Football News: Premier League Previews 16 September 2018

Image from: freelargeimages.com

Wolverhampton Wanderers v Burnley

No Europa League but still Sunday matches for Burnley. Currently winless in eight Premier League games on Sundays (and only two wins in 19 on this day since the start of the 2016-17 season), the Clarets clearly do not enjoy a move from their usual Saturday regime.
Wolves, meanwhile, got their first league win of the season with a late Adama Traore winner against West Ham last time out. They haven't won back-to-back Premier League games since August 2011, so this is a real opportunity for them to build some form and start to look up the table.
Burnley's record against Wolves isn't the greatest - 10 defeats in their last 14 visits to Molineux in all competitions, although they are unbeaten in the last four meetings home and away, with the last two being draws.
However, in the Premier League, they are without a win in nine and have lost three in succession - they last lost four in a row in the division in May 2015 when they were relegated.
Sean Dyche's side have only lost one of their last 11 games against newly promoted sides in the Premier League - however that was their last such game away at Fulham in August. The last time they lost consecutive meetings with promoted sides in the top-flight was in May 2010 in their debut Premier League campaign. Wolves beat them twice that season too.
Burnley need to get out of this rut they are in as soon as possible, else they will be at the risk of a relegation scrap. And it won't be easy for them against a side who will have no plans to be fighting at the lower end of the table this season.
Key players:
Raul Jimenez - The Mexican forward is going to have a real battle on his hands here against Mee and Tarkowski in the Burnley defence. He hasn't scored since the opening game of the season against Everton, but he has started every game for Wolves so far, and they will need him to provide some finishing product in the box to break down a usually stubborn Burnley back line.
Jack Cork - No player has created more chances or produced a better passing accuracy for Burnley so far this season than Cork, who already has two goals to his name this season - just one fewer than he managed in the whole of 2017-18. Burnley will need him at both ends of the field in order to try to control a very strong Wolves midfield.

Everton v West Ham United
It's been a truly disastrous start for Manuel Pellegrini at West Ham, losing four Premier League games in succession and conceding 10 goals in the process. The Hammers last lost five in a row in April 2017, and have never lost their opening five league games to a season.
They face an unbeaten Everton side, albeit one that has drawn three of their opening four league games, including a 1-1 draw against Huddersfield at Goodison last time out. They have only lost one of their 10 league games at home in 2018, however, and West Ham will find it difficult to get a result here considering their poor form - they have only won one of their last 12 visits to Everton in all competitions too.
But Pellegrini has a good record against Everton. He never lost to them in the Premier League whilst at Man City, and in all competitions only lost to them once, and that was in a League Cup semi-final first leg which they went on to win on aggregate anyway.
Unfortunately for West Ham, that works both ways. Everton boss Marco Silva has won both of his Premier League games against the Hammers, once as Hull boss, once with Watford. So something has to give here between these two managers.
In truth, both sides could really do with a win today, with just one victory between them in the Premier League so far this season, even if the Toffees are without defeat. Winning is a habit that neither of these sides has managed to get into yet this season, and so a draw probably does neither side any good.
Key players:
Theo Walcott - Walcott has scored more goals against West Ham (six) than he has any other in league competition, and with two goals already this season, he is finding some good form again at Everton having struggled for game time at Arsenal. He could cause this West Ham defence problems with his runs into the box, and direct play has been something the Hammers' back line has struggled with up to press this season.
Marko Arnautovic - Directly involved in five goals in his last six league games against Everton, Arnautovic is also the only player to have scored in the Premier League for West Ham this season. They rely on him heavily still, despite their big summer spending, as some new signings look to find their feet in a new competition, and so he will be crucial to their hopes again here.

Written by Reid the Red September 16 2018 10:11:15