Dyche facing uphill task at Emirates

Sean Dyche may be struggling to find reasons for optimism before his Everton side travel to Arsenal. The Toffees were tricky opponents for Mikel Arteta in the early days of his reign, earning wins under Carlo Ancelotti and Rafael Benítez. Dyche enjoyed a 1-0 win at Goodison in his first meeting with Arsenal as Everton manager, but has lost their three encounters since. Everton’s only win on the road this season came at Ipswich in October – also the last time they scored away from home – while Arteta’s side are on a 14-game unbeaten run at the Emirates. Dyche can be forgiven for having one eye on the January transfer window, saying on Thursday that the Friedkin Group’s proposed takeover “is looking very possible … but, until it’s done, it’s not done.” Whatever the result on Saturday, we can expect set-piece goals. Arsenal have scored a league-high 23 goals from corners since the start of last season, while 57% of Everton’s goals this term have come from set pieces.

Iwobi central to Silva hopes at Anfield

The nine-point lead Liverpool carved out by beating Manchester City at Anfield is down to four, after the leaders’ 3-3 draw at Newcastle and the postponement of the Merseyside derby last weekend. Not that Arne Slot’s side are showing any signs of rocking; Tuesday’s 1-0 win at Girona maintained their 100% record in the Champions League, all but securing a top-eight finish that will ease fixture congestion concerns. Fulham, unbeaten in three since the puzzling 4-1 home defeat to Wolves, will offer a test on Saturdaytoday with Marco Silva hoping Alex Iwobi can continue his fine form. “He’s been incredible for us,” Silva said of the player he signed for Everton and then brought to Craven Cottage last year. Iwobi has never scored against Liverpool, but bagged two goals from a new central midfield role in the win over Brighton. He could flourish in a similar role with Liverpool missing Alexis MacAllister, who has served separate suspensions in the Premier League and Europe this week.

Van Nistelrooy recalls ‘wonderful’ Robson

Ruud van Nistelrooy takes his Leicester team to St James’ Park on Saturday, and the manager will surely stop at the statue of Sir Bobby Robson to pay his respects. The ex striker flourished under Robson’s management at PSV Eindhoven, and the former England manager went on to recommend Van Nistelrooy to Manchester United. The Dutchman returned the favour by scoring seven goals in six Premier League games against Robson’s Newcastle side, but has fond memories of his former mentor. “He was a wonderful man and thinking of him makes me smile,” said Van Nistelrooy, who is still unbeaten as a manager in English football. “He was always talking about getting better and improving … what it’s like to be a team. Fight and spirit and emotion and being the best you can be.” Van Nistelrooy has certainly lifted Leicester, who can move within three points of their hosts with a victory.

Appliance of science keeps O’Neil safe

Gary O’Neil’s Wolves side lost the match dubbed El Sackico, coming up short at West Ham on Monday night, but the manager has been kept on and received a vote of confidence from chairman Jeff Shi this week. Writing in his Express and Star column, Shi said: “While [Gary] knows that improving our results quickly is essential, we are united in supporting him.” Perhaps because there is a lack of alternative options – but either way, O’Neil will oversee Saturday’s six-pointer against Ipswich. Whatever the result, Shi has vowed to maintain perspective. “Success in the game is largely a science,” he added, in one of the stranger rallying cries of recent times. “I believe in the power of positivity because negativity achieves nothing. Just as atoms remain atoms, how we perceive, combine, and connect them defines their collective value.”

Forest free to chase European return

Not even Brian Clough managed to lead Nottingham Forest to victory at Anfield and Old Trafford in the same season, so it’s little wonder expectations have been raised at the City Ground. With relegation fears all but extinguished, talk on Trentside has turned to whether Nuno Espírito Santo’s side can follow Aston Villa’s example and make a long-overdue return to Europe. Since 1985, the club have enjoyed just one European campaign, and that came in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup. Nuno has played things down in trademark style, saying only that Forest “have a good platform and ambition to grow and improve … we are trying to build something nice together.” Still, his side sit fifth, above Saturday night’s opponents on goal difference, and have a reasonable run of fixtures between now and the return game with Liverpool in mid-January.

Hürzeler’s hero becomes his derby rival

The A23 derby does not usually offer much entertainment for neutrals, with six of Brighton and Crystal Palace’s last 10 meetings ending in a 1-1 draw. The pendulum has shifted the Seagulls’ way recently, with a seven-game winless run against their rivals ending in March 2023, and now transformed into a six-match unbeaten stretch. Brighton’s 4-1 home win in February marked the beginning of the end for Roy Hodgson, who was replaced by Oliver Glasner. The Austrian was not been able to carry last season’s late form into the new campaign, but he has Palace on a four-game unbeaten run – and has a notable admirer in Fabian Hürzeler. The Brighton manager’s setup to win promotion with St Pauli was influenced by Glasner’s tactics at Frankfurt, and like his new rival, Hürzeler has settled quickly in England. The question is whether, unlike Glasner, he can maintain that early momentum.

Amorim takes on Guardiola in nervous derby

Ruben Amorim’s first Manchester derby arrives on Sunday, as he becomes the fifth United manager to face Pep Guardiola’s City. In truth, it’s a meeting both coaches might prefer to push back for a few more weeks. Amorim’s promising start at Old Trafford has stalled with defeats to Arsenal and Nottingham Forest, and away fans’ main cause for optimism at the Etihad is their opponents’ equally poor form. Defeat to Juventus in midweek means City’s league win over Forest is their only victory in 10 matches. That run includes a 4-1 defeat to Amorim’s Sporting side in the Champions League where City’s defensive frailties were fully exploited. Guardiola’s worries would be significantly eased with the kind of comprehensive derby victory he often enjoyed over Erik ten Hag’s United, but Amorim has the chance to show he is a different prospect. It’s also the rarest of treats for a Manchester United manager – a game where the manager in the opposite dugout is under greater pressure.

Can short trip ease Brentford’s away woes?

Thomas Frank will be hoping a trip to a ground just six miles from home might bring an end to their dreadful away form. Brentford have the unusual distinction of being the Premier League’s best side at home (22 points from 24) and its worst on the road (one point from 21). Chelsea, unbeaten in seven league games and just four points off top spot, are an unlikely opponent for the Bees to break that run. That said, Brentford have won on their last three trips to Stamford Bridge and face a team returning from a 7,000-mile round trip to Kazakhstan this week – although Enzo Maresca’s decision to take a youthful squad to face Astana should mitigate that potential damage. Maresca’s side are the league’s top scorers with 35 goals; Brentford are joint-second with Tottenham, having netted 31 times. Goals appear to be a certainty on Sunday night.

Martin and Postecoglou share struggle

Southampton are eight points from safety, having picked up five from 15 league games so far, and Russell Martin accepted before Tottenham’s visit on Sunday evening that their position is “incredibly hurtful and embarrassing”. The manager has made it clear he will not change his approach and repeated that message, urging his players to “keep concentrating on the process”. Martin sees Ange Postecoglou as a kindred spirit, with the Spurs manager under pressure over his uncompromising tactical approach. “I get criticised for the same thing, being stubborn,” Martin said, “but if you believe in something and it’s taken you a certain way in life, then to deviate too far from that is crazy.” Which brings to mind the old maxim about the definition of insanity: repeating the same mistakes and expecting different results.

A Basque battle in Bournemouth

When Julen Lopetegui was appointed as West Ham manager, he joined three other Basque head coaches in the English top flight – all of whom made the Premier League’s manager of the season shortlist. Along with Mikel Arteta and Unai Emery, Bournemouth’s Andoni Iraola was nominated for steering his team into mid-table after a difficult start. All four men hail from Gipuzkoa, Spain’s smallest province that has become a coaching hotbed – but Iraola’s impact may have played the biggest part in West Ham’s decision to hire Lopetegui, and retain him after their early struggles this season. Monday’s victory over Wolves has eased the pressure on their manager, but Iraola could provide a further twist seven days on. Having been linked with the West Ham job in recent weeks, Iraola’s in-form Cherries could be the team to dislodge Lopetegui from the Premier League’s hottest seat.