The FA Premier League (PL) restarts again after the latest International Break in which England won their sixth successive UEFA Group K World Cup Qualifying match to get to the FIFA World Cup Finals 2026 with 2 matches to spare. It was Latvia 0 v 5 England in Riga with 2 more goals for England Captain Harry Kane. That extends his International record to 76 goals in 110 appearances or 0.69 goals per game. For the German Bundesliga side Bayern Munich, he has now scored 103 goals in all competitions in 106 matches, an incredible 0.97 goals per game. He reached 100 goals after 104 matches, one quicker than Erling Harland for Manchester City and Christiano Ronaldo for Real Madrid. Harry Kane was Tottenham Hotspur’s record scorer with 280 goals in 435 games (0.64/game). Described by Jose Mourinho as “a complete player” when will the Ballon d’Or nominators and judges consider him seriously?
On Saturday 18 October our Premier London Derbies (PLDs) matches return with Fulham v Arsenal. Fulham (14th with 8 points) are struggling to find rhythm, while Arsenal are top of the PL with 16 points and only one defeat. There has been a win each and a draw in the 3 seasons since The Cottagers returned to the PL in 2022-23, but The Gunners are playing well and with confidence enough for another away win.
The Monday match on 20 October is West Ham United v Brentford. Hammers’ new Head Coach Nuno Espirito Santo has had some extra time with the majority of his squad and will be looking for a win, not just on the field but with the fractious home fans. That would put them equal on 7 points with Brentford and potentially out of the bottom three. The Bees have however won this one 3 times out of the 4 since coming into the PL in 2021-22 season. Expect few goals with set piece play all important.
Until next time enjoy your football, Andrew at premierlondonderbies.com