Weekend Preview Sept. 25

Felt like previewing a few games this weekend. Not necessarily predictions, but what I'll be looking at as I watch them. Tactical battles and story lines, as it were. I'll get this out of the way already, but there will be common themes in a number of fixtures.

We'll start with Brighton v Man United. The "bigger club" is coming off a loss, while the hosts thoroughly beat a poor Newcastle side last week. Despite the "United Way" or whatever, this team is better out of possession than with the ball. That suits them against Potter's team, as they like to "control" the game in that way. In fact, they're one of the only teams in the league that actually likes passing the ball around. Anyways, United have better players, they're away from home, and they're playing a team they can sit back against. Two threats for Brighton, assuming they start, are Lamptey attacking United's left hand side, and Maupay making runs in behind. United's defense is slow, so the pace of the Brighton wing backs and forwards will be what allows them to win, if that happens. I see United winning, however, as Brighton struggle to defend more than United do.

Palace v Everton is an interesting one, hence why I'm covering it. Starting with the hosts, they play a compact 4-4-2 with the sole pursuit of hitting teams on the break. It's backed by them having the lowest possession numbers in the league (below 35%). For me, this game comes down to Everton's midfield. If they can penetrate the Palace defense and let Richarlison and DCL do their thing, supported by James, they'll find joy. If Palace stifle that threat, they'll have room on the break behind a weak Everton defense. Coleman's legs are gone and Keane/Mina is a disastrous partnership in pretty much every way aside from winning balls in the air. Pickford is also quite bad; almost Kepa levels of bad. Also, Everton had a really good game against a lethargic Spurs side before looking shaky despite winning 5-2 against a 10-man relegation side in WBA. I'd go for a draw if pressed to make a pick.

Over to Germany now, the biggest game on Saturday is Leverkusen hosting Leipzig. I'm curious to see how this goes, because despite recent history, both will likely struggle to score as their best attackers from last season now play for Chelsea. Both have replacements, with Hwang and Soerloth hoping to make up Werner's goal tally, and Schick filling in for the departed Havertz (or Volland, depending on how you see it). Basically, I see another Bosz special on hand; Leverkusen with 60% (or more) possession, but doing nothing with it, and Leipzig using their wit and athleticism to counter attack. That's one thing I love about Nagelsmann, he isn't wedded to a single style, so he won't persist with things that don't work from game to game.

Serie A is fully back now, meaning Atalanta are in action, this week at Torino. Usually, Torino play catenaccio, but I'm thinking Giampaolo will look to make them attack more. They need it, seeing as they were close to relegation last season. That said, it's a process, and that squad is accustomed to playing "anti-football". In theory, Atalanta should win easily. They're good enough, especially going forward, and Torino were horrible last season. In reality, it's the first game of the season and who knows if they'll replicate the success of the last few campaigns. Giampaolo likes a 4-3-1-2, which is a shift from the back 5 Torino played before, so that balance (or lack thereof) will determine if Torino get something from this match.

The last one I'll cover for Saturday is Inter v Fiorentina. This one is more a "seven sisters" match between big sides than a game I think will be exciting. Neither team's particularly fun to watch, due to the men in charge and the systems they employ. By this I mean both teams run 3-5-2, which often results in boring football that comes down to mistakes or individual moments of brilliance. I'll pick one player per team I'll be watching. Inter's is Hakimi; arguably the best "wing back" last season, at least attacking wise. There's also Lautaro and Lukaku up front, though they're known entities in that system by now. For Fiorentina, it'll either be Castrovilli or Chiesa. Both are young, one's been around for a while and the other burst onto the scene last season. I'd actually take Castrovilli over Chiesa, in terms of stock, at this point. Obviously they play different positions, but Chiesa has stalled and needs a change of scenery. He also played as a wing back last week, which is typical Italian football.

Most of the Premier League games on Sunday seem like they'll follow a similar pattern; attack v defense, one team happy to sit back and take the occasional chance on the break. This may very well be an issue for Spurs and West Ham, who will are at home, as they'll be expected to take the initiative to attack. I group these fixtures together for that reason. We all know how Steve Bruce will set Newcastle up; it'll be down to Mourinho to put a side out that can break them down. I honestly think it'll be a draw, either 0-0 or 1-1. For West Ham, this is a "trap" game. They played well and lost against Arsenal after getting battered by a crap Newcastle team. Nuno prefers not to have the ball, and when they do have it, his technical CM's get it quickly out to Adama, Podence, or Raul going forward. Thus, I don't see much of a chance for West Ham. Oh, and if Semedo or even Hoever starts at RWB, that'll free up Adama to terrorize that weak left side of West Ham's defense (or make the middle more congested if he opts for 3 CM's). I also wonder if Haller will start. He should, as West Ham need a threat going forward in addition to Antonio.

The Yorkshire derby between Sheffield and Leeds is either going to be intriguing or incredibly boring. Leeds attack and struggle to defend, while Blades defend for their lives because they struggle to score. With Egan suspended, I'd like to see how Ampadu does in his role, assuming he starts. Also, the midfield has been off, so far, and it'll be 3 of Berge, Lundstram, Norwood, Fleck, and Osborn in the starting XI. For Leeds, they'll want to solidify the defensive side of the game, given the 7 conceded in two games so far. New signing Diego Llorente should help with that, whether this week or going forward. The game's at 7 AM over here, so hopefully Leeds will impose their will, stylistically, and it'll be an entertaining match.

Roma v Juventus is the game I'm most "hyped" over for this weekend. The hosts are in a strange position; new owners but no money to improve the team. There was also the amateur incident last week with the forfeit against Verona due to a registration error. Two losses to start the season is never ideal, obviously. Juventus played well last week, albeit against a bad Sampdoria team, but the spirit at the club having replaced Sarri with Pirlo seems to be positive. Tactically, I'm curious to see who controls possession and how effective each side is going forward. Dzeko was seemingly set to join Juve, and his absence was pivotal in the lack of goals against Verona. Morata joined the champions instead, and his role in the squad will be up for grabs, whether he's a starter or an impact sub. Zaniolo is out for an extended period as well for Roma, while Dybala was one of a few that missed the Samp game. I lean towards a Juventus win, which is expected most weeks at this point.