Tottenham v Chelsea
Kickoff: 10.45pm Saturday October 20th at White Hart Lane
In arguably the match of the weekend, Chelsea travels to White Hart Lane for a London derby of extreme importance.
Spurs are in good form, and go into this match off the back of four straight Premier League victories. The most crucial of which was a win away from home at Manchester United, which they then consolidated with the three points against Aston Villa.
Chelsea is one of just two unbeaten sides after seven games in this Premier League season. They also recorded a decisive victory a few games back when they defeated Arsenal away from home, and also consolidated that result with a comfortable victory against Norwich a week later.
Both sides are in red-hot form. I think Chelsea shade Spurs for quality across the park, but at White Hart Lane the two Londoners should share the points.
Tottenham 1-1 Chelsea
Fulham v Aston Villa
Kickoff: 1.00am Sunday October 21st at Craven Cottage
Fulham can be pleased with their start to the season, although a late defeat against Manchester City has since stunted their form a little bit. They drew 2-2 with Southampton in a gripping match on the last matchday, and will hope to recover with a win against Aston Villa this time around.
Villa’s 0-2 defeat at Tottenham saw them slump to 16th on the Premier League table, just a couple of points outside the relegation zone. New signing Christian Benteke scored on international duty midweek, so Paul Lambert will be hoping he can translate that form to the league this weekend.
Aston Villa needs to revive their season before they’re caught in a relegation battle, however I can see Fulham being too good this weekend.
Fulham 2-1 Aston Villa
Liverpool v Reading
Kickoff: 1.00am Sunday October 21st at Anfield
Liverpool’s fluctuating form has seen them drop to 14th on the table. After a convincing win over Norwich, they were denied by a resilient Stoke on the last matchday. Brendan Rodgers is still waiting for his first Premier League victory at Anfield, and should be expecting it this weekend.
Reading came close to their first victory in their return to the top flight in week seven of the Premier League. They went two-nil ahead away to Swansea, however couldn’t survive a late fight back and had to settle with a point. Brian McDermott would have taken positives from the match, and will be hoping to go one better this weekend.
Liverpool is due for a win, and should be expecting to kick start their season this weekend.
Liverpool 3-1 Reading
Manchester United v Stoke
Kickoff: 1.00am Sunday October 21st at Old Trafford
If any Manchester United fans panicked following their 2-3 loss to Tottenham, they need not have worried. They were quickly back on the winners list, destroying Newcastle at St James’ Park. They killed the game off early, before holding their advantage throughout the 90 minutes to record an impressive victory.
Stoke was gritty and robust as they held Liverpool to a scoreless draw on the last matchday. Tony Pulis is renowned for his ability to structure impenetrable defences, and he’ll be hoping to again come up with a formula that can hold firm against a quality opposition.
Stoke will no doubt attempt to hold out for a goalless draw, however Manchester United should have enough quality to find the back of the net.
Manchester United 1-0 Stoke
Swansea v Wigan
Kickoff: 1.00am Sunday October 21st at the Liberty Stadium
Swansea finds themselves in a form slump that has seen them pick up just two points from their last five matches. It could have been worse, had they not scored two late goals in a come-from-behind 2-2 draw with Reading last time out. Michael Laudrup had such a fine start to his managerial career in Wales, and must quickly rediscover that type of form.
Wigan was close to holding off Everton on the last matchday, before conceding a late penalty in the 2-2 draw. Roberto Martinez still would have found plenty of positives to come from the performance, and will be looking to build on an indifferent start to the season.
Swansea will be in dire straights if they lose this match. That should be enough motivation for them to gain a much-needed victory in front of their home fans.
Swansea 2-1 Wigan
West Bromwich Albion v Manchester City
Kickoff: 1.00am Sunday October 21st at the Hawthorns
West Brom continued their brilliant start to the season with a comfortable victory over QPR last matchday. Steve Clarke would be elated in his first spell in senior management, however faces his most difficult test this weekend.
Manchester City may have started slowly, however it says something about their quality that they’re still undefeated so far this season. They were fantastic against Sunderland last matchday, with Aleksandar Kolarov putting in a fantastic shift at left back.
West Brom will be hard to break down, but Manchester City should come up with the goods in a tight contest.
West Bromwich Albion 1-2 Manchester City
West Ham v Southampton
Kickoff: 1.00am Sunday October 21st at Upton Park
The Hammers will be disappointed at blowing a first half lead against Arsenal last matchday. They capitulated late in the game, unable to hold off the Gunners’ willingness to attack. Still, there are positives for Sam Allardyce. They still sit in eighth on the table and have a very winnable match this weekend.
Southampton may have lost five of their opening six matches this Premier League season, however their form could be read as quite deceiving. Jose Fonte rescued a point with a stoppage time goal against Fulham last matchday, however the problem remains in their defence. They’ve conceded 20 goals in seven games, the most out of any side in the league. They’re also still yet to keep a clean sheet.
I can’t see Southampton’s defensive problems getting any better this weekend. West Ham should gain a comfortable victory.
West Ham 2-1 Southampton
Norwich v Arsenal
Kickoff: 3.30am Sunday October 21st at Carrow Road
Norwich is really struggling, and their run of tough games doesn’t get any easier this weekend. They’ve copped heavy defeats to Liverpool and Chelsea in their past two matches, and face an in-form Arsenal side this weekend. I can’t see any positives coming their way this weekend. They could be in for a long afternoon.
Arsenal responded brilliantly to a loss against Chelsea, defeating London rivals West Ham on the last matchday. The Chelsea defeat remains the only blip in a fine start to the season for Arsene Wenger’s men. Meanwhile Jack Wilshere has returned to training, and will only strengthen an already healthy midfield.
Arsenal could really put Norwich to the sword this weekend with a huge victory.
Norwich 0-3 Arsenal
Sunderland v Newcastle
Kickoff: 11.30pm Sunday October 21st at the Stadium of Light
The Tyne-Wear derby is upon us again, and it promises to be another fascinating and feisty encounter.
Sunderland never looked like troubling Manchester City on the last matchday, however they always prepare themselves well for matches against Newcastle. Steven Fletcher, for the first time in a Sunderland shirt, failed to find the back of the net against City, but will be hoping to inflict pain on the Black Cats’ fiercest rivals.
Newcastle was also punished on the last matchday, going down 0-3 to a clinical Manchester United side. The Magpies sit in 10th on the table, and you can’t imagine that would please Alan Pardew. He would have been hoping to go one step further from their last campaign and make the Champions League this season, however that doesn’t look like happening at the moment.
Local derbies are always tight, tense and pretty cagey. I can’t see this being any different, with a draw the likely result.
Sunderland 1-1 Newcastle
QPR v Everton
Kickoff: 2.00am Monday October 22nd at Loftus Road
QPR is languishing on the bottom of the table, and Mark Hughes could pay for a poor run of form with his job. Speculation is mounting on Hughes’ future, so it’s obvious to say he needs results, and fast. His signings haven’t had anywhere near the sort of effect he’d have hoped, and performances on the pitch are suffering because of that.
Meanwhile their opposition, Everton, is sitting comfortably in the top four and would be licking their lips over this encounter. They’re in stark contrast to QPR, as all of David Moyes’ signings have paid off, and as a result they’re producing some quality performances. Still, they must warn off a bit of complacency this weekend, as QPR are due for a win.
QPR will come out all guns blazing, so Everton must be wary. If the Toffees can hold off an early onslaught, they should do enough to get the points.
QPR 1-2 Everton
Riley Beveridge is a first-year Bachelor of Sports Journalism student at La Trobe University. You can follow his Premier League views at his Twitter account: @RileyBev.
