After an enticing opening week of the Premier League, two of England’s biggest clubs - Chelsea and Liverpool - collide in the second gameweek of the competition this weekend. On the other hand, there are some gripping fixtures to take note of as well, with Manchester United and neighbours Manchester City opening their account.
That said, we take a look at what might transpire in the second round of fixtures of the Premier League.
Chelsea vs Liverpool
It took Liverpool, the defending champions, a gritty effort to get the better of Leeds United in their opening game, and a visit to Stamford Bridge is not going to be any easier. History favours Liverpool, with the Reds winning four of their last five meetings against the Blues in all competitions, but games like these hardly rely on the bygones. The thing to note, however, is that Jurgen Klopp’s men have scored at least twice in all of their victories, including a recent 5-3 win in July.
Liverpool’s fortunes at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League have been quite shaky, to say the least. They have, in fact, won just one of their last three games at the venue. And now with Chelsea flooding their squad with new signings, it will be interesting to see how the game pans out.
Watch out for:
Mohamed Salah: A goal against Leeds on Saturday made Mohamed Salah the first Liverpool player to score on the opening day of four consecutive league seasons. He is, in fact, only the second player to do so after Teddy Sheringham (1992-93 to 1995-96). Fortunes favour Liverpool when Salah scores, as the Reds have won each of the last 35 Premier League games in which the Egyptian has found the net.
Salah wasn’t on the scoresheet against Chelsea last season, but he did manage to grab two assists in as many games. In all, the Egyptian has scored two and has provided as many assists against the Blues in the Premier League. And having scored a hat-trick in the league opener, he will be buzzing to add more to his tally.
Wolves vs Manchester City
Manchester City lost both of their 2019/20 Premier League games against Wolves last season, and that certainly speaks volume. While the first one was a 2-0 humbling at home, the other was a 3-2 routing at Molineux in December. So as City prepare themselves for another visit of the new season, they will know where exactly to strike, and who to keep in check.
For the Wanderers, they have always enjoyed playing against City and would be hoping for more of the same. What stood out the most in that 3-2 win is the fact that they allowed City a mere 37.8 percent possession; the lowest figure recorded by a side managed by Pep Guardiola in top-flight history. So, you know Wolves are truly capable of causing a major upset.
Watch out for:
Adama Traore: Three goals against Manchester City in his last two outings rightly puts Wolves’ winger Adama Traore up amongst the best in his position. His last season’s exploits made him only the third player to score three goals in a single Premier League season against Guardiola's Manchester City, following Eden Hazard and Jamie Vardy (both in 2016-17).
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Feature image courtesy: AFP / Paul Ellis
