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Premier League

Bullet point previews of Premier League matches

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Match-by-match facts and statistics ahead of the next round of Premier League fixtures from Saturday 16 September to Monday 18 September.  (All times GMT):

Saturday, Sept. 16

Wolverhampton Wanderers v Liverpool (1130)

* Liverpool, undefeated in their last 15 league matches, have had a player red-carded in back-to-back league games for the first time since March and April 2015.

* Liverpool’s new midfield signing Dominik Szoboszlai scored his first goal for the Merseyside giants in their 3-0 win over Aston Villa before the international break, with vice-captain Trent Alexander-Arnold securing his first assist of the season in the same match at Anfield.

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* Wolves have lost 14 of their 18 league matches against Liverpool, with two matches ending in draws.

West Ham United v Manchester City (1400)

* Pep Guardiola will be back on the touchline against David Moyes’ West Ham, who are fourth in the standings and two points behind leaders City, after missing two games following a back surgery.

* Midfielder James Ward-Prowse (one goal, three assists) is the first West Ham player to either score or assist a goal in his first three league appearances.

* This is West Ham’s joint-highest points tally after their opening four games of a league season, having also earned 10 points in 1999-2000.

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Tottenham Hotspur v Sheffield United (1400)

* New Spurs captain Son Heung-min scored his fourth league hat-trick in the north London-based club’s last match against promoted Burnley.

* Second-placed Spurs, with the help of new manager Ange Postecoglou, can make their best start to a league season since 1965 by beating Sheffield United at home.

* This is the first time in the English top-flight that as many as four teams, namely Everton, promoted Sheffield United, Luton Town and Burnley, have lost their opening three games to a campaign.

Manchester United v Brighton & Hove Albion (1400)

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* Midfielder Sofyan Amrabat and defender Sergio Reguilon will be among those hoping to make their debut for United at Old Trafford, while 20-year-old forward Rasmus Hojlund is in contention to start after making a cameo at Arsenal earlier this month.

* Uruguayan winger Facundo Pellistri could also be given a chance by United manager Erik ten Hag in the absence of Antony, who will not immediately return to United as the Brazilian addresses assault allegations against him.

* Brighton’s 18-year-old striker Evan Ferguson, who scored his first league hat-trick against Newcastle United earlier this month, is an injury doubt.

Fulham v Luton Town (1400)

* This marks the first league meeting between Fulham and promoted Luton since the 1959-60 campaign.

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* Luton could become just the second team to suffer four consecutive losses in their debut top-flight season, after Swindon Town in 1993-94.

* Fulham have dominated at home against promoted sides in the last eight matches (W3 D4), suffering just one loss by Leeds United in March 2021.

Aston Villa v Crystal Palace (1400)

* Villa lost their winning momentum before the international break when they suffered a 3-0 defeat by Liverpool, having recovered from a heavy opening-day loss at Newcastle.

* Villa could get a boost with the return of Alex Moreno following the defender’s injury last season.

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* Palace just have two wins in 16 league matches at Villa Park.

Newcastle United v Brentford (1630)

* Newcastle’s new signing Sandro Tonali is an injury doubt after the former AC Milan midfielder missed Italy’s Euro 2024 qualifier against Ukraine.

* Eddie Howe’s Newcastle, who qualified for the Champions League for the first time in 20 years, have lost three of their first four league matches this season. They only lost five games last season.

* Thomas Frank’s Brentford have only been beaten once in their last 11 league matches (W6, D4), a 1-0 defeat by Liverpool in May.

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Sunday, Sept. 17

Bournemouth v Chelsea (1300)

* Chelsea’s 115 million pounds record-signing Moises Caicedo is the second player to give away a penalty on his top-flight debut for the west London-based side. The Ecuadorian midfielder did so in his side’s 3-1 loss at West Ham last month.

* Chelsea have two wins from their last 16 league games, including an away victory at Bournemouth.

* New Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino is winless in 13 away games in the league, a run that stretches back to Feb. 2019 with his former club Spurs.

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Everton v Arsenal (1530)

* Arsenal will look to carry the momentum following a 3-1 home win over league rivals Manchester United.

* Abdoulaye Doucoure scored Everton’s first goal of the campaign when the Mali forward netted the opener against Sheffield United.

* Striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin could make a return for Everton after sustaining a facial injury in last month’s 4-0 defeat by Villa, providing a boost to manager Sean Dyche, who will hope to avoid another relegation battle as his side languishes in 18th place.

Monday, Sept. 18

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Nottingham Forest v Burnley (1845)

* Forest, who signed as many as seven players on the transfer deadline day, will miss the services of promising Wales striker Brennan Johnson, who moved to Spurs earlier this month.

* Steve Cooper will, however, rely on new signing Anthony Elanga, who joined from United and has already scored a goal and claimed an assist for Forest.

* Burnley manager Vincent Kompany will look to organise his defence after the promoted side conceded as many as 11 goals in their first three matches.

Reuters

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Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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Premier League

Former Arsenal soccer player Partey charged with five counts of rape

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 Premier League - Arsenal v Manchester City - Emirates Stadium, London, Britain - February 2, 2025 Arsenal's Thomas Partey during the warm-up before the match REUTERS/David Klein/File Photo

Thomas Partey, who formerly played for English Premier League soccer club Arsenal, has been charged with rape and sexual assault, London’s Metropolitan Police said on Friday.

Partey, a Ghana international, was charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, with the charges relating to three women and the offences reported to have taken place between 2021 and 2022, the statement said.

Partey’s management did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

He is due to appear at London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Aug. 5.

Partey, 32, was signed by Arsenal from Atletico Madrid for 50 million euros ($59 million) in October 2020 and became a key member of Arsenal’s first team.

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He was first arrested in July 2022, though he was not named at the time and continued to play for Arsenal while investigations were ongoing.

-Reuters

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Rashford, Garnacho among five players seeking Man Utd exit

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Premier League - Manchester United v Newcastle United - Old Trafford, Manchester, Britain - December 30, 2024 Manchester United's Marcus Rashford warms up as a substitute during the match REUTERS/Phil Noble/File Photo

Five players including England forward Marcus Rashford and Argentina winger Alejandro Garnacho have informed Manchester United that they wish to explore a future away from the Premier League side, a club source said on Friday.

Brazilian midfielder Antony, Dutch defender Tyrell Malacia and England international Jadon Sancho are also looking to leave the club, the source added.

Rashford, who has made more than 400 senior appearances for United, has fallen out of favour with manager Ruben Amorim, played for Aston Villa on loan while United had their worst-ever Premier League campaign, finishing 15th in the standings.

Amorim had called Rashford’s work rate into question, saying he would rather put a goalkeeper coach on the bench than a player not giving their all.

Rashford said he was feeling fitter and better since joining Villa, where he scored two goals in 10 league appearances.

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United also failed to qualify for the Champions League as they lost the Europa League final 1-0 to Tottenham Hotspur. Garnacho, who was a late substitute in the final, voiced his displeasure on social media after the loss.

“Up until the final, I played every round helping the team, and today I play 20 minutes, I don’t know,” he wrote in a post . “The final will influence (my decision), but the whole season, the situation of the club.”

Sancho was on loan at Chelsea, where he made 31 league appearances last season. Antony, who joined United from Ajax Amsterdam in 2022 for a reported initial transfer fee of more than $100 million, scored five goals in 17 LaLiga appearances on loan at Real Betis.

Malacia joined Dutch side PSV Eindhoven on loan in February.

-Reuters

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Premier League

Fernandes rejects Al-Hilal offer to stay at Manchester United

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Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes turned down the opportunity to join Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal in order to keep playing “at the highest level”, he said on Tuesday.

The Portuguese midfielder admitted that he had considered the move, which media reports said was worth four times his current salary, after being contacted by Al-Hilal’s president.

“There was that possibility, the president of Al-Hilal called me a month ago to ask me about it,” Fernandes, who is preparing to face Germany with Portugal, told reporters on Tuesday.

“It was a big offer, very ambitious. There was a waiting period for me to think about the future.”

Fernandes ultimately decided to stay at United and said he was motivated by his desire to continue playing at the top level and encouraged by his family and the club’s coach Ruben Amorim.

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“I would be willing to do it if Manchester United thought so,” Fernandes added. “I spoke to the coach Ruben Amorim who really tried to talk me out of it. The club said they would not be willing to sell me, only if I wanted to leave.

“I spoke to my wife and family, and she asked me what my personal goals were in my career.

“It would have been easy to move there but I want to keep myself at the highest level, playing in the big competitions and I feel capable of it. I am happy with my decision.”

The 30-year-old Fernandes scored 19 goals and provided 19 assists in 57 appearances across all competitions for United last season, winning the club’s Player of the Year award for the fourth time.

However, it was a season to forget for the team, as they finished 15th in the Premier League, their lowest league finish in half a century, and lost the Europa League final to Tottenham Hotspur.

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-Reuters

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