MANCHESTER: Manchester City will attempt to keep their perfect Premier League start rolling at home to Ipswich Town on Saturday, with uncertainty over their punishment for financial rule breaches continuing to hang over the leaders.
Enzo Maresca's City have won their opening six league games and sit three points clear of Arsenal, making a fine start on the pitch while their future off it remains unresolved.
An independent commission found City guilty of 114 of the 115 charges brought by the Premier League. City have denied wrongdoing and lodged an appeal.
The extraordinary backdrop has done little to derail City's domestic campaign. They underlined their strength with a 3-0 victory at 10-man Liverpool last Sunday.
The did lose 4-2 at home to holders Paris St Germain in the Champions League on Wednesday but return to the Etihad Stadium to face an Ipswich side sitting 10th on nine points.
Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville said the uncertainty over City's eventual punishment had created wider frustration around the league, with the club continuing to win while the significance of those victories, with potential sanctions still to come, remained unclear.
"This is not good for the Premier League, this is really bad for the Premier League — it's going to continue for a few months," Neville said on Sky Sports. "Up and down the country, (there's) a lot of annoyance that they see this team win football matches; it's just not going to be enjoyed."
For champions Arsenal, who demolished Lille 3-0 in the Champions League on Tuesday, there is little room to surrender points if they are to keep pace in the title race.
The London side sit second on 15 points and visit Nottingham Forest on Sunday knowing any slip could allow City to open a significant early gap. Forest are 15th with five points.
SPECTACULAR LIVERPOOL VICTORY
Liverpool will arrive at Brentford on Saturday with a different kind of momentum after a spectacular 6-3 Champions League victory at LASK on Wednesday.
The night in Austria belonged to Bradley Barcola, whose hat-trick represented his first goals for Liverpool after going scoreless in his opening six appearances for the club.
The French forward, whose frustrating start with the Reds had drawn increasing scrutiny, struck twice before halftime and completed his treble after the break as Liverpool made it two wins from two in the Champions League.
It was a badly needed breakthrough for 24-year-old Barcola and a welcome response from Liverpool after their humbling home defeat by City four days earlier.
Liverpool have been far less convincing domestically, however. They are ninth on nine points and face a Brentford side sitting a point above them in fourth, meaning Saturday could provide a sterner examination of whether the Reds' nine-goal European thriller has genuinely shifted their momentum.
Manchester United's problems are more acute as they make the short trip to Elland Road to face Leeds United on Sunday desperate to breathe life into a troubled campaign.
Michael Carrick's side have collected six points from their opening six games and sit 13th, already 12 points behind City after their worst start in 40 years.
United slumped to a 2-0 defeat at Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday and their latest assignment carries an additional edge against old rivals Leeds, who have made the stronger start and sit seventh with nine points.
Three teams are still searching for their first victory, including bottom side Fulham who welcome Hull City on Saturday, Bournemouth who host Sunderland on Sunday and Tottenham Hotspur who are at home to Coventry City on Monday.
With Manchester City trying to shut out the noise around their financial case, Arsenal determined to stay on their heels and Liverpool and United searching for a revival, the weekend should help show how the traditional heavyweights are coping. - Reuters
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