Matchday 11
Will Super-Sunday finally live up to its name? This weekend sees two of the biggest games of the season take place back-to-back on Sunday afternoon. Here’s my preview of Matchday 11 of the Premier League season:
The weekend kicks off at Bet365 stadium (formerly known as Britannia) with Stoke City hosting Leicester. There is a lot of unknown about Leicester at the moment, with new manager Claude Puel getting off to the perfect start last weekend with an impressive 2-0 win at home to Everton. Puel will want to make it two from two, however standing in his and his team’s way is Stoke, who also recorded an impressive away victory last week, defeating Watford 1-0. I feel that this will be a tight affair, I’m going for a score draw.
Prediction: 1-1
The 3p.m. kick-offs don’t scream excitement, however they are sure to shape the mid to lower half of the table early in the season. Newcastle host Bournemouth in what neutral’s will see as the most enticing game of the afternoon. There is always one thing promised when Bournemouth play… goals. Their attacking, ball-playing game style is great to watch when they play well, however it often leads to them being caught at the back. Newcastle are coming off the back of a disappointing 1-0 loss to Burnley on Monday night and will be looking to make amends, and I think they will.
Prediction: 2-1
Another of the afternoon games sees Brighton travel across to Wales to face Swansea. Brighton have been impressive in the last month after their relatively slow start to the season. New goalkeeper Mat Ryan has been very impressive after a shaky start, and striker Glenn Murray is among the goals. Despite their good form there is still a relative amount of unknown surrounding Brighton. Swansea on the other hand are in desperate need of a win, with Manager Paul Clement claiming his side deserved more in last weekend’s loss to Arsenal. Combining Swansea’s need for a win and Brighton’s good form I can see an unexpectedly entertaining game unfolding at the Liberty Stadium. I’ll go for another score draw.
Prediction: 1-1
Southampton host high-flying Burnley in a game that sees the hosts searching for a second win in three games. Southampton have found a small bit of form in the last 2 games, taking 4 points out of games against West Brom and Brighton. Manager Mauricio Pellegrino will be looking to make it 4 games unbeaten when his side host Burnley. The Clarets have been impressive this season with their away form catching the eye of many (losing just 1 of their first 5 away games). Despite this good form, I feel that Southampton’s home advantage will be too much.
Prediction: 2-0
The last 3p.m. kick-off sees another Australian in action, with Aaron Mooy’s Huddersfield taking on West Bromwich Albion. Huddersfield are coming off the back of a disappointing 3-0 loss at Anfield last weekend and will be looking to avoid back-to-back losses after their shock victory over Manchester United. West Brom were gallant in defeat against Man City last week, however the Baggies haven’t won a game since Matchday 2. Tony Pulis and his men will be desperate for a victory but unfortunately for them I can’t see it coming this weekend.
Prediction: 2-2
The evening game on Saturday promises to be one that keeps spectators guessing. When Liverpool go to West Ham, they will be hoping to record their first away victory since Matchday 6. The pressure has been firmly on Jurgen Klopp’s men, however 2 wins in the space of a week has eased it somewhat.
West Ham are another team absolutely desperate for a win in the Premier League. They let a 2-0 lead slip last week against Crystal Palace with goalkeeper Joe Hart visibly upset after the game. There is a lot of unknown about this game, with neither side in great form. I’m going for Liverpool to get back-to-back Premier League wins and pile more pressure on to Slaven Bilic.
Prediction: 1-3
The first of the Sunday games serves as an entree to what is going to be an awesome Super Sunday. Crystal Palace travel to London to face Tottenham in a game that sees the home side going in off the back of one their most famous victories in the club’s history, defeating Real Madrid 3-1. Tottenham will be without Hugo Lloris and Toby Alderweireld however they have ready replacements with Michel Vorm and Davinson Sanchez/Eric Dier able to slot in to the back 3. Crystal Palace came back from 2-0 down to draw against West Ham last week, however they’ve only won one game all season. Despite Tottenham’s outs I can only see one result from this game.
Prediction: 3-0
The first of the big games this weekend promises plenty of attacking flair. Manchester City host Arsenal, two of the most exciting teams to watch in the Premier League. The difference between the two sides is the fact that Manchester City perform every week, Arsenal on the other hand only turn it on when it’s convenient for them. There are question marks over Arsenal’s big game ability, with Mesut Ozil the target for criticism when it comes to big games. Manchester City have been scary this season, scoring goals for fun. If any side could match Manchester City’s free flowing, attacking football it would be Arsenal, however based on the evidence of the last few seasons Arsenal don’t seem to produce in the biggest of games. With both sides attacking power there will be plenty of goals in this one, however Manchester City’s front line of Jesus, Aguero, Sane and Sterling, along with De Bruyne and Silva are just too good to go past.
Prediction: 4-2
There are two games kicking off at 4:30p.m. with the struggling Everton playing host to Watford. Everton are absolutely desperate for a win, with caretaker manager David Unsworth losing his first 2 games in charge. Watford have also hit a form slump after their impressive start to the season. Brazilian forward Richarlison has been a revelation for Watford this season, however his finishing has come under fire in recent weeks, missing several huge chances against both Chelsea and Stoke. With Everton absolutely desperate for a win and Watford’s attacking threat I can see this one being an end-to-end affair. I think both teams will score, but Everton simply can not afford to lose.
Prediction: 2-1
The final game of the weekend, and another of the most exciting of the season sees the defending champions Chelsea host Manchester United. United’s brilliant start to the season has somewhat halted in the last couple of weeks, however last week’s victory against Tottenham proved the doubters wrong. Something that could be concerning for United is Romelu Lukaku’s form. He hasn’t scored in 3 Premier League games and is notorious for disappearing in big games. This could be the perfect chance for him to write a few wrongs against the team that let him go in 2014. Chelsea are an interesting prospect at the moment, despite two wins in a row (in the Premier League) there is just something about them that isn’t convincing. Nemanja Matic will return to Stamford Bridge for the first time since he left for Manchester United. Could he come back to make the difference? Jose Mourinho’s defensive approach in big away games has been criticised recently, but I can’t imagine Jose caring too much what others think. Purely based on the fact that this game is at Stamford Bridge I think Chelsea will edge it and United will continue their poor form at the Bridge.
Prediction: 2-1
EPL from the Outside 