Erik ten Gone as Man United Host Chelsea for Some Vintage Barclays

Journalist and United fan Usmaan Akhtar joins the show to take stock of a wild week at Old Trafford.

Those of us who despise Manchester United were dealt a brutal blow this week with the dismissal of Erik ten Hag, who had a handy knack for getting just enough results at just the right times to cling onto the job without ever threatening to bring the Red Devils back into contention for the major prizes.

The ultimate example was his FA Cup victory over Manchester City in May, a great result that—as we Arsenal fans can assure you—has nothing to do with competing for the Premier League. United fans responded with a roar of support for ten Hag, demanding that he be invited to stay, and the new ownership led by Sir Jim Ratcliffe duly extended the Dutchman’s contract. I was duly gleeful. I’d never seen anything that suggested Manchester United Are Back, and ten Hag seemed like the ideal candidate to maintain the hilarious mediocrity.

Now there’s a new era to come—and a big match this Sunday against old enemies Chelsea. Journalist and United fan Usmaan Akhtar joins the show to preview the encounter and take stock of another managerial era come and gone at Old Trafford:

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SATURDAY

NEWCASTLE vs ARSENAL

8:30am ET, 12:30pm UK

The last thing Arsenal need after missing out on three points in another big match last weekend is a trip to St. James’ Park. This fixture has been the scene of some highly contentious moments through the years, not least the atrocious refereeing in the lead-up to Anthony Gordon’s 1-0 winner almost exactly a year ago, and it’s been clear for some time that these two sides just don’t like each other. There may not be a ton of goals, but there should be plenty of drama.

LIVERPOOL vs BRIGHTON

11am ET, 3pm UK

These two played two days ago, which is strange, but now they’ll meet in the league after the Reds survived a late Brighton push to knock the Seagulls out of the EFL Cup. This should be another firm examination for the home side, who come into this one a point behind Manchester City at the top of the table. Brighton are sixth and looking to get themselves back into Europe again next season.

DORTMUND vs RB LEIPZIG

1:30pm ET, 5:30pm UK

It hasn’t been an amazing start for the hosts under new head coach Nuri Şahin, who took over from Edin Terzić this summer after the latter led die Schwarzgelben to the Champions League final in June. They’ve done alright in that competition, but Dortmund are seventh in the Bundesliga on 13 points, already seven points off joint-leaders Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig. Marco Rose has the visitors competing at a high level, not least when they ended Bayer Leverkusen’s 43-match unbeaten run across all domestic competitions earlier this season.

If the Premier League is more your speed, though, there’s an unlikely relegation scrap between WOLVES and CRYSTAL PALACE kicking off at the same time.

ATLANTA UNITED vs INTER MIAMI

7pm ET, 11am UK

For the night owls in Europe and the dusk owls in the States, it’s Lionel Messi and company in MLS playoff action. His old Barcelona mates Luis Suárez and Jordi Alba scored to win the first match in this best-of-three, and if they take this one, too, the GOAT will take another step towards surely the most prestigious silverware of his career: the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy.

SUNDAY

TOTTENHAM vs ASTON VILLA

9am ET, 2pm UK

This is a Super Sunday for sure, not because the contestants are all in the title race but because the goals will be flying in. Hopefully. These two teams have combined for 34 goals scored and 21 conceded across nine games, and they’re both clawing to get into Europe again next season. Villa are properly there, to be fair, top of the new-look Champions League table, while Spurs are more like Europa League royalty. Ange Postecoglou’s side are at home, and they can play on their day, but can he match Unai Emery’s level?

BARCELONA vs ESPANYOL

10:15am ET, 3:15pm UK

The way this season is going, this one’s only going one way. Barcelona are sweeping all from their path, including great enemies Real Madrid last week, but this is a different kind of rivalry. The Derbi Barceloní is for local bragging rights, and Espanyol have taken a few draws in recent years from their encounters with their far grander neighbors. A win has eluded them since 2018, however, and Barça are simply one of the most formidable teams in Europe at the minute.

MAN UNITED vs CHELSEA

11:30 am ET, 4:30pm UK

Vintage Barclays. Get the full preview above!

MONDAY

PARMA vs GENOA

12:30pm ET, 5:30pm UK

We’ve gone deep on the romance of Parma’s past before, but this one’s all about one thing: the possible debut of Mario Balotelli, back in Serie A for one last ride. It is guaranteed that he will score a Puskás contender and get into some weapons-grade hijinks between now and May. Could the fireworks begin on his opening day?⚽︎