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Only three fixtures in Premier League history have provided more goals than the north London derby and it could go clear at the top on Saturday.

Arsenal will retain their position at the top of the table should they avoid a defeat, but Tottenham in third can overhaul them if they claim a first league win on their arch-enemy’s turf since 2010.

Given the game’s importance, neither manager was prepared to reveal too much about their plans in their pre-match press conferences. Emile Smith Rowe will be absent for the hosts after undergoing groin surgery this week, but Mikel Arteta suggested that Oleksandr Zinchenko, Thomas Partey and Kieran Tierney could all be involved after injuries.

“They are part of the team,” Arteta said when quizzed on the trio’s fitness levels. Partey’s availability would be significant given his influence so far this campaign: the Ghanaian has made more tackles per game (2.5) than any other player in Arsenal’s squad and his discipline at the base of midfield has allowed Granit Xhaka to flourish in a more adventurous box-to-box role.

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Arsenal’s team virtually picks itself at present, but the main dilemma facing Arteta is who to select at left-back, assuming both Zinchenko and Tierney are fit enough to feature from kick-off. Zinchenko appears to be first-choice as he has started every league game that he has been available for and his naturally more cautious style may lend itself better to a derby, especially given Tottenham’s strengths are going forward.

Antonio Conte, meanwhile, is keen to keep Arteta guessing. “Honestly, I don’t want to speak about injuries, because I don’t want to give an advantage to Arsenal,” was his honest admission.

The Italian did admit that Spurs have some “physical problems” and in particular, Hugo Lloris, Ben Davies and Dejan Kulusevski are at risk of not playing. Lloris withdrew from France’s Nations League squad due to a thigh problem, Davies missed Wales’ fixtures after suffering a hairline fracture to a bone under his knee against Sporting Lisbon, and Kulusevski has a suspected hamstring injury.

Kulusevski’s potential absence could help facilitate a tactical shift from 3-4-3 to 3-5-2.

While it has been obvious that Conte has ordered his defenders to pass out from the back, wing-backs to stay high and forwards to sit narrower and interchange, Spurs’ central midfield is still something of a mystery. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Rodrigo Bentancur have been routinely overloaded in the middle which partly explains why Spurs have faced the fourth-highest number of shots on their goal in the league this season.

An unbeaten start and a goals against tally of seven goals in as many games suggests it hasn’t been a major issue but given the quality of Arsenal’s forwards, Spurs could be punished if their midfield is bypassed as easily at the Emirates. Yves Bissouma accompanied Hojbjerg and Bentancur for the final 20 minutes against Leicester – coinciding with all three of Son Heung-min’s hat-trick goals – and may do so from the start this weekend, with Richarlison tasked with making an impact off the bench.

“For sure it could be a good option because we have midfielders who are good also to play in a three,” acknowledged Conte. “Bissouma when he came in against Leicester played well and he was really good integrating with Pierre and Rodrigo Bentancur. This could be an option not only for tomorrow but for the future if we need to rest players.”

Arsenal’s predicted 4-2-3-1 line-up: Ramsdale; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Partey, Xhaka; Saka, Odegaard, Martinelli; Jesus.

Tottenham’s predicted 3-5-2 line-up: Lloris; Romero, Dier, Lenglet; Emerson, Hojbjerg, Bentancur, Bissouma, Perisic; Kane, Son.

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Erik ten Hag has backed embattled Manchester United club captain Harry Maguire but admitted it is up to the defender to prove his worth.

Maguire will actually miss the derby visit to City on Sunday with a thigh injury sustained while on international duty with England.

But he remains at the centre of a debate over his continued loss of form for club and country, and the fact he appears to have lost his starting place at the centre of Ten Hag’s back four.

The United manager has moved to offer public backing for Maguire – especially in the wake of online abuse which he has received – but admits that it is time for the player himself to show his ability.

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“I have to back him but I back him because I believe in him,” said Ten Hag.

“In the period I worked with him in pre-season he was good, really good, training and games. So then he fell out – but it’s also to do with the good performance of the centre backs who are playing now.

“But I can see even after he wasn’t in the team he trained really well, but more important, the quality was there. You see his career, what you see is he has a high potential.

“Then it is about him. The players in the dressing room, the coaches, the manager, we all believe in him. Now it is about him. That’s what I told him. I’m sure he can do it. He will turn this around. I am really convinced of that.”

Our @PremierLeague award-winning duo! #MUFC || @MarcusRashford pic.twitter.com/4erYG6Foo0

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) September 30, 2022

Ten Hag, however, does have sympathy for Maguire, in the light of the abuse he has faced since his £80m move to Old Trafford, and revealed that the club has a support system in place to help players cope with online trolls.

“It’s an aspect of top football. It’s an aspect of our work,” he said. “We set conditions for that, to manage it.

“We also have experts around to help, to coach the players, the team in the right direction.

“I think he is doing quite well, but every player has room for improvement and if he believes in his skills he will quickly be back on the level and even more than he did.

“I am convinced of that because I see his capabilities and it’s really high.”

United, on the back of four consecutive league victories, have not played a league game for four weeks and could have Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial back from injuries.

Predicted Man Utd XI: De Gea; Dalot, Varane, Martinez, Malacia; Casemiro, Eriksen, Bruno; Antony, Rashford, Sancho.

Guardiola: Sending physio to help Haaland ‘not weird’

Pep Guardiola enters the Manchester derby with a warning that the rest of the Premier League does not want to hear – Erling Haaland is finally at full fitness.

The 21-year-old Norwegian prodigy has been hampered by niggling hamstring and hip injuries that have limited him to an average of just 20 league games a season over the last four campaigns.

But Guardiola claims that the work spearheaded by City’s lead sports therapist Mario Pafundi has enabled Haaland to shed those problems and be available for every single game.

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Pafundi even accompanied Haaland when he was on international duty, completing two full 90 minutes for Norway recently, and the results are evident, according to the City manager.

Guardiola said: “It’s not weird, sending a physio. At events like World Cups and European Championships, many physios go with the players.

“Mario is an exceptional physio. I’ve always said to the club that the most important department in the backroom staff is the physios. They take care of the legs.

“Erling struggled a lot in Dortmund last year with injuries and arrived here with small problems after surgery in the summer.

“He started to work with Mario and other guys and thanks to them – and his work ethic – he can play regularly now. Last season it was not possible.

“Thank you to Erling and the treatment from the guys. The clubs earn a lot of money when the players can play and most of the time it’s thanks to the physios.”

The statistics bear out Guardiola’s claims with Haaland having started all 12 games this season for which he has been available, for club and country.

Having made just 24 Bundesliga appearances for Borussia Dortmund last season, he has made seven already for City this term, scoring 11 times.

Indeed, although he has made only 81 league appearances over the past four seasons with Dortmund and Red Bull Salzburg, he managed 78 goals in that spell, suggesting a fully fit Haaland could be about to wreak further havoc on United, and the Premier League in general.

City have not been so fortunate with fitness issues in other areas with Guardiola confirming that John Stones, who injured his hamstring on international duty, will be out for two weeks.

Aymeric Laporte, out since the final game of last season with a knee injury, has returned to training and could be involved in the derby.

Guardiola said: “A long time he is injured. The important thing we are seeing in the training session is he is moving well and his ability with the pass is exceptional.

“It is important to come back but this crazy schedule everyone has, another player is so important. And for him as well, to come back.”

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There was also good news for England midfielder Kalvin Phillips, who underwent shoulder surgery during the break and who has a chance of being fit in time for the World Cup, according to his club manager.

Guardiola said: “He is feeling good. The surgery was really good, the mobility is getting better. It is really good.

“He took the right decision, otherwise he could not move forward. Every training session, every two or three times it was out.

“Now it’s solved this problem and as soon as he is ready he can come back and hopefully get in time to go to the World Cup and after the World Cup come back with us.”

Predicted Man City XI: Ederson; Walker, Akanji, Dias, Cancelo; Rodri, Gundogan, De Bruyne; Silva, Haaland, Foden.

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Granit Xhaka is set to begin Saturday’s north London derby as Arsenal‘s longest-serving first-team player.

Considering the controversies, the cards and the chequered relationship with supporters that have defined and dogged his Arsenal career, Xhaka’s longevity is remarkable. The 3-0 win over Brentford before the international break was Xhaka’s 118th competitive appearance for the club since the infamous armband-throwing incident against Crystal Palace three years ago this month.

Xhaka’s durability brings to mind Leonardo Di Caprio’s depiction of the infamous fraudster Jordan Belfort in the film Wolf of Wall Street. “I’m not leaving!” barks Di Caprio to his work colleagues over and over again when conventional wisdom would have him walking out of the door instead. Xhaka has frequently appeared to be on the verge of moving elsewhere, only to stay where he is.

Not only is the Swiss a fixture in Mikel Arteta’s starting XI, but he is also one of the most influential members of a team being tipped by some to challenge for the Premier League title. Xhaka, who turned 30 on Tuesday, has delivered a level of performance that many supporters, Arsenal or neutral, assumed he was incapable of.

“We’re seeing Xhaka becoming an Arsenal favourite, that’s how much it has turned around,” says Martin Keown. “The age he’s at, he fits perfectly in this team to give that extra experience. He’s got to keep performing, play at a higher level to stay in this group, but the group is bringing the best out of him right now.”

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“I’m impressed that he’s still there after six years and still willing to give everything for the club and for the fans,” adds Oliver Zesiger, a professional football scout and Swiss researcher for Football Manager. “He was a starter under Wenger, he was a starter under Emery, he’s a starter under Arteta. He did not always perform well but there’s a reason why all of those managers played him in his tenure at Arsenal.”

Xhaka’s improved performances have been particularly notable given he has played in a different role. Although Arteta has tended to use the same 4-2-3-1 formation as in previous years, Xhaka has popped up in more advanced areas, in part due to the fluid positioning of Martin Odegaard and Oleksandr Zinchenko: Odegaard drops in from his No 10 berth to accompany Thomas Partey in the middle, while Zinchenko plays more centrally than a typical full-back.

Zinchenko’s dislodging of the more orthodox left-back Kieran Tierney and Partey’s good form have freed up Xhaka. From 2019-20 until 2021-22, Xhaka played a minimum of 27 league games and managed a goal and two assists in all three seasons: he already has one goal and three assists in the first seven appearances of 2022-23. And while it is a small sample size, Xhaka is creating more chances per game than in any other Premier League season.

“He’s now found a niche for himself in the midfield,” Keown adds. “He’s been able to express himself and get forward more, show what he’s capable of. He’s finding himself in forward positions, breaking from midfield, understanding that when Zinchenko comes into midfield [he needs] to get out wide left, and [showing] good intelligence. That is causing problems for their opponents.”

According to Zesiger, he is used in a similar way by Murat Yakin for the Swiss national team. “For Switzerland, he has Remo Freuler [recently bought by Nottingham Forest] and he can close spaces very well which means Granit has less defensive work and is less prone to taking a yellow card. Freuler does the dirty work, a bit like Thomas Partey for Arsenal.

“Xhaka said it himself he doesn’t really like that deep role. He is playing higher up for Arsenal now as well almost as an 8 or 10. He moves into the left channel and doesn’t really drop that much. That’s the role that suits him best.

“I knew he could do more. We saw it at Gladbach, we saw it at Basel and it seems like Arteta has really found the right recipe in terms of roles around him to suit his playing style.”

Zesiger is unsurprised to see him thriving as a box-to-box player given that’s where he made his name for FC Basel as a teenager. “He broke through at the age of 17 and was already a very confident player. He was comfortable on the ball, he wanted the ball.

“There was an away game at Old Trafford in the Champions League. Man United led by 2-0 at half-time and in the second half Granit took over. There was one specific thing where he went past a defender, I don’t think it resulted in a goal but it was that 18-year-old Granit who did things others didn’t. It burned in my brain because it oozed confidence and composure. Granit was just something else [at that age]. Basel turned the game around [it finished 3-3] and Granit was the main reason why.”

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Away from the pitch, Amazon’s All or Nothing: Arsenal documentary, aired before the start of the season was also good for brand Xhaka, providing insight on the person rather than the player. Xhaka’s impassioned words after the defeat at St James’ Park which torpedoed Arsenal’s Champions League chances resonated with supporters who had the summer to stew over that collapse. His leadership qualities shone through.

Swiss fans also took time to warm to Xhaka says Zesiger who recalls the outcry that accompanied the midfielder’s ill-advised decision to get his hair dyed before Euro 2020 at a time when the country was still under Covid-19 enforced restrictions. But Xhaka’s rousing talk to his teammates during their close-fought defeat against Spain in the Euros quarter-final helped to alter perceptions.

Xhaka’s unforeseen redemption has been one of the high points of Arsenal’s season so far. Another impactful display against Spurs will only serve to enhance his popularity at the Emirates.

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Erling Haaland started the season on fire, breaking a Premier League record in August to quickly dismiss the idea that he would take a while to settle in at Manchester City following his move from Borussia Dortmund.

The £51m transfer was by no means the Premier League’s most expensive signing of the summer window, but it could yet prove to be the best value for money.

After just five games, Haaland racked up nine goals, eclipsing a record shared by Micky Quinn and Sergio Aguero, who both netted eight times in their first five Premier League games.

Focus has now switched from whether Haaland will adapt to English football seamlessly – a point he has answered emphatically – to whether the Norwegian striker can break the league’s single-season record for goals.

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The overall record is 34 goals, but that was during a 42-game campaign, with both Andy Cole (1993-94) and Alan Shearer (1994-95) reaching that mark before the league switched to 20 teams.

As it stands, Mohamed Salah holds the 38-game record, having scored 32 times back in 2017-18, one more than Shearer (1995-96), Luiz Suarez (2013-14) and Cristiano Ronaldo (2007-08) managed in one season.

And given he started the campaign scoring at a rate better than one goal per game, Haaland is in a strong position to not only trouble Salah’s record but obliterate it.

Analysis: Haaland has potential to score 40 goals

By Daniel Storey, i chief football writer 

Manchester City’s summer incomings were understandably overshadowed by the arrival of Erling Haaland.

Not since Kevin De Bruyne have City signed a potentially generational talent at such a young age. The transfer fee alone was astonishing, less than Chelsea paid for Marc Cucurella. I like Cucerella, but…

Haaland has clearly been bought to be Manchester City’s difference maker in the Champions League, the obvious solution to a problem that irks City, whatever their supporters might say to the contrary.

But he is also a cheat code against bottom-half Premier League teams, a battering ram and tank who has the turning circle of a high-end sports car. If Haaland stays fit, and Pep Guardiola is not minded to rotate him too much, he could score 40 league goals.

Read Daniel Storey’s transfer window reviews for all 20 Premier League clubs here

Of course, injuries and rotation could play their part, but Pep Guardiola is unlikely to keep Haaland away from the pitch for too long unless he is forced to.

So what exactly is realistic for Haaland? 30? 40? More? It seems absurd to type out such numbers, but then again, we are talking about a player with a relentless thirst for goals.

Good luck to those chasing the Golden Boot as well, and of course, to the Premier League defences hoping he has an off day. They may be few and far between.

Goals 1 and 2

West Ham 0-2 Man City, 7 August 2022, London Stadium

Haaland opened his Premier League account with two goals at London Stadium, scoring his first from the penalty spot and the second a fine finish with his left foot following Kevin De Bruyne’s through ball.

.@ErlingHaaland 258 to go!!!!

— Alan Shearer (@alanshearer) August 7, 2022

Goal 3

Newcastle 3-3 Man City, 21 August 2022, St James’ Park

After drawing a blank in the 4-0 win over Bournemouth, City were trailing 3-1 at Newcastle when Haaland got them back in the game when scoring from a corner. Bernardo Silva made it 3-3.

Goals 4, 5 and 6

Man City 4-2 Crystal Palace, 27 August 2022, Etihad Stadium

Haaland’s first hat-trick for City, and it helped City overturn a 2-0 deficit. They were trailing 2-1 when Haaland then scored three in 19 minutes to seal a 4-2 win.

Goals 7, 8 and 9

Man City 6-0 Nottingham Forest, 31 August, Etihad Stadium

Back-to-back hat-tricks for Haaland, who broke the record after five Premier League games in the process. This time all three goals came in the first half of City’s 6-0 win.

The way he’s going @ErlingHaaland will beat @alanshearer’s record before @HKane.

— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) August 31, 2022

Goal 10

Aston Villa 1-1 Man City, 3 September 2022, Villa Park

Another game another goal, with Haaland volleying in from close range to open the scoring at Villa Park, although City were pegged back and the match ended 1-1.

Erling Haaland’s Champions League goals

With a view to delivering City a first-ever Champions League crown, Haaland could well prove to be the piece that they have been missing in the last decade or so.

He has scored three goals in their group-stage campaign so far, twice against Sevilla and another against former side Dortmund.

Against Sevilla, the Norwegian made it 25 goals in 20 Champions League games, making him both the fastest and youngest player to reach this mark, and then against Dortmund he scored a sublime acrobatic goal (below).

Haaland's acrobatic finish takes the prize #UCLGOTW | @Heineken pic.twitter.com/dut375twcQ

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) September 15, 2022

Goal 11

Wolves 0-3 Man City, 17 September 2022, Molineux

Haaland made it seven goals in 11 Premier League games when scoring City’s second in the win against Wolves. This led to another record, making him the first player to score in his first four Premier League away games.

What is Shearer’s record?

Alan Shearer currently holds the all-time Premier League record of 260 goals.

Of course, Haaland is a long, long way off, but his relentless start has people wondering whether he could end up breaking that record as well – assuming he stays in the league and is not tempted by another challenge elsewhere, namely La Liga.

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Watching Jadon Sancho’s first 15 months at Manchester United has been a frustrating pursuit, like a video that buffers every few seconds and skips back each time.

Sancho has played more than 50 matches since his return as the second-most expensive English player in history, but how many of his performances can you actually, honestly, remember?

Now he’s not even the most expensive 22-year-old winger in the squad.

The moments of brilliance, when they did arrive, only served to reinforce the regret that they were not more commonplace.

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Take those glorious six days in November 2021 when Sancho scored his first and second goals in red against Villarreal and Chelsea: the shimmies, the moments of clarity before shooting, the palpable relief in his celebrations. And then 10 more weeks until the next goal or assist.

Official: Jadon Sancho’s goal against Villarreal wins #mufc Goal of the Month for November.

@ManUtd

pic.twitter.com/ssYb5WPEkr

— UtdDistrict (@UtdDistrict) December 4, 2021

There were obvious explanations for this extended rut; few of them were his fault. Sancho missed preseason through injury. He played under three different head coaches in his first eight months. He was signed as the marquee attacking arrival by a club which then subsequently broke open a bottle of neat nostalgia and ordered Cristiano Ronaldo on eBay.

Sancho could probably have coped with one Portuguese teammate who demanded to dominate; two were suffocating.

Rather than roaming and switching positions to surprise and unnerve defenders, Sancho was restricted to one position. Most frustrating of all was the way he would play a pass and make an unrequited dart forward. Sancho’s repeated, unsuccessful runs began to feel like eavesdropping on an awkward first date.

There is nothing particularly new about all of this. If Manchester United’s last decade is defined by anything, it is the dividends paid to majority shareholders while the club haemorrhages money and the black hole into which their most expensive signings seem to dive. They have spent roughly a billion pounds on new players and have only a few unqualified successes to show for it.

But this one hit a little harder and stung a little more. Even at 20, Sancho appeared to possess a collection of attributes that might make him immune to the Manchester United mega transfer curse.

He was also one of the leaders of A New England, players who had bags of technical ability, ruthless dedication to fulfilling their potential and had skewered the point at which confidence and swagger met. They were children with the deliberate assurance of grandmasters.

Sancho had never been provided with much beyond his talent. He was born in Kennington, south London into a family that wanted for plenty, and he understood remarkably quickly the unique chance he – and football – had to deliver it.

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Everything happened at hyper-speed: an academy at seven, leaving home at 12, moving to Manchester at 14 and leaving for Germany at 17. None of this was easy but, in Sancho’s eyes, all of it was necessary. Time and excellence wait for no man who delegates any of his own control.

The Borussia Dortmund move in particular took courage. Sancho was telling the club with arguably the best youth coaches, arguably the best manager and arguably the best prospects in world football that he wanted to leave because he felt that he knew better. We know how this can be interpreted when it goes awry. Sancho was proved right, by the production in Germany and the senior England debut at 18.

And then, when the super club move inevitably came, Sancho seemed to have made his first wrong call when it mattered most. This was the homecoming with no natural home, simply a man wandering through the Manchester United fog. Premier League Jadon Sancho somehow felt farther away than Bundesliga Jadon Sancho ever did.

Finally, this season there are signs of change. Some of the smothering Manchester United crisis has eased. The new manager helps; Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was too laissez-faire, and Ralf Rangnick was too rigid.

Sancho hopes that Erik ten Hag will be his Goldilocks coach and has already spoken about simultaneously being given plans and freedom. Sancho’s smile is back and some of the swagger too. His composure for the opening goal against Liverpool made you yelp involuntarily.

We are still awaiting the full reawakening, marked by feints and tricks and one-twos and the adoration of Old Trafford. Jadon Sancho has climbed higher walls than a spell of poor form, but his rise was fuelled by an impatience to bring the future closer to today. It’s time to move on from a year stuck in the present.

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With the Premier League returning this weekend after the international break, the final straight before this unprecedented World Cup is well and truly upon us.

And for Gareth Southgate, the England manager has three weeks until he names his provisional squad, with the final submission on 13 November – the day domestic football shuts up shop for a six-week break.

In that time, Southgate will sweat over the potential for injuries as he swaps pencil for ink when finalising his 26-man list, and though a six-match winless run has placed his selections fiercely under the spotlight, it appears he will stick with one of his more contentious picks.

Harry Maguire played the entirety of England’s matches against Italy and Germany recently, meaning he has featured just 10 minutes more in the Premier League this season than he has in the Nations League.

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This epitomises his current standing. Out of favour under Erik ten Hag at club level, but with enough credit in the bank on the international stage to still start for Southgate, irrespective of form.

For that reason, and despite his errors against Germany, few doubt Maguire will make the plane to Qatar and even start, so between now and England’s World Cup opener – against Iran on 21 November – the Manchester United defender has time to rediscover his form, confidence, and according to ex-England defender Martin Keown, improve his fitness too.

“Southgate believes in the player, and whether we like it or not he’s going to pick him,” Keown told reporters. “I think the player needs to be fitter than he is, and I would say that after two games back-to-back [for England], it’s almost like his preseason, and his season starts now less than 50 days away from the World Cup.

“He needs to be grafting through the week, doing more, as he didn’t look sharp enough. I know there’s a match fitness you can never really get [without playing regularly], but I think he needs to get closer to being there with his club side.”

The Maguire conundrum means Keown is not alone when it comes to past England defenders addressing what Gary Neville calls a “difficult moment” for the Manchester United captain.

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“It’s a tough period for Harry, there’s no getting away from that,” Neville told BBC Radio 5 Live. “But there’s nothing you can do other than show up, try your best and not give in. At some point, his form will return because he has been an excellent player for United at times and England.

“I would suggest he does what I did. I did go and see my doctor at Manchester United. I did go and see a psychologist and get help. You do need external help at times.”

Jamie Carragher suggested Maguire should leave United next summer but also laid down a challenge to the defender – “My question to Maguire is this: ‘Do you still have that same fury in you?’” he wrote in the Telegraph – while Southgate, himself no stranger to the public’s vitriol after his penalty miss at Euro 96, has suggested it is in the national interest to get behind Maguire before the World Cup.

“I know everybody says he’s important to me, he’s important to us. It’s us. It’s not me,” Southgate said earlier this week. “Why do we pick him? Because he’s one of the players who gives us the best chance of winning.

“So really we should all be wanting a Harry Maguire that’s playing regularly and playing with confidence.”

United are gearing up for the busiest October in the club’s history, with Sunday’s Manchester derby the first of nine games in a month that also features a home match against Tottenham and trip to Chelsea.

Man Utd’s upcoming fixtures

Premier League unless stated:

• Sun 2 Oct: Manchester City (a)
• Thu 6 Oct: Omonia Nicosia (a) – Europa League
• Sun 9 Oct: Everton (a)
• Thu 13 Oct: Omonia Nicosia (h) – Europa League
• Sun 16 Oct: Newcastle (h)
• Wed 19 Oct: Tottenham (h)
• Sat 22 Oct: Chelsea (a)
• Thu 27 Oct: Sheriff (h) – Europa League
• Sun 30 Oct: West Ham (h)
• Thu 3 Nov: Real Sociedad (a) – Europa League
• Sun 6 Nov: Aston Villa (a)
• Thu 10 Nov: Aston Villa (h) – EFL Cup
• Sun 13 Nov: Fulham (a)

Ten Hag may therefore have little choice but to rotate, with the Europa League group campaign concluding on 3 November and an EFL Cup match against Aston Villa on 10 November to come as well, and so despite losing his place due to Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez’s emerging partnership, Maguire could have opportunities to build some momentum ahead of the World Cup.

“He will get games,” Keown added. “We’ve got the busiest period of the season coming up, so while I don’t think he’ll be overplayed, I think he should be able to get fit enough for the World Cup.

“That’s not in Southgate’s hands, but Maguire has got the mentality to deal with it. I do think everybody’s jumping on the bandwagon and having a go, I thought he played okay until the two mistakes [against Germany].

“It can happen to any central defender, but it seemingly can’t happen to Maguire at the moment because of not playing regularly enough.

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“I do feel he will go to the World Cup and play in our first game, in a back three. At international level, you always have to prove you’re good enough. All the time while the media are questioning you, you’ve got to stick your chest out and shut out all the noise, minimise your mistakes – which he didn’t do the other night – but also show some confidence, because he’s lost quite a bit.

“You can’t say the manager is not giving him a chance, he’ll get that chance to prove everybody wrong and he’s got to focus on that. The delight in getting to show these people who say he’s not good enough to be there… he’s got the last chance to prove everybody wrong in a World Cup.”

Watch Arsenal vs Spurs live on BT Sport 1 from 11.30am on Saturday 1 October. For more info, visit btsport.com

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The 2022 World Cup in Qatar will be the seventh and final edition featuring 32 nations ahead of the tournament’s expansion from 2026.

Forty-eight teams will be competing in the 2026 edition after Fifa’s council unanimously approved the change back in 2017.

And that means the event in Qatar will be the final World Cup as many have known it, with the number of groups set to double from eight to 16 in four years’ time.

But the finer details of the 2026 World Cup, which will be held in Canada, USA and Mexico, are for another time.

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Here we are concerned with the controversial Qatar 2022, and the far more routine format where eight group winners are joined by eight group runners-up in making the knockout stages.

Hosts Qatar will open the tournament against Ecuador on Sunday 20 November, having brought that match forward one day to ensure they play first, with three more group games to follow on Monday 21 November.

World Cup 2022 groups

Group A – Qatar, Ecuador, Senegal and Netherlands 

Group B – England, Iran, USA and Wales 

Group C – Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Poland 

Group D – France, Australia, Denmark and Tunisia 

Group E – Spain, Costa Rica, Germany and Japan 

Group F – Belgium, Canada, Morocco and Croatia 

Group G – Brazil, Serbia, Switzerland and Cameroon 

Group H – Portugal, Ghana, Uruguay and South Korea

From then on, there will be a staggering four group games per day from 22 November to 2 December, and that means almost wall-to-wall football from 10am to 9pm (UK time) for seven days before the final round of group games kick off at either 3pm or 7pm on the final four days of group-stage action.

Wales, playing their first World Cup since 1958, join England in Group B, with both nations starting their campaigns on 21 November and then meeting in the final round of group games on 29 November.

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Elsewhere, Spain’s match with Germany in Group E on 27 November is arguably the standout group game, while a Denmark side who have beaten France twice already in the Nations League this year meet the 2018 World Cup winners again on 26 November.

World Cup group stage schedule and dates

All times GMT

Sunday 20 November

• Group A: Qatar vs Ecuador (Al Bayt Stadium; 7pm)

Monday 21 November

• Group B: England vs Iran (Khalifa International Stadium; 1pm)
• Group A: Senegal vs Netherlands (Al Thumama Stadium; 4pm)
• Group B: USA vs Wales (Ahmed bin Ali Stadium; 7pm)

Tuesday 22 November

• Group C: Argentina vs Saudi Arabia (Lusail Iconic Stadium; 10am)
• Group D: Denmark vs Tunisia (Education City Stadium; 1pm)
• Group C: Mexico vs Poland (Stadium 974; 4pm)
• Group D: France vs Australia (Al Janoub Stadium; 7pm)

Wednesday 23 November

• Group F: Morocco vs Croatia (Al Bayt Stadium; 10am)
• Group E: Germany vs Japan (Khalifa International Stadium; 1pm)
• Group E: Spain vs Costa Rica (Al Thumama Stadium; 4pm)
• Group F: Belgium vs Canada (Ahmed bin Ali Stadium; 7pm)

Thursday 24 November

• Group G: Switzerland vs Cameroon (Al Janoub Stadium; 10am)
• Group H: Uruguay vs South Korea (Education City Stadium; 1pm)
• Group H: Portugal vs Ghana (Stadium 974; 4pm)
• Group G: Brazil vs Serbia (Lusail Iconic Stadium; 7pm)

Friday 25 November

• Group B: Wales vs Iran (Ahmed bin Ali Stadium; 10am)
• Group A: Qatar vs Senegal (Al Thumama Stadium; 1pm)
• Group A: Netherlands vs Ecuador (Khalifa International Stadium; 4pm)
• Group B: England vs USA (Al Bayt Stadium; 7pm)

Saturday 26 November

• Group C: Tunisia vs Australia (Al Janoub Stadium; 10am)
• Group C: Poland vs Saudi Arabia (Education City Stadium; 1pm)
• Group D: France vs Denmark (Stadium 974; 4pm)
• Group C: Argentina vs Mexico (Lusail Iconic Stadium; 7pm)

Sunday 27 November

• Group E: Japan vs Costa Rica (Ahmed bin Ali Stadium; 10am)
• Group F: Belgium vs Morocco (Al Thumama Stadium; 1pm)
• Group F: Croatia vs Canada (Khalifa International Stadium; 4pm)
• Group E: Spain vs Germany (Al Bayt Stadium; 7pm)

Monday 28 November

• Group G: Cameroon vs Serbia (Al Janoub Stadium; 10am)
• Group G: South Korea vs Ghana (Education City Stadium; 1pm)
• Group H: Brazil vs Switzerland (Stadium 974; 4pm)
• Group H: Portugal vs Uruguay (Lusail Iconic Stadium; 7pm)

Tuesday 29 November

• Group A: Netherlands vs Qatar (Al Bayt Stadium; 3pm)
• Group A: Ecuador vs Senegal (Khalifa International Stadium; 3pm)
• Group B: Wales vs England (Ahmed bin Ali Stadium; 7pm)
• Group B: Iran vs USA (Al Thumama Stadium; 7pm)

Wednesday 30 November

• Group D: Australia vs Denmark (Al Janoub Stadium; 3pm)
• Group D: Tunisia vs France (Education City Stadium; 3pm)
• Group C: Poland vs Argentina (Stadium 974; 7pm)
• Group C: Saudi Arabia vs Mexico (Lusail Iconic Stadium; 7pm)

Thursday 1 December

• Group F: Croatia vs Belgium (Ahmed bin Ali Stadium; 3pm)
• Group F: Canada vs Morocco (Al Thumama Stadium; 3pm)
• Group E: Costa Rica vs Germany (Al Bayt Stadium; 7pm)
• Group E: Japan vs Spain (Khalifa International Stadium; 7pm)

Friday 2 December

• Group G: South Korea vs Portugal (Education City Stadium; 3pm)
• Group G: Ghana vs Uruguay (Al Janoub Stadium; 3pm)
• Group H: Serbia vs Switzerland (Stadium 974; 7pm)
• Group H: Cameroon vs Brazil (Lusail Iconic Stadium; 7pm)

With a view to qualifying from Group B, both England and Wales know how their potential knockout run could pan out with the pathway already set.

Group B is fittingly paired with Group A, and so the Netherlands, Qatar, Ecuador or Senegal will await in the last 16.

On paper (although there are always shocks in the World Cup), the Netherlands are favourites to win Group A, and so they would face the runners-up of Group B, while Senegal could potentially face the winners of Group A.

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The winners of Group B could then meet the winners of Group D in the quarter-finals, making France a potential last-eight opponent for England or Wales.

Meanwhile, arguably the standout collision involves Group E and Group F. The former features Spain and Germany, the latter Belgium and Croatia, making for two potential blockbuster meetings at the last-16 stage.

World Cup knockout stage schedule and dates

All times GMT

Round of 16

Saturday 3 December

• 49: Winners of Group A vs Runners-up of Group B (Khalifa International Stadium; 3pm)
• 50: Winners of Group C vs Runners-up of Group D (Ahmed bin Ali Stadium; 7pm)

Sunday 4 December

• 52: Winners of Group D vs Runners-up of Group C (Al Thumama Stadium; 3pm)
• 51: Winners of Group B vs Runners-up of Group A (Al Bayt Stadium; 7pm)

Monday 5 December

• 53: Winners of Group E vs Runners-up of Group F (Al Janoub Stadium; 3pm)
• 54: Winners of Group G vs Runners-up of Group H (Stadium 974; 7pm)

Tuesday 6 December

• 55: Winners of Group F vs Runners-up of Group E (Education City Stadium; 3pm)
• 56: Winners of Group H vs Runners-up of Group G (Lusail Iconic Stadium; 7pm)

Quarter-finals

Friday 9 December

• 58: Winners of 53 vs Winners of 54 (Education City Stadium; 3pm)
• 57: Winners of 49 vs Winners of 50 (Lusail Iconic Stadium; 7pm)

Saturday 10 December

• 60: Winners of 55 vs Winners of 56 (Al Thumama Stadium; 3pm)
• 59: Winners of 51 vs Winners of 52 (Al Bayt Stadium; 7pm)

Semi-finals

Tuesday 13 December

• 61: Winners of 57 vs Winners of 58 (Lusail Iconic Stadium; 7pm)

Wednesday 14 December

• 62: Winners of 59 vs Winners of 60 (Al Bayt Stadium; 7pm)

When is the third-place play-off?

Saturday 17 December at Khalifa International Stadium – 3pm kick-off.

When is the World Cup final?

Sunday 18 December at Lusail Iconic Stadium – 3pm kick-off.

When is the Premier League break?

There will be no Premier League matches from 14 November, with Sunday 13 November seeing Brighton take on Aston Villa and Fulham host Manchester United before all top and second-tier clubs press pause on their domestic campaigns.

The Premier League will then resume on Boxing Day, eight days after the World Cup final, and nine after the third-place play-off, meaning all players who reach the semi-finals will have little more than a week before their season resumes.

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