SATURDAY:
LIVERPOOL V BURNLEY
Liverpool got off to a good start last weekend with their win over Norwich and having Virgil Van Dijk back in the defence made a massive difference. He's not at 100% yet and will need more games under his belt to get there but when he is at 100% in terms of fitness and sharpness, we'll see the player we know he is.
The reds should have the majority of their core available for this one with Fabinho set to make his first appearance of the season following his involvement in the latter stages of the Copa America with Brazil. Having the Brazilian back in the midfield this season will be a massive bonus for the reds because of how missed he was for the majority of last season when he had to play centre back. With him back and Jordan Henderson not far away, Liverpool's team is more or less back to how it should be.
Burnley won this fixture last season to end Liverpool's 68 game unbeaten run at Anfield. Repeating that result this time will be a tough ask as they'll be up against a much stronger Liverpool side who will have the fans behind them with it being at their ground.
The Clarets wasted a lot of chances in their opening day defeat to Brighton which they paid the price for after being 1-0 up at half time. They must do better in that department in this game and the games coming up if they're to avoid another difficult start to the season like last time. They'll have enough to survive but Sean Dyche will still want his side to win some games early on to give them the best possible chance of staying out of trouble.
I've got to go for a Liverpool win here because they've got most of their key players back and will have the kop behind them which will be a massive boost for them. Burnley will make it difficult for them, but the reds should still have enough to win the game.
PREDICTION: 2-0
ASTON VILLA V NEWCASTLE
Aston Villa's opening day defeat to Watford completely surprised me as it was a result I did not see coming. They did have to deal with Jack Grealish not being there but I was still expecting them to win because of the attacking players they brought in over the summer. Defensively they were poor and Dean Smith has surely got those defenders working on the training ground so they play better in this one.
Despite that result Villa should still have a good season because of the quality of players they they've recruited to improve their squad. They're a solid unit at the back and if the new players can gel in with the rest of the squad, they'll have more than enough to finish in the top 10.
Newcastle really went for it against West Ham in their opening game but at a cost as they left some spaces at the back for West Ham to exploit. Steve Bruce would've been happy with the performance and effort from his side on the day, but will be concerned with how open they were at the back.
The Magpies will probably go for it again like they did against West Ham as Steve Bruce will want another promising performance from his side. But they may need to be more cautious because of the attacking talent that Villa have at their disposal. I wouldn't be surprised if they were cautious in this one because they won't want to leave too much space at the back like they did against West Ham.
I'm going for a Villa win here because I think they're attacking talent will be too much for Newcastle whether they play expansive or not. They had an off day defensively against Watford but knowing how solid they can be I can see them keep a clean sheet here along with winning the game.
PREDICTION: 3-0
CRYSTAL PALACE V BRENTFORD
Crystal Palace didn't have a lot of the ball against Chelsea in their opening game which was probably expected given the opposition they were up against. They'll see that one as a free hit and go into this one with an expectation to win and it looks a more winnable fixture than their last one.
I've just realised that the Eagles have to deal with a tough start to the season as they face West Ham, Spurs and Liverpool in their next three after this one against Brentford. Despite this tough run of games they should still give Vieira time because they're in transition and transition can take time. Especially with the amount of new players they brought in over the summer.
Brentford will be feeling confident following their win over Arsenal where they sent out a message to the rest of the Premier League. They were excellent from start to finish and they showed us that they're up to the challenge and that they should not be underestimated by any team. They have a clear identity and are going about things the right way.
Another win here will boost their confidence further and give them the momentum and belief that they can stay up even though there is still a long way to go. As they're up against a team in transition in Palace, they have a great chance of making it 2 wins from 2 games.
With Palace in transition and Brentford with a clear identity, I can see this going towards a Brentford win. They'll be full of confidence after beating Arsenal in their opening game and I can see them carry that confidence into this game.
PREDICTION: 0-2
LEEDS V EVERTON
Leeds could have Kalvin Phillips available for this one after starting their opening day defeat to Man United on the bench which would be a massive boost for them. Phillips was a massive miss for Leeds against United much like he was when he was out of the team last season. He's the anchor in their midfield and arguably their most important player because without him they're not the same.
They were completely blown away at Old Trafford last weekend and Marcelo Bielsa will without a doubt be looking for a response from his side in this one. With Phillips back in the team and their other important players available as well, the whites should get something.
Everton got the win they needed to kick off the Rafa Benitez era against Southampton on the opening day and I was quite surprised that the fans gave him a good reception following his controversial appointment. His appointment was been both welcome and unwelcome by Everton supporters and the win over Southampton was a good start for him in his mission to win over the supporters.
I don't think Rafa Benitez has faced a Marcelo Bielsa side before which will be a big test for him and his team going into this game. Both managers have different ways of playing and it will be interesting to see who comes out on top.
This one will be a close game between two very good tactical managers. There will definitely be goals due to the set of players both teams have which should make it a great game. But I can't see a winner from either side as I think it will be very closely contested.
PREDICTION: 2-2
MAN CITY V NORWICH
Man City weren't at their best against Spurs on Sunday where they really missed that centre forward to put the ball in the net. Their lack of cutting edge in front of goal on the day showed why they need Harry Kane because he would've put some of those chances away if he was playing for them. They won't dwell on the result too much as they had a few key players missing through either injury or a lack of fitness plus they'll still be up there challenging at the end of the season.
Kevin De Bruyne will hopefully start after coming off the bench against Spurs which will be a massive boost whilst John Stones and Kyle Walker could also return after returning from their post Euro 2020 break after reaching the final with England. With those three all back along with Gabriel Jesus City should have more than enough to win this game.
Norwich were taught a lesson by Liverpool in their opening game despite a decent start and one week later they have another tough test in champions Man City. They didn't react quickly enough to certain situations during the Liverpool game and they'll need to do exactly that in this one against City because of the speed they move the ball at. They've got some harsh lessons to learn already due to the tough start they've been given.
The Canaries may have to wait to get their first win back in the top flight as they have two more tough fixtures coming up in Leicester and Arsenal. If they don't get anything from these fixtures which looks very likely to happen, they could have a mountain to climb if they're to have a chance of staying in the league this season.
I've got to go with a City win here because they're going to be too strong for Norwich. They've got most of their key players back which will be a big boost for them and with the quality they have I can see them win this game comfortably and put in a much improved display compared to the one they put in against Spurs.
PREDICTION: 4-0
BRIGHTON V WATFORD
Graham Potter got his tactics spot on in Brighton's opening day win at Burnley by making the right substitutions in Jakub Moder and Alexis Mac Allister who changed the game. They had to deal with a lot of Burnley pressure in the first half and it wasn't until the final 15-20 minutes where they upped their game and turned it on its head thanks to the changes they made.
They took their chances last week which is something they didn't do enough of last season. They still need to buy a striker but if they can take their chances in this one they'll have some confidence to take into their next game to continue their good start to the season.
Watford's opening day win over Aston Villa completely surprised me and fair play to them. I still think they'll struggle for goals this seasons but new signing Emmanuel Dennis getting off the mark will give him and the team plenty of confidence. With main man Ismaila Sarr also impressing on the opening day, the Hornets could potentially prove me wrong if they carry on playing like they did against Villa.
Josh King could make his debut in this one after returning from injury which would give the Hornets a massive boost. If he can get off the mark like Dennis did last week, Watford have some competition and depth in their attack. Especially with Troy Deeney in there as well.
There is never much between these two sides nor has this fixture ever been a classic with most of their meetings ending in draws. I think this one will be close but not a classic so I'm going for another draw between these two.
PREDICTION: 1-1
SUNDAY:
SOUTHAMPTON V MAN UNITED
I am worried about Southampton this season because they've lost a few key players over the summer and defensively they're not the best. They've been poor defensively for the last few seasons and with Yannick Vestergaard gone I can see their defence being a problem for them once again this season unless they bring in a central defender.
The Saints don't have a great record against United with their last win against them coming in 2016 when Ronald Koeman was their manager. They threw a two goal lead in this fixture last season as they went to lose 3-2 before losing 9-0 in the reverse at Old Trafford back in February. After losing to Everton in the manner they did, I can't see them put that poor record right in this one. Especially with United looking very strong.
Man United got their season off to a flyer with their 5-1 win over Leeds on the opening weekend and they're now looking a lot stronger thanks to the arrival of Raphael Varane who will be looking to make his debut in this game. With that signing United could challenge City and Chelsea for the title as they're looking solid defensively and exciting in attack after watching their performance against Leeds.
United were unbeaten away from home last season and haven't lost on the road since January 2020 when they lost to Liverpool. They'll be looking to extend that unbeaten run in this one by winning this game which they should do due to the quality they have.
I'm going for a United win and a comfortable one because I think they'll have too much for Southampton. With the way they played against Leeds and the Southampton defence not looking very solid I can see them win this one comprehensively.
PREDICTION: 0-5
WOLVES V TOTTENHAM
Wolves played better in the second half of their defeat against Leicester as they created a lot of good chances but didn't take them. New boss Bruno Lage will be hoping that his side can carry their second half performance into this game so they can get their first points on the board for the season. It was great to see Raul Jimenez get 90 minutes under his belt in his first competitive start since his skull injury and he'll surely get another full game in this one.
Spurs were brilliant in their win over Man City in their opening game where they proved that they can cope without Harry Kane. Kane could make his first appearance of the season in this game having returned to first team training this week but it wouldn't surprise me if he wasn't involved because Nuno may want to stick with the same team that beat City.
The advantage for Spurs in this game could be having Nuno in charge as he knows a lot about Wolves having managed them for four seasons. His knowledge of the players and the teams strengths and weaknesses could give Spurs the upper hand as they have their opponents former manager in charge.
This one will be very close because Wolves will know how Nuno likes to play and Spurs with Nuno in charge will know how the Wolves players play. It will be a close tactical battle between the two sides but I can't see a winner between either of them.
PREDICTION: 1-1
ARSENAL V CHELSEA
It was same old Arsenal in their defeat to Brentford last week in that they lost to a team they really should be beating which has happened too many times within the last few seasons. They have no leaders on the pitch which we've said for many years and the Brentford game pretty much backed that up with the way they conceded the second goal.
The Gunners did the double over Chelsea last season with this fixture being the one that turned their season around. The pressure was on them going into that game like it is going into this one and they'll need to put in another performance like the one they put in on that day in order to get the result they want. With City next up for them, the Gunners face having a historically bad start.
Chelsea got off to a brilliant start with their win over Crystal Palace last weekend where they showed why they're to be taken seriously this season. They were excellent from start to finish and they'll be going into this London Derby full of confidence. Especially with their new striker set to make his return debut.
Lukaku is what Chelsea have lacked in terms of a clinical no.9 who can regularly score goals. With him in their side Chelsea are definitely looking like title contenders because a centre forward was all they needed to put themselves in the conversation for the title. After watching Arsenal against Brentford last week, he'll be licking his lips knowing that he's going to get some chances to score on his debut. I'm certainly backing him to.
I've got to go with a Chelsea win in this one because they look stronger and better than Arsenal in every department. Lukaku will hopefully make his debut and if he does I think he'll score.
PREDICTION: 0-2
MONDAY:
WEST HAM V LEICESTER
West Ham showed great character to come from behind in their win over Newcastle in their opening game which will give them plenty of confidence going into this one. Said Benrahma impressed in that one and I can see him having a good season after impressing in a full pre season. If he can produce that kind of display on a regular basis and score more goals he'll be a key player for the hammers.
The Hammers did the double over Leicester last season and they'll have the belief that they can beat them again this season. Especially after their win over Newcastle. They may not have Jesse Lingard this time round and they may not have made many signings over the summer, but I can still see the Hammers put in a similar display to the one they put in last season with the current players they have.
Leicester got their season off to a good start with their win over Wolves with Jamie Vardy still showing no signs of slowing down at 34 years of age. He still has the same sharpness and pace he's always had and I can see him have another good season for the Foxes if he carries on proving his doubters wrong.
The Foxes have been boosted by Harvey Barnes signing a new contract which is a massive bonus for them because of how important he is to them. He netted 9 league goals last season and was a big miss for the towards the end of last season as the Foxes missed out on Champions League football. They had no choice but to give him a new deal.
I'm going for a West Ham win here because I can see them put in another brilliant display like they one they put in against Newcastle and against the Foxes last season. With the character and team spirit they have I can see them shock Leicester once again.
PREDICTION: 3-1
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