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Premier League: 10 things to look out for this weekend

21-Oct-2021 23:01:19 | The Guardian

Aston Villa, West Ham and Brighton all face tests of their ambitions while Norwich’s defence will be kept busy

One of English football’s fiercest rivalries resumes at Old Trafford on Sunday, with both teams coming off dramatic 3-2 midweek wins in the Champions League. Liverpool look close to the force of 2018-2020 again, give or take a few defensive doubts, and it is Manchester United who go into the game with shakier confidence. Jürgen Klopp’s first win at Old Trafford came in May of this year, a 4-2 victory that was chastening for Ole Gunnar Solskjær. “When you play against good players and good teams you can’t give easy goals away,” he said afterwards, a comment that could be readily attached to several matches this season. Klopp has his reliable trident of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mané and Roberto Firmino back in form. Solskjær has as much attacking talent to call on, but is yet to find consistency or coherence from a group including Cristiano Ronaldo, Edinson Cavani, Mason Greenwood, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Bruno Fernandes and Jesse Lingard. Does Solskjær risk the freeform presence of Paul Pogba? The Frenchman was benched against Atalanta, though his absence did little to lock down United defensively. JB