As Week 7 of the Premier League approaches, the Manchester clubs remain at the top while the others struggle — what will this week’s action bring?
This weekend’s Premier League matches see Manchester United looking to make it three wins in a row, and Liverpool aiming to end a five-match winless run. I suss out the odds.
Tottenham Hotspur VS Manchester City
The match of this weekend’s round of fixtures is an early kick-off on Saturday night, with title favourite Manchester City seeking to bounce back from a shock 2-1 home defeat to West Ham in the last match.
Facing another London club, on the road, will provide a stern test for Manuel Pellegrini’s men who saw new boy Kevin De Bruyne score his first Premier League goal in last weekend’s defeat to the Hammers.
Spurs rode their luck against Crystal Palace before coming up with a late winner for the second week in a row. Korean winger Son Heung-min is certainly finding his feet quickly after last month’s move from Bayer Leverkusen, having scored the only goal.
Son’s immediate impact is timely for Tottenham, given that Harry Kane has yet to find last season’s scoring touch. Meanwhile, City’s hopes of getting three points at White Hart Lane could hinge on whether key creator David Silva is fit.
Prediction: Tottenham 2-2 Manchester City
Liverpool VS Aston Villa
Club stalwart Jamie Carragher came to the support of manager Brendan Rodgers in the wake of Liverpool’s run of five matches in all competitions without victory.
While Danny Ings’ goal against Norwich brightened the mood at Anfield, the fact that the Reds weren’t able to seal the game against a team in the bottom half underlined the inadequacies of the 2015-2016 squad.
Given that Liverpool has away games at Chelsea, Everton and Tottenham in October, the team simply must win its home matches early in the season.
Aston Villa has made a predictably shaky start to the season, with four defeats in the first six matches. This will be the day when the Reds get all three points.
Prediction: Liverpool 2-0 Aston Villa
Manchester United VS Sunderland
Anthony Martial may not turn out to be the new Thierry Henry but the teenage striker is proving to be a much better Old Trafford acquisition than last season’s flops, Radamel Falcao and Angel Di Maria. The 19-year-old Frenchman has the instincts of a natural finisher and has done so well that fans didn’t seem to miss the injured Wayne Rooney as much as they might have.
Manchester United has made a solid start to the season and would be delighted that Manchester City’s defeat means that the red part of the city is only two points behind the blue part at the top of the table.
Sunderland manager Dick Advocaat said that the Black Cats should feel “ashamed” by their miserable start to the season that leaves them rooted at the bottom, with only 2 points from six games. This match is likely to be a one-sided affair.
Prediction: Manchester Utd 4-0 Sunderland
Leicester City vS Arsenal
It couldn’t have gone much worse for Arsenal in the London derby at Chelsea.
The team was reduced to nine men as the Blues’ Diego Costa acted like a big bully — without any repercussion.
The Foxes of Leicester, on the other hand, showed tremendous spirit to claw their way back for a point at Stoke City, after the Potters had raced to a 2-0 lead.
This is a tricky test for Arsene Wenger’s side. But, given that the Foxes like to play free-flowing football, it could actually suit the attack-minded Gunners, who should return to the winners’ list.
Prediction: Leicester 1-3 Arsenal
Newcastle United vS Chelsea
The way that Chelsea has been playing this season means that the Blues are only one defeat away from crisis. Losing three of the first six games is not the form of a champion and the win against the Gunners — arguably with some assistance from the referee — only partially restored confidence.
Despite Newcastle’s fourth defeat in six games under Steve McClaren, as the Magpies lost 2-1 at home to Watford last weekend, they have shown some encouraging signs.
They will be expected to push the Blues at St James’ Park but to ultimately fall short against the pragmatism of Jose Mourinho.
Prediction: Newcastle 1-2 Chelsea
By Jason Dasey
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About Jason Dasey
Jason Dasey is Senior Editor for ESPN FC in Singapore, Southeast Asia’s No. 1 football website.[/su_note]
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