Gameweek 1 Predictions
The 2017/18 Premier
League campaign kicks off tonight!
The teams are
ready to put in a fierce challenge to reach their ambitions for the season. The
fans will be behind the players to perform which will anticipate another
interesting season.
Clubs are
gunning for the title and want to improve on the position they finished last
season. Whereas, for the newcomers they will have only one thing in mind, don’t
get relegated.
Gameweek 1 will
feature 3 Matchdays; starting with a Friday night fixture and concluding on
Sunday.
Matchday 1 –
Friday
Arsenal saw
off Chelsea to win the 2017 Community Shield. They put in a stellar performance
and would want to replicate the same when they face former PL Champions
Leicester City.
Their new signings
Alexandre Lacazette and Sead Kolasinac are set to grace the Premier League
stages. Alexis Sanchez will miss out due to injury with contract negotiations still
ongoing.
Leicester City
had their fairy tale season see an abrupt end last year and eventually finished
12th. Their most notable addition comes from Manchester; young
talented striker Kelechi Ihenacho who could strike up a fierce partnership with
Jamie Vardy.
Prediction:
Arsenal (2-0) Leicester
Time: 19:45 BST
Key Moment: Lacazette to
score on his PL debut
Matchday 2 – Saturday 12th August 2017
Watford having barely escaped
relegation last season awaits a new chapter this year under new manager Marco
Silva. Their first challenge is a tough one against giants Liverpool.
Watford has bought well this transfer window,
recently smashing their club transfer record for Andre Gray. Captain Troy
Deeney will miss the match but they have an improving squad this season and have
beaten Liverpool in the PL two seasons ago.
Liverpool are title challengers this
season, no doubt. They would want to kick start their campaign with a win. They
have invested well this season by bringing in speedster Mohamed Salah and most
importantly keeping their star attackers. If Watford can exploit one area, it
would be Liverpool’s defense.
Prediction: Watford (2-2) Liverpool
Time: 12:30 (BST)
Key Moment: Andre Gray to score or assist on his debut.
Current Premier League champions
Chelsea kick start their title defense with a visit from Burnley. Chelsea were
by far the best team last season with their tactics, defense and attack and
would want a similar start this season.
They too broke their transfer record
by signing Spanish hit man Alvaro Morata. He had a disappointing debut in the
Community shield and it’s doubtful that he starts the game. Chelsea has injury concerns for their main
attacker Eden Hazard and forward Diego Costa won’t play again for the club.
Burnley have strengthened defensively
this season They have lost their striker Andre Gray to Watford and will find it
difficult to come out with a positive result.
Prediction: Chelsea (2-0) Burnley
Time: 15:00 (BST)
Key Moment: Michy Batshuayi on the score sheet
It’s the first fixture for one of the newly
promoted teams in the PL. Huddersfield Town, the Championship play-off winners travel
to face a tough opposition in Crystal Palace.
Huddersfield has made a number of additions to
their squad but most of the players lack PL experience. Also, it would be
difficult for them to come out with a positive result in their first week.
Crystal Palace managed to beat the drop last
season. Their new manager Frank De Boer has had a fantastic pre-season and
looks to guide the club to a better finish this season.
Prediction: Crystal Palace (2-0) Huddersfield
Town
Time: 15:00 (BST)
Everton have had a very fruitful market this
season. They have re-signed former player, the legendary Wayne Rooney, have strengthened
in defense with the arrival of Jordan Pickford and Michael Keane and the Dutch
creative midfielder Davy Klassen.
They now look set to begin their new league
campaign with a visit from Stoke City. With such a star studded squad Everton
would want to put in a challenge for the top four this season.
Stoke City finished a disappointing 13th
last season and have now lost their main winger Marko Arnautovic. They have a
small squad and may strengthen before the end of this month but will find it
difficult to come away even with a point this week.
Prediction: Everton (1-0) Stoke City
Time: 15:00 (BST)
Southampton and Swansea, two teams who managed
to achieve their minimum ambitions last season now look forward to yet another
new season in the PL.
Southampton finished 8th and were EFL
Cup finalists last season sacked their manager. New manager Mauricio Pellegrino,
a bright young manager had a fantastic pre season. However, with signings, no
real quality names have arrived but it could change come the end of the month.
Swansea manager Paul Clement managed to keep the
team up last season. In his first full PL season, he would not want to be in a
similar situation. The club has bought well but their star midfielder Gylfi
Sigurdsson looks set to leave the club.
Prediction: Southampton (3-1) Swansea City
Time: 15:00
Key Moment: Gabbiadini to score
West Brom looked to finish 8th but
ended up 10th last season, disappointing for their club and the
manager. This time out WBA begin their season with a tricky fixture against
Bournemouth.
WBA transfer news includes a new striker in Jay
Rodriguez. If he gets going, he can really guide the club’s attack to the next
level. However, they have defensive problems which could be exploited by their
opponents.
Bournemouth has secured experience with Jermain
Defoe in attack but he will miss the game. They have strengthened in defense
with Begovic and Ake ad look set to improve on their impressive 9th
place finish last season.
Prediction: West Brom (1-3) Bournemouth
Time: 15:00
Key Moment: Joshua King to score
Last year’s Championship runners up Brighton
will grace the PL this year but start off with the toughest fixture of the
week, a visit from free spending Manchester City.
Brighton are starting to make good signings who
can compete at the highest level but they all lack PL experience. The game
against City will be tough to overcome but they have Home field advantage and
the place will be bouncing.
Man City, the PL biggest spenders this season have
bought in quality and have got rid of all their fringe players. They are title
contenders this season and would want to kick off their campaign with a win.
Prediction: Brighton (0-3) Man City
Time: 17:30 (BST)
Key Moment: 2 Goals scored by Gabriel Jesus
Matchday 3 – Sunday 13th August 2017
Newcastle United is back in the PL after one season in the Championship. The club looks a rejuvenated side under their manager and the players have decent PL experience. Their first fixture is a tough one, against last season’s PL runners up Tottenham.
Newcastle haven’t signed too many players but
they have a balanced squad with two quality players in every position. Though
Newcastle will find it difficult to win the game, they fans will be bouncing
and remember their 5-1 win against Spurs two seasons ago.
Spurs haven’t bought in any player this transfer
window yet which is very surprising. Also, they have injury concerns in a
number of positions but may edge the game and begin their title challenge.
Prediction: Newcastle (2-3) Spurs
Time: 13:30 (BST)
Key Moment: Harry Kane to score a brace
The final game of the week comes from Old Trafford,
a classic encounter between Manchester United and West Ham.
Man Utd are the 2nd biggest spenders
in England this season and have bought well, an experienced goal scorer Romelu
Lukaku and a defensive rock in midfield Nemanja Matic. They will definitely
challenge for the title this season and would want to kick start with a win.
West Ham have also been busy in the transfer
market, with the most notable addition, ex-Man Utd striker Chicharito who will
feature against his former club in his return to the PL. They have also brought
in experience with Hart, Zabaleta and Arnautovic, so it won’t be easy for
United.
Prediction: Man Utd (2-0) West Ham United
Time: 16:00 (BST)
Key Moment: Romelu Lukaku to score on his debut
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