⚽ Premier League 2025/2026 Discussion Thread ⚽

[slapper]

Manchester City started the league well in the first game, scoring four goals and not conceding a single goal. The problems began after the first game. In the second, they conceded two goals and didn't score any goals. In the third game, they conceded two goals again, but this time they scored one goal. This means that Manchester City's problem lies in their defense and an unstable attack, in which Erling Haaland isn't scoring goals consistently.

I think Manchester City's main problem is their defense and midfield. Manchester City's defense is weak, and it is clearly visible. City performed very badly against Tottenham and Brighton in their last two matches, and after losing De Bruyne, Manchester City's midfield is also weak. Guardiola has failed to fill the void of De Bruyne. City also cannot find a worthy replacement for De Bruyne.

It is difficult to say whether City will play well after the international break. So far, City's overall performance has been weak. The bonding of the midfield with the attack is also weak. So considering the home match, City cannot be considered as a favorite. We saw City's terrible performance against Tottenham in the home match.

Every team's performance tends to change after the international break. So I will probably refrain from betting in the first week.

In fact, I believe the betting angle here is the underrated story. And City as a whole is still priced after two consecutive defeats and remained 60/40 in favour against United, which is crazy considering their worst start in the PL since 2004/05. City lost most last season, and with 1X2, you did the same: -17% ROI; with Asian handicap, -22%

Look at Haaland. Three goals is good, but take away Wolves and he is nothing more than a scavenger, 22 touches vs Spurs, only one shot of which 0 on target. In the second half, Brighton stopped all three attacks: the team did not make a single shot after the break. When the midfield connection is destroyed, his diet of shots simply becomes thinner and thinner

Pep has got Derby -> Napoli -> Arsenal, after the international break. By that point, assuming that City have not sorted the Rodri / KDB dependence, I would not be surprised to hear us discussing them as a poor gamble even in victory. Play on +1.5 or +2.5 handicaps against opponents is the intelligent one now, as City may still be getting the points, but the margins are not there

[Adams0001]

IS funny to see here in this thread we are talking more about the shit game between Liverpool and Burnley instead of the main one who is Manchester United against Manchester City, can anyone said to me why?

So lets change that.

What team do you expect to prevail in the derby of the weekend? Are we gonna see a close match or a open one?

Currently I don’t understand what Manchester United are up to and Manchester city at the other hand didn’t perform well during their previous match against Brighton as a matter of fact Manchester city started the season so poor likewise United. This match might end draw except Manchester city are back, city comeback game is always unexpected and strong but, I doubt if they’ll do well this season. Viewing the probability city are way higher than Manchester United maybe the match taking place at Etihad Stadium makes predicting so obvious and easy, home benefit is never a guarantee now so this match is still unpredictable anything can happen but, if Manchester United wins no doubt Manchester city is gradually going down.

Both Manchester United and Manchester City are not in there best form since last season and we can't really predict who will achieve the three point. Guadiola as lost there last game before the international break, he will do all is best to achieve three point against Manchester United but anything can happen the game can probably end up in favor of Guadiola or favour of Amorim. let just see how the games will end, but with how I see the both team are playing Manchester City can have the higher rank of wining the game. After playing against Manchester United this weekend they will preper for the Champions League.

Guadiola need to build is team again because they don't have strong defenders anymore, that is why Brighton have more opportunities against them last match. They just need to be careful against Manchester United so that any of there players should not get injured because they still have tough matches to play in front, and Manchester United are just focusing on the Premier League along and Manchester City focus on many competitions so Guadiola need to know how to manage is players.

[bitgolden]

Man City continues to be quite unpredictable. Sometimes, as usual, they play very well, but sometimes, they don't live up to expectations. Like the results of their first two matches, losses to Tottenham and even to Brighton. As for the lineup, well, at least they still have Haaland as a goal-scoring machine, but not only that, they also need strong defenders, but yeah... as we know right now...

At least when it comes to Haaland, even with the Norwegian national team, he's truly incredible. Most recently, in the 11-1 victory over Moldova, Haaland scored five goals—incredible. And I'm sure at Man City, he'll remain as productive as usual.

To be fair they are rebuilding, so of course the yare going to take some time to get used to each other. Just as an example, the latest game they had was against Brighton, and they won the UCL against Inter (and won treble that year) only 2 years ago, that's it, just 2 years ago.

And you know how many players are the same in both of those games? Just 4. That's right, they had Stones, Rodri, Silva and Haaland and everyone else in the entire team changed, and many left since then. So that should tell you how it is quite obvious they are not going to be easily winning every game. That 4 players could make some changes but that doesn't mean we are going to get the result that we want, it's going to be inconsistent for them.

[letteredhub]

Finally international break is over and time to jump into some EPL action.

With the international break coming to an end, expect upsets as teams could have some of their stars who might have picked up some knocks, perhaps fitness level's went down etcetera...

But game am looking forward to seeing is the Manchester derby and my money will be on the Red Devils because they seem to be a new team with an ambition to prove a point while City struggles for identity 

You are right about first match after international break. I will put this into consideration while making my picks for the week, I might even consider leaving this week just to observe things for myself because I have failed many times betting on the first match after international break because players are not always on their peak performance after the break. Like Mbappe is already complaining that they need more time to rest as players, something that people feel is not expected from a serious professional like him.

International breaks hardly leaves many teams remaining in same form they were before the break, which is true that a lot of upsets would take place and some of the big teams might disappoint gamblers this weekend. I was looking out on playing a no cleansheet against some of the big teams playing against relatively strong side,I see that there could be lots of goals in this weekend matches across the major leagues including the EPL.
Mbappe is human and has a right to express his concerns despite a professional, stress and fatigue do affects professionals.

[ITExpert]

Liverpool can become a very good team in the future and if they continue their winning streak in this league, then we will see a different color in this league.

Liverpool has been good and strong this season compared to previous seasons. Their performance this season has not declined, and I believe they are ready for the Premier League trophy competition this season.
Facing Burnley should not be a hurdle for Liverpool, nor for United, whose performance is still not convincing. This season's competition is probably between Liverpool, Arsenal, and Chelsea. I don't know whether to consider Man City and United.

Liverpool is a strong and capable team and they improved a lot as well as compared to their performances in the last season. And as they are going and performing if they manage their performance with the same consistency then I think there will be no doubt of anyone that they will definitely achieve bigger in this season. Because as the ratio of their performance is not having any ups and down till now this passion is for sure leading towards the path of success. And they are going to score the best position on the points table. As in the discussion someone mentioned that the real competition of the title will be between the Liverpool Chelsea and Arsenal. I think it is quite true because the other clubs need to do a lot to contribute in this race. Because this way demands a lot of effort passion and a dedication of never to lose.

[Agbe]

Liverpool can become a very good team in the future and if they continue their winning streak in this league, then we will see a different color in this league.

Liverpool has been good and strong this season compared to previous seasons. Their performance this season has not declined, and I believe they are ready for the Premier League trophy competition this season.
Facing Burnley should not be a hurdle for Liverpool, nor for United, whose performance is still not convincing. This season's competition is probably between Liverpool, Arsenal, and Chelsea. I don't know whether to consider Man City and United.

Liverpool is a strong and capable team and they improved a lot as well as compared to their performances in the last season. And as they are going and performing if they manage their performance with the same consistency then I think there will be no doubt of anyone that they will definitely achieve bigger in this season. Because as the ratio of their performance is not having any ups and down till now this passion is for sure leading towards the path of success. And they are going to score the best position on the points table. As in the discussion someone mentioned that the real competition of the title will be between the Liverpool Chelsea and Arsenal. I think it is quite true because the other clubs need to do a lot to contribute in this race. Because this way demands a lot of effort passion and a dedication of never to lose.

Liverpool has been consistent in their play but this season I have not been convinced about their performance because it's true that they are scoring goals but they are also conceeding goals which is not a good one This is a sign that Liverpool defense line is faulty which I think will be a big problem to Liverpool where the season gets to the hardest points.

[Iroh]

Seriously, I think Manchester United have a chance of winning this game considering the number of injuries in the Manchester City squad Though Man City would want to hold the ball, control the game and press when they can. That won't change because that have always been their kind of playing style Under pep. But Man United can use that as an advantage if they can defend well . Man city can make an error which might lead to a counter attack and Manchester United can eventually get a goal from there.

I'm thinking along the same lines. I believe Man United has a good chance of winning the game. It would definitely surprise a lot of people. I also wouldn't underestimate Man city cause despite the squad having a not so good performance due to injuries suffered by some players, they can still pack a punch. The game would be an interesting one and I think we'll see goals from both sides. Hopefully, Manchester united would put up a fight, putting Man city goalie on his toes while carefully defending theirs.
Man United could do well with a fast paced ball, making good use of counter attacks

[Versatile_choice]

Seriously, I think Manchester United have a chance of winning this game considering the number of injuries in the Manchester City squad Though Man City would want to hold the ball, control the game and press when they can. That won't change because that have always been their kind of playing style Under pep. But Man United can use that as an advantage if they can defend well . Man city can make an error which might lead to a counter attack and Manchester United can eventually get a goal from there.

I'm already considering manchester united as the favorite team to win this game, and I think this injury case is going to make things more easier for manchester united. But  I won't be surprise to see a different result because manchester united can be very dramatic sometimes i just hope that the manage have make amends because thier performance in few of thier matches was not impressive at all, I never thought that manchester united would be struggling to win burnley in their previous match That is to show that manchester city can still perform well regardless the injury Case. I'm sure that pep Guardiola would definitely look for a possible way out and amorim in the other side is also going to do his Best.

[AYOBA]

Both Manchester United and Manchester City are not in there best form since last season and we can't really predict who will achieve the three point. Guadiola as lost there last game before the international break, he will do all is best to achieve three point against Manchester United but anything can happen the game can probably end up in favor of Guadiola or favour of Amorim. let just see how the games will end, but with how I see the both team are playing Manchester City can have the higher rank of wining the game. After playing against Manchester United this weekend they will preper for the Champions League.

Yeah, although said that both Manchester City and Manchester United are not in their good form, but in terms of seriousness and quality of the squad, I think Manchester City is still better than Manchester United. So in this case I don’t think this kind of game will be difficult to predict when we all know that Manchester City’s performance right now is better than Man United, and even though I decided to place a bet. I would rather play straight winning for Man City than even predict a draw since, right from the teams’ standards, Manchester City is well above average. That’s why most of us are having ranks of winning the game.

[bitcoin_mining]

IS funny to see here in this thread we are talking more about the shit game between Liverpool and Burnley instead of the main one who is Manchester United against Manchester City, can anyone said to me why?

So lets change that.

What team do you expect to prevail in the derby of the weekend? Are we gonna see a close match or a open one?

Manchester city and Manchester United! Who will win? If you ask me, I stand with Manchester United, at least for now, Manchester United are more attacking and with more force up front. Am not writing City off, but then, Manchester United stands a more better chance to win regardless of where the match is played.

But you know, it's football, anything can happen. Manchester city can pick form that that and trash a living hell out of United, lol. That's just football. We expect anything. But I feel it's gonna be a win for United or draw. That's my prediction, but if it plays otherwise, I wouldn't still be surprised, because it's the game of football

Manchester City and Manchester United will face each other in the English Premier League on the 14th. If Manchester City had been able to maintain the performance they had last season and this season, they would have definitely won the next match against Manchester United, but recently Manchester United's performance has not been going well at all, so we cannot say anything in favor of Manchester City in advance. Yes, you are right, although Manchester City has not changed the internal situation of their team, Manchester United has brought several players to their club this season and Manchester United has strengthened their attack line-up, in which case if they can perform well, then they may have a chance to defeat Manchester City.

[AirtelBuzz]

Manchester City in three games have scored 5 goals while conceded 4 goals. You are right in saying that Manchester city need to check their defence as they have conceded 4 goals in three games they have played so far. It's important to keep an eye on how many goals you have conceded in every game. Top teams on points table are the one who not only score goals but also don't allow other team to score goals against them. City still has the time to make a come back in the league provided they address this problem.

Literally it is reasonable that Manchester City will need to examine their defense as they still feel isolated in this Premier League's new season because we have already observed that the City giants have very little courage to protest in the new Premier League season and their number of goals is also low. It's true that you should keep track of how many goals you concede in each match, thus if Manchester City can correct themselves in the ongoing Premier League, then Manchester City will be able to return to normal in their upcoming Manchester derby match. I think the centerpiece of their team's attacking department, Erling Haaland is still performing exceptionally well in the World Cup qualifiers, so perhaps he will be able to remain productive in this derby match as well.

[Barikui1]

Manchester City in three games have scored 5 goals while conceded 4 goals. You are right in saying that Manchester city need to check their defence as they have conceded 4 goals in three games they have played so far. It's important to keep an eye on how many goals you have conceded in every game. Top teams on points table are the one who not only score goals but also don't allow other team to score goals against them. City still has the time to make a come back in the league provided they address this problem.

Literally it is reasonable that Manchester City will need to examine their defense as they still feel isolated in this Premier League's new season because we have already observed that the City giants have very little courage to protest in the new Premier League season and their number of goals is also low. It's true that you should keep track of how many goals you concede in each match, thus if Manchester City can correct themselves in the ongoing Premier League, then Manchester City will be able to return to normal in their upcoming Manchester derby match. I think the centerpiece of their team's attacking department, Erling Haaland is still performing exceptionally well in the World Cup qualifiers, so perhaps he will be able to remain productive in this derby match as well.

I don't know why most football fan are making it looks like Manchester city are terribly bàd, the season is just starting and if you do your findings about Manchester city in the past five seasons, they mostly don't start the season strongly, but during the cause of the season, once they have found their rythme like after ten games that's when you are going to know that Manchester city is not in for a play or not a team that should be underrated.
So as it stands now, I will not look down on Manchester city like a weak side till after ten games, because this was how they have performed in the early stage of the season but they still come back and win the league title from the graps of arsenal, so right now, I still sees them as a title contenders, but if they can't accumulate up to 20 points in the next 10 games, that's when I will be ruling them out from the title race, not now that almost all teams are still struggling to find their form.

[Pandu Geddon]

However, we still have to be realistic in seeing the strength of both teams despite their slump in the previous few matches, but indeed the derby match is always fierce and will have a different performance than usual and I still favor Manchester City because I think Manchester City's squad depth is slightly better than Man United even though Manchester City is slumping at the start of this season.

The derby match is definitely going to be exciting, regardless of the emotions from the players and fans during the game. Despite both teams not performing well at the beginning of the season, I believe we can expect something interesting in that match.
Man City needs to boost its players' morale. After all, they will face Napoli in the Champions League. If they receive a poor result against United, it could greatly affect the players' morale when facing Napoli. Man City will do everything they can to win against United.

[Sims25]

However, we still have to be realistic in seeing the strength of both teams despite their slump in the previous few matches, but indeed the derby match is always fierce and will have a different performance than usual and I still favor Manchester City because I think Manchester City's squad depth is slightly better than Man United even though Manchester City is slumping at the start of this season.

The derby match is definitely going to be exciting, regardless of the emotions from the players and fans during the game. Despite both teams not performing well at the beginning of the season, I believe we can expect something interesting in that match.
Man City needs to boost its players' morale. After all, they will face Napoli in the Champions League. If they receive a poor result against United, it could greatly affect the players' morale when facing Napoli. Man City will do everything they can to win against United.

With the amount of injuries they've got, I don't think they'll be able to get the result they want. I think we'll see a draw in the derby.

[SmartCharpa]

Haaland is still in a great form. He blanked only the Tottenham game and honestly I can't say Manchester City were good as a team there either.    That performance of 5 goals and 2 assists at Norwegian national team was also spectacular!

Do you think this will motivate him to score against the Red Devils as well? Anytime Goalscorer - Haaland gives us 1.91. Wonderful for betting though. But as a reminder, he hasn't been able to score against them for a few games...

Haaland is in top form, who scored five goals and provided two assists in his last national game against a weak opponent. We must remember that the players Haaland currently plays with are not the same as the players he will play with in the Premier League, he might not enjoy the Premier League games the same since he will not have those who produce chances as they did in their national games. It has been a long time since Haaland scored a hat trick in the Premier League, and we may not see this type of performance for now.

However, if you look at Manchester City's midfield, I believe you will observe that it's not as quality as it once was, and the team is no longer interested in keeping De Bruyne. Rodri has also lost form after coming back from injury. I'm only confident that Manchester City will win the game against Manchester United if some of their key players are available.

[dezoel]

The derby match is definitely going to be exciting, regardless of the emotions from the players and fans during the game. Despite both teams not performing well at the beginning of the season, I believe we can expect something interesting in that match.
Man City needs to boost its players' morale. After all, they will face Napoli in the Champions League. If they receive a poor result against United, it could greatly affect the players' morale when facing Napoli. Man City will do everything they can to win against United.

Derby games always have too much entertainment and fun for fans with this match which is going to be played on Super Sunday at the Etihad Stadium Manchester have something special because Manchester United is trying to regain their consistency and chance to stay in top spots while Citizens are devastated by 2 defeats before international break.

Too many injuries and after this derby having challenges like Napoli on 19th September and then 21st September Arsenal at Emirates Stadium London mean life is not easy for Pepe Guardiola and his boys they needed to be give their best if they want to bring their start of this season at track because last two defeats give them serious damage, and they are looking for bounce back which is looking not easy with this scheduled games.

[MArsland]

However, we still have to be realistic in seeing the strength of both teams despite their slump in the previous few matches, but indeed the derby match is always fierce and will have a different performance than usual and I still favor Manchester City because I think Manchester City's squad depth is slightly better than Man United even though Manchester City is slumping at the start of this season.

Of course, being realistic and considering statistics is an important part of betting so that you can make more rational decisions. However the Derby factor often creates an unpredictable atmosphere and can trigger both teams to show a different side of their usual game.   

[sana54210]

Despite Manchester City vs Manchester United match being the toughest match in the premier league this week that doesn't stop people from talking and discussing about other matches in the premier league this week because this thread is specifically for the discussion of premier league matches. It is difficult to predict between Manchester City and Manchester United the team that will win the Manchester derby this season since both teams current performance are of poor quality, but i think Manchester United might win Manchester City because of Manchester City injury crisis.

I agree that City has been volatile for a while, but it is also true that they are not "that" bad, like not enough to lose to United. I already wagered on City to win because while I agree that they had some disappointing results so far, they are going to win against United without much trouble.

We are going to see how things will change, and how we are going to end up with results that will not mean that much, it is very important to handle that part. This isn't really that complicated to assume City will get the three points here. Pep is a great manager and he realizes what's going wrong so he could definitely end up figuring out the problems and come up with some solutions that will get the players doing better.

[Zackz5000]

Manchester City in three games have scored 5 goals while conceded 4 goals. You are right in saying that Manchester city need to check their defence as they have conceded 4 goals in three games they have played so far. It's important to keep an eye on how many goals you have conceded in every game. Top teams on points table are the one who not only score goals but also don't allow other team to score goals against them. City still has the time to make a come back in the league provided they address this problem.

Literally it is reasonable that Manchester City will need to examine their defense as they still feel isolated in this Premier League's new season because we have already observed that the City giants have very little courage to protest in the new Premier League season and their number of goals is also low. It's true that you should keep track of how many goals you concede in each match, thus if Manchester City can correct themselves in the ongoing Premier League, then Manchester City will be able to return to normal in their upcoming Manchester derby match. I think the centerpiece of their team's attacking department, Erling Haaland is still performing exceptionally well in the World Cup qualifiers, so perhaps he will be able to remain productive in this derby match as well.

I don't know why most football fan are making it looks like Manchester city are terribly bàd, the season is just starting and if you do your findings about Manchester city in the past five seasons, they mostly don't start the season strongly, but during the cause of the season, once they have found their rythme like after ten games that's when you are going to know that Manchester city is not in for a play or not a team that should be underrated.
So as it stands now, I will not look down on Manchester city like a weak side till after ten games, because this was how they have performed in the early stage of the season but they still come back and win the league title from the graps of arsenal, so right now, I still sees them as a title contenders, but if they can't accumulate up to 20 points in the next 10 games, that's when I will be ruling them out from the title race, not now that almost all teams are still struggling to find their form.

Manchester City has not yet catch up, they struggled last season and the reason why they qualify for the UEFA Champions league was the points they accumulated during the early start of the league i think they are still facing similar situation this season but we can't conclude yet because they have just played 3 games let's still watch them play more few games.
Manchester City is not bad as some people thought, they are also not a team to be underrated underrate Manchester City at your risk.

[Oluwa-btc]

Now, when I look at Manchester United, I see the same problems, with the added aggravation that they are much worse in attack and defense than Manchester City. I honestly see Manchester City managing a draw or a win. I highly doubt Manchester United can win.

First post I see backing the cityzens to get three points but forgetting they're currently having 5 to 7 players out injured. I hugely doubt Manchester City cn get three points against Manchester United who have no injured players absent and Pep Guardiola is yet to defeat Ruben Amorim in the Premier League Competition. I will rather a win or draw for Manchester United. They have both the players in goal and defence to squeeze the game by the balls.