Key events
Two big derby games headline the top flight’s return while Manchester City seek an end to their losing streak.
Tomorrow’s lunchtime kick-off sees Liverpool host Everton while Arsenal head to Stamford Bridge to take on Chelsea. Plus our writers preview a possible six-pointer in Brighton v Brentford and whether Gary O’Neil will come back to haunt the club that sacked him as Wolves head to Bournemouth.
Crystal Palace need their defence to stay strong while Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze are out as they prepare to face Newcastle tomorrow.
Palace have not exactly lit up the league, scoring just seven goals in eight games – only Bournemouth (five) and newly promoted Luton and Sheffield United (both six) have scored fewer. Meanwhile, their rivals Brighton have scored three times as many (21). Palace have only scored more than one goal in one game – their surprisingly entertaining 3-2 win over Wolves last month.
Expect them to hunker down and try to ride out the storm on Saturday. Their two league games against Newcastle last season finished 0-0. Given his injury concerns, Roy Hodgson would be delighted to leave St James’ Park with a point.
Incoming seven-goal thriller. Read more on what Palace need to do to get over their injury situation from WhoScored.com’s Ben McAleer as part of the Guardian Sport Network.
Betting in football: players struggle but owners play by different rules: this explainer from Rob Davies was a reaction to the ban Ivan Toney received but a lot of sentiment applies to this situation as well.
Footballers continue to be punished for breaching rules that appear to be much clearer, raising questions about why there is one rule for them and another one, as yet unpublished, for the people who pay their wages.
How will all this affect Sandro Tonali’s future at Newcastle? Well, under Italian Football Association and Fifa regulations, admissions of betting on your own team leave players facing suspensions of up to three years.
Tonali is reportedly fully cooperating with civil and football authorities, with his agent saying he has a “gambling addiction”, then he may receive a shorter ban, potentially one year.
These situations do take time, so we may not know what suspension Tonali will face for about a month. Investigators must first complete their examination of the player’s mobile phone and tablet.
Tonali available for Newcastle
Eddie Howe has confirmed that midfielder Sandro Tonali is available for selection ahead of Newcastle’s match against Crystal Palace.
Tonali along with Nicolò Zaniolo left the Italy camp after being told they were involved in an investigation by prosecutors. Newcastle were stunned by the reports in Italy that their player had admitted to placing bets on Milan matches during his time there as a player.
As of now however, Tonali remains an option for Newcastle, according to Howe.
He’s very much with us. I think he trained twice this week. He’s very much available for selection.
Like I do with all the players, I’m analysing their training performances, how they look, how they feel. Sandro’s trained well.
He’s had a very difficult couple of weeks. He’s been dealing with a lot.
I see him for a few hours a day but, from what I can see, he’s handling himself very well and he’s dealing with his emotions incredibly strongly.
But underneath that I’m sure there’s a lot going on, so I’ll have to make a call. I have to bring it back to football and his training performances, then try to make the best decision for the team.
Preamble
Good morning and welcome to our live blog where we preview all the football coming up this weekend after the international break.
We’ve got a packed schedule with several Premier League press conferences on the way, plus an exciting Women’s Champions League draw.
Have any thoughts, questions, complaints, etc about any happenings in the football world? Send me an email!
