Goal are delighted to present SuperSport’s weekend schedule, with three huge clashes to watch on Sunday, headlined by Liverpool’s showdown with Tottenham Hotspur.
The Reds had the chance to make history on Sunday, when they travelled away to Manchester United knowing that victory would have meant equalling an English top flight record.
Manchester City’s 18-game winning streak in late 2017 represents the pinnacle of domestic dominance in English football in terms of consecutive victories, but having not dropped points since March 3 — and the derby against Everton — Liverpool were within touching distance of the record.
However, they fell just short on Sunday, as they were forced to settle for a draw after Adam Lallana’s late tap-in cancelled out Marcus Rashford’s first-half opener.
On a different day it could have been another story for the Merseysiders; they were without Mohamed Salah, they complained about Divock Origi being fouled in the build-up to Rashford’s opener, and then they were denied by VAR when Sadio Mane was adjudged to have handled the ball as he scored what he thought was a first-half equaliser.
The match served as a reminder of how important Salah, absent after picking up an ankle injury in the victory over Leicester City, is to this Liverpool, with Mane failing to make much of an impact alongside Origi and Roberto Firmino.
Dropping two points against United at Old Trafford isn’t a bad result, although considering the Red Devils are enduring their worst start to the season since the 1989-90 campaign, Klopp will surely have been expecting a win from his troops.
Liverpool still enjoy a healthy six-point lead at the top of the table, and with Manchester City having lost two of their last five league matches, the Reds retain the momentum as they look to win their first title in three decades.
However, it’s imperative that they return to winning ways against Spurs on Sunday, particularly considering City will likely have closed the gap to three points when they host promoted Aston Villa in the early kick-off on Saturday.
The pressure will be on Liverpool to take maximum points when they welcome another wounded Prem giant, Spurs, to Anfield in a rematch of last season’s Champions League final.
Tottenham’s form has plummeted since February, with big results over Ajax and City in the UCL not entirely masking their domestic decline. This term so far, they’ve won three, drawn three and lost three of their nine outings to date, winning just one of their last four matches in the league.
The League Cup elimination at the hands of Colchester United and the 7-2 Champions League defeat by Bayern Munich have further created the sense of crisis at the new White Hart Lane.
Hugo Lloris is out for the rest of the year, while the likes of Serge Aurier, Danny Rose and Jan Vertonghen have been performing far below expectations so far this campaign, and with the future of Cristian Eriksen yet to be resolved, there’s a sense of malaise enveloping the club.
A positive result against Liverpool could go a long way to changing the narrative and restoring some positivity around the Londoners, while another defeat could plunge them into the bottom half of the table…and prompt further speculation about Mauricio Pochettino’s future.
This heavyweight Premier League collision cannot be missed!
Also on Sunday, in Serie A, AS Roma and AC Milan collide in another fascinating fixture.
The capital club have proved to be tough to break down so far this campaign, losing just one of their eight matches, yet they’ve also struggled to put teams away.
They’ve drawn their last two, at home against an impressive Cagliari side and away against struggling Sampdoria, and have already found themselves nine points off the pace and down in sixth.
While Internazionale are largely keeping pace with leaders Juventus, AC Milan have shown little evidence that they can build on their early promise, and even European qualification may be beyond them.
They’ve lost three of their last five, winning just one, and their vulnerabilities were again evident on Sunday when they twice took the lead against Lecce at home, only to be pegged back by Marco Calderoni’s superb 92nd-minute equaliser.
The match will have afforded new Milan coach Stefano Pioli an early opportunity to see the scale of the task that awaits him as he looks to restore the Rossoneri to their former glory, and things may get trickier before they get easier with an away trip to Rome upcoming this weekend.
Finally, SuperSport’s Sunday offering concludes with a fascinating PSL tussle between Mamelodi Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs.
The reigning champions are favourites heading into this potential top-of-the-table clash, although Amakhosi can take hope from their opponents’ testing recent schedule.
The Brazilians defeated AmaZulu in the Telkom Knockout at the weekend, and have also had to face Highlands Park in league action on Wednesday, leaving them with only three full days to prepare for the Chiefs game on Sunday.
Roger Feutmba has expressed his confidence that Pitso Mosimane has the experience to ensure that the champs manage the various obstacles they face over the coming days.
“Sundowns have to catch up with the top teams as far as the log is concerned to remain in contention and to defend their league title,” Feutmba told Goal.
“On the other hand, they must keep their unbeaten record intact, but this will be a challenging week.
“The coach is experienced and will do well to fine-tune the mindset to manage the emotions and the load.”
The match will be hosted at the 51,000 capacity Loftus Versfeld, and it has the potential to be one of the most fascinating matches of the season.
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