Guardiola Targets Revival As Man City And Liverpool Confront Tough Challenges

On Saturday, Manchester City heads to Aston Villa, determined to stop their recent downturn in form.

Meanwhile, Chelsea has the opportunity to temporarily rise to the top of the Premier League table.

Current leaders Liverpool face a tricky trip to Tottenham after a wobble, while Manchester United is seeking to win two Premier League games in a row for the first time this season.

Sportxparte picks out some of the major talking points ahead of the weekend action.

Pep to prove himself again

Manchester City suffered a 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa away last December, but that loss marked the end of their setbacks for the season as they went on to clinch their fourth consecutive Premier League title.

That loss for Pep Guardiola’s men came after three straight draws which was then a slump by City’s sky-high standards.

This time they travel to Birmingham in a deep rut, with eight defeats from their past 11 matches in all competitions.

City’s hopes of securing a fifth consecutive English top-flight title seem to be slipping away, but they must find a way to stop their alarming decline.

Guardiola took the blame after last week’s painful 2-1 derby defeat to Manchester United, saying he was not “good enough”, though Phil Foden said the players still believed in their boss.

Fifth-placed City, nine points behind Liverpool having played a game more, have lost five of their past seven Premier League games, as many as they had in their previous 67 matches combined.

Seventh-placed Villa have been inconsistent, but injury-hit City have lost the habit of winning, suffering an apparent collective crisis of confidence.

Liverpool’s Slot faces new challenge

Arne Slot has seemingly made replacing Jürgen Klopp as Liverpool manager look effortless. However, is he about to encounter his first significant challenge?

Earlier this month, the Reds were nine points clear at the top of the Premier League and seemingly on course for a record-equalling 20th English top-flight title.

But they could kick off at Tottenham on Sunday behind Chelsea, who are seeking a sixth straight league win at struggling Everton earlier in the day.

Liverpool have drawn their last two league matches against Newcastle and Fulham, but they secured a victory over Southampton in the League Cup quarter-finals this week, keeping them in the hunt for the first trophy of Slot’s tenure.

They are still firm favourites to win the league but Chelsea are gathering momentum under new manager Enzo Maresca.

It is difficult to predict which Tottenham team will turn up on Sunday after seven wins and seven defeats in their 16 league games so far.

One thing is certain Ange Postecoglou’s team has no intention of sitting back. With an impressive tally of 36 league goals this season, they’re only outdone by Chelsea in scoring.

Wolves desperate for new manager bounce

Leicester and Wolves have both sacked their managers this season, spooked by poor starts to the Premier League campaign.

The two sides meet at the King Power on Sunday in a must-win match for the visitors, who this week appointed Vitor Pereira as their new coach following the dismissal of Gary O’Neil.

Wolves find themselves second from bottom in the Premier League after suffering four consecutive defeats, accumulating a mere nine points from 16 matches. They trail Leicester by five points, sitting just outside the relegation zone.

Chairman Jeff Shi thanked Pereira, a league winner in Portugal and Greece, for taking on the tough challenge at Molineux.

The reality is that the Midlands club is already running out of time.

After the Leicester match, the Wolves head into a daunting run of fixtures against Manchester United, Tottenham, and high-flying Nottingham Forest.

Ruud van Nistelrooy got off to a promising start at Leicester, winning his first match and drawing the second.

However, the Foxes experienced a demoralizing 4-0 defeat at Newcastle last week. If results don’t go their way, they could find themselves in the relegation zone by the end of the weekend.