SATURDAY:
MAN UNITED V EVERTON
Man United weren't fantastic in their win over Villarreal in midweek but they did get the job done which was what they came to do. They should've been out of sight in the first half with the amount of chances that Villarreal had and they would've been if it wasn't for David De Gea who kept them in the game on countless occasions.
United will be tested over the next couple of months as they have a tough run of fixtures throughout October and most of November. Their title aspirations will without a doubt be put to the test and it will also be a test for the manager whose decisions have been questioned over the last few weeks. They need to win this one so they can go into those games with confidence which I think they should do.
This will be Everton's first tough game of the season and Rafa Benitez's biggest test as manager since his appointment. The chances of his side getting something from this game look very slim as they're still without Richarlison and Dominic Calvert Lewin. You need your best players available in these kind of games so you have the best chance of getting a result. The toffees do have a good squad but without Richarlison and Calvert Lewin, they lack that cutting edge in attack.
I'm going for a United win here because Everton are without their two best attacking players in Richarlison and Calvert Lewin. The Toffees will make it difficult for United, but I think United will just edge it with a goal from Ronaldo.
PREDICTION: 1-0
BURNLEY V NORWICH
Burnley like Norwich are still without a win this season. But their performance against Leicester last weekend was encouraging and will give them confidence going into this game. They've struggled to hold on to leads this season which is something that Sean Dyche will want to address soon so his side can finally get off the mark.
The only injury concern that Burnley have going into this one is that they'll be without Maxwel Cornet who imped out of their draw with Leicester last weekend where he impressed. His absence will be a blow for the Clarets but they do have other players in their squad who can cause a threat. With that I still expect the Clarets to get something here.
I can't see much hope for Norwich following the start they've had. We may be six games in and they have had some tough fixtures to deal with but I still can't see a case for them staying up. They've lost all of their games so far and that will be difficult for them to overcome. Especially as they're a newly promoted team.
They haven't learnt from the mistakes made two seasons ago based on what we've seen so far and I can't see that changing in this game.
I've got to go with a Burnley win here because I can't see where Norwich are going to get their first win from. The Clarets will be encouraged by their performance against Leicester and I can see them carry that performance into this game.
PREDICTION: 2-0
CHELSEA V SOUTHAMPTON
Chelsea's season appears to have stalled following back to back defeats to Man City last weekend and Juventus in midweek. They looked slow and sloppy in midweek as they didn't move the ball quick enough and Thomas Tuchel will surely demand a reaction from his players.
They will be without N'Golo Kante due to him testing positive for COVID but the blues should still have enough in them to win this game.
Southampton still remain winless and one reason for that could be their lack of goals. They've only netted four times this season with al those goals coming in their first three games. They missed a lot of chances in their defeat to Wolves last Sunday and if they don't improve in that area, they could be in a relegation battle.
They've been decent defensively by being resolute and difficult to beat but if they're to start winning games, they need to start scoring goals because goals win you games.
I'm going for a Chelsea win here because I can see them put in a much better showing than the one they put in during the week. The Saints will try and frustrate them like they did to Man City a couple of weeks ago but I still think Chelsea will enough to win the game.
PREDICTION: 2-0
LEEDS V WATFORD
Leeds are still without a win this season with second season syndrome beginning to become a possibility. They'll still have enough to be safe because of the manager they have in Bielsa but the longer they go without a win, the more likely they are to suffer from it. Their performances haven't been that bad. They just need to get themselves over the line.
Watford haven't been that bad since their return to the Premier League as they currently lie in 12th which isn't bad for a newly promoted team after six games. I still think they'll go down but so far they haven't done too badly.
The Hornets have some tough fixtures coming up after the international break so they'll want to win this one so they have some confidence to take into those tough games.
I'm going for a draw in this one because I think it will be a close game but with no winner at the end of it. Leeds are without Bamford who is their main attacking threat and Watford performances at time have been indifferent.
PREDICTION: 1-1
WOLVES V NEWCASTLE
Wolves finally have talisman Raul Jimenez off the mark following his goal at Southampton last weekend which will give him plenty of confidence along with his performance. Goals have been a struggle for Wolves this season under new boss Bruno Lage and with their Mexican hit man finally off the mark it will hopefully become less of an issue.
Newcastle haven't been too bad recently but they're still without a win and the fans as always are still unhappy. They're really missing Callum Wilson like they were last season because they've had enough chances in recent games. They just haven't had a striker at the top end of the pitch to finish them off.
The last five meetings between these two sides have all ended in draws so one of them will hopefully run away victorious and end the drought.
I'm backing Wolves to end the five game drought because they have Jimenez back among the goals and Newcastle are still without their main striker in Callum Wilson. I don't think there will be much between the two sides. But I think Wolves will just about nick it.
PREDICTION: 1-0
BRIGHTON V ARSENAL
Brighton were fortunate to come away with a point against Crystal Palace on Monday night as Palac had the better opportunities on the night. It was an opportunity missed for them as a win would've taken them to the top of the table which would've given them plenty of confidence going into this one.
They'll still be feeling confident going into this one because of their strong start to the season but it will be a test for them because of the form Arsenal are in. If they can play like they have done so far this season, they have a chance of getting something.
Arsenal appear to have put their terrible start behind them following three straight wins which have moved them into the top 10.They're full of confidence following their win over Spurs last weekend and the manager is due a lot of credit for turning their fortunes around because of the scrutiny he was under a month ago.
Arsenal have never won at the AMEX with a full crowd inside with their win in this fixture last season obviously being in an empty stadium. With fans back in the grounds and Brighton having a decent home record over the years, this could be a tough one for the Gunners.
I'm going for a draw in this one because I can see both sides going for it with both defences being reasonably sound. It will be a close game, but I don't think there will be a winner.
PREDICTION: 1-1
SUNDAY:
CRYSTAL PALACE V LEICESTER
Crystal Palace will be wondering how they didn't beat Brighton on Monday night because of the amount of chances they had. They were the better side for most of the game and they will feel that they deserved the three points which they did.
The Eagles have been a more exciting team to watch this season under Patrick Vieira by being a more possession based team. This game could in fact suit them as Leicester play a similar style making the game itself more open.
Leicester have looked shaky at the back in recent games which could be a reason for their stuttering start. Jonny Evans has been a miss because he brings so much to that defence in terms of leadership and experience whilst the rest of the team looks unrecognisable to the one we know.
Jamie Vardy's in decent form which is a big plus and arguably the only positive thing coming out of them. The other attacking players need to step up in order to rescue their stuttering start.
I'm going for a Palace win here because Leicester are struggling defensively and I can see the Eagles exploit that weakness. With the pace of Wilfried Zaha on their side, I cans see them cause the Foxes backline many problems.
PREDICTION: 2-1
TOTTENHAM V ASTON VILLA
The pressure is on Spurs and Nuno going into this one after three straight defeats including a dismal display in the North London Derby last Sunday. They did not look up for it from start to finish in that one and they got what their performance deserved.
They did however get a confidence boost with a 4-1 win over NS Mura with Harry Kane scoring a hat trick. Kane's been non-existent in the Premier League this season and those goals will hopefully give him the confidence he needs to get himself off the mark in this game. Will this be the game he finally steps up?
Aston Villa will believe that they can get another win here after beating Man United at Old Trafford last Saturday. They were the better side throughout that one as they had the better chances and they'll without a doubt be looking to carry that performance into this game.
Villa have made a pretty good start to the season as they currently lie in 8th which is a good enough start for them after 6 games. Their performances of late have been promising by playing on the front foot and especially in the big games. I wouldn't be surprised if they like that in this one.
I'm going for a Spurs win here because I believe that they'll carry the confidence from their Europa League win in midweek into this one. With Harry Kane back in form, I think they'll edge this one.
PREDICTION: 2-1
WEST HAM V BRENTFORD
West Ham have looked competitive on both fronts this season in both the Premier League and in Europe. They've made a solid start to the season in terms of their league form and it's been similar in the Europa League after winning both of their opening games. I still think their squad depth could catch up with them this season but their start to the season has looked promising.
I can see Brentford being the Leeds of last season after their performance against Liverpool where they really gave them a good game. They went toe to toe with them for the whole 90 minutes and they caused them many problems like Leeds did in these kind of games last season.
They've looked like a Premier League side since they got promoted and you can see that in the performances they've put in throughout the season. They've looked competitive in pretty much every single game and I can see them being exactly that in this one.
I'm going for a Brentford win here because they've looked impressive since they've been in the Premier League and have had longer to prepare for this game. West Ham may feel a bit tired after playing in Europe during the week and because of that I think they may struggle to deal with Brentford's intensity.
PREDICTION: 0-2
LIVERPOOL V MAN CITY
Liverpool were ruthless in their Champions League win over Porto in midweek and they'll surely be feeling confident going into this game. Especially with their front three in good form which is always a massive bonus going into games like this one.
My only worry about them going into this game is that they'll be without Trent Alexander Arnold who is out with a groin injury. They do have players who can play in his position like Joe Gomez and James Milner, but they're both not as creative as Alexander Arnold is. Without that creativity from full back, the reds may struggle to create chances from wide areas.
Man City weren't that bad in their Champions League defeat to PSG in midweek but they'll still be kicking themselves because of the chances they missed. They created enough chances on the night. They just couldn't take them with Bernardo Silva's miss in the first half being their best opportunity as he had an empty net to aim at.
City's 4-1 win in this fixture last season was their first win at Anfield since 2003 with the lack of a crowd and Liverpool not having their recognised defence playing a part in the result. With fans back in a full Anfield and the reds having their best defenders available, this could be a tough one for City because Anfield is a tough place to go to and Liverpool look really solid at the back with their defence back.
This will without a doubt be a good and close game because of the attacking talent on show. But I don't think there will be a winner because I can see both teams cancel each other out and really go for it which will make it a very close contest.
PREDICTION: 1-1
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