Sunday , December 22 2024

Arsenal Hopes For Fresh Start After Int’l Break, As Ronaldo Gear Up For Second United Debut

Emirates Stadium plays host to a bottom-of-the-table Premier League encounter on Saturday lunchtime, as Arsenal face off against another pointless side in Norwich City.

 

The Gunners were torn apart by champions Manchester City before the international break, while Norwich suffered a 2-1 defeat to Leicester City.

 

Meanwhile, Mikel Arteta has been handed several fitness boosts since the international break, with Thomas Partey back in training and the defensive duo of Gabriel Magalhaes and Ben White featuring in a friendly win over Brentford.

 

At Old Trafford, Manchester United will be looking to record their third Premier League win of the season when they host Newcastle United also on Saturday afternoon.

 

The match is expected to mark the second debut of Cristiano Ronaldo, who made a stunning return to Old Trafford from Juventus in the final stages of the summer transfer window.

 

The Portuguese international is set to pull on the famous Man United shirt for the first time since 2009 this weekend, as the Portugal international prepares to make his second debut for the Red Devils.

 

An early release from international duty has allowed the 36-year-old to train with his new teammates this week, and it appears likely that he will go straight into the starting XI for Saturday’s clash with Newcastle.

 

Crossing the divide, Manchester City will be looking to make it three straight PL victories, when they resume their domestic campaign away to Leicester City on Saturday.

 

The Citizens have collected six points from their first three matches to sit seventh in the table, while Leicester have also picked up six points to occupy ninth after three rounds of fixtures in England’s top flight.

 

Table-toppers Tottenham Hotspur will seek a fourth win from as many matches in an early kick-off against London rivals, Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.

 

Nuno Espirito Santo’s side prevailed 1-0 against Watford before the international break, while Palace rescued a point in a 2-2 draw with West Ham United.

 

And in what would be the final PL fixture on Saturday, Chelsea will be hoping to return to winning ways when they play host to Aston Villa Stamford Bridge.

 

The Blues have collected seven points from their first three matches of the 2021-22 campaign to occupy fourth spot in the table, while Villa are in 11th with four points to show for their troubles thus far.

 

Thomas Tuchel’s men have had an impressive start to the new season, recording back-to-back wins over Crystal Palace and Arsenal in their opening two league fixtures before drawing 1-1 with Liverpool before the international break.

 

The Blues actually took the lead at Anfield through Kai Havertz and looked in good shape, before Reece James was sent off just before the interval; the incident saw Liverpool awarded a penalty, which Mohamed Salah made no mistake.

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