Premier League GW 7 - Preview, Predictions & Team news

The Big game is Manchester City's visit to Chelsea

Spurs kick things off with a visit to Huddersfield Town

Man United welcome win-less & goal-less Crystal Palace

Watford defended their 100 percent away record at West Brom

Arsenal welcome Brighton at The Emirates

Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez faces his former side Liverpool 

With mid-week European action for the 7 PL teams concluded, the Premier League is back to serve another thrilling 10 match weekend comprising of 2 Matchdays. The standout fixture is the late kick-off on Saturday evening as Chelsea welcome Manchester City which proves to be a thrilling encounter. Let's take a look back at last weekend's results along with the updated league table.

As it stands, Man City & Man United are level on 16 points at the top, but City lead the pack with a superior goal difference and United are 2nd. Chelsea are 3rd after Alvaro Morata's hat-trick guided them to victory. Tottenham, Liverpool & Watford all picked up away wins last weekend and are locked on 11 points.

The relegation zone sees West Ham United & Bournemouth both in 18th & 19th places respectively after both lost last weekend. Crystal Palace are rock bottom with no points and no goals scored yet in the PL this season. Let's get to the previews. 

Matchday 1

(Saturday)

Fixture 1

The early kick-off on Saturday sees newcomers Huddersfield Town putting their home record on the line when they face an in-form Tottenham side. Both teams have had unexpected starts to their PL campaigns and would want to get one better off than their opponents this Saturday.

Huddersfield Town are still unbeaten at home and have registered 4 Clean Sheets in their opening 6 PL games which is impressive. They sit in 8th place on 9 points and will still be without absentees including Steve Mounie who are still not fit.

Tottenham's mid-week victory in the Champions League was encouraging for the entire squad and player in particular; Harry Kane who struck a perfect hat-trick. He is expected to start alongside Christian Eriksen who missed the game due to illness. Serge Aurier will be suspended after his red card last weekend, Moussa Dembele, Erik Lamela, Danny Rose & Victor Wanyama all remain absent.

Huddersfield will try and put in a dominant display at home but as the game goes by, the quality Spurs attack may prove too much to handle.

Prediction:

Huddersfield (0-2) Tottenham

Fixture 2

Two sides who both lost last weekend, Bournemouth & Leicester City face-off against each other at The Vitality Stadium. Bournemouth are 19th on 3 points; Leicester City, two places above in 17th on 4 points & both teams will want to get back to winning ways.

Bournemouth will be without Tyrone Mings, Harry Arter & Callum Wilson who have all been ruled out of the game. Dan Gosling faces a late fitness test.

Leicester City will have new signing Vicente Iborra available for the first time since his arrival but Matty James & Robert Huth have both been ruled out. Jamie Vardy faces a late fitness test.

Prediction:

Bournemouth (1-0) Leicester City

Fixture 3

Man United look to make it 4 Home wins in a row as they take on rock-bottom Crystal Palace in a typical David V Goliath clash. United sit in 2nd, joint top on points with 14 while Palace are 20th with no points.

Man United are flying at the moment, scoring 10 goals at home in the PL this season with Romelu Lukaku scoring 6 goals in 6 PL games and is in red hot form. However, Michael Carrick, Paul Pogba, Marcos Rojo & Zlatan Ibrahimovic all remain absent for this game.

Antonio Valencia, Marouane Fellaini, Phil Jones & Anthony Martial also remain doubts to start but could be included in the 18-man squad.

Crystal Palace have most of their injury concerns in attack, Christian Benteke will miss the next 6 weeks with a knee injury, Conor Wickham is also out injured which keeps Palace without a recognized striker. Ruben Loftus-Cheek, James Tomkins & Wilfried Zaha will also miss out. Timothy Fosu-Mensah is ineligible to face his former side.

Last weekend, Palace conceded 5 at City, the same could happen this Saturday also. Palace have a weak defense and injury problems in attack, United have a strong defense and an even stronger attack.

Prediction:

Man United (4-0) Crystal Palace

Fixture 4

Two teams who picked out home defeats last weekend; Stoke City & Southampton face-off at the bet365 Stadium and will want to get back to winning ways.

Stoke City are currently 16th on 5 points and will want to improve on that position. They have a defensive crisis with Bruno Martins Indi & Ryan Shawcross both ruled out of the game. Kevin Wimmer may not be fully fit for the game. However, Geoff Cameron & Kurt Zouma could both return to the starting XI.

Southampton sit in 11th on 8 points and have a fully fit squad for their weekend's game and could welcome back Virgil Van Dijk for his first PL start this season.

Prediction:

Stoke City (1-1) Southampton

Fixture 5

Watford are set to put their stunning away record on the line when they travel to "The Hawthorns" to face a West Brom side who are undefeated at home. Watford sit in 6th place & West Brom are 6 places below in 12th.

Watford are set to play their 2nd consecutive away PL fixture and have got 9 points out of 9 on the road. Their injury list is all at defense with Criag Cathcart, Sebastian Prodl & Younes Kaboul all still out, but Miguel Britos is available after suspension. However, a key miss will be in holding midfield as Nathaniel Chalobah will be out until the end of the year.

Watford's front 3 of Andre Carrillo, Richarlison & Andre Gray are firing and threatening every single time on the attack and can tear West Brom's defense with their counter attacking football.

West Brom have a fully fit squad in all departments but returning players Oliver Burke, Nacer Chadli & Gareth McAuley all lack match fitness. They have kept 2 clean sheets in their last 3 Home games in the PL.

Prediction:

West Brom (0-0) Watford

Fixture 6

West Ham United & Swansea City both lost last weekend at home, now face each other at the London Stadium. Swansea sit in 15th while West Ham are still in 18th.

After 3 consecutive away defeats in their opening 3 games, West Ham are beginning to find some form with 4 points in their last 3 games. They have also scored 4 goals in that time. They have Pedro Obiang & James Collins on the injured list while Manuel Lanzini and Michail Antonio have both been passed fit and are expected to start.

Swansea City are on a strange run so far, they are unbeaten on the road, picking up 5 points from the available 9 including 3 successive away clean sheets but have lost all their 3 games at home, so this fixture could work in their favor. With no fresh injuries, they will be without Nathan Dyer, Kyle Bartley & Ki Sung-yueng.

Prediction:

West Ham United (2-0) Swansea City

Fixture 7

Chelsea V Man City is the big clash of the weekend so an in-depth preview of the game, along with the team news can be viewed (Here)

Matchday 2

Fixture 8

Sunday's action kicks-off with a bang at The Emirates Stadium as Arsenal host newly promoted Brighton & Hove Albion. Arsenal currently in 7th & Brighton in 13th both picked up home wins last weekend.

Brighton will be without Tomer Hemed who will begin his 3-match suspension from this weekend. Glenn Murray & Sam Baldock have returned to first team training but may not be in contention to feature. Steve Sidwell & Beram Kayal are both ruled out.

Arsenal have won all their 3 games at home this season and would want to make it fourth come the end of the game. They even performed a stunning display mid-week in the Europa League but will be without Mesut Ozil who picked up a knee injury joining Danny Welbeck, Francis Coquelin & Santiago Cazorla on the sidelines. Laurent Koscielny is a doubt.

Arsenal front man Alexandre Lacazette has scored 4 goals in his last 3 home games for the Gunners and is ready to once again lead the firing line.

Prediction:

Arsenal (3-0) Brighton

Fixture 9

Everton look to make it 2 Home wins in the PL in a row when they face Burnley at Goodison Park. Burnley are better placed in the League table in 9th while Everton are in 14th.

Everton were disappointing in their mid-week 2-2 draw in the Europa League but will want to improve their league position. They will hand late fitness tests to Phil Jagielka & Michael Keane. Wayne Rooney has been passed fit for the game.

Burnley are yet to suffer defeat on the road this season taking points from the likes of Chelsea, Tottenham & Liverpool and look to do the same to Everton. With no fresh injuries, the injury list includes Jonathan Walters, Tom Heaton, Dean Marney & Nakhi Wells.

Prediction:

Everton (2-0) Burnley

Fixture 10

Current Newcastle United manager Rafa Benitez returns to his face his former side as St. James' Park hosts Newcastle United V Liverpool to round off Gameweek 7. Liverpool are currently 5th with 11 points and Newcastle are in 10th place on 9 points.

Newcastle's 3-match winning streak came to an end last weekend but have won their last 2 fixtures at home in the league. The do have Florain Lejeune back to strengthen their defense and Aleksandar Mitrovic has served his three-match ban. The only absentees include Paul Dummett & Massadio Haidara.

Liverpool won in the League at Leicester last weekend, but failed to do the same in the CL. They will welcome the returning Sadio Mane after his 3-match suspension. The only injury concern includes Nathaniel Clyne & Adam Lallana.

Prediction:

Newcastle United (1-3) Liverpool

There is an international break after Sunday's action so Premier League action will resume within a fortnight.

Premier League GW 7 - Big Match Preview: Chelsea Vs Manchester City

Chelsea did the double over City last season

Manchester City have scored 21 goals in the PL this season

Alvaro Morata has scored 6 goals in his last 6 games

Chelsea haven't conceded at home since their opening day defeat

Perhaps the biggest game of this season's Premier League season is set to be played this Saturday as defending Champions Chelsea face a visit from title contenders Manchester City. It's Conte Vs Pep once again.

Head-to-Head Record

Played: 40

Chelsea Wins: 24

Man City Wins: 9

Draws: 7

Since their sole loss at home to Burnley on the opening day, Chelsea have picked up momentum winning their last 4 out of 5 games in the PL. Their last league game saw them win at Stoke City, with Alvaro Morata, the star-performer, scoring a hat-trick.

They also gained a vital away win the Champions League at Spanish side Atletico Madrid which will boost their confidence coming into this important clash against the Citizens.

Man City are also flying in the league, undefeated in their 6 PL games and have won all their 3 Away games. Their last 3 games; including the demolition of Crystal Palace at home, sees a record of 16 goals scored and none conceded.

They too come in confident after their mid-week Champions League victory at Home and will relish the prospect of facing Chelsea

Team News & Key Performers:

Chelsea will be without Centre back David Luiz who is suspended & Danny Drinkwater will once again miss out his debut due to a calf injury. Earlier in the week, Diego Costa also completed his move to Atletico Madrid.

Chelsea have Alvaro Morata firing upfront after scoring his first PL hat-trick last weekend. He may could start alongside Eden Hazard for the first time this season in the league. Former Man City goalkeeper Willy Caballero will be among the substitutes.

Man City have bad news, firstly regarding left back Benjamin Mendy who will undergo surgery on his ACL and is likely to miss out the rest of the year. Captain Vincent Kompany is also ruled out of the game.

Sergio Aguero had a car accident mid-week and is expected to miss out anywhere between 2 weeks - 2 months.

Without Sergio Aguero, City will want to have Gabriel Jesus firing upfront, after scoring 4 goals in 6 PL games. Former Chelsea midfielder Kevin De Bruyne is staring upfront for City and is expected to start in the No.10 role.

Chelsea have a much sound stable defensive unit compared to City. With the injury problems, City have in defense and upfront, if Chelsea get the upper-hand in the game, they could hand City their first loss of the season.

Prediction:

Chelsea (2-1) Man City

Bayern Munich sack Carlo Ancelotti as first team manager

He replaced Pep Guardiola as first team manager last season

The Italian was in-charge for just under 15 months

Ancelotti won the Champions League on 3 occasions

He was beaten by PSG in the CL, a team he previously managed

Assistant manager Willy Sagnol will temporarily take charge

German Champions Bayern Munich suffered a heavy defeat in the Champions League away at French side PSG, losing 3-0 with an equally poor all-round display.

Next morning, the Bayern board held an imminent meeting to discuss present as well as the future prospects of the club. The decision was made and the club announced the departure of manager Carlo Ancelotti after a poor run of results.

Ancelotti, 58, had a successful spell with Bayern last season, winning the Bundesliga, but had a disappointing Champions League campaign, just reaching the final eight and were unsuccessful in their German Cup campaign.

This season they started out strongly, winning the German Super-Cup against Borussia Dortmund on penalties. Currently in the league, they are 3rd, with four Wins and a loss and draw each. They drew their last Bundesliga game after losing out a 2-goal lead to Wolfsburg before the CL loss to Bayern.

The decision can still be considered as a harsh one but Ancelotti's tactics were largely questioned at the club. One of his major changes included deploying Thomas Muller, a No.10 on the Right Wing.

Also, in their mid-week game, he opted to go with the experienced winger duo of Arjen Robben & Franck Ribery eliminating the width down the wings.

Assistant manager Willy Sagnol will be taking temporary charge for the league game against Hertha Berlin on Sunday.

What's next for Ancelotti:-

When one door closes, another one opens and the same may happen for Ancelotti. Less than a day since his sacking, he is already being linked with a managerial move to the Premier League with Everton, Liverpool & West Ham United all strong contenders. Wishing Carlo all the best with his future.

Bayern are considering hiring former Borussia Dortmund manager Thomas Tuchel as his successor at least until the end of the season. Another potential candidate could be former Barcelona, Man United & Bayern manager Louis Van Gaal.

UEFA Champions League Matchday 2 Results (Groups A-D)

PSG won the big clash against Bayern Munich in Group B

This was the last game for Bayern manager Carlo Ancelotti

Chelsea earned a last minute victory at Atletico Madrid

Man United hit 4 goals away from home

Barcelona got their 8th straight victory this season

Swiss side Basel surprisingly were the highest scorers of the week with 5 goals

Juventus, Roma & Celtic get their first points in the Group Stages this season

Groups A,B,C,D

Matchday 2

Wednesday's action was as exciting as Tuesday's as teams in Groups A-D managed to score 25 goals, with all 8 games resulting in 8 wins. There were 3 Home wins including a big one for PSG over Bayern Munich. The remaining 5 Away wins included a vital victory for Chelsea at Atletico Madrid. Let's get into the action now.

For Tuesday's results in the Champions League, click (Here) [Groups E-H]

Group A

Fixture 1

Manchester United were the highest goal scorers away from home on Wednesday as they ran riot in their 1-4 victory at CSKA Moskva. They have now moved on 6 points, top of Group A and their opponents remain in 3rd.

Romelu Lukaku was United's star performer on the night, scoring an early header in the 4th minute and adding a 2nd just before the half-hour mark.

Anthony Martial was in blistering form and United's Man of the Match on the night, scoring from the spot and assisting all of United's 3 goals.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan scored a fourth in the second half, after brilliant work from Martial.

However, United couldn't keep a clean sheet as CSKA got a late consolation goal after brilliant play from substitute Konstantin Kuchaev. But CSKA goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev is still without a clean sheet in 11 European seasons, i.e. 45 games.

Fixture 2

Group B

Fixture 3

PSG won the big CL game of the night, dominantly disposing off the former Champions from Germany, Bayern Munich with a 3-0 scoreline. In a head-to-head record, PSG have won all their 4 home games against Bayern.

PSG's clinical attack was far too much for Bayern to handle as they went down in the 2nd minute as Neymar's clinical run saw Dani Alves receive the ball to slot home the opener.

Edinson Cavani doubled PSG's advantage who curled in a fine effort, marking a dominant end to a superb first half.

Just after the hour mark, Neymar rounded off a fantastic PSG display to score their 3rd of the night. This keeps PSG top of Group B who have scored 8 and conceded none in the Group Stages this season.

Bayern Munich have also announced the sacking of manager Carlo Ancelotti today after last night's loss. This keeps Bayern 2nd in Group B with 3 points.

Fixture 4

Group C

Fixture 5

Chelsea perhaps were the greatest winners on Wednesday after putting in a fantastic display to earn a comeback win away at Spanish side Atletico Madrid. This was also a return for former Chelsea player Fernando Torres, former Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois & former cross town rival Alvaro Morata.

Before the first half came to an end, Atletico striker Antoine Griezmann who converted from the penalty spot, giving them the lead. 

But, the second half was all Chelsea after Alvaro Morata performed an equalizer on the hour mark, converting a superb headed goal.

Chelsea continued to push hard until the 90+3rd injury time minute, where super sub Michy Batshuayi grabbing the winner and all 3 points on the night. This result keeps Chelsea, top of Group C on 6 points, dropping Atletico down to 3rd on a single point.

Fixture 6

Group D

Fixture 7

Barcelona managed to edge past Portuguese side Sporting Lisbon, winning the game 0-1 to make it two wins out of 2, keeping them top of Group D on 6 points.

The sole goal on the night was and OG scored by Sporting defender Sebastian Coates which was enough for Barcelona to get the win. Sporting are now in 2nd place, level on 3 points with 3rd place Juventus.

Fixture 8