Victory, draw or defeat this Saturday won’t decide Chelsea or Manchester City’s seasons. There will still be 31 Premier League games left to go, not to mention the chance to settle the score in the reverse fixture later in the campaign.

Psychologically, however, it’s impossible to ignore the potential impact, especially as both teams are largely unknown quantities at this point. The fixture beckons the adages of ‘six-pointer’ and ‘making a statement’, due to their close proximity in the table and their shared ambitions for the campaign, but what do we really know about either side heading into Saturday’s 5.30pm kickoff?

After a summer of ruthless re-modification, Antonio Conte has created a different animal to the Chelsea side that claimed last season’s title; one that has exchanged the sharp, rugged tooth of Diego Costa for the silkier and smoother Alvaro Morata and the midfield experience of Nemanja Matic for the prodigious ability of Tiemoue Bakayoko, while even Gary Cahill has found himself dislodged from the back three by summer signing Antonio Rudiger in recent weeks.

Likewise, for all the sensational attacking verve City have shown this season, scoring 21 times in the top flight, Pep Guardiola’s side are yet to be truly tested by a team of a similar ability – the closest they’ve got so far is a 5-0 demolition of Liverpool at home, when Sadio Mane’s sending off instigated a Reds collapse.

Of course, you can only play what’s in front of you but that’s exactly why Saturday’s game could catch people off guard; the table doesn’t accurately reflect the quality of every Premier League’s side just yet, while a clash between two title hopefuls will give us a clearer idea of the true balance of power at the division’ summit.

The theme linking both teams, however, is how much they spent during the summer and the high esteem their managers are held in. The two clubs shelled out roughly £400million on new signings before the transfer deadline and the Premier League has now become the top flight of the super-star manager, even if super-star players aren’t as present as they once were. Conte and Guardiola indisputably belong in that bracket.

Which, in turn, is what makes Saturday’s encounter so important, even this early in the season. For all the managerial quality on offer in the Premier League and for all the clubs who can spend small fortunes tailoring their squads to their manager’s philosophies, only one team can win the title. The fact we haven’t seen a successful title defence Manchester United in since 2009 shows how hard it now is to claim English football’s top honour and this season already, we’ve seen three or four sides with a justifiable claim to being the best in the league.

While the potential victor this weekend will feel they’ve come one small but significant step closer, the loser will inevitably have to consider the possibility of missing out and the likely consequences. Of course, there are two more trophies on offer domestically and one in Europe. But for the money spent and the faith placed in the men in the dugouts, the Premier League title seems like a must.

Guardiola himself has already questioned the integrity of the Carabao Cup and we’ve now reached a point where both of English football’s cup competitions are viewed as little more than consolation prizes for the also-rans. Neither Chelsea nor City can afford to become one of those.

But amid an era of world-class managers and unprecedented competitiveness, it seems almost unrealistic to expect so much from the gaffers we fetishise. Can it really be argued Jose Mourinho deserves the sack if Manchester United don’t win this season’s title? Would it be fair to label Chelsea’s campaign a failure if they don’t successfully defend the crown? Should we expect Guardiola to win the title in his second season, when his methods are so much more demanding, precise and unique than Manuel Pellergini’s?

The rational response is quite simply no, but that would contradict the self-perpetuating short-termism of the Premier League and the relentless hyperbole that comes with it. When put into black and white, it will be hard for Conte or Guardiola to justify not winning the Premier League title after the money they’ve spent and while tabloid inquests into their futures will likely come at the end of the season, the reaction to the result on Saturday will give a snippet of how strong those feelings are – whether there are doubts over Guardiola’s project at the Etihad Stadium, or whether those disputes between Conte and his paymasters from the summer suddenly re-emerge.

Yet, removing either at the end of the season would be incredibly short-sighted. There are only a handful of managers outside of England who can hold a candle to either Guardiola or Conte at this moment in time and changing up would only require another blank cheque in the transfer market as a new man comes in with new ideas, new demands and new targets.

And thus, we reach the twilight the Premier League now resides in, where short-termism and the lack of more convincing alternatives meet. Only once force can prevail; loyalty to the men at the top of their respective fields or the hire-and-fire, never-stand-still, ruthless culture of the English game. Liverpool’s former chief executive Rick Parry once joked £500million was one hell of a price for Chelsea to pay for a League Cup during a season that saw them miss out on the title, but that is the reality the clubs at the very pinnacle of the Premier League now face.

The traditional reaction has been to rip apart and start anew, yet the many managers who could but inevitably won’t win the title this time around may go on to receive a much more lenient fate – you can’t win them all when the competition is so intense and the margins are so severely thin. In any case, Chelsea vs Manchester City serves an early season reminder – over the course of ninety minutes and the whole campaign, only one club can win it.

As reported by The Daily Record, Celtic midfielder Scott Brown is ready to extend his international career to another qualifying campaign, as long as Gordon Strachan isn’t given the boot by the SFA.

What’s the story?

The future look of the Scotland set-up isn’t yet known, with Strachan’s job yet to be discussed formally by the SFA hierarchy and some ageing players having not yet committed to another long and difficult qualifying gauntlet.

However, it seems that one scenario is emerging and that’s a continuation of the status quo with captain Scott Brown and Gordon Strachan remaining to lead the Tartan Army forward.

That’s according to The Daily Record, who say the Celtic legend is keen on staying on should his former club manager escape the sack.

A source told the paper:

Everyone expects Broonie to call it a day now that the World Cup has gone but the truth is he has loved every minute of being involved in this campaign and he is absolutely convinced that the team Strachan has put together will qualify for the Euros. As far as he is concerned the manager is the only man for the job and if Strachan does stick around for another campaign then he would love to be a part of it.

Given the up turn in form of the national team when he came back into the fold after initially retiring from international football, this could be seen as good news for Scotland, but what does it mean for Celtic?

Club vs Country

At 32 years of age, Brown is no spring chicken and continuing with double duties for club and country without the rest that an international break could offer him might not play out well moving forward.

The midfielder has defied all expectations to produce the best performances of his career over the last 18 months, after a period of playing with injuries and significant fitness issues. So far international football hasn’t fazed him, but with that injury history, how long can that continue?

Last season, the Hoops captain played more matches than any other outfield player, 54 in total, and this season that has continued, starting all but two of Celtic’s 18 matches so far.

Focusing on Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic project would likely allow him to perform to an even higher standard than he has already set and the last thing the Scottish champions need is for him to pick up injuries on international duty.

Theo Walcott has rarely been the most adored player at Arsenal, especially over the last two seasons. Inconsistent form and a distinct lack of goals have meant that the once promising young star has become somewhat of a forgotten man at the Emirates.

On Thursday evening, Walcott was given his chance to impress during Arsenal’s Europa League tie against Red Star Belgrade. However, the Englishman, who is valued at £18million by Transfermarkt, was supremely disappointing.

The 28-year-old spurned a good few number of chances and frankly, didn’t stand out in an Arsenal team full of teenagers and reserve players.

What the future holds for Walcott will likely depend on his performances in the Europa League and the rare opportunities that he makes the most of in the Premier League. However, if he continues with his current form, it is likely that the former Southampton man will not be around the Emirates for much longer.

Following his poor performances, Arsenal fans took to Twitter and had some harsh words for Walcott…

To celebrate 25 years of the Premier League each week in Football Fancast we’re going to be looking back at a memorable game that took place on the corresponding date. This time out we revisit a scenario that would confuse the hell out of David Attenborough as wolves savage foxes.

This is not the first time in this series that a quite remarkable Premier League game from the archives features a recently promoted side, nor will it be the last. It’s pretty easy to figure out why.

Like Burnley last week, Wolves in 2003/04 entered their inaugural campaign in the top flight still confident of their attacking prowess having put most opponents to the sword the previous year. The problem was their defence was now essentially a Championship level rear-guard facing the elite of the elite and until adventure was eventually curtailed in favour of five men stationed across the back this could often result in high-scoring thrillers.

This was certainly the case here though disrupting the rather neat narrative this seven-goal goal-fest took place around the time manager Dave Jones had called a halt to the attacking naivety and prioritised good old-fashioned clean sheets. The previous week had heralded their second consecutive shut-out and this after seeing fives and fours blasted past them in what was proving to be a baptism of fire for a side experiencing the top division for the first time since the early 80s.

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As for their opponents on Saturday October 25th 2003, Leicester under the charge of Micky Adams were enduring a torrid opening few months that had them rooted in the bottom three. It was a miserable period that was only scheduled to get much worse but for now all eyes were on the pitch and a decent post-O’Neill squad that was simply not clicking.

This was Midlands derby, so it was no surprise that Molineux was packed out and jumping for a game that the hosts – even minus their injured captain Paul Ince – saw as winnable given the visitors’ woeful accumulation of just five points from nine games.

The majority of the ground was stunned then when Les Ferdinand powered home a header early on and, frustratingly, just moments after Wolves’ Henri Camara had squandered a one-on-one with Ian Walker. If that was unfortunate, what followed three minutes later was inexcusable as Ferdinand enacted almost a carbon-copy second, again from a corner and once again arrowed into the roof of the net from the striker’s forehead. It’s one thing to be bested by the elite of the elite, but to fail to learn lessons so fresh as to still sting was immensely self-destructive.

Before the referee offered the respite of blowing for half-time Wolves found themselves three down when Riccardo Scimeca drilled a twenty-yarder into the bottom corner.  This was becoming a rout.

Amazing comebacks tend to follow a particular pattern and here is no different. Firstly the manager reshuffles his pack at the break and in this instance Jones reverted to the tried and trusted 4-4-2 that had seen them come up through the play-offs that May. Soon after, a ‘consolation’ goal brings a muted response from the crowd and in the 52nd minute the Black Country faithful dutifully offered up a semi-enthusiastic cheer for Colin Cameron’s driven effort. The next goal – in this instance a penalty following a bizarre handball from Leicester wideman Keith Gillespie – is always accompanied by empowering belief and sure enough all four corners of this famous ground were now shaking. Then comes the unbridled joy of the equaliser – Alex Rae’s stooped header with twenty minutes still on the clock – and that leads to the utter ecstasy of the miraculous winner.

That miracle occurred in this enthralling game’s dying moments as Denis Irwin fired a low ball across the six yard line and Camara – atoning for his earlier miss – redirected it past a flailing Walker. Cue bedlam in the stands and carnage on the touchline as the commentator’s vocal range explores new octaves. Cue utter deflation from the away side as they see defeat snatched from the jaws of victory.

Until they conform to necessary pragmatism to survive among the elite newly promoted teams are just the best.

What happened next?

Rather than being buoyed by this astonishing result Wolves promptly went on a winless streak that lasted until the end of the year. The finished the season bottom.

Joining them on a final total of just 33 points was Leicester whose woeful campaign disintegrated into scandal in March when three players were wrongly accused of rape after a team bonding trip to La Manga. Two months later DNA evidence cleared all three beyond doubt.

According to reports in the Daily Mail, Everton are reportedly interested in signing £6m-rated New York City winger Jack Harrison, who scored 10 goals in the MLS this season, but they could face competition from Premier League rivals Leicester City and Brighton and Hove Albion.

What’s the word, then?

The Daily Mail says that the 20-year-old’s form in the MLS and his recent call up for the England U21s – although he had to pull out of the friendly against the Ukraine after picking up a knock – has caught the attention of a number of English clubs, including the Toffees.

Harrison was on Manchester United’s books before he moved to the US, and he has impressed for his current club this season.

How well has he done this term?

He has done admirably.

Even though he spent the majority of the MLS campaign playing on the wing for New York City he scored 10 goals in 37 appearances in all competitions, to outline the ability he has even though he doesn’t turn 21 until later this month.

Would he be a good signing for Everton?

As one for the future, he absolutely would be.

The Toffees certainly seem to be lacking in wide areas right now – with Kevin Mirallas’ future also in doubt following the training ground incident last weekend – but it would be hard to see Harrison consistently making the substitutes’ bench for the Merseyside outfit, let alone the team.

With the situation that Everton currently find themselves in they need more quality, experience and players that they know are guaranteed to make an impact, and Harrison perhaps doesn’t fit into that category right now.

What’s the verdict, then?

Well, while Harrison could be a good signing for Everton in the long-term, they will need more attacking signings in January as well if they do get the 20-year-old.

According to reports in the Daily Mail, Leeds United scouts have checked on Holstein Kiel striker Marvin Ducksch ahead of a potential move in the January transfer window.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the Daily Mail says that Whites boss Thomas Christiansen is looking for a new centre-forward because of fitness doubts over Hamburg loanee Pierre-Michel Lasogga – with Leeds fans speculating that he could be on his way out of Elland Road – and they have scouted Ducksch.

The 23-year-old, who is on loan from St Pauli, has been a prolific performer in the 2. Bundesliga this season, but the Daily Mail suggests that the 6ft 3in striker may not have the attributes that the Yorkshire outfit are looking for.

The report adds that Leeds have also watched Red Bull Salzburg’s Moanes Dabour, who has 13 goals in 18 games this term.

How good has Ducksch been this season?

Well, he is the top scorer in the 2. Bundesliga after netting 10 goals in 14 appearances, while he has a total of 11 in 16 outings in all competitions this term.

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The 23-year-old, who began his career with Borussia Dortmund, has also provided a further four assists to show the all-round impact he can have in the attacking third.

Why would Leeds not be keen?

As the Daily Mail mentioned, Ducksch isn’t the quickest and therefore doesn’t have the best movement in and around the penalty area – similar weaknesses to the ones that Lasogga has shown during his time at Elland Road – while according to WhoScored.com one of his weaknesses in winning aerial duels.

Are they likely to sign him?

It’s difficult to say.

While it seems certain that Christiansen will look to sign a new centre-forward during the January transfer window, despite Ducksch’s impressive goal record this term his overall attributes could see the Yorkshire outfit look elsewhere.

Life is looking a tad bit brighter at Goodison Park following Everton’s unbeaten run of four Premier League games.

Sam Allardyce’s arrival as new manager has been a positive change so far given that he has guided the team to wins over Huddersfield and Newcastle United.

The coach also oversaw a 1-1 draw with Merseyside rivals Liverpool at Anfield last weekend.

The club announced some good news on Thursday when youngsters Mason Holgate, Jonjoe Kenny and Dominic Calvert-Lewin signed new contracts.

Understandably, many Everton fans were delighted by the news, but it got some others thinking about a player that is yet to commit his future to the Toffees.

Ross Barkley’s contract expires at the end of this season and so far there have been no indications that he will put pen to paper on a fresh deal.

Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea have been heavily linked with a swoop for the midfielder, and with the January transfer window around the corner, Everton supporters are desperate for Barkley to make a decision.

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Nottingham Forest defender Armand Traore has been linked with a move to Turkish side Antalyaspor according to Turkish newspaper Fanatik as cited in The Nottingham Post.

What’s the story?

The 28-year-old joined Forest in 2016 30 appearances for the club before he was loaned out to Cardiff City for the second half of last season where he only played four times.

The Senegalese international is valued at £1.13million on Transfermarkt but he fell out of favour with Aitor Karanka and he looks set to leave the club this summer and according to the report Antalyaspor are close to sealing a deal for the left-back.

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Time to move on

It’s clear that Traore isn’t in the plans of Karanka and he hasn’t enjoyed the best of times at the City Ground.

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If Forest can get something close to his Transfermarkt valuation they will have done well and it’s money they can reinvest to sort the squad out in Karanka’s first summer transfer window for the club.

Arsenal fans have been busy in the Transfer Tavern this summer.

Unai Emery is on the hunt for a few more signings as he looks to beef up his Arsenal squad. The Gunners boss has a few areas to strengthen and although he’s improved three of them, the Gunners still need a few additions.

Recently, Arsenal have been linked with a move for RB Leipzig star Emil Forsberg, who’s rated at £22.5 million by Transfermarkt. The 26-year-old joined the Leipzig resurgence in 2015 from Swedish side Malmo and has since racked up 112 appearances in the Bundesliga. The Swede enjoyed a breakout season two years ago, where he managed to score eight goals and a staggering 22 assists.

The Breakdown

Although the midfielder has admitted in the past that he would love to play in the Premier League, he’s a player should steer well clear of. Yes he managed to register a staggering 22 assists in one season but he hasn’t really done much else. Amid a possible move away, the midfielder only managed two goals and two assists in 21 games in the Bundesliga.

Arsenal do need some midfield options but with Ozil in the 10 role, Xhaka at the base of the midfield, potentially with Uraguyan, Lucas Torreira, there seems to be no clear spot for Forsberg, especially as he doesn’t really have the pace required to play on the wing.

In an interview with BetStars, former Celtic defender, Johan Mjalby spoke of his doubt over Forsberg playing for a top English side.

“He’s a very good player, but I’m not sure if he would be able to break into one of the top sides in England.”

“He’s done well in Germany, but the top four in England are very good sides.”

According to a report from The Sun, Manchester United defender Victor Lindelof is attracting interest this summer after a fine World Cup. The 23-year-old may well have struggled in his debut season at Old Trafford last time round but he certainly did his bit to help Sweden reach the quarter-finals of the World Cup in Russia, where they lost 2-0 to England.

And news that interest is mounting in the £22.5 million-rated ace (as per Transfermarkt) should seriously interest Newcastle United manager Rafa Benitez, who must seek to join and indeed win the race for the defender in a bid to potentially replace Jamaal Lascelles.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, there has been much talk throughout the summer regarding the future of Magpies captain Lascelles, who enjoyed a magnificent campaign at the heart of the Newcastle backline last term to help them finish tenth in the Premier League.

West Ham have reportedly made a bid for the 24-year-old in a bid to bolster their own defensive ranks, which has been turned down by Benitez’s side, but it’s plausible that further interest and maybe even more offers could come in for Lascelles between now and the deadline.

Thus, Benitez simply must be making plans to replace the centre back if Newcastle do indeed accept an offer this summer, and he should look no further than United’s Lindelof who, after a tough first season in England, more than proved his worth at the World Cup this summer.

Who do you think will win the World Cup? Let us know here

The 23-year-old only made the move to Old Trafford last summer but only went on to make 29 first team appearances for Jose Mourinho’s side last season, just 17 of which came in the Premier League in their run to second place.

However, Lindelof performed for Sweden in this summer’s World Cup like the defender United spent £31 million on 12 months ago in helping his country win their group, which consisted of Germany, and indeed reach the last eight only to lose to England last weekend.

And with two clean sheets in the four games he appeared in, the 23-year-old certainly played a part in the resilience and resolve shown by the Swedes throughout the competition, thus suggesting that he has rebuilt his confidence and as such is ready to produce the goods in England this time round.

And at the tender age of 23, the centre back is certain to improve in the coming years the more football he plays in the Premier League, and with Lascelles potentially on his way out of Newcastle this summer, he could be the ideal replacement for the Englishman.

Thus, with Lindelof linked with a move away from Old Trafford this summer, Newcastle must seek to join and indeed win the race for the Swedish star in a bid to replace the linked-away Lascelles.

Newcastle fans… what do you think? Let us know!