his expensive Chelsea rebuild, featuring a host of new signings, is ahead of schedule despite their inconsistent start.

Erling Haaland Treble Fires Manchester City, Arsenal Pay Price For Rice Red Card

Erling Haaland fired Manchester City to the top of the Premier League with a hat-trick in the champions' 3-1 win at West Ham, while Declan Rice was controversially sent off as Arsenal were held to a damaging 1-1 draw by Brighton on Saturday. Haaland's second hat-trick in successive matches ensured Pep Guardiola's team extended their flawless start to the new season. City have won the opening three matches of their bid for an unprecedented fifth successive English title and Haaland has been their driving force.

Chelsea Confirm Deal To Sign Jadon Sancho From Manchester United

Chelsea confirmed Jadon Sancho has joined their wealth of attacking options on Saturday with an initial loan deal from Manchester United to be made permanent next season. The Blues made their move for the England international in the final hours before Friday's transfer deadline. United have cut their losses on the 24-year-old, who has failed to live up to his price tag ever since a 73 million pounds ($96 million) move from Borussia Dortmund in 2021.