The China Mail - Arsenal face Man Utd test as City search for spark

The Gunners have been held to 0-0 draws in their past two league matches, against Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, but title rivals Manchester City and Aston Villa have failed to take advantage.

Tottenham manager Thomas Frank remains under intense pressure despite an encouraging midweek win against Borussia Dortmund as he prepares to face lowly Burnley.

AFP Sport looks at three talking points ahead of the action:

Arsenal wary of Man Utd Carrick factor

On paper, Arsenal will not be sweating too much ahead of the visit of Manchester United but they will be wary of the club's new-manager-bounce under Michael Carrick.

United were transformed in last week's 2-0 win against Manchester City -- Carrick's first game in his second spell in temporary charge -- producing a performance full of attacking verve.

But the fifth-placed Red Devils have struggled for consistency this season -- apart from a three-game winning run in October, they have failed to win consecutive games in the league.

United's attacking numbers have been impressive since manager Ruben Amorim was sacked earlier this month, but the Gunners have not conceded a single shot on target in their past two league matches.

The rivalry between the two clubs defined the early years of the Premier League but Arsenal have not been champions since 2004 and United's era of dominance is a fading memory.

The Gunners are red-hot favourites to win a long-awaited 14th English title but United would love to put a spanner in the works.

All 'going wrong' for City

City's dismal start to 2026 hit a new low in an embarrassing 3-1 defeat to Bodo/Glimt on Tuesday in one of the greatest-ever Champions League shocks.

Pep Guardiola's men are yet to win in the Premier League this year, with their title challenge faltering badly.

"The feeling is that everything (that could be) going wrong, is going (wrong) in many, many details. That is a fact and you have to try to change it," said Guardiola after a humbling night in Norway.

The loss of key defenders Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol to injury has been central to City's collapse after a strong end to 2025.

Guardiola will be hoping that the addition of Marc Guehi will add some ballast to his defence, with the former Crystal Palace captain set to make his debut against bottom side Wolves on Saturday.

"We have to come back -- the results since 2025 are not good," said the City boss. "We have to change the dynamic quick."

Wolves may be headed for relegation, but things are looking brighter for Rob Edwards's men after a five-game unbeaten run in all competitions.

Frank's final chance?

A 2-0 Champions League win against Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday eased the immediate pressure on Tottenham manager Thomas Frank.

But he knows that he must turn around his side's Premier League form to stay in his job and that time is running out.

"We need to bring this win and this performance into momentum," said the Dane. "We need to go to Burnley, we need to perform and we need to win."

Frank appeared to be edging closer to the exit door after a fan revolt in the aftermath of last weekend's 2-1 defeat at home to struggling West Ham.

Spurs have slipped to 14th in the table after a promising start to the former Brentford manager's reign, and failure to beat another side in the drop zone this weekend could prove the final straw.

Fixtures (1500 GMT unless stated)

Saturday

West Ham v Sunderland (1230), Burnley v Tottenham, Fulham v Brighton, Manchester City v Wolves, Bournemouth v Liverpool (1730)

Sunday

Brentford v Nottingham Forest, Crystal Palace v Chelsea, Newcastle v Aston Villa (all 1400), Arsenal v Manchester United (1630)

Monday

Everton v Leeds (2000)

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