Florian Wirtz, Michael Carrick & Harry Kane.
Massive midweek for Wirtz, Carrick and Kane
Can Arsenal stifle one of Europe’s most entertaining teams? Will Man Utd’s ‘fresh start’ last longer than a single draw?
Might Pierre Sage make amends with Palace fans? And will Florian Wirtz remain a walking contradiction?
A Big Midweek should provide some answers…
Game to watch – Bayern Munich v Arsenal The four favourites meet in the Champions League this week, with PSG hosting Barcelona on Tuesday in what will almost certainly be a thriller. On Wednesday, Arsenal go to Bayern Munich which may or may not be must-watch depending on which side asserts themselves best at the Allianz Arena.
The hosts have scored 30 goals this season, a total bettered across Europe’s top five leagues only by Barca. In the Champions League, they have scored in each of their last 23 fixtures, and their last eight games have yielded 44 goals at a rate of 5.5 per game.
If Bayern are the unstoppable force, Arsenal are the immoveable object.
In terms of points, the Gunners have made an even more fruitful start to the season, winning six of their seven Premier League games and both in the Champions League at a rate of 2.66 per game compared to Bayern’s 2.25ppg.
But which side would you rather watch?
Arsenal are consistently doing just enough, evidenced on Sunday by a 1-0 win at Forest that makes them the club in Europe with the most single-goal victories since the start of last season.
Their triumph over Forest was also typical in that their goal – from their first shot on target – came in the second half, as do so many of their goals, including all of the last eight. Their first-half record is mid.
For that to work in Bavaria, Arsenal’s defence will have to keep out one of Europe’s most potent attacks. Doubtless, it will help that Bayern are without the injured Jamal Musiala and Michael Olise, the France star suspended after a red card at Viking last week that almost made Vincent Kompany’s head fall off.
Which triumphs: flair or function? Or, as some neutrals might choose to look at it: good or evil?
Team to watch – Manchester United Michael Carrick wants you to believe that United are in fine fettle as they head to Como on Wednesday.
The manager claimed a 1-1 draw at Leeds on Sunday “felt like a fresh start” following a turbulent week which peaked in Madrid where Lisandro Martinez called out Jason Wilcox among a few others.
United certainly needed a reset. A point at Elland Road still forms part of United’s worst start to a season in 40 years. That, and almost every other palpable reference point, is damning on Carrick.
By the lake, in what must be the Champions League’s most picturesque setting, we’ll get a better reading of whether this really is a ‘fresh start’ or yet another false dawn. Even if we already have our suspicions.
In Como, United will face a side as buoyant, well coached and motivated as they faced in less salubrious surroundings in Leeds. Cesc Fabregas’s side are fifth in Serie A, one place below where they finished last season, and eager to put themselves on the European map in their biggest fixture to date.
Como’s enthusiasm could play into United’s hands given how the Red Devils like nothing better than playing on the break. The real concern is that nobody knows if they can play any other way.
It could be a damning contrast between Fabregas and Carrick, with the two former midfield foes going toe to toe, one steadily building a reputation and a team versus another struggling to do either.
If Fabregas prevails, Carrick is back on borrowed time.
READ MORE: Premier League winners and losers: Jaissle in four-way sack race as Brighton and Chelsea impress
Manager to watch – Pierre Sage Speaking of managers whose days may be numbered, we write this as much in hope as expectation that Sage will be around to take charge of Palace in their Europa League clash with Besiktas on Thursday.
If Palace sacked Sage in the wake of the humiliating 5-0 defeat to arch rivals Brighton – their worst in 70 years – could the Frenchman really argue?
He recognised the perilousness of his situation. “It’s my fault because I am the coach, I gave the motivation. I prepare the situations. We played so bad, it’s my fault,” he said on Sunday while admitting he “doesn’t know” if he will get time to make amends in midweek.
Sacking Sage, though, is absolutely no guarantee of a Palace fix. The problems go above the manager’s head, to the boardroom where Matt Hobbs lurks in the shadows.
Palace fans have little faith in the sporting director to find a way out of a hole he is largely responsible for digging. He and Steve Parish, not Sage, sold most of the Eagles’ defence this year without replacing the lost seniority.
If there is any self-awareness remaining at Selhurst Park, that must factor in the board’s thinking. Regardless, Sage still needs a result and a performance against Besiktas to banish the “shame” he felt at Brighton.
Player to watch – Florian Wirtz Is Wirtz a huge, flaky flop or a misunderstood creative force? Right now, before Liverpool host Villarreal, you might argue that both things are true.
The Germany star is a £106million contradiction. To the naked eye, Wirtz has been a huge disappointment since he arrived at Anfield in summer 2025, since when he has failed to find where he fits best in Arne Slot and Andoni Iraola’s teams.
He is also the player in the Premier League to have created most chances this season. Is it his fault that only two of the 20 opportunities he has laid on has led to an assist?
Those stats need more context. Almost half of those 20 chances created were carved out against Brentford, who played for half of the match with 10 men.
And none of the 20 chances created constitute what Opta calls a big chance, a metric in which Liverpool are 19th in the Premier League with a fifth of Manchester City’s total.
If Wirtz is to prove the likes of Jamie Carragher wrong, the playmaker needs to make Brentford a turning point and build some momentum, beginning with the visit of La Liga’s 12th-placed team.
EFL game to watch – Wolves v Portsmouth Look, we love you too much to lie to you: this is not a massive midweek in the EFL.
There is a full fixture list in Leagues One and Two, but not many match-ups to really catch the eye – and we’ve looked hard. The only Championship offering is the twice-rearranged Wolves versus Portsmouth.
Wolves can go fifth while Pompey could catch their hosts, yada yada… look, PSG v Barca is on. We’re wasting our time and yours if we pretend that you won’t find a way to watch a potential Champions League final rehearsal rather than eighth versus 13th in the Championship.