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Liverpool faces an in-form Aston Villa as the Premier League champions look to arrest their remarkable collapse on Saturday, while Arsenal aims to surge further clear in the title race. The Gunners hold a four-point lead over Bournemouth, who travel to Manchester City before their trip to Burnley. Third-placed Tottenham are only five points off the top but seek to end a three-game winless streak at home when they host London rivals Chelsea. AFP Sports examines three key fixtures of the weekend: Slot Feels The Heat Liverpool manager Arne Slot urgently needs his star players to get back on track after being eliminated from the League Cup by Crystal Palace on Wednesday, compounding a miserable run for the Premier League champions. Slot made his priorities clear by making 10 changes as Palace cruised to a 3-0 win at Anfield against a youthful Liverpool selection. The Dutchman stated he could not risk further injuries to his key players with the visit of Villa quickly followed by matches against Real Madrid and Manchester City. “I don’t think it is possible if you lose six out of seven that there is even more pressure,” said Slot. “If you are on a run of results like this, if you play for Liverpool, if you manage Liverpool, you know the pressure is there.” Five games into the Premier League campaign, Liverpool led Villa by 12 points. Four matches later, they meet separated only by goal difference. Villa has overcome their difficult start with four consecutive wins, including notable victories against Tottenham and City, to surge back into contention for the Champions League places. Meanwhile, Liverpool’s title defense has imploded. The Reds have not kept a clean sheet for 10 games as Slot struggles to find the right balance in a side disrupted by significant squad turnover during the transfer window. Liverpool spent a Premier League record near £450 million but crucially lost more players than they recruited, particularly missing Trent Alexander-Arnold and Luis Diaz. “To see the champions lose four games in a row in the Premier League with the expenditure in the summer, I think we’re in crisis time for Liverpool right now,” said former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher. Bournemouth’s Unbeaten Run On the Line The league’s longest unbeaten run faces a stern test on Sunday when Bournemouth visits the Etihad, hoping to land another blow to City’s title challenge. The Cherries have not lost since the opening night of the campaign at Liverpool, sparking ambitions of qualifying for Europe for the first time in the club’s history. City is six points adrift of Arsenal after a 1-0 defeat at Villa last weekend ended their nine-game unbeaten run. Pep Guardiola’s fear that his side was becoming too reliant on Erling Haaland was realised. No City player other than the Norwegian has scored more than once in the Premier League this season. Omar Marmoush and Rayan Cherki have missed much of the opening few months of the season through injury, but both scored in a 3-1 League Cup win over Swansea in midweek to bolster the firepower at Guardiola’s disposal. Spurs Seek Home Comfort Thomas Frank has made a fine start to solving Tottenham’s troubles on the road but is yet to foster the “fortress” he desires at home. Of Spurs’ 17 points from nine games, 13 have come away from home thanks to impressive wins at Manchester City, West Ham, Leeds, and Everton. However, Bournemouth and Villa have won in north London, either side of a disappointing 1-1 draw against bottom-of-the-table Wolves. “We would like our home to be a fortress,” said Frank. “It cannot only be the team, it cannot only be the fans. It needs to be both. “We need to bring energy to each other. We need to work unbelievably hard, perform well, try to be positive.” Only a second league win over Chelsea since 2018 would quickly win over any doubters the Dane faces in the Spurs support. Saturday (all times GMT) Brighton v Leeds, Burnley v Arsenal, Crystal Palace v Brentford, Fulham v Wolves, Nottingham Forest v Man Utd (all 1500), Tottenham v Chelsea (1730), Liverpool v Aston Villa (2000) Sunday: West Ham v Newcastle (1400), Man City v Bournemouth (1630) Monday: Sunderland v Everton (2000)
