Three Nigeria internationals face their sternest Premier League examinations this weekend as Frank Onyeka’s Brentford host Manchester United, Christantus Uche’s Crystal Palace welcome Liverpool to Selhurst Park, and Tolu Arokodare’s Wolverhampton Wanderers travel to face Tottenham Hotspur.
The trio will be tested against some of English football’s biggest clubs in fixtures that could define their respective teams’ seasons.
Crystal Palace midfielder Uche will be hoping for his first Premier League start when the Eagles face Liverpool at Selhurst Park on Saturday (today), in a meeting between the only two remaining unbeaten sides in the top flight.
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The 22-year-old, who joined Palace from Getafe on deadline day, has made two substitute appearances since his arrival but is yet to break into Oliver Glasner’s starting eleven despite his encouraging performances.
Palace boast the longest ongoing unbeaten run of any Premier League side and are aiming to make it 12 top-flight games without losing on Saturday afternoon. Only once have they managed that feat before, doing so under Steve Coppell in 1990.
The Eagles have shipped just two goals all season – the joint-best defensive record in the division alongside Arsenal – and their form represents a remarkable turnaround from previous campaigns.
Liverpool arrive at Selhurst Park having won nine and drawn one of their last 10 league games away at Palace, but Glasner’s men deservedly lifted the Community Shield aloft in August after besting the Reds on spot kicks.
The defending champions have built up a five-point lead over their closest rivals and can open a top-flight season with six successive wins for just the fifth time if they overcome Palace.
Meanwhile, Brentford’s Nigerian midfielder Onyeka will face Manchester United at the Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday lunchtime as both teams look to climb away from the bottom half of the table.
The Red Devils currently sit in 11th position with seven points, while the Bees are three points further back in 17th spot after five games under new head coach Keith Andrews.
Brentford have endured a difficult start to the campaign, collecting only four points from their opening six Premier League games and suffering their third top-flight defeat at the hands of West London rivals Fulham last weekend.
The Bees have already conceded 10 goals after five Premier League games this term, while Andrews’ side have struggled to make the most of winning positions, dropping eight points after taking the lead in matches this season.
United head coach Ruben Amorim was able to breathe a sigh of relief last weekend after his side capitalised on Robert Sanchez’s fifth-minute dismissal to secure a 2-1 win over Chelsea at Old Trafford.
However, United head to the Gtech winless in their last seven away games in the top flight and have lost 15 of their last 24 visits to London.
Elsewhere, Arokodare will be looking to help Wolverhampton Wanderers claim their first Premier League points of the campaign when they face Tottenham Hotspur at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday night.
The Nigerian striker has settled well since his deadline-day move from Genk, scoring his first goal for the club in their EFL Cup victory over Everton on Tuesday evening after coming on as a substitute in the 68th minute.
Wolves are rooted to the foot of the Premier League table, having lost each of their opening five games. Only Portsmouth in 2009/10, Crystal Palace in 2017/18 and Norwich City in 2021/22 have ever lost their first six Premier League games of a season.
However, the visitors have impressively won four of their last five games against Tottenham and have not been beaten by the Europa League winners since a 1-0 loss in August 2022.
Tottenham, under new manager Thomas Frank, have settled comfortably, and Frank’s record of 10 points from his first five Premier League matches is double what Ange Postecoglou achieved in his final 12 top-flight games in charge of Spurs.
All three Nigerians will be keen to make their mark in fixtures that could have significant implications for their respective clubs’ seasons, with each facing stern tests against some of England’s most successful teams.
