Premier League matchday nine preview: Manchester and north London derby make up for lack of fixtures over international break

The Premier League returns after almost two weeks of absence and makes up with some cracking clashes as four of the top five face each other.

We preview the two derbies and Brighton’s trip to Anfield.

Which north London club will get the edge?

Both starting the season as well as their fans will have expected after their impressive transfer windows, Arsenal and Tottenham sit comfortably in the top four and, as things stand, look to be challenging last season’s top two much more so than they have in recent years.

Winning their first five games on the trot, Arsenal hold the top spot, one point above last year’s champions Manchester City. The Gunners’ new signings have bolstered the side in the positions that were in need, and they go into this game as the 21/20 favourites.

Spurs beat Arsenal 3-0 the last time the two met in the league, pushing them into the top four spot for the end of the season and causing Arsenal to miss out on Champions League football with a fifth-placed finish.

The Gunners, though, seem to have started this season the strongest, with Spurs as the 23/10 underdogs. Arteta’s team has scored 17 goals so far and has won by two or more goals on four occasions. They are 29/20 to score twice on Saturday and 8/1 to score three.

Spurs’ lethal frontmen are sure to be involved in the outcome of the tie, and having scored 11 goals between Harry Kane, Son Heung-min and Richarlison already this season in all competitions; the Gunners will have to defend well to stop them.

Spurs are 3/1 to score at least one, with Harry Kane and Son Heung-min at 29/20 and 12/5 to score at any time.

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Brighton’s first Premier League game under new manager

Looking to be playing some of the best football they had under Graham Potter, it was only a matter of time before Brighton were raided for the services of their talented manager.

Having said his goodbyes and departed to London, Potter has left the south coast side in a very good position, but it is anyone’s guess as to how they will fare with their new leader Roberto De Zerbi.

They head into a tough fixture at Anfield as the 17/2 underdogs though if impressive wins against Manchester United, West Ham and Leicester are anything to go by, it wouldn’t be seen as speculative to back the seagulls against a Jurgen Klopp side who have been on and off in the first quarter of the season.

Liverpool are 1/3 to take the win and can only be hoping that their time off has allowed them to re-evaluate their troubles and rest before a critical period of the season in the race for the top four.

If the sides maintain their form from the beginning of the season, it will be very hard to predict as Liverpool drew with Crystal Palace and then won 9-0, and Brighton have beaten Manchester United and then lost to Fulham.

Both teams to score in both halves is 10/1, and Liverpool are 19/20 to keep a clean sheet, something they have largely struggled to do so far this season.

Mohamed Salah, who hasn’t made a massive impact on the Premier League top scorers chart so far this season, is 16/5 to score first and Evens to find the net at any time. He shares the same odds with Darwin Nunez, who has recently been in good form with Uruguay.

 Can United prevail in the Manchester derby?

The weekend’s biggest game sees the two Manchester giants clash for the first time this season and sets us up for an entertaining Sunday afternoon.

Manchester United will be hoping to take a result from the fixture for the first time since March 2021 and make amends for recent City domination, who have won three of the last four meetings between the two.

It’s last season’s Premier League champions who are the huge favourites in the tie at 3/10, with United coming in at just 8/1 to triumph at the Etihad – odds we have come to expect and something Erik ten Hag will be desperately looking to change in his tenure at Old Trafford.

The attackers of both sides have been in good form so far this season and it’s unsurprising that it’s just 4/9 that the match will feature over 2.5 goals. Unsurprisingly the unstoppable Erling Haaland is the favourite to score first and at any time at 15/8 and 2/5, respectively, with Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcus Rashford the best chance for the Red Devils to score in the tie at 13/5 and 3/1.

We all know what happens when Pep Guardiola’s men turn it on, and at 5/2 to score four or more, City could run away with it if United fail to make the right tactical decisions. Ten Hag’s men are only 7/2 to keep a clean sheet, so Harry Maguire and Co might be in for a tough day at the office.

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