The English Premier League is back with some exciting fixtures to keep you hooked this weekend:
Tottenham start the game week with the London derby away at West Ham. Spurs would look to forget their frustrating draw in the last match and bounce back. Expect some fireworks from Harry Kane as he has scored 19 goals in 28 PL London derbies for Spurs. If Spurs win, it will be their record third consecutive away victory.
MATCH OF THE WEEK:
After knocking Liverpool out from the Carabao Cup during midweek, Leicester would like to heap more misery on Klopp’s men. If Leicester wins, this will be their third straight home victory over Liverpool in the Premier League. After a brilliant start, Liverpool are struggling to break down teams and opponents know this by now. By simply being tight at the back and maintaining their shape and discipline teams have slowed down Liverpool, and Leicester would love to do the same.
Vardy has scored 5 goals in his last 3 matches against Pool, so he would like to score a few more. Everybody is expecting a reaction from Liverpool and Craig Shakespeare should be ready for this task. With all their attacking flair and midfield creativity, Liverpool lack a leader at the back. Also playing a very pressing high line leaves their defenders exposed. Klopp needs to sort out this issue if they want to mount a title challenge. I’m expecting a good contest and a Liverpool win.
THE MID TEAM CLASHES:
Burnley vs Huddersfield should be a good contest. Both teams find themselves at the top half of the table in the early stages. It also pits Sean Dyche against David Wagner now these are two very talented managers who have brought their philosophy and discipline into their teams. A draw seems most likely.
Everton entertain Bournemouth and both the teams do need the points. Everton are on a 3 match losing streak while Bournemouth just ended their 4 match losing streak. Everton need a win to kick-start their season and I expect Bournemouth to give them a run for their money. Everton with a hard fought victory.
Swansea have a visit from Watford who have won all their away matches(2) this season and will be aiming to make it 3. Watford look solid despite the drubbing from Manchester City in the last week and are favourites for the match. Marco Silva is a brilliant young manager and he’s the perfect guy to help Watford achieve a top half of the table finish.
In a match between two promoted teams, Brighton welcome Newcastle. Newcastle were the only team to defeat Brighton home and away last season. Newcastle look in good form and this is the ideal game to aim for the win. Brighton are quite decent at home and they will give a tough fight to Newcastle. A draw looks likely.
MANCHESTER DOMINANCE
Red hot Manchester City welcome Crystal Palace at the Etihad Stadium. Mind you, this is City’s (13 points) worst start in the EPL for the last 2 years. They won each of their first 5 matches for the last two seasons. I would be worried if I am a Palace fan because they face Manchester United & Chelsea next in the league. Expect a rout by Aguero & co.
Manchester United visit Southampton and they would like to keep their winning momentum up as well. United have opened up teams in the second half of their matches but a visit to St. Mary’s can be a tricky one as the Saints are well organized; should be a good test for United on the road. Lukaku needs one goal to equal Saha’s record of most goals scored after 6 PL appearances (6 goals).
LONDON BLUES
Chelsea visit Stoke and they will be wary of the home team. Stoke won against Arsenal, then drew against Manchester United and Conte knows his Chelsea team needs a solid performance to get a result. Expecting a good contest with Chelsea to win. Chelsea need 1 point to reach 1,800 points in the PL; only Arsenal & Manchester United have more.
In the last game of the week, Arsenal welcome West Brom at The Emirates. Arsenal are in 12th place at the moment after a poor start to their campaign. A win and a draw has reignited their season and they would like to continue that way. If Arsenal win this would be their 7th consecutive PL victory at The Emirates against West Brom. Gareth Barry needs one appearance to break Ryan Giggs record for most PL appearances, with both currently on 632!
To follow the action in India, watch Star Sports Select HD 1 & 2. Also remember, 1xBet provides the best live streaming option (FREE), if you aren’t in front of your TV sets this weekend. Hope you liked my preview; you can also check out my preview, analysis and predictions for EPL Game Week 5 here.
