After an opening Premier League weekend which saw a total of 34 goals go in, this weekend sees another full round of fixtures.
There’s also a full programme of EFL fixtures as well, with clubs playing their fourth games of the season.
It is the penultimate gameweek for the top two divisions of English football before the opening international break of the season.
Let’s take a look at five games across the top four divisions to keep an eye on this weekend:
Arsenal v Chelsea (Premier League)
Morale around Arsenal Football Club supporters probably couldn’t be much lower at the moment.
After a disappointing 2-0 defeat to Brentford, which saw a catalogue of defensive errors, Mikel Arteta‘s side will be desperate to bounce back this weekend.
Standing in their way are reigning Champions League winners Chelsea. Fresh off a 3-0 victory over Crystal Palace on the opening day – and a potential debut for club-record signing Romelu Lukaku – they’ll be keen to make it two wins out of two.
You sense, even at this early stage, this is a crucial game for both sides.
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Tottenham Hotspur (Premier League)
The Nuno Espirito Santo derby™ is the perfect opportunity for Spurs’s new boss to put out a real statement, at the home of his former club.
Nuno’s side produced an excellent display to defeat reigning champions Manchester City last Sunday.
Molineux is a ground Tottenham have traditionally done well at over the last 40 years, losing just once, and they picked up wins here under both Mauricio Pochettino and Jose Mourinho.
But Bruno Lage’s side dominated in terms of chances created against Leicester last week, despite a 1-0 defeat, and if they can find their clinical edge, Spurs could be in for a challenging afternoon.
Blackburn Rovers v West Bromwich Albion (Championship)
Blackburn Rovers endured somewhat of a horror run at the end of last season, winning just four of their last 20 games.
Tony Mowbray’s side have started this season well, though. They defeated Swansea on opening day, before recording a credible point at Millwall last weekend.
Since promotion back to the Championship in 2018, they have generally performed well in front of their own fans. Only in 2018/19 have they been below the top half of the home form table.
It will be a testing trip for West Brom on Saturday, who are one of the favourites to get promoted this season. Valerien Ismael’s side played out a highly entertaining 2-2 draw against Bournemouth on week one – but will want to go one better at Ewood Park.
Sunderland v AFC Wimbledon (League One)
If Sunderland are going to get out of League One at the fourth time of asking, Lee Johnson’s side went the right way about it in their opening two games of the season.
The Black Cats defeated Wigan and MK Dons, both by 2-1 scorelines.
They then lost to Burton Albion last weekend – who have won each of their first three games – and go into this clash with Wimbledon in seventh place in the table.
The visitors to the Stadium of Light have had a promising start themselves. On the back of a summer which has so far included the permanent signing of Chelsea youngster Luke McCormick and the loan of fellow Blues prospect Henry Lawrence, Mark Robinson’s side have won one and drawn two of their opening three games.
This clash is certainly one to watch.
Mansfield Town v Bradford City (League Two)
Just two days after promotion out of League Two via the play-offs with Morecambe, manager Derek Adams left the club to join Bradford City.
The Scot certainly knows his way around the fourth division. He has been promoted twice, and has got off to a great start as Bantams boss.
After an opening day 0-0 draw at Exeter, Adams’s side recorded back-to-back home victories over Oldham Athletic and Stevenage to sit second in the table behind Forest Green.
They make the trip to Mansfield on Saturday, who have also recorded seven points from three games – making this an early top of the table clash.
Nigel Clough’s men defeated Bristol Rovers and Newport before drawing at Colchester last night.
Featured Image Credit: Getty
