Norwich V Aston Villa
Saturday 21st September – Carrow Road
KO 12:45
With several games now played you can begin to
make end of season predictions with a little more influence, albeit still
without real conviction. However results so far suggest both teams will be
residing in a similar part of the table.
Goals weren’t a plenty last year for Norwich so
they’ll be hoping new signing Hooper (when he eventually makes his debut) will
go some way to solving that particular issue. Then with Nathan Redmond shining
week in week out, if he can keep this form up, things look much more promising
for the canaries.
Benteke continues to ensure goals aren’t an issue
for Aston Villa as his fine form continues which is just as well seeing as
Villla haven’t kept a clean sheet since 2012. A promising start to the season
against Arsenal has been over shadowed by a run of defeats, fans will be hoping
it won’t get as bad as last season.
Team News
New signing at Norwich, Gary Hooper could be set
to make his debut this weekend, after making the bench against Tottenham it’s
only a matter of time. Both the Bennetts however remain out with knee injuries.
With Okore out with a serious injury, one which
could see him take no further part this season, Clark is expected to take his
place on the team sheet. Baker is fit again after overcoming his opening-day
injury.
Prediction
Goals are hard for Norwich to come by but luckily
for them they’re playing Aston Villa who seem unable to keep a clean sheets so
they should at least manage one. With Benteke on the field you wouldn’t bet
against him scoring, it’s just a decision on how many.
Norwich 1 – 1 Aston Villa
Liverpool V Southampton
Saturday 21st September – Anfield
KO 15:00
Liverpool have had a remarkable start to the
season, one which we and many others didn’t predict. Daniel Sturridge has been
in fine form and single handedly helped Liverpool to their spot at the top of
the table. Compared to last seasons poor home form Anfield is fast becoming a
fortress once more, a fact which will delight fans, young and old.
Despite creating endless amounts of chances
Southampton are struggling at present to covert them into goals and therefore
points. On the Brightside they can boast an impressive amount of possession,
weave this with their creativity it should only be a matter of time until they
‘stop making heroes out of opposing goalkeepers’ in the words of Pochettino.
Team News
Daniel Agger is expected to return to the side
and with Coutinho looking set to be on the side lines for several weeks both
Aspas and Sterling will be pushing to claim that spot.
Luke Shaw should be back in the side after
limping off against West Ham but Fox remains doubtful.
Prediction
The home team tends to prosper between these two
sides and will Sturridge in the form he currently is Liverpool should secure
another win and remain firmly at the top of the table.
Liverpool 2 – 0 Southampton
Newcastle V Hull
Saturday 21st September – St James’
Park
KO 15:00
There’ll be a couple of extra Newcastle fans at
St James’ Park this weekend with Steve Bruce and Danny Graham both boyhood
supporters. They won’t be expecting
a warm welcome though and Graham will be hoping for a few extra boo’s by
ending his 21 match run without a single goal.
A slow start for Newcastle has had a shining
light in the form of Hatem Ben Arfa who has almost single handedly won them
their points so far this season. Acting as both playmaker and goalscorer
Newcastle fans will hope his form continues consistently unlike last season.
Team News
Steven Taylor will be unavailable for Newcastle
after damaging his hamstring in training. Shola Ameobi is also out with an
injury he picked up away on international duty.
Hull are also not without injury, captain Robert
Koren is thought to be out for up to eight weeks and McShane has a hamstring
injury whilst Figueroa has been grantened compassionate leave.
Prediction
Newcastle haven’t won 3 in a row since 2012
whereas Hull have only won one of their last 11 matches. Both teams also
haven’t been brimming with goals, this screams bore draw.
Newcastle 0 – 0 Hull
West Brom V Sunderland
Saturday 21st September – The
Hawthorns
KO 15:00
Usually this early into the season clashes
between the bottom teams don’t hold too much significance however both teams
will know how difficult it can be to recover from a bad start and come the end
of the season early dropped points can come back to haunt them.
West Brom only just celebrated their first league
goal of the season last weekend and with a run of incredibly tough fixtures
lined up points from this match could be seen as vital. Sunderland also face a
run of imposing fixtures so will be ensuring they don’t drop points with out
putting up a fight.
Team News
Work permit in place Stephane Sessegnon is set to
make his debut for West Brom whilst Long and Vydra are both doubtful.
Sunderland captain John O’Shea is available again
after suspension and Lee Cattermole may well feature again after injury.
Prediction
Both teams haven’t chalked up a win in their last
8 games so a draw would be plausible. However the Baggies have a great record
against Sunderland and with the much anticipated inclusion of Sessegnon I think
West Brom will take the points.
West Brom 2 – 1 Sunderland
WEST HAM - EVERTON
Boleyn Ground, London
KO: 15:00 BST
West Ham United welcome Merseyside's blues to
Upton Park on Saturday afternoon, with Everton unbeaten against the Hammers
since 2007.
West Ham come into this game with worries about
their form. After a convincing 2-0 opening day victory over Cardiff City,
they've not scored in any of their 3 fixtures since including two 0-0 draws.
With head striker Andy Carroll out until the new year with a heel injury, it's
been left to Modibo Maiga and free-agent signing Mladen Petric to come up with
the goals that will help to secure West Ham the points to keep them in this
division.
Everton have also had an indifferent start to
their campaign with two 0-0 draws sandwiched between a 2-2 draw with Norwich
and more recently a 1-0 win over Jose Mourinho's Chelsea side. Goals have been
an issue for Everton too, but the addition of Romelu Lukaku on deadline day is
sure to change that.
TEAM NEWS
Andy Carroll is ruled out of this tie with a heel
injury that is set to keep him out until January at least. Joe Cole (hamstring),
Alou Diarra (knee), George McCartney (knee) and Stewart Downing (leg) are all
out too, meaning Sam Allardyce has limited options for his 100th game in charge
of West Ham.
Everton on the other hand have a stronger squad
available than last time around against Chelsea. Romelu Lukaku is available to
make his debut after being ineligible against his parent club, while Darron
Gibson and Arouna Kone are back in the squad after injury. Antolin Alcaraz is
definitely out of the game, while manager Roberto Martinez has rated Steven
Pienaar's chances as "50-50".
PREDICTED LINE-UPS
PREDICTIONS
In a tightly contested game between two sides who
have drawn 5 games out of 8 between them this season, it seems like only one
result is possible. However with Everton's squad getting stronger and West Ham
still struggling for goals with no real solution, I think Everton will snatch
it and come out on top.
West Ham 0-2 Everton
(Lukaku, Mirallas)
Chelsea vs. Fulham
Stamford Bridge - Kick-Off 17:30pm - LIVE on Sky Sports 1
The West London derby. Perhaps it’s not quite as ‘big’ as the
Manchester Derby on Sunday, but it is still a fierce rivalry between the two,
after all it depends who you ask!
Just under 2 miles separate the clubs, but in terms of the Premier
League and other meetings between them, Chelsea have the upper hand (P71, W41,
D23, L7), and they are currently in sixth; eight places above their rivals.
However since the return of Jose Mourinho, The Blues haven’t been
firing on all cylinders and a loss would make it three losses in a row for ‘The
Special One’ having lost at Everton last weekend, and at home against Basel in
the Champions League on Wednesday. Could Jose’s unbeaten home record in the
Premier League finally be tarnished?
Even still, Fulham aren’t doing particularly well themselves; since
their 1-0 win at Sunderland, they have picked up just one point out of a
possible nine, and last weekend threw two away when West Brom equalised in the
last minute at Craven Cottage.
But their recent record against Chelsea isn’t too bad, and they have
picked up a point in all but one of their last five meetings. Unfortunately
they haven’t beaten the Blues since March 2006 and despite Chelsea’s poor form,
I wouldn’t expect that to change.
Team News
Chelsea have no injury concerns at this early stage of the season.
John Terry is likely to be re-called after sitting out of the defeat by Basel,
while Ramires is also available again having missed out mid-week due to
suspension. Former Fulham keeper Mark Schwarzer is likely to be on the bench as
Petr Cech remains number one.
Having used 20 different players so far, it is difficult to know
whether Mourinho knows his best team yet, and it is possible he is still
experimenting.
Key Player:
Frank Lampard - at the grand old age of 35, Lamps is
still at the heart of the Chelsea midfield, which says a lot about the calibre
of player he is and the effect he has when it comes to changing games or being
the difference.
Schwarzer’s replacement, Maarten Stekelenburg, will miss out through
injury along with Aaron Hughes, Matthew Briggs and Bryan Ruiz. Darren Bent is
fit again, but Dimitar Berbatov faces a late fitness test on a hamstring
problem.
Key Player:
Scott Parker - the summer signing from Tottenham is one
of the most consistent performers in the Premier League, and like Lampard has
the ability to change games.
Prediction:
3-0 - I can’t
see Chelsea being allowed to lose 3-in-a-row, especially if the third is to a
rival like Fulham. The crowd will help in getting The Blues going, and Jose is
the sort of manager who can pull something out of the bag when needed.
MANCHESTER CITY - MANCHESTER
UNITED
Etihad Stadium, Manchester
KO: 16:00 BST (Sky
Sports)
The most unpredictable Manchester derby in recent
memory takes place this Sunday at the Etihad Stadium. With two new managers in
the dugouts and a host of new players set to feature, anything could happen in
this top of the table affair between the two sides who have occupied first
& second respectively in the previous two Premier League campaigns.
Both sides are coming into the game in good form
too, with big wins for both midweek in the Champions League group stages. The blues
travelled to Pilsen, Czech Republic to defeat Viktoria Plzen comfortably with
goals from strikers Edin Dzeko and Sergio Aguero as well as a corker from
influential midfielder Yaya Toure. United on the other hand defeated German
side Bayer Leverkusen 4-2, with striker Wayne Rooney reaching 200 goals for the
club as well as Robin van Persie and Antonio Valencia getting their names on
the scoresheet.
TEAM NEWS
Manchester City have a few issues with their side
going into this game. Gael Clichy looks almost certain to miss out, meaning
Serbian Aleksandr Kolarov is set to deputise. Despite his clear ability at dead
ball situations, the left-back isn't the greatest defender and will be an
obvious target for Manchester United to attack. Vincent Kompany returned from
injury midweek with no issues so the captain should retain his place in the
starting eleven along with youngster Matija Nastasic. David Silva is also a
doubt for the tie, although coach Manuel Pellegrini is hopeful the Spanish
playmaker can shake off a thigh injury to feature. Sergio Aguero looks certain
to continue up front and will likely be partnered up front with Edin Dzeko.
Alvaro Negredo should start on the bench.
Manchester United's squad however is starting to
look stronger after their early season injuries. Wayne Rooney is fit and firing
scoring 3 goals in his last 2 games while Robin van Persie has also scored in
his last 2 games. Phil Jones is still ruled out with the ankle injury he picked
up against Liverpool while Rafael has returned to training ahead of his return
to the first team. Fabio started against Crystal Palace and impressed, while
Chris Smalling started midweek against Leverkusen. I expect Smalling to start
for his physical presence, although I wouldn't rule out an early return for
Rafael. Marouane Fellaini should make his full Premier League debut for his new
side in midfield alongside Michael Carrick, while Valencia should also continue
after finding his form again midweek. Nani could make a return on the left,
although Shinji Kagawa also impressed in his first outing of the season. Danny
Welbeck missed the game with fluid on the knee, but should be fit enough to
feature.
PREDICTED LINE-UPS
With David Silva struggling for full fitness
ahead of this game, Manchester City will have to look towards Argentinian
Sergio Aguero as their main catalyst for creativity and goals. The striker was
the difference at Old Trafford last year with a fine solo goal and after his
goal midweek he finally looks like he's getting into some form this season. His
partnership with Dzeko is beginning to blossom as both begin to play alongside
each other more frequently, meaning problems for any defence they come up
against. Although United have looked good defensively, the pace of Aguero up
against Ferdinand and Vidic could be a key factor in their battle. City will
have to get the ball in behind the Man United defence, meaning Silva's eye for
a pass will be needed if they are to grab a stranglehold in the game.
For Manchester United, it's the same old story -
Wayne Rooney will be key to any success they may have on Sunday. The England
hitman became only the fourth player in the history of the club to hit 200
goals for the club with his brace against Leverkusen - and 10 of those goals
have come against Manchester City (more than any other club). Rooney scored
twice in this fixture last season as United snatched a late 3-2 win. His form
will be key for United, tracking back into midfield to help without the ball
but also being able to create and dictate the game away from home will be the
big task.
Notable Battles:
Edin Dzeko vs Nemanja Vidic
These two Eastern European stars are both very
similar in build. Both incredibly strong and both very good in the air. While
Dzeko has an edge with his pace, Vidic makes up for it with experience and
gives this the ingredients for an intriguing on field battle between the pair.
Yaya Toure vs Marouane Fellaini
In recent years, Yaya Toure has dominated this
game for Manchester City with his pure physical presence. Brute strength and
technical ability to match he was untouchable against United's midfield,
however the addition of Fellaini changes all that. Fellaini offers to United
exactly what Toure offers to City, meaning it's an even playing field. While
Toure may be a better footballer, on the day it will be a battle between two
giants.
PREDICTION
Both sides come into this game off comfortable victories in the
Champions League but United come into this game in better league form. Manuel
Pellegrini's side haven't really got going yet domestically and this game won't
be any easier. Moyes' team had their best performance of the season in midweek
and will be fired up to give their new manager his first derby win. It will be
a tight game with neither manager wanting to lose but I think the fans will
have a big say in the way the teams play, meaning there will be goals.
Manchester City 1-2 Manchester United
(Aguero | Rooney, Nani)
