Matchday Eight of the Premier League – Preview and Tips

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Last weekend saw Liverpool’s 100% winning record ended as the Reds travelled to Stamford Bridge and came away with a 1-1 draw. Eden Hazard opened the scoring for Chelsea, but a late Daniel Sturridge screamer from 30 yards handed Liverpool a point which preserves an unbeaten record for both sides heading into Matchday Eight.

The other unbeaten side in the Premier League is Manchester City and they moved to the top of the table above Liverpool on goal difference, following their 2-0 victory over Brighton at the weekend.  It promises to be an exciting weekend in Liverpool coming up as the top two will now clash at Anfield on Sunday in what should be one of the games of the season.

At the foot of the table there were great wins for West Ham United (3-1 over Manchester United) and Burnley (2-1 over Cardiff City) which eased their relegation concerns considerably, however that leaves Cardiff City, Newcastle United and Huddersfield Town as the three teams in the Premier League still searching for their first win of the season.

Outlined below are the full set of results from Matchday Seven, complete with the league table as it stands after all the games across the weekend.

Premier League Results – Matchday Seven

• West Ham 3-1 Manchester United
• Huddersfield 0-2 Tottenham
• Arsenal 2-0 Watford
• Wolves 2-0 Southampton
• Newcastle 0-2 Leicester City
• Man City 2-0 Brighton
• Everton 3-0 Fulham
• Chelsea 1-1 Liverpool
• Cardiff City 1-2 Burnley
• Bournemouth 2-1 Crystal Palace

Premier League Table (as of Tue 2^nd Oct)

Leading Goalscorers

• 6 Goals – Eden Hazard (Chelsea)
• 5 Goals – Aleksandar Mitrovic (Fulham), Harry Kane (Spurs), Sergio Aguero (Man City)
• 4 Goals – Glenn Murray (Brighton), Marko Arnautovic (West Ham), Raheem Sterling (Man City), Romelu Lukaku (Man Utd), Sadio Mane (Liverpool)

Premier League Matchday 8 Preview and Tips

Liverpool’s extremely difficult run of games comes to a head this Saturday with Jurgen Klopp’s men taking on Champions Manchester City at Anfield in what should be one of the biggest games of the season. With two unbeaten and almost identical records on the line, this should be a massive clash between two of the top teams so far this season in the Premier League. Other big games include Watford’s clash with in-form Bournemouth, Fulham taking on Arsenal and Manchester United’s clash with Newcastle at Old Trafford.

Outlined below are my selections for each of the ten Premier League games scheduled this weekend, with the first game, Brighton v West Ham, taking place on Friday evening.

• Brighton v West Ham United – Draw

This is an important game for Brighton, whose home form this season is generally good. The Seagulls have dropped down the table in recent weeks and they now face a West Ham side unbeaten in their last four and having drawn with Chelsea and beaten Manchester United in their last two games. Manuel Pellegrini does seem to be getting the best from his players now and while I can’t see the Hammers being beaten here, I think the home side will do enough to scrape a draw.

• Burnley v Huddersfield Town – Home Win

Burnley’s fortunes have turned around hugely in the last two weeks with very good wins over Bournemouth and Cardiff which have moved them up to the relative safety of 12^th place. I expect them to continue that much improved form here against a Huddersfield Town side that are winless in the Premier League this season and who are struggling both to score goals and to stop conceding them at the other end.

• Crystal Palace v Wolves – Draw

Only Man City, Liverpool and Chelsea have lost fewer games than Wolves this season, and I can see Nuno Santo’s team avouiding defeat here against a Palace team that will be wanting to bounce back after giving away a needless penalty late on against Bournemouth that led to a 2-1 defeat on Monday. That’s going to be tough though against a very well organised Wolves side and as such, I think a 1-1 draw is the most likely outcome.

• Watford v Bournemouth – Draw

These two teams are 6^th and 7^th in the Premier League so far and have been the surprise teams of the season so far. Both have 13 points and a very similar record. In their last few games though, Watford have been guilty of missing some gilt-edged chances and I can see that being a problem against a Bournemouth side playing with great confidence. This could go any way, but I think the most likely outcome is going to be a score draw.

• Leicester City v Everton – Home Win

Both these sides got back to winning ways last week, Leicester at Newcastle and Everton at home to Fulham but I think the Foxes have the advantage here. Games between these teams in the past few years have tended to favour the home side and I can see that happening once again here as Everton’s somewhat porous back line will be sorely tested by Leicester’s pacey attack.  This will be close, but I am backing Leicester to just about grab the win.

• Tottenham v Cardiff City – Home Win

Cardiff will have been hugely disappointed to lose at home to Burnley last weekend, and their task this weekend is so much harder away to Spurs. Mauricio Pochettino’s men have hit better form after three straight defeats and they have moved back into the top four. I expect Spurs to dominate this game from start to finish, especially if Christian Eriksen is fit, and if he is, I can see this one finishing in a big win for the home side.

• Manchester United v Newcastle United – Home Win

Neither of these teams have great form domestically heading into this game, but Newcastle’s situation is far more worrying than United’s. Jose Mourinho may have his issues at Old Trafford, but he still has a packed squad of quality, whereas Newcastle’s lacks any confidence, cohesiveness or quality at the moment. Rafa will try to set up the visitors to hit on the counter but I think in the end, this will simply end in a straightforward home win for the Red Devils.

• Fulham v Arsenal – Away Win

Fulham are conceding goals at the rate of more than two per game and that is incompatible with remaining in the Premier League beyond this season. Their problem is they face an Arsenal attack that is firing nicely at the moment with Ozil, Aubameyang and Lacazette looking very dangerous when the Gunners attack. Defensively Arsenal look susceptible at times, which means I can see Fulham scoring here, but I think Arsenal will still run away with a comfortable win.

• Southampton v Chelsea – Away Win

Mark Hughes will face one of his former clubs as Southampton try to end Chelsea’s unbeaten record at St Mary’s. I can’t see the Saints getting too much from this one with Eden Hazard in the form he is in and Chelsea looking a real title prospect under Maurizio Sarri. Southampton can make a game of it, but in the end I think Chelsea will end up taking a comfortable three points back with them to London.

• Liverpool v Manchester City – Home Win

The game of the weekend and perhaps of the season, as the top two clash at Anfield. Last season this finished in a 4-3 thriller and there’s no reason why the same cannot happen again between two attacking teams. The key for me here is defence and I think Liverpool’s is slightly the better. If Liverpool can get their attack firing for this one, I believe they can continue City’s miserable record at Anfield and pick up a massive three points here.