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Premier League preview: buoyant Arsenal take on United
Arsenal have reason to be confident as they take on the champions, while Liverpool have much to prove against Bolton
Three games into the Premier League season, and the match of the weekend takes place at Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon.
Buoyed by the uncomplicated manner in which they eliminated Celtic from the Champions League qualifying round, Arsene Wenger's Arsenal will travel to Manchester United, confident of getting something from the game.
The champions' attack has only clicked once so far this season - in the second half of the game they won 5-0 against Wigan - and the feeling persists that, shorn of Cristiano Ronaldo, they are not quite the side they were. Arsenal, on the other hand, scored six against Everton, four against Portsmouth and, helped by Eduardo Da Silva's widely criticised dive, another three at home to Celtic.
Elsewhere, after Rafa Benitez tore into his senior players, Steven Gerrard included, for their performances in the 3-1 loss to Aston Villa, Liverpool, who have only one win from three games this season, are under pressure to beat Bolton at the Reebok. Bolton too, are under pressure; they are yet to get on the scoresheet in the Premier League this time round, and have lost both the games they've played 1-0.
The biggest transfer news this week has come from an unlikely source. After a successful first year in the Premier League, Stoke City had had a quiet summer, until it emerged they were planning to buy the Middlesbrough pairing of giant German defender Robert Huth and Turkish forward Tuncay, for a combined fee of £11 million. Should all go to plan, both will line up for the Potters at home to Sunderland on Saturday.
Then there's West Ham. After the shocking violence, the pitch invasions and the racist abuse which marred their midweek Carling Cup victory over Millwall, the FA have resolved to investigate, and there have even been calls for the Hammers to play games behind closed doors at Upton Park. So it's probably for the best that the East London side are playing away at Blackburn, still pointless, this Saturday.
Rounding off the programme, table-toppers Tottenham and Chelsea are both at home to newly promoted sides, Burnley and Birmingham respectively. Wolves play Hull, and on the Sunday, it's Aston Villa vs Fulham, Everton vs Wigan and Portsmouth vs Man City. ·
