The Premier League returns with Liverpool hosting Chelsea in the first significant test

Arne Slot, the manager of Liverpool, has had a record-breaking start to his time at Anfield, but he has been restrained in his response, stating that they have not yet faced a top team, though that is about to change with the visit of Chelsea, who are now playing well.

With a demanding schedule of 10 games across three tournaments that might significantly impact their season, Dutchman Slot, the only Liverpool manager to win nine of his first ten games in charge, must now guide the leaders through a challenging schedule.

After seven games, Liverpool leads Manchester City and Arsenal by one point with 18 points after scoring 13 goals and giving up two. Chelsea is in fourth place with 14.

“After glancing at the league table, I thought, ‘Well, which clubs have we faced thus far, and what place are they? Are they in the upper or lower half? Slot mentioned the current schedule.

“There are a lot of difficult teams we still have to face … let’s see where we are then when it comes to conceding goals because maybe the fixture schedule has been ‘nice’ to us when you see the league table.”

This season, Chelsea has won all three of their away league games by a total score of 10–2.

First-choice goalkeeper Alisson is anticipated to miss the majority of Liverpool’s demanding schedule, which includes trips to Manchester City on December 1 and Arsenal on October 27.
Due to a hamstring injury, the Brazilian is expected to miss the league match against Southampton on November 24.

But Slot is sure that Caoimhin Kelleher, an Ireland international, can step in as his number two.

“Alisson is our clear number one,” the Dutchman, 46, declared. Since he is the world’s best goalie, his injuries are always devastating. However, we have a second, equally excellent choice for practically every position.

“Caoimhin Kelleher has already shown that.”

A MUST-SEE GAME

Amid ongoing rumors regarding manager Erik ten Hag’s future, Manchester United hosts Brentford in another match that is not to be missed. With his team sagging in 14th place, many believed the struggling Dutchman might not make it past the international break.

He did, however, get some respite before the break as United recovered from a terrible 3-0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford to draw 0-0 at high-flying Aston Villa.

The availability of Bukayo Saka, who started England’s Nations League match against Greece on Thursday but was substituted early in the second half due to a hamstring injury, is a concern for Arsenal when they visit Bournemouth on Saturday.

The winger skipped Sunday’s England away match against Finland in order to return to London for more evaluation.

After being sidelined for the previous month due to a hamstring issue, Manchester City hopes to have Kevin De Bruyne return for their trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday.

The injury was “not a big issue,” according to manager Pep Guardiola, despite the fact that De Bruyne did not play in Belgium’s Nations League matches after requesting not to be called up.

On the opposite end of the table, Wolves, Southampton, Crystal Palace, and Ipswich Town have yet to win a league game this year. When Ipswich hosts Everton, who are one point ahead of them, on Saturday, they have the best chance of breaking that run.