Manchester City dominated the Premier League and finished last season with a record 100 points and many expected them to struggle to near that level of performance in this campaign. However, Pep Guardiola’s side have looked even better this time as they are yet to taste defeat in the Premier League.
They have lost just one game in all competitions this season. Their 2-2 draw against Lyon in midweek means they have qualified for the Champions League knockout round, and they have also qualified for the quarterfinals of the Carabao Cup.
Bournemouth have one of the most interesting stories about rising from the verge of administration to a Premier League side in less than 10 years.
The Dorset club reached the Premier League 4 seasons ago and they have grown from strength to strength. Eddie Howe’s side started this season brightly and even found themselves inside the top 6 at some point, but a run of successive defeats at the hands of Manchester United, Newcastle and Arsenal has brought them down the league table.
The Cherries would be going out to end their recent miserable run here, but that would be one of the hardest task ever against this Manchester City team.
Eddie Howe has built Bournemouth into one of the Premier League’s most effective sides. They have been improving every season and this may be the season that they finally make it to Europe.
The Cherries are not considered a contender for the top six, however, they have been so good this season that they sit 6th on the league table ahead of this game and lead Manchester United and Watford on goal difference.
The Cherries have suffered a dip in form over the past few weeks as they have been beaten by Manchester United and Newcastle recently. The international break should have given them enough time to plan for the visit of the Gunners here.
Arsenal ushered in a new era when they named Unai Emery as a replacement to Arsene Wenger over the summer. The Spaniard made an understandably slow start to his Arsenal career, but he has since turned things around for the Gunners as they head into this game in fine form.
The Gunners are unbeaten in their last 16 competitive fixtures, but they haven’t won 4 of their last 5 games, so they come into this game in need of a win, it would be interesting to see how they fair here.
The International break is over and Chelsea would be looking to maintain their unbeaten start to the season when they visit Wembley in this game, however, Spurs know that only a win would keep them within touching distance of their title rivals.
The hosts have been waiting to move into their new stadium since the start of the season and that could be on until next season, Nevertheless, they have managed to collect 9 wins that has placed them just 5 points off the top of the Premier League table.
They are not doing as good in the Champions League and need a win against Inter Milan next week to keep them in the competition ahead of the knockout stages, so they would most likely have an eye on that game as they take to the field here.
Chelsea can focus fully on getting all three points in this game as they have already qualified for the knockout stage of the Europa League, however, they would still face a major hurdle if they want to get all three points from this game.
Chelsea are unbeaten in all competitions since they lost to Manchester City in the Community Shield. This is a run of 18 games, 14 of which have ended in wins for them.
They were held to a goalless draw at home by Everton the last time out and that shows that Maurizio Sarri’s team is still a work in progress, but a win here would change that opinion quickly.
Chelsea have won three, drawn one, and lost two of their last six meetings with Tottenham. However, Chelsea have beaten Spurs 4 times at Wembley, which is more than any club has beaten another at the stadium
The Premier League entered matchday 12 last weekend. With the International break fast approaching, several teams looked to end with a bang but that wasn’t the case for Manchester United.
Cardiff 2 vs 1 Brighton
A late Sol Bamba goal was enough to help Cardiff City beat Brighton and earn an important win in their battle to beat the drop this season. The Welsh side can also count on a first-half red card given to Brighton as a help for themselves.
Leicester City 0 vs 0 Burnley
The former Premier League champions and Burnley played out a very boring draw in this game that brought a little on-field action. Off the field, the home side was spurred on by their fans who were looking for a good home win to banish the negativity of the death of their owner. But it never came.
Huddersfield 1 vs 1 West Ham
Huddersfield were denied a second Premier League win of the season by a late equalizer by Felipe Aderson. The Terriers had taken the lead in the 6th minute when Alex Pritchard became their first player to score a home goal in the Premier League for them this season. But they were pegged back by West Ham on the 74th minute.
Newcastle 2 vs 1 Bournemouth
Bournemouth came into this game after beating Fulham away from home on their last travel and they were expected to earn another win here, but Rafa Benitez’s men dug deep to earn all three points thanks to a brace of goals from Solomon Rondon.
Southampton 1 vs 1 Watford
The Saints were looking to grab an unlikely win in this game and have a good case after having a goal controversially ruled out for offside, but Watford played well and deserved their equalizer, although a 2-0 scoreline would have made it harder for them to have earned a point.
Crystal Palace 0 vs 1 Tottenham
Palace suffered yet another defeat as their misfiring front men continue to fail to net a goal for them. This time, the Eagles defended well and matched Spurs in terms of goal attempts, but they still fell to a Juan Foyth 66th minute goal and would look for a win after the International Break.
Liverpool 2 vs 0 Fulham
Liverpool laboured on Sunday but they still ended up winning bottom of the table Fulham. The Reds needed a response after going down 2-0 against Red Star in the Champions League in midweek, and their fans would be delighted that they have remained unbeaten after 12 games in the Premier League this season. Winless have now lost their last 5 games on the trot.
Chelsea 0 vs 0 Everton
Everton went to Stamford Bridge with a determination to end Chelsea’s unbeaten run and the Toffees almost had their way. However, the Blues stood firm and earned a draw that was probably deserved. The game was tensed, Jorginho’s tackle of Sigurdson epitomises how tough the game was.
Manchester City 3 vs 1 Manchester United
Manchester United could not take advantage of the momentum their 2-1 win over Juventus in Turin had brought them as they were beaten by their city rivals in this Manchester derby. City kept asking questions of Mourinho’s defence and they continued to struggle to cope with City’s intensity.
When Anthony Martial scored the penalty to make it 2-1 it appeared like something familiar was about to take place, but that wasn’t to be after Ilkay Gondugan came off the bench to make it 3-1 in favour of City.
Arsenal 1 vs 1 Wolverhampton Wanderers
laboured laboured for so long and were ultimately saved from a home defeat because Wolves were very wasteful. The Premier League new boys took the lead at the Emirates Stadium on the 13th minute. They defended very well from then on and had several chances to win the game late on but they kept missing them all before the Gunners scored an 86th-minute equalizer through Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
The international break means there would be no Premier League action for the next two weeks, however, we hope that Chelsea would keep their unbeaten run when we resume as they travel to Tottenham.
Manchester United would be heading to their neighbours, Manchester City with their famous comeback win last season firmly on their minds as they look to stop City’s unbeaten run.
The Red Devils come into this game in fine recovery form. They have trailed in five of their last six games in all competitions, only to come from behind to snatch victory in 3 of them. They were also close to winning from behind at Chelsea before a last-gap Ross Barkley leveller for the Blues.
The Red Devils would be inspired to repeat their last season heroics by the 2-1 win over Juventus in midweek but they should expect a tougher test here.
Manchester City are not just leading the Premier League table by points, they lead on goals as well. As a matter of fact, Pep Guardiola’s men have scored 6 goals each in their last two home games, and they square up against a Manchester United defence that has conceded 18 league goals already this season.
Manchester City know that anything short of winning this game would see their title rivals catch up with them, while Manchester United would also want to avoid opening a bigger points gap between them and their fellow title challengers.
None of the last six Manchester derbies in the Premier League has ended in a home victory, four of them won by the away team with two 0-0 draws
These two teams come into this game hurting for various reasons. Liverpool were beaten 2-0 by Red Star Belgrade in their Champions League game in midweek, it was a shocking performance that deserves a response. Fulham, on the other hand, suffered yet another loss on Monday against Huddersfield that effectively sent them to the bottom of the Premier League table.
Liverpool have maintained an unbeaten start to the Premier League season but draws against Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City have left them trailing both Manchester City and Chelsea, the former by two points, the latter on goal difference.
They have generally been good at home so far, winning all but one home league game (against Manchester City). The likes of Mohamed Salah have begun to find their scoring boot and they should help the Reds take Fulham apart in this game.
Fulham’s manager Slavisa Jokanovic is on the verge of getting sacked after their poor start to the season. His teams usually get better as the season progresses, but we all know that it can be difficult to recover from an early slump in the Premier League.
The Cottagers come into this game on the back of four straight losses and they have conceded the most goal in the Premier League this season. They also have an awful record when they play Liverpool.
They have lost all of their last 4 games against Liverpool and managed to score just once in their last 8 visits to Anfield.
Arsenal are beginning to show signs of moving on from the mediocre days of Arsene Wenger under Unai Emery. The Gunners’ 2-1 win over Blackpool in midweek was the 13th consecutive time they have played a game without losing, and 12 of those matches have ended in wins for them.
Their Premier League winning run came to an end last weekend against Crystal Palace and many think that the bubble has burst for them, but that could be far from reality. The Gunners have only kept 4 clean sheets in 15 competitive games this season, and they have conceded 13 goals in 10 league games already, it would a tough day for them against this rampaging Liverpool side.
Liverpool come into this game in the second position only on goal difference as they look to win the Premier League this season. They beat Cardiff City 4-1 last weekend, the second time they had scored 4 goals in less than a week. The Reds had no midweek engagement, so they would be coming into this game fresher than their hosts.
Liverpool have won 8 of their 10 league games this season, including 4 wins in 5 away games, so they would be pretty confident that they can continue their fine run of form against the Gunners here.
Liverpool have won three and drawn three of their last six meetings with Arsenal, last losing to them in April 2015 at the Emirates.
Bournemouth is a team on the up and at times it feels like it is only a matter of time before Eddie Howe’s side would start challenging for the top four. The Cherries continued their solid start to the season by beating Fulham 3-0 away last weekend. That result meant that they come into this game in 6th position on the league table and just 6 points adrift of leaders Manchester City.
They have lost just 2 of the 13 competitive games that they have played this season. Their 2-1 win over Norwich in the Carabao Cup in midweek was the 5th time they have won in their last 6 competitive games, so they come into this game very much in form.
Manchester United, on the other hand, are struggling to keep pace with their top four rivals this season. Jose Mourinho’s men have only won 2 of their last 8 competitive games. This run of form has seen them get eliminated from the Carabao Cup and also have their Champions League group stage qualification in jeopardy.
The Red Devils’ defence seems to be their Achilles heel at the moment as they have conceded 17 goals from their 10 Premier League games this season. They have also won just twice away from home and have conceded 9 goals in their last 5 matches.
Liverpool set the bar so high with their high energy attacking football last season and several fans and observers were expecting them to build on that this season, but it hasn’t been the same story, at least not yet. However, what they lack in sharp attacking football they have been making up for it with solid defensive displays.
The Reds beat Red Star Belgrade 4-0 in midweek to keep themselves in the running for the Champions League next round. They have now won their last two games after a tough run of games that saw them fail to win any of four games, although those were fixtures against the likes of Napoli, Chelsea (twice), and Manchester City.
Liverpool have won 7 of their 9 league games this season and they have only dropped points against Manchester City and Chelsea who are fellow title contenders. They have impressively conceded just 3 goals in the league so far and many would think that their new-found defensive stability might just help them win a trophy this season.
Cardiff City received a confidence booster last weekend as they secured their first win of the season after beating fellow newly promoted side, Fulham 4-2. However, this game would be a different ball game for the Welsh side who had lost 5 league games on the trot prior to last weekend’s win.
To make matters worse, they have not scored a goal in 3 of their last 4 away days in the Premier League and they face a Liverpool team that hasn’t conceded a goal at home in the league since February.
The Premier League returns after a long boring week of international football, and these two Premier League heavyweights would be serving us a cracker as the first game of the weekend.
Chelsea have started the reign of Maurizio Sarri on a high note and perhaps even more positive than most of us expected. The Blues come into this game unbeaten in all competition under the former Napoli manager, and they have played 11 competitive fixtures already.
They have played Liverpool twice already this season and almost ran away with a win when the Reds visited them in the league. They are currently joint top of the Premier League table alongside fellow unbeaten sides, Liverpool and Manchester City, and failing to win this game would see them fall off the pace with their rivals.
Eden Hazard has already scored 7 Premier League goals and provided 3 assists, he could be the difference yet again in this match.
Manchester United are currently on crisis mode even though the club is trying its best to keep things calm. This game is another game that Jose Mourinho would need to get a result from if he wants to keep his job and all eyes would be on his players to see if they still have the desire to play for him.
Manchester United have lost away to both Brighton and West Ham, managing to concede 3 times in both of those games. Add to that the fact that Jose Mourinho has lost in 4 of his last 5 away games against sides he’s formerly managed and it’s not looking like a good afternoon for the visitors.
Chelsea have won four and lost two of their last six competitive meetings with Manchester United, but at Stamford Bridge they have proven almost unbeatable against the Red Devils. They have lost just one of their last 16 home Premier League games against them, winning ten times. No other side have beaten Manchester United more times than Chelsea, and they haven’t won at Stamford Bridge since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement five years ago.
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