Preview: Two grudge games in Premier League second round

LONDON, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- The second round of matches in the Premier League this weekend contains two big grudge matches, a debut and some important indicators to show how the season may pan out for certain clubs.

The biggest grudge game is on Monday night with Liverpool visiting Newcastle United with the attention likely to be focused on one man who won't take part in the game.

Liverpool's pursuit of Newcastle striker Alexander Isak has been the long-running story of the summer as relations between Isak and Newcastle are seemingly broken, with Isak not training with the squad and a sharp exchange of communiques between the two sides.

Most Newcastle fans view Liverpool as the cause of the conflict and the league champion can expect a fiery reception at St James' Park.

The second grudge game is at Crystal Palace's Selhurst Park on Sunday when the home side entertains Nottingham Forest in an atmosphere affected by Palace's demotion from the UEFA Europa League to the Conference League due to multi-ownership issues.

The fact that Forest had a part in alerting UEFA to the issue and that the club is the main beneficiary of the decision has obviously made it hugely unpopular among Palace fans.

The weekend kicks off with West Ham hosting Chelsea, with the home side needing to bounce back after last weekend's 3-0 defeat to newly promoted Sunderland set alarm bells ringing.

Chelsea was held to a 0-0 draw by Palace a week ago and coach Enzo Maresca will want to see a team without Nicolas Jackson click in attack.

Thomas Frank's first big test at Tottenham Hotspur comes with a visit to play Manchester City on Saturday lunchtime, with City looking impressive in last weekend's 4-0 win away to Wolverhampton, while Spurs cruised past Burnley.

Wolverhampton Wanderers will travel to Bournemouth, looking to recover from their opening day setback, against a rival that impressed at Anfield. Bournemouth has strengthened during the week with the arrivals of winger Amine Adli and Ben Gannon Doak.

Burnley hosts Sunderland in an early clash between two newly promoted sides, while Brentford coach Keith Andrews faces a big test when his team plays Aston Villa.

Brentford had a difficult summer, losing several key players and seeing Yoane Wissa also push for a move, and an opening day defeat to Nottingham Forest showed Andrews has plenty of work ahead of him.

Arsenal entertains Leeds United with new signing Christian Norgaard out and Kai Havertz sidelined with a knee injury.

Arsenal's win at Old Trafford last weekend, thanks to an error from Altay Bayindir, means the Manchester United goalkeeper will be in the spotlight when his team travels to play Fulham.

Manchester United's new signing Benjamin Sesko could start as he looks to turn possession and chances into goals.

Sunday also sees history made in Liverpool as Everton makes its debut in the new Hill Dickinson Stadium against Brighton and Hove Albion, with a capacity crowd of 52,000 fans expected for the occasion. ■