The Premier League title race will have a massive chapter for the final weekend of October. Liverpool retained its one-point lead at the top of the table last weekend, but that comes under threat this week. The Reds travel to Arsenal, which fell to Bournemouth on the road last time out. Despite the Gunners battling several injuries to key players, Mikel Arteta must push forward for a result with Arsenal already losing twice.
That Arsenal-Liverpool game is the finale of matchday nine, but it is not the only great game. Chelsea hosts Newcastle just before the game at the Emirates. The Blues have been resurgent this season under Enzo Maresca. They host a Newcastle side that has lost its last three games in the Premier League after showing early top-four challenges.
The first game of the weekend features two surprising teams. Leicester City, which has rattled off two wins in a row, hosts Nottingham Forest. The Tricky Trees, currently eighth in the league table, has only lost one game this season. It is the only team outside the top four with at most one loss. At first glance, many may have seen this game as a potential relegation scrap. While it is still early, both clubs are outperforming their expectations.
Two teams underperforming their goals are West Ham and Manchester United. Their contest at the London Stadium comes at a time when both are in the bottom half of the table. Again, it is still early in the season, but both sides are desperate for points to shake off poor starts.
Lee Dixon will be in the studio for NBC's pregame and postgame coverage as an analyst alongside Robbie Mustoe. For Saturday and Sunday, Rebecca Lowe will be the host for NBC's coverage with the two analysts. Before then, on Monday, Anna Jackson serves as NBC's host.
At 10 a.m. ET on Saturday, there are four games at one time. GOAL RUSH is thus an excellent tool for American soccer fans. The Premier League's whiparound show focuses on one game, but it shows the other drama from the simultaneous kickoffs. Goal Rush is exclusively available on Peacock.
There is also one game available in 4K this weekend. That is Sunday's Chelsea-Newcastle game. This requires specific hardware and subscriptions.
Note that in the United Kingdom, the clocks change this weekend. Therefore, the kickoff times on Sunday appear one hour later than their normal slots.