Premier League Matchweek 22 Preview

Previewing all 10 Premier League matches

The Premier League returns after a short break for the FA Cup.

Before we left, Arsenal and Liverpool played out one of the most boring matches you’ll ever see.

image via xG Philosophy on X

Manchester City were held to a draw yet again, this time against Brighton, which kept Arsenal’s lead at the top at six points.

The clear headliner this weekend is the very first match at 7:30am ET at the Etihad with Manchester City taking on Manchester United in the Manchester Derby.

In addition to that, there is a West London Derby that is of great importance between Chelsea and Brentford now that the Bees are in fifth place.

It should be a really fun weekend of Premier League action so let’s dive right in.

Manchester United vs. Manchester City

Manchester United in Possession vs. Manchester City out of Possession

The big question is what to expect from Michael Carrick? If we look at what his tactics were at Middlesbrough, it’s going to be a bit of a change from what Manchester United was under Amorim.

Middlesbrough held a large share of possession and typically built up in a 3-2-5, but his team was very ineffective in the final third.

Carrick’s team during the 2024/25 season averaged 1.34 non-penalty expected goals and had a very average xG per shot of 0.10.

Now, things are obviously different here at United because he’s taking over a team the primarily was playing extremely direct and having a lot of success with it.

He’s never played a back three and I would imagine that you will see United switch to a 4-2-3-1, which I think will suit them much better.

City is going to press aggressively and force United into playing direct, which I think will suit them in this match.

We will see if Mbuemo and Diallo are back from AFCON in time, which will make a huge difference in this match, but I would not be surprised to see this one be much lower event than most are expecting.

Manchester City in Possession vs. Manchester United out of Possession

Manchester City have been racking up the chances over the last couple matches. They created 2.5 expected goals against Brighton, scored 10 goals against Exeter City in the FA Cup and then created 2.2 expected goals against Newcastle on Tuesday in the EFL Cup semifinals.

There were some troubles early on this season against low blocks, but Pep has seemed to fix those issues.

Now that City has Antoine Semenyo, they have two elite 1 v 1 dribblers that makes them almost impossible to defend.

We all know Pep wants to overload the middle and he will try to do that in this match, but will likely use Doku and Semenyo as wingers to cause United all sorts of problems.

Manchester United have a new manager in Michael Carrick for the remainder of the season and one thing you need to know about him is he is not a high pressing type of manager.

When he was at Middlesbrough, they would often sit in a mid to low block and rely on triggers when to press, but it was often late and not effective.

United has beaten City multiple times in the past by simplay playing a low block and looking to hit them on the counter.

Towards the end of last season they allowed City to control almost 60% of the ball at Old Trafford and held them to 0.49 expected goals.

image via FotMob

The two things that Carrick needs to fix at United is their transition defense and their set piece defending. If those two things are improved, United has a great shot of challenging for a Champions League spot.