Bluffer's Guide To The Weekend: City’s Century-old record, Reds for the Reds and wrestling in Vegas

We reveal how City can break a Century-old record, why red cards are expected at Old Trafford, and why furniture won’t fly in Las Vegas

First of all a little postscript for international bluffers: Stan Mortensen scored four goals on his England debut in a 10-0 victory over Portugal in 1947. But the most recent England player to score a hat-trick in his first 90 minutes as an international is Harry Kane, who after netting against Switzerland in the week has now scored three goals in his first 82 minutes on the pitch in an England shirt. Nifty.

After a Euro break, we now return to the relative sanity of the Premier League, where Manchester City not only have the blue half of Manchester purring but bluffers with a sense of history in a tizzy.

City have won four away Premier League matches in a row and if they beat Crystal Palace in south London on Saturday they will get the fifth to equal a record more than a century old: the club last won five consecutive away matches in 1912. No pressure.

Having won their last 10 matches at all venues, City are also starting to come within range of one of the League’s most awe-inspiring records, Arsenal’s tally of 14 top-flight wins in a row, achieved in August 2002.

Bluffers will also be swift to point out that while Palace’s overall recent record is decent, they are much more troublesome away from home (averaging 2.4 points) than on their own patch (1.3). You would fancy Yaya Toure to make the difference: the big man has scored in each of City’s last three matches against Palace.

Across Manchester there is talk of player disquiet and rumblings in the ranks about the training methods of Louis van Gaal. But as Liverpool visit Old Trafford this weekend, the manager might allow himself to reasonably expect a morale-boosting result as United have won five of their last seven Premier League meetings with these opponents.

A fiery encounter seems assured whatever, because as disciplinary bluffers will know, when the Reds play the Red Devils a red card is never far away: 16 have been waved in their previous Premier League encounters – only the Liverpool derby is a feistier fixture, with 20 sendings-off.

When Everton host Chelsea at Goodison Park they can hardly expect a placid afternoon either: this fixture last season was a nine-goal spectacular, with the visitors eventually triumphing 6-3.

Jose Mourinho would welcome a similar result – in fact any positive result – as his club have made a lousy start to the season. Bluffers with no love for the Special One may like to remind friends that four points from their opening four matches is Chelsea’s worst start to a Premier League season since 1995/96, when by this stage they had just three.

Anecdotally, it is the defence that is at fault (Cech and Terry absent for different reasons, mutter mutter…) and the stats bear this out: Chelsea have conceded more than two goals in four consecutive matches for the first time since December 2006.

The likeliest headline-grabber this week, for good or ill, is Moussa Sissoko, who likes to make an impact when Newcastle play West Ham (as they do on Monday night): in last year’s two Premier League fixtures he was sent off at the Boleyn Ground, but scored at St James’ Park.

The US Open tennis tournament concludes this weekend at Flushing Meadows, subject to the extreme weather that interrupts the matches even more effectively than jet noise.

But in the future the players need no longer fear blazing sun and hurricane-force wind and rain, as from next year the stadium court will have a retractable roof, meaning – tennis bluffers will be keen to point out – Roland Garros will be the only Grand Slam venue without a sliding umbrella/sunshade.

The French have long been discussing the issue but they don’t like to rush these things in Paris and may – perhaps – have a roof by 2019.

Back in the UK, and not subject even to the vagaries of Yorkshire weather, is the St Leger, the oldest and longest of the English Classic horse races, which will be held, as ever, at Doncaster on Saturday.

How old? Almost exactly the same age as the United States of America, which were so named in September 1776, the same year – and the same month – that an army officer called Anthony St Leger staged a race in Doncaster over two miles with a first prize of 25 guineas.

The first winner was a horse with no name. Amateur bluffers may claim that Lord Rockingham’s victorious filly was called Allabaculia, but in fact she acquired that handle long afterwards and never raced under that name.

On the wilder fringes of sport, the world Greco-Roman wrestling championships conclude this weekend in - of all places - Las Vegas.

Bluffers will of course already know the difference between Greco-Roman, freestyle and WWE wrestling: unlike freestyle, the Greco-Roman format does not allow competitors to grab below the waist, and unlike WWE, Greco-Roman does not permit the employment of ring furniture, officials or broadcasting equipment as offensive weapons.

Also – being an Olympic sport – they are pretty tough on weird hairdos and cannibalism.