Liverpool vs Man City and 4 other games you cannot afford to miss as club football returns

Club football is back this weekend, with many must-see matches to look forward to, including Liverpool’s big game against Manchester City. 

International football has grabbed the headlines over the last three weekends, but now it's time for club football to take the front-row seat again. 

This weekend brings many exciting matches, but we have selected the top five you cannot afford to miss. 

If you are a Manchester City fan, it is important for you to savour this trip to Anfield because it might be the last time in a while you get to see your team play Liverpool in the Premier League. 

The Cityzens are waiting anxiously to see what punishment will be handed out to them, after an independent commission found them guilty of 114 of the 115 Premier League financial charges brought against the club.

Although City have denied any wrongdoing, they are expected to be sanctioned heavily, with one of the sanctions likely to be instant relegation. 

With a potential relegation coming, Enzo Maresca’s men will be looking to make the most of what could be their last trip to Anfield for some time. 

They will be eager to silence Liverpool in front of their home crowd, considering the Reds are one of the clubs pushing for City to be punished severely. 

While Maresca’s men will be fired up for this clash, they will definitely face a hostile Liverpool crowd, who will make Anfield a living hell for the away players. 

Liverpool were one of the clubs that missed out on potential titles due to City’s unfair financial advantage, having finished second twice during this period. 

With that said, it is the football that will do the talking once the whistle blows. The omens look good for the Reds, though, as they have only lost three times at Anfield to City in the Premier League era. 

Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal will be looking to bounce back when they host Leeds in Saturday’s lunchtime kickoff. 

The Gunners remain the favourite to win the title again, but they were handed a reality check in their last clash following a 3-0 defeat to Brighton. 

It was an unexpected result considering Arsenal had been perfect before then, but they will be eager to show that it was just a blip when Leeds come into town. 

Leeds will not be an easy game, though, as Daniel Farke’s men are unbeaten so far in the league this season. The Whites come into this clash on the back of a goalless draw against Crystal Palace, having put four past Newcastle a few days earlier. 

However, while Leeds will want to make it difficult, Arsenal will come into the match full of confidence, knowing they beat Farke’s men 9-0 on aggregate in their two matches last season. 

Manchester United have not had the ideal start to their Premier League season after picking up just five points from their first five games. 

Expectations were high coming into the season after they finished last season strongly, but Michael Carrick’s men have won just one game this season, which came against Ipswich Town. 

They come into this game following a 1-1 draw against Fulham but know that anything other than a win against a Spurs side in trouble will draw criticism. 

If United’s start to the season has been disappointing, Spurs' start to the new campaign has been a disaster. 

Like United, the Lilywhites entered this new season with a lot of promise, but they are winless so far and sit at the bottom of the table with just two points. 

Another defeat on Saturday evening will definitely put more pressure on Roberto De Zerbi and also condemn them to the bottom for at least another week. 

The good news for Spurs, however, is that they have won five and lost just one of their last nine encounters against United. 

Like Arsenal, Chelsea also suffered an embarrassing defeat before the international break, as they were comprehensively beaten by Brentford. 

It has not been the ideal start for Xabi Alonso, whose side has only managed to pick up seven points from their first games. While there is no need to panic at this time, Chelsea need to start winning consistently, or else pressure will start mounting on Alonso. 

They will hope to return to winning ways against Bournemouth, but the Cherries are a difficult team, even though they are winless in the league this season and lost to Liverpool in their last match. 

However, the good news for Chelsea is that they are unbeaten in their last ten games against Bournemouth, having not lost to them at home since December 2019. 

It may just be the eighth league game of the season, but this is a must-win match for Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid. 

Madrid are already facing an uphill task to win the title, as they are six points behind Barcelona after losing to Atlético Madrid in the derby. 

That loss puts pressure on them going into the clash against Villarreal, as anything other than a win could see them go seven or nine points behind Barcelona. 

Los Blancos will be without Kylian Mbappe for the clash but still have enough to beat a Yellow Submarines with just two wins in seven games this season.