Graham Potter and Chelsea want to continue to enjoy the new manager bounce while United under Erik Ten Hag also wants to continue to improve
Graham Potter pits his unbeaten record against Erik Ten Hag and his resurgent United team on Saturday with Cristiano Ronaldo excluded for petulance. In Italy, first to fourth confront direct rivals in matches that could be a compass for how the season will pan out.Separated by a single point, both Chelsea and Manchester United are in good form going into Saturday’s encounter with an identical four wins and a draw in their last five matches.
Chelsea are yet to lose under Graham Potter even though their form has not been excellent, it has improved in output from Thomas Tuchel’s last days. The big news is that Cristiano Ronaldo will play no part on Saturday, having been excluded for his petulant show against Spurs.Potter gave Thiago Silva a much needed rest against Brentford so he should return as United test Chelsea’s new found tight rearguard that has not conceded a goal in their last 533 minutes of action.
Napoli have not lost this season in any competition, Roma have lost four times, twice in the league but the gap between first placed Napoli and fourth placed Roma is just four points. The most succinct difference is in the goals scored column. Where Roma scored seven in their last five matches in all competitions, Napoli have poached 20-an average of four goals a game.
Luciano Spalletti’s Napoli has also shown a squad depth many did not reckon with at the start of the season, but André-Frank Zambo Anguissa’s injury could rob them of a key midfield component. For Roma, losing Paulo Dybala seriously depletes Jose Mourinho’s forward line.
Robert Lewandowski is already up to 11 league goals and the investment seems to be paying off, but they cannot relent when they host a resilient Bilbao side on Sunday. Bilbao manager and former Barca manager Ernesto Valverde has an axe to grind and his seventh-placed team has some decent players who will look to hurt Barcelona, especially in transition.While Barcelona have won four and drawn one this season at home, Bilbao are unbeaten in four away matches-two wins and two draws.