Arsenal will look to pile further misery on a depleted Aston Villa side when they travel to Villa Park, while Tottenham Hotspur will hope their huge summer investment finally starts paying dividends when Newcastle United visit north London.
Mikel Arteta’s side enter the weekend full of confidence after a strong start to the season, while Villa are still trying to recover from a dramatic summer of departures and a humiliating opening-day defeat. Tottenham, meanwhile, are under pressure to deliver after spending around £300 million on new arrivals but suffering a heavy loss to Brentford last weekend.
Elsewhere, new Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola will take charge at Anfield for the first time in a competitive match when Nottingham Forest visit, while Manchester United will be desperate to respond after their surprise opening-weekend defeat at Hull City.
Here are some of the key Premier League storylines to watch this weekend.
Arsenal look to exploit Villa’s problems
Ezri Konsa could make his Arsenal debut against his former club when the Gunners visit Villa Park, potentially adding another layer of intrigue to an already important fixture.
Villa have undergone a major transformation during the summer, with several key members of last season’s successful squad departing. Morgan Rogers moved to Chelsea for a reported £117 million, while Youri Tielemans joined Manchester United and Lucas Digne completed a move to Paris Saint-Germain.
The club could suffer further losses before the transfer window closes, with Ollie Watkins and goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez both linked with moves away.
Those departures have already had a major impact on Unai Emery’s team. Villa were dismantled by Brighton last weekend, falling 4-0 behind after just 31 minutes in a performance that highlighted the extent of their rebuilding job.
Their next opponent could hardly provide a more difficult test.
Arsenal have started the campaign in impressive fashion, defeating Manchester City and Coventry City by 3-0 margins to claim the Community Shield and open their title defence strongly.
The Gunners also possess considerably greater squad depth, meaning Konsa may have to wait for his opportunity despite Arsenal currently missing William Saliba through a long-term injury.
Villa captain John McGinn, however, remains optimistic that the club can still enjoy a successful campaign, provided Emery remains at the helm.
“I’m still positive about the season but we need to make sure we keep hold of the manager,” McGinn said. “If we lose him, it’s a different story.”
De Zerbi demands more from Savio
Tottenham’s supporters have waited a long time to see their club spend heavily in the transfer market, but the excitement surrounding their £300 million investment was quickly dampened by a 3-0 defeat to Brentford on the opening weekend.
Since then, Spurs have continued to strengthen, bringing in Manchester City winger Savio and Omar Marmoush in deals that could eventually cost close to £150 million combined.
Savio’s reported £75 million price tag has attracted plenty of scrutiny given his struggles to establish himself during his two seasons at City.
However, Tottenham manager Roberto De Zerbi believes the Brazilian can become an important player for the club and help improve their fortunes after consecutive 17th-place Premier League finishes.
Savio has already provided an early glimpse of his potential, scoring on his debut against Charlton in the League Cup.
De Zerbi believes the winger’s biggest area for improvement is his goalscoring.
“I think his biggest step and biggest improvement is to increase the number of goals because as qualities, I think he is one of the best wingers, but the best wingers score many goals,” De Zerbi said.
With Newcastle now heading to north London, Spurs will hope their expensive new recruits can quickly justify the club’s enormous investment.
Iraola prepares for Anfield debut
Liverpool’s new era under Andoni Iraola began with a dramatic 2-2 draw at Newcastle, with Dominik Szoboszlai rescuing a point with a 99th-minute penalty.
The result exposed some of the challenges facing Iraola as he attempts to introduce his intense, high-energy pressing style at Anfield.
Liverpool were twice vulnerable to Newcastle’s counter-attacks and were fortunate to escape with a point, giving Iraola plenty to address before his first competitive home match.
Nottingham Forest now provide the opposition at Anfield, although they have proved particularly difficult for Liverpool in recent meetings, winning at the stadium in each of the past two seasons.
Iraola is relishing the opportunity to finally experience a competitive match in front of Liverpool’s home supporters.
“I think it’s going to be emotional and I think it has to be like this. It is a special place,” the Spaniard said.
“I’ve had to fight a lot to arrive to this place and I hope everything goes well and I can enjoy also the game.”
For Iraola, the challenge will be to turn the excitement surrounding his appointment into a convincing first home victory and give Liverpool supporters an early glimpse of what his new-look side can become.
