Portal Eurofootball.com briefly reviews the most interesting and anticipated matches in Europe this weekend.
"Chelsea" - "Arsenal", September 19th, 14:45. Teams' form in the league this season: "Chelsea": 1 win, 1 draw, 3 losses (17th place in the league) "Arsenal": 3 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss (4th place in the league) The tragic start of the season for "Chelsea" was slightly improved by a convincing win in the Champions League against Tel Aviv's "Maccabi". These matches will first of all help the team build confidence in their abilities, especially for players like Diego Costa or Cesc Fabregas. The poor start to the season for the latter duo is reflected in the club's results so far. However, in the match against "Maccabi", these players managed to break the ice and play a good game. Their abilities are undeniable, and it's clear that the problems of these players at the start of the season lie elsewhere. Meanwhile, "Arsenal" is once again experiencing ups and downs typical of them. A great win against "Stoke City", where the visitors were saved from a cricket score only by goalkeeper Jack Butland, was followed by a abysmal loss against Zagreb's "Dinamo", once again exposing the deficiencies in "Arsenal's" lineup and manager Arsene Wenger's inability to properly evaluate his players and work in the transfer market. In these matches, Petr Cech will for the first time appear at Stamford Bridge as an opponent, and, as in previous season encounters, former "Arsenal" cult hero C. Fabregas, now representing "Chelsea", will be in the spotlight. And there's probably no need to mention that this will be another part of the ever strengthening rivalry between Jose Mourinho and A. Wenger. Comments Cesc Fabregas: "I believe in myself more than anyone else. Everyone has doubts when you're not playing well and not achieving the desired results, but I've been playing football long enough not to be worried about trivial things. For me, it's important to be in good form and believe in myself." Petr Cech: "It's clear that playing against Chelsea will be a new experience for me, but when you start playing, the only question in your mind is 'how to have a good game and can we win?' It's interesting that I'm returning to a place where I've spent so much time. I know every corner of this stadium, but on Saturday, the most important thing for me is to win."
"Manchester City" - "West Ham", September 19th, 19:30.
Teams' form in the league this season:
"Manchester City": 5 wins (1st place in the league)
"West Ham": 3 wins, 2 draws (5th place in the league)
"West Ham" has already earned the label of being the giant killers of the league, defeating "Arsenal" and "Liverpool" away. Their killer abilities will be put to the test even more tonight.
"Manchester City" is now an undisputed favorite in the Premier League. 15 points out of 15 confirm this fact, however, a home defeat to Juventus in the Champions League slightly dented the "Citizens" power myth.
Despite "Manchester City" being the favorites of these matches, it doesn't mean that the game lacks potential to be very interesting.
The great wins against "Arsenal" and "Liverpool" were not a coincidence for "West Ham" - this team is built for counter-attacking football. Of course, a big part of their success depends on the impressive performance of Dimitri Payet. "West Ham" fans believe that with this player, their club can beat anyone in the Premier League. Even "Man City", or at least draw the game.
