Something to watch on TV.
Liverpool started their title defence like they meant to keep hold of it, but that confidence has taken a battering lately. A couple of results nobody saw coming have put everyone back in the mix. Leeds, Burnley and Sunderland being back means there’s more needle in games you might have written off before. These clubs remember what the top flight felt like, and they’re not here just to make up the numbers.
The next month and a half brings five matches that actually mean something. Not the kind Sky Sports hypes up every week, but games where something real is at stake. A few could completely change who wins the league. Others are about clubs that genuinely hate each other. And at least one will probably descend into the kind of madness you end up talking about for months.
Liverpool head to Old Trafford on 19 October, which hasn’t been a comfortable trip in decades, regardless of who’s doing well. United swing wildly between looking brilliant and looking utterly lost under Amorim. But they’d trade a month of terrible results just to beat Liverpool at home and knock their title challenge sideways. The crowd will be absolutely up for it. United fans feed off these occasions, especially when Liverpool might be there for the taking.
Liverpool need to prove they can get results in hostile environments. That’s the difference between winning titles and coming close. These games usually hinge on one moment of chaos rather than brilliant tactics. A player produces something special out of nowhere, an official gets a big decision wrong, or someone has a nightmare at exactly the wrong time. That’s what makes them impossible to ignore.
Bettors tracking these fixtures will find extensive markets across recommended betting sites that cover everything from match outcomes to individual player performances. The unpredictability of these clashes makes them impossible to ignore, whether you’re watching purely for the football or have something riding on the result.
Arsenal play Crystal Palace at home on 26 October. Looks straightforward on paper until you remember Palace have made Arsenal look daft at the Emirates before. They’ve got forwards who can burn you if you switch off, and they defend in a way that winds up teams expecting an easy afternoon. Arsenal have to put teams like this away comfortably. That’s what title challengers do. Drop points at home to a mid-table side, and everyone starts asking the same questions about whether they’ve got what it takes when things get difficult.
Palace won’t be bothered about Arsenal’s ambitions. They’ll turn up, sit deep, try to nick something on the break, and generally be as awkward as possible. It’s worked before at this ground. No reason it can’t work again.
Tottenham have Chelsea coming over on 1 November, which should sort out where both these teams actually are. Spurs have been fun to watch under Frank, but they’ve also fallen apart when games matter most. Chelsea threw ridiculous money at their squad, and they need to start showing it was worth it. North London trips never go smoothly, though, regardless of how much your players cost or what the table says.
Both teams are packed with expensive internationals who should be producing the goods every week. But big-money signings have a habit of going missing when the pressure’s on. This one should have goals, and at least one moment everyone argues about on Monday morning.
City have Liverpool coming to the Etihad on 8 November. This match could end up mattering a lot for how the season unfolds. City are still angry about losing the title last year, and they’ll see this as their chance to prove something. Guardiola’s had this game circled for weeks, and the home crowd will make life very difficult for Liverpool. The Reds haven’t been playing well lately, so City will think they can get at them.
Big matches like this one sell out instantly. Last season’s Premier League averaged around 40,500 people turning up to matches, but games of this size have people fighting for tickets months before kickoff. When City and Liverpool play each other, you usually get proper end-to-end football. City want to keep the ball and pick you apart slowly. Liverpool want to press you into mistakes and hit you fast. When those two styles meet, it’s rarely boring. Whoever wins this gets real momentum going into the busy winter period, where fixtures pile up.
Arsenal travel to Tottenham on 23 November for a derby that both sets of supporters care about more than most other fixtures. These clubs have hated each other for decades, and you can feel it in the stadium from the moment people walk through the gates. Spurs have lost most of these matches recently, which makes them even more desperate to win this one. What’s happened in previous weeks doesn’t really count when this game comes around.
The Premier League reaches 900 million homes worldwide, and this derby is a big part of the appeal. Arsenal look like the better team right now, but Spurs would take a few bad results elsewhere if it meant beating Arsenal and damaging their title hopes. Playing at home helps the Spurs, and they have good enough players to hurt Arsenal.
Something weird always happens in these matches. A keeper drops an absolute clanger, someone gets sent off for losing their head, or a player nobody expected scores the winner. That’s what makes them worth clearing your afternoon for.
