Home of football statistics and historyArsenal established themselves as the early Premier League pacesetters after a narrow 1-0 win over fellow London rivals Fulham in the previous round.
Mikel Arteta may have finally assembled a squad worthy of the crown after finishing runner-up in the last three seasons.
Indeed, many leading bookmakers echo this sentiment, positioning the Gunners as the frontrunners for the title at odds of 1.8. This season, like the best casino sweepstakes, Arsenal’s have had plenty of chances to stake their title claim and with rivals stumbling, they seem to have grabbed the opportunity. t
Former champions Manchester City trail the Londoners at 4.3, while reigning holders Liverpool follow closely at 5.00.
Even though the Reds’ form unfathomably fell from the cliff after an imperious start, only four points separate them from Arteta’s team heading into Matchday 9.
Man City, on the other hand, languish four points adrift of Arsenal despite a three-match winning streak, during which they scored eight goals and conceded just one.
The upcoming round will put the challengers’ credentials to the test, with Pep Guardiola’s charges heading to Villa Park to face Aston Villa, while the Reds take on Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Brentford vs Liverpool
Liverpool put an emphatic stop to their dreadful four-game losing streak in midweek Champions League action, overturning an early deficit in a thumping 5-1 away win over Eintracht Frankfurt.
Worryingly enough, a heartbreaking 2-1 home loss to Manchester United in the last Premier League round condemned the Reds to a third successive league defeat, putting them at risk of losing four in a row for the first time since February 2021.
That’s not the only ominous pre-match stat, considering the Anfield giants have lost on their last four top-flight visits to London. As a result, they could now lose five consecutive games in the capital for the first time since 1970.
As confirmed by Arne Slot in his post-match conference, Liverpool could be without Alexander Isak for this match, as the Swede sustained a groin injury against Frankfurt.
Despite facing long odds, Brentford could take advantage of Liverpool’s fragile league form to strengthen their decent-looking home record (W2, D1, L1) and spring a surprise here.
Keith Andrews’ side will take the field in high spirits after seeing off West Ham United on Monday, seeking a first set of back-to-back league triumphs since the tail-end of last season.
Aston Villa vs Manchester City
After a calamitous five-game winless start to the season (D3, L2), Villa are back on track, with Unai Emery’s side racking up three straight victories in the Premier League, including a come-from-behind 2-1 win at Tottenham Hotspur last time out.
The Lions have won five games on the trot, all competitions included, and will aim to make it six from six against a Man City side they defeated 2-1 in this fixture last season.
That could prove easier said than done, given the Cityzens’ notable uptick in form since a last-gasp 2-2 European draw against Monaco in the French principality.
Guardiola’s men have since won all three competitive matches without conceding, most recently dispatching Villarreal 2-0 at Estadio de la Ceramica.
However, Villa Park has been a bogey ground for Man City lately, as they’ve claimed just a single point across their last three top-flight visits to Birmingham (D1, L2).
Arsenal vs Crystal Palace
Fresh off a 4-0 rout of Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, Arsenal return to domestic action full of confidence as they meet Crystal Palace in an all-London showdown at the Emirates Stadium.
Arteta’s men reached a historic milestone at Europe’s top table, recording their 100th Champions League victory in style to set themselves up perfectly for this encounter.
History firmly backs the Gunners for success here as they had won five consecutive league meetings with the Eagles before a 2-2 draw in this corresponding fixture last season.
However, Arsenal would be naive to take this game for granted, considering Palace are no idle threat, as evidenced by their impressive record of just one defeat from the opening eight league outings (W3, D4).
Adding to this sentiment, the Gunners have only won two of their last seven Premier League clashes against this opposition at home (D4, L1), highlighting the magnitude of the task ahead.
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