Football News: Premier League Previews 15 September 2018

Tottenham Hotspur v Liverpool

The Premier League returns from the international break with a huge game to kick things off on Saturday lunchtime, between the sides that finished 3rd and 4th in last season's competition.
Both sides will be hoping for victory here; Spurs will be itching to bounce back from their first defeat of the season against Watford in their last match, whilst Liverpool will be aiming to keep up their 100% record in the Premier League this season and make their biggest statement of 2018-19 by beating one of their top of the table rivals.

Perhaps surprisingly, Spurs have only won one of their last 11 league matches against the Reds, but that doesn't tell the full story. Three of the last five games between these two sides in the Premier League have been drawn (one win each in this time), whilst Spurs won this exact fixture last season in convincing fashion, a 4-1 mauling at Wembley.
Indeed, Jurgen Klopp is yet to win away at Tottenham as Liverpool manager in three visits, and Liverpool's recent record at Wembley leaves a lot to be desired; they are winless in their last four matches at the national stadium in all competitions since a 2-1 win over Everton in the 2012 FA Cup semi-final.

Meanwhile, Spurs have very much enjoyed their now prolonged spell at Wembley (this match, of course, was initially pencilled in as being the first to be held at their new stadium before the delays). Pochettino's side have lost just one of their last 19 Premier League games at Wembley, and that was to last season's runaway Premier League champions Manchester City.

This promises to be a mouth-watering clash; it is the second-highest scoring fixture in Premier League history, and since 2012-13, there have been 40 goals in the 12 matches between Spurs and Liverpool, with just one goalless draw (in Klopp's first game as Liverpool boss no less). Not only that, but it features last season's top two scorers in the Premier League - which brings me nicely onto the key players section!

Key players:
Harry Kane - Yes, it has to be him. He's had a hand in four goals in his last two league games against Liverpool, even stepping up to score a late equalising penalty in the last clash back in February at Anfield in a 2-2 draw having missed one earlier in a game. In a game where anything can happen, Spurs will yet again look to their main man Kane to provide the quality in the final third for his side.

Mohamed Salah - If Kane is Spurs' key man, then Salah has to be the Reds' having been the only player to outscore him in the Premier League last season. In fact, he scored all three of Liverpool's goals against Tottenham in 2017-18, one of which (his second at Anfield) was arguably one of his finest in a Red shirt. Whilst nobody can say he hasn't been getting the chances this season compared to last, he isn't yet finishing them like he was in his remarkable debut campaign with the Reds - his league shot conversion rate has more than halved from over 22% last season to just over 10% this time around, and Klopp's side will need him to close that difference if they are to really give Tottenham huge problems.

 

 

Bournemouth v Leicester City

Somewhat surprisingly with the two teams' style of play, meetings between Bournemouth and Leicester have been fairly timid affairs in recent years. Five draws in six Premier League meetings, and neither side scoring more than once in a match against the other in any of the last seven encounters in league competition.

Indeed, of the 20 current Premier League teams, no two to have faced one another at least five times in the division have seen fewer goals per match than Bournemouth and Leicester have in their matchups.
In terms of recent form, Bournemouth suffered their first defeat of the Premier League season before the international break away to Chelsea - in fact it was their first loss in six in the league. But at the Vitality, the Cherries are proving a very tough nut to crack. No side from outside's last season's top 6 sides has beaten them there in the league since Burnley last November, and they are unbeaten in three on their home patch.

Meanwhile, the Foxes ended a run of four straight losses on their travels in the Premier League when they beat Southampton in their last away match, and they'll be desperate to get back to more consistent winning ways having lost to Liverpool at the King Power before the international break.
To perhaps contradict the history of close encounters between these two teams, Leicester have only drawn one of their last 13 league games, and none of the last eight, so it has been more all or nothing for them of late. But who were the side they did draw to before these 13 matches? Bournemouth of course.

Key players:
Dan Gosling - If Bournemouth are to get a result here, Gosling will be imperative to their hopes of establishing any control over the match. He's made more touches and completed more passes than any Cherries player in opening four league games of the campaign, and he is second of all Premier League players for total distance covered so far this season. That work rate will be important, provided he uses it in the right areas and times, in this match.

Jamie Vardy - Leicester's main goal scorer returns from suspension, and that's a huge boost for Puel's side. He's single-handedly bagged nine of his side's last 17 goals in away league games, and with four goals in his most recent four Premier League appearances, he will be itching to get back to the fold.

 

 

Chelsea v Cardiff City

On paper, this looks a relative mismatch - Chelsea have won each of their opening four games of the season whilst Cardiff are winless in five in all competitions in 2018-19, and haven't won a match in any competition since April against Hull.

And whilst Cardiff and Chelsea haven't met all that often of late, the Bluebirds have only won one of their last eight against the Blues in all competitions, losing their last four visits to Stamford Bridge since a 1-0 win in April 1981. It will not be easy for them to get a result here.

For Maurizio Sarri's Chelsea side, they could not have begun their campaign in much finer form - in fact, the Italian could become only the fourth manager in Premier League history to win all of his first five games in the competition. No mean feat, and few would put it past him achieving that today.
To say this match is a contrast in playing styles would perhaps be understating it. Chelsea have made more successful passes than any other side in the top-flight this season, whilst only Newcastle have made fewer than Cardiff so far - and that's despite the fact that Warnock's side have faced teams who have had a man sent off in two of their four matches.

If Cardiff are to change their early season fortunes here, they will need to be at their best defensively, ride their luck a little, and be clinical when they do go forward. They scored with their first two shots on target last time out against Arsenal, and if they can do that whilst being more resolute at the back today, they may have a sniff of hope.

Key players:
Eden Hazard - In Cardiff's last visit to Stamford Bridge, Hazard scored two and assisted one of Chelsea's four goals, and this season, he's had a hand in a goal every 56 minutes on the pitch for Chelsea, scoring two and assisting two despite only starting two of their four league games so far. He's looking as sharp as ever, and Cardiff will find him difficult to stop.

Sean Morrison - This will be a battle for Cardiff, and Morrison has won more duels than any of his teammates in this season's Premier League so far, so he will be the man to provide steel for them. Indeed, he actually has a higher expected goals figure than any other Cardiff player so far this campaign having missed a couple of good chances against the likes of Arsenal and Bournemouth, so he does also provide threat from set plays which Cardiff may need to exploit.

 

 

Huddersfield Town v Crystal Palace

A battle of two teams who could really do with a win, the importance of this match to both sides can't really be understated.
Whilst Huddersfield picked up a creditable draw away at the unbeaten Everton in their last match, they are yet to win a game this season, Crystal Palace have lost their last three league games on the bounce, conceding two goals each time.

Unforgettably for those of a Huddersfield Town persuasion, Huddersfield's first ever Premier League game was a 3-0 win over Crystal Palace, and a repeat of that sort of scoreline here would be the first time that the Eagles have conceded 2+ goals in four consecutive top-flight matches since November 2016 when Alan Pardew was their manager. He had left the club within a month of that, so this is a run that Hodgson would like to shake off, and perhaps a match against an out of form Huddersfield side is a good chance to do just that.

Indeed, Palace have won their last two matches against the Terriers in all competitions; they have never beaten them in three straight matches despite having met them 43 times in their history, so now would be a good time to do that from their point of view.
But in league competition, Huddersfield have only lost twice in their last 14 matches against Crystal Palace, albeit both in home matches, and they have kept a clean sheet in two of their most recent three against them in the league.

However, since that 3-0 win for Huddersfield on the opening game of last season, the Terriers have scored just 27 goals in 41 league games - a desperately poor record that needs addressing sooner rather than later from their perspective.

Key players:
Steve Mounie - Huddersfield's top scorer last season is yet to get off the mark in the Premier League this season, and he desperately needs to if they are to start picking up wins. Ridiculously, he is the only Terriers player to have managed more than one shot on target in the Premier League this season, and he scored twice in Huddersfield's 3-0 win over Palace last season, so they will no doubt look to him to provide the goods today.

Wilfried Zaha - Another game without Zaha, another defeat for Palace last time out against Southampton. That's 13 consecutive defeats for them when he hasn't been in their starting XI in the Premier League, a frankly absurd record. Is there a Premier League team more reliant on one player? Probably not.

 

 

Manchester City v Fulham

After letting a two-goal lead slip at Brighton in their last Premier League game to draw 2-2, a fixture away at defending champions Manchester City isn't the easiest way to put that frustration behind you for Fulham.
This is a Man City side that haven't lost at home in the league to a side from outside last season's top 6 teams since Leicester beaten them 3-1 in their Premier League winning campaign in 2015-16. They have gone 33 such matches without defeat since then, and haven't lost at home to a newly promoted side in the league since February 2007 against Reading - the year before their current ownership took charge. They are ruthlessly consistent against sides further down the table.

Their manager is too. Pep Guardiola hasn't lost a league game at home to a newly promoted side since April 2011 as Barcelona boss against Real Sociedad in La Liga. The task facing Fulham is a mammoth-sized one.
Man City are already the top scorers in the Premier League this season, 11 goals to add to the 106 they bagged last term (that's one more, in fact, than they had scored after four games at the start of last season), and they have only failed to score in one Premier League game in 2018, a goalless draw with Huddersfield in May.

They are undefeated in their last 11 meetings with Fulham in all competitions, winning the last five in succession, with Fulham not winning at the Etihad since April 2009. Having said that, all of Fulham's last three wins against Man City have come when they have made the trip up to Manchester in the Premier League, so perhaps that is a good omen for them here.

Their league games this season have not been shy of entertainment either - 16 goals in their four matches is a joint-high in the Premier League, so hopefully this will live up to that. You wouldn't bet against there being goals with the Premier League's top scorers as their opposition.

Key players:
David Silva - With the Spaniard now retired from international football, the international break has been a well-earned rest for the playmaker, and that makes him all the more dangerous for Fulham here. Already joint-top in the Premier League for chances created this season (alongside Mo Salah), his creativity and ability to move teams and defences around with his passing will be a real threat for Fulham.

Tom Cairney - Already top for passing accuracy of all midfielders to have completed 100+ passes in this season's Premier League, Cairney is showing that he wasn't just able to do it at Championship level, but the top-flight too. But this presents a different challenge for him, one where he will not be able to dictate the play. How he responds to the likes of David Silva floating around him will be so crucial to Fulham's overall success.

 

 

Newcastle United v Arsenal

Newcastle's tough start to this season's Premier League continues. Having already played (and lost to) the likes of Spurs, Chelsea and Man City, it's yet another of last season's top 6 for the Magpies.
And this is an Arsenal side who, whilst also losing to Man City and Chelsea themselves in their first two games, have since bounced back with two consecutive wins, and will be looking to win back-to-back away league games for the first time since May 2017 having not done so at all last season.

Newcastle have only won one of their last 10 matches in all competition, losing eight of those, and are struggling for form; they yet to earn a win in any competition this season.
However, Benitez's side did win their last match against Arsenal 2-1 in this exact fixture in April (they had lost 10 in a row against the Gunners before that game), and will have their sights set on beating them in consecutive meetings for the first time since January 1996.
Newcastle have been relatively resilient defensively despite only picking up one point from the first 12 available - in fact, they have conceded fewer goals than Arsenal in the Premier League so far this season, and they won't lie down here and let Arsenal pick up a comfortable three points.

Their manager Rafael Benitez has a history against Arsenal. As manager of Liverpool, Chelsea and Newcastle combined, he has only lost one of his last seven home games against them in all competitions - and they're often thrillers. In 11 previous home meetings for sides with Benitez at the helm against Arsenal, there have been 47 goals - that's over four per game, with both teams scoring in all but one of those matches, a 1-0 Liverpool win in February 2006. Will we see another goal fest here?

Key players:
Ayoze Perez - He scored one and assisted the other of Newcastle's two goals against Arsenal back in April and he'll be hoping for more of the same here in order to give his team a much needed three points.
Mesut Ozil - No international games in the past two weeks for Mesut Ozil will mean he comes into this match fresh and ready to go. Directly involved in three goals in his three league appearances against Newcastle, scoring twice and assisting once, Unai Emery will be hoping he can unlock the door today for the Gunners.

 

 

Watford v Manchester United

What a start it has been for Watford. Four wins from their first four league games for only the second time in their history, and the first in the top-flight (they've never won their first five league games in a campaign at any level), including a superb come-from-behind victory over Spurs at Vicarage Road last time out. Make no mistake, Manchester United will not be looking forward to this match.

Watford have only lost one of their 10 league games at Vicarage Road under Javi Gracia, winning seven, a superb record. In fact, since Watford's first home game under him in February, they have accrued more points in home games than any other Premier League side. An astonishing feat of form, and that makes them a threat to anyone here.

But they do not generally enjoy facing the Red Devils. Manchester United have won 14 of the last 15 meetings in all competitions between the two, with the other match a 3-1 defeat at Vicarage Road in September 2016. They have won all three meetings since then by an aggregate score of 7-2, winning their last visit to Watford 4-2 last November.
In their last match before the international break, Manchester United earned their first win in four away Premier League games, 2-0 at Turf Moor, and if they win without conceding here, it will be the first time they have done that twice in a row on their travels in the league since January.

But to do that, they will have to ride a wave of Watford's confidence right now. There will arguably not be a single team in England with more of it than the Hornets, and even after their win over Burnley last time out, the same perhaps couldn't be said of the Red Devils.

Key players:
Troy Deeney - Deeney has scored in all three of his home Premier League games against Manchester United, and having just scored in a different match for the 100th time for Watford in all competitions, he'll be sky high on confidence.

Alexis Sanchez - Having been involved in six goals in five Premier League games against Watford (three goals, three assists), Sanchez has an exceptional record against the Hornets. Those six goal involvements are more than he has against any other side currently in the Premier League in the competition, and if he can get off and running for the season, it will be huge for Mourinho's side.

Written by Reid the Red September 15 2018 12:05:10