English Premier League Week 2: Game-by-Game Previews and Team News

Premier League—we missed you! What a week it has been in the English Premier League and if the rest of the season can match Week 1 for thrills, spills and bellyache, then we are in for one spectacular season.

After a summer of incredible sport between the excitement of the European Championships and the entertainment of the Olympics, the Barclay's Premier League made a welcome return.

We saw five goal riots, the humbling of giants, managerial debuts to remember and to forget, huge transfer signings being brought back down to earth with a bump and referee's assistants being pushed over!

And just as we're digesting all that happened in Week 1, Week 2 is right upon us.

So read on for the Premier League game-by-game previews and team news for Week 2 and for what promises to be yet another fantastic weekend of football.

Don't forget to leave your predictions and thoughts in the comments below.

Swansea (Form-WWLDDW) vs. West Ham (Form-WWWWWW)

Where else to start other than with the team who sit atop of the English Premier League after Week 1—Swansea City.

Michael Laudrup stepped into some tough shoes to fill after Brendan Rodgers vacated his office at the Liberty Stadium for the greener grass of Anfield.

But to give credit where it is due, Laudrup has come in and has carried on using the same philosophy and system as Rodgers but has added his own greater knowledge of Spanish football to the mix. Namely in the acquisition of Michu who impressed from central midfield with two goals on his debut as the Swans won 5-0 over QPR.

This week they will face sterner opposition in Sam Allardyce's West Ham United—who also got off to a winning start by beating a poor Aston Villa side 1-0.

Big Sam's team come into this game still on the lookout for a striker to lead the line but in the process of providing the foundations for such a move by further strengthening with a £10 million transfer for Wolves' Matt Jarvis expected to go through in the next couple of days.

Should Jarvis sign in time for Saturday he will almost instantly go into a team who have proved extremely hard to break down on their travels. West Ham are unbeaten away from home since last February, but have also struggled in terms of creativity.

The reason for this lack of creativity is the style of football Big Sam prefers as he has four solid defenders—Reid, McCartney, Collins, Demel—and a similar midfield—Nolan, Taylor, Noble, Diame who are expert at exposing teams at set-pieces.

Utilising a traditional 4-4-2 they will provide a far different test for Michael Laudrup and Swansea than the openness shown by QPR last weekend.

Laudrup has carried on with the same system used by his predecessor, a 4-2-3-1 that can split into seven separate sections, but he has added some Spanish flair in the shape of Jonathan de Guzman, on loan from Villareal and MIchu who signed from Rayo Vallecano for just £2 million.

Both players slotted in without missing a beat and had debuts to remember but they were given far too much room to express their game by QPR and that will not be repeated by a well drilled West Ham side.

With star player Scott Sinclair on the verge of joining Manchester City for £5 million, Laudrup has moved for Celtic's Ki Sung-Yeung with ex-Welsh international and Celtic legend John Hartson hailing the move as something of a masterstroke by Laudrup.

“He’s a big, strong lad who can score goals and play with both feet. I saw him play a lot last season. He’s a real athlete and a goal threat.

“I think he’ll work very well alongside Swansea’s other midfielders,” said the former Wales forward.

“He’s a great player.

"The only surprise is that Celtic are willing to let him go."

Either way Week 2's game will provide important information on both sides going forward for the rest of the season.

Prediction; Draw @ 23/10

Southampton (Form-LWLWLW) vs. Wigan Athletic (Form-LWWWLW)

Southampton went to the Etihad Stadium to take on the champions, Manchester City, last weekend and for four minutes they were on top of the world.

Leading 2-1 in the 68th minute on the champions home patch was mainly thanks to two inspired substitutions, Rickie Lambert and Steven Davis, who gave the Saints the platform and scoreline their play deserved.

Unfortunately for the Saints, they merely prodded a sleeping bear and within minutes City were level and from that point there was only going to be one winner.

This week they make their home debut in the Premier League this season when Roberto Martinez's Wigan come to town.

Southampton, for their part, had the best home record in the Championship last season and if they are bidding to survive in the Premier League this season this is the kind of game they will need to win.

Playing a 4-5-1 that can shift into a 4-4-2 or 4-3-3 for counterattacking Southampton are vulnerable at the back and despite the advantage that St. Mary's will bring, they will need to strengthen defensively if they are to survive this term.

Wigan, for their part, gave the game away at Chelsea last weekend by only starting to play 10 minutes into the match. Unfortunately for them, they were 2-0 down at the time.

From there, and despite most headlines surrounding the debut of Eden Hazard, Wigan were arguably the better side and played the better football.

They created 29 crossing chances that were either dealt with by the Blues' defence or were wasted by the likes of Franco Di Santo, debutant Arouna Kone or Jordi Gomez. But the telling point was they created the chances, and against lesser opposition, they would have had a far better day.

Southampton are slight favourites for this game but given the way Wigan play, an away win would not be an unlikely result.

Prediction: Wigan win @ 3/1

Norwich (Form-LWDLLL) vs. QPR (Form-LWLWLL)

To say that both Mark Hughes and Chris Hughton were frustrated after last week's defeats would be something of a slight understatement.

Both QPR and Norwich suffered opening day humiliations with both clubs being soundly beaten 5-0 by Swansea and Fulham respectively.

This week the Premier League's two bottom clubs will be looking to bounce back so this game will be more a test of character than of the skills of the teams involved.

For their part, QPR had spent £5.5 million on seven players during a busy close season and had, more or less, rebuilt entire sections of the team. Following the 5-0 defeat to Swansea, Mark Hughes immediately went out and tried to sign Tottenham's stand-in captain, Michael Dawson, and Ricardo Carvalho from Real Madrid.

Signing one of these players would be phenomenal for the R's, signing both would almost get Hughes sainted by their fans as it practically guarantee Premier League football for next season.

Unbeknownst to many, QPR actually dominated the first 60 minutes against Swansea last weekend and conceded three sloppy goals against the run of play before their heads completely dropped. Hughes is too good a manager to let his team keep that hangover for a week so Chris Hughton will have a lot to do if his team are to take points here.

Norwich were simply atrocious against Fulham on the opening day and the only surprise was that the scoreline was so low.

Martin Jol's team cut the Canaries to pieces on the wings which created huge gaps for on-rushing central midfielders to move into following crosses and set-moves.

Like QPR they too have also gone to Spurs in a bid to shore up their defensive difficulties by signing Sebastian Bassong. Unfortunately, they have taken the wrong defender. Hughton would have been far better served by taking Steven Caulker on loan than in giving Bassong a three-year deal.

Norwich will look to close down QPR across midfield where the R's have a lot of pace, particularly through Junior Hoilett and Adel Taarabt.

For this game, I expect both managers to use 4-5-1 formations and to defend deeply and counterattack, and if a cat-and-mouse game should evolve, QPR will have the advantage through sheer pace up front with Djibril Cisse.

Prediction: QPR win @ 11/5

Manchester United (Form-LWWLDW) vs. Fulham (Form-WLWWLW)

A debut defeat to Everton was hardly the stuff of nightmares for Robin van Persie and Manchester United but it was the manner of their defeat which caused most concern.

United simply never got to grips with the Toffees' five-man midfield and on occasion it really looked like a case of men against boys when Marouane Fellaini exposed the Red Devils lack of strength and height at the back.

For United and their manager, they learned a harsh lesson that football is won and lost in midfield and that there is no point having the clubs best forward line since 1999 if midfield is going to be overrun so easily.

Expect changes this week.

But it is easier saying it than actually doing it.

Smalling, Jones, Evans and Ferdinand are all out injured so it will be interesting to see if Michael Carrick is retained at centre half while Antonio Valencia did himself no favours either with a below par performance at right back. But when all is said and done he is still a better option that the haphazard Rafael

On a better defensive note, Sir Alex Ferguson has, since the Everton game, strengthened at left back with the acquisition of Alexander Buttner from Vitesse Arnham.

It is unlikely that the 23-year-old will make his debut against Fulham this weekend but his purchase does give Ferguson the option of moving Patrice Evra inside or to right full.

Up front, United created very little but that was mainly down to an extremely lightweight midfield consisting of Scholes, Kagawa and Cleverley and it would come as no surprise not to see this trio together again against a top-six team for the rest of the season.

Fulham enjoyed their best ever start to a Premiership season with a 5-0 trouncing of Norwich City but they travel to Old Trafford in trepidation rather than in temerarious form.

The main reason for this is that Fulham have lost 19 of their last 20 visits to Old Trafford and overall they have only beaten United three times since 1935.

To beat United this weekend, they will need Feguson to make similar selection mistakes and attack across midfield where they can expose United's lack of pace.

They will also need Mladen Petric, Kacaniklic and Damien Duff to continue where they left off last week. Petric scored twice on his debut while Duff became only the second Irish player, after Robbie Keane, to score in 13 Premier League seasons.

However, given the history between the two clubs, victory seems unlikely—even if it is currently possible.

Prediction: Manchester United win @ 2/7

Aston Villa (Form-LLDDLD) vs. Everton (Form-WWDDWD)

Aston Villa started the season as many expected with a timid defeat to West Ham on the opening day of the season while Everton were well-deserved winners over Manchester United.

On paper, the form book does not look good for Paul Lambert and his team.

They were very poor against the Hammers and only really have one viable goal threat in Darren Bent, so when he is marked out of the game, Villa's chances of winning go with him.

They also have major problems at the back and across midfield in that Villa are a very small team, so against West Ham they were under constant pressure from the most innocuous of set-pieces. It is here that they miss the organisation and commanding presence of Richard Dunne. But with the player expected back from a groin injury at the end of September, it could mean a very tough first seven games for the Villains.

Everton are a far better and more polished side than West Ham and will go to Villa Park fully expecting to win this game. They are on a high after beating United and from capturing the exciting Kevin Mirallas who turned down a move to Arsenal in favour of the Toffees.

You know exactly what you are going to get with Everton; they are an extremely hard working team and you have to win the battle first before they will let you play against them. Unfortunately for Villa fans, this team just don't seem to have any battle in them.

Prediction; Everton win @ 7/5

Tottenham (Form-LWDWWL) vs. West Brom (Form-WLDDWW)

Andre Villas-Boas makes his home debut for Spurs as they entertain Steve Clarke's West Brom in Week 2.

Tottenham lost their opening fixture away to Newcastle United at St. James' Park, but if you can be happy in defeat then Villas-Boas would have been a very happy man.

Spurs dominated the game for long periods and had hit the post and crossbar three times before Demba Ba fired Newcastle ahead. So with finishing at the forefront of his mind it comes as no surprise to see Emmanuel Adebayor back in a white jersey after the club agreed a £5 million deal with Manchester City.

Jermain Defoe may have equalised for Spurs before Hatem Ben Arfa's late penalty settled matters but, if anything, his position within the squad in hugely under threat because of on-going negotiations with Internacional over a £20 million transfer for Leandro Damiao.

If Defoe leaves he will join an impending and surprising exodus from Spurs within the last couple of weeks whereby seven players (Corluka, Kranjcar, Bassong, Alnwick, Pienaar, Huddlestone, Rose) have been allowed to leave the club, with at least another two (Dawson, Modric) expected to leave this week.

As far as on the pitch is concerned, Spurs were everything you expected them to be. They played a 4-5-1 formation with both Lennon and Bale attacking down the flanks while they controlled the game through slick passing. They still do, however, have problems at left back with Benoit Assou-Ekotto who is continuously caught out of position through indiscipline.

One other player who is also guilty of indiscipline, and who may find themselves surplus to requirements, is Rafael van der Vaart. The Dutch international did have a major say in Spurs' goal but he was also guilty of some extremely lazy defending when he took Ben Arfa down for at he penalty.

They take on a West Brom team flying high after demolishing Liverpool 3-0 at the Hawthornes so Steve Clarke will be looking to build upon that impetus to put as much daylight between the Baggies and the relegation battle as soon as possible.

Last week against Liverpool you got the impression that Clarke had a plan set out, almost fro the moment he was fired by Liverpool, on how to beat the Reds and they set about that plan with great fervour.

Certain players were closed down in tight positions and forced to give the ball away so it will be interesting to see if the same game plan is used against a Spurs team who are far more comfortable on the ball than Liverpool.

For West Brom to win they need to dominate central midfield and that, coincidentally, is where Spurs are currently weakest.

For Spurs to win they will probably need to play Emmanuel Adebayor from the start but it is highly unlikely that the Togolese striker will be capable of anything like 90 minutes. With him in the team, they will be better suited to bring forth the attacking talents of Bale, Lennon and Walker and if they can inflict their game upon the Baggies, they could be tasting their first win of the season.

Interestingly, West Brom have not won at Spurs since 1984 so history stands against West Brom, but as Norwich showed last season, underestimated teams are more than capable of turning Spurs over at White Hart lane.

Prediction: Draw @ 3/1

Sunderland (Form-DLLDDD) vs. Reading (Form-LDLDWW)

Sunderland vs. Reading is hardly going to whet the appetite for the neutral fan in Week 2, but it will still be an extremely intriguing contest.

Newly promoted Reading have shown plenty of spirit, fight and an ability to play good football in their opening two games of the season against Stoke City and Chelsea. However, they only have one point on the board for all their troubles and that is mainly due to Premier League experience.

Tony Pulis' team are seasoned campaigners at the stage and the fact that the Royals equalised with a 90th-minute penalty will have hurt the Stoke manager as his team had kept the newly promoted side at arms length for much of the match.

To their credit, Reading never gave up and continued that form into Wednesday night's game at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea where, at one stage, they found themselves up 2-1 before losing 4-2.

Again, the result can be attributed to playing at a higher level as once Chelsea stepped up a gear, they were always going to win.

Reading have only spent £3.3 million on transfers during the summer and that has provided Brian McDermott with what amounts to a brand new spine for his team.

To stay up this season, the Royals will need to score more goals. They scored the lowest amount of goals of any team from the top five in the Championship last season, and they will have to concede far less.

Easier said than done though.

Midfield and attack is where Reading are strongest, as the 4-3-3 that McDermott often uses can be used to great effect while counterattacking. And now that Pavel Pogrebnyak has come in to spearhead their attack, they will fancy their chances against the lesser lights of the EPL.

However, when push comes to shove, their defence will be exposed as Chris Gunter, Alex Pearce, Kaspar Gorkss and, especially, Ian Harte all lack pace at the highest level.

This will be where most points of attack will come from—isolating a defender for one-on-one coverage—and Sunderland will be no different this weekend.

Like David Moyes' teams, everyone knows what to expect from Martin O'Neill's sides and Reading will have a lot to do to come away with all three points from the Stadium of Light.

O'Neill has one of the most underrated defences in the Premier League with converted left back Kieran Richardson, ex-Manchester United star John O'Shea, new signing Carlos Cuellar and Phil Bardsley are all providing cover for one of the best keepers in the league, Simon Mignolet.

Their midfield is typically hardworking, whether O'Neill uses four or five, and it is of little surprise to see the club linked with Steven Fletcher due to their toothless attack.

If he can come in before Saturday, then this game will take a turn on its head as without a recognised striker, despite having the injury prone Louis Saha on their books, the Black Cats will struggle to convert chances.

And as we saw against Arsenal last week, if they set their minds to defend deep and play for a draw, they are very tough to break down.

Prediction; If Fletcher signs in time—Sunderland to win @ Evens. If not, a draw @ 5/2.

Stoke City (Form-DDLDDL) vs. Arsenal (Form-DWDDDL)

Arsene Wenger was not a happy man after last weeks feeble attempt to beat Sunderland at the Emirates resulted in a 0-0 draw.

Having expected to lose Robin van Persie all summer, the Frenchman signed accordingly to replace his star striker before he had even left with Podolski, Giroud and Cazorla all coming in to great fanfare.

Unfortunately, all those well-thought-out plans were scuppered on the eve of the first game of the season when Barcelona bid just £15 million for Alex Song, the nucleus of their team, and with him on his way to sunnier climes, it was no surprise to see the Gunners struggle in midfield.

Now Wenger has entered a race he did not expect nor prepare to be in as the Gunners race against archrivals Spurs to capture Yann M'Vila as the proposed Nuri Sahin loan transfer deal is starting to stall.

So now Arsenal travel to the Brittania Stadium—never a happy hunting ground for the Gunners—full in the knowledge that a season that promised so much, just one week ago, is on the verge of collapsing.

Defensively, Arsenal have big problems whether it is Per Mertesacker or Laurent Koscielny partnering new club captain Thomas Vermaelen at the back. Add in Carl Jenkinson's and Kieran Gibbs' inexperience and the loss of Alex Song, who covered so much defensively, and the Gunners will struggle to beat the better teams in the league.

This week they take on a Stoke team that may suit their defence, through a lack of mobility, but not their weakened midfield.

Having lost Song, Arsenal's midfield is now considered lightweight and that could be a recipe for disaster against a team like Stoke who fight for 90 minutes and live off scraps in the opposing penalty box.

Peter Crouch and Jonathan Walters will cause problems at the back for the Gunners while Matthew Etherington and Michael Kightly now provide width on both sides of the park for Tony Pulis.

So the central midfield battle between Diaby, Arteta and Cazorla, on the Gunners side, and Wilson, Whitehead and Whelan, with the possibility of Tom Huddlestone making his debut, on the Stoke side, will be fascinating to watch as it represents a clash of football philosophy and conflicting styles as much as a clash of players.

Prediction; Draw @ 12/5

Chelsea (Form-WWLWWL) vs. Newcastle United (Form-WLLWLW)

New Chelsea signing Eden Hazard has hit the ground running with five assists in his first two games and he will be looking to add to that tally when Newcastle travel to Stamford Bridge this weekend.

While everyone else in the league heads into their second game of the season, Chelsea are heading into their third as their match with Reading next weekend was moved because the Blues are playing in the European Super Cup against Atletico Madrid on August 31.

So having gained six points from their opening two games, Roberto Di Matteo and his highflying team will want to build on all this early season momentum they have built up.

Like Hazard, Fernando Torres has hit the ground running and is on course for a return to form and the kind goalscoring exploits he was associated with before he joined Chelsea in 2011.

Attack-wise, Chelsea have the players and ammunition to cause any team problems. Torres as the lone striker backed up by the likes of Hazard, Mata, Oscar and Frank Lampard is a frightening proposition for any team but they can be exposed as their open style leaves their static defence vulnerable to counterattacks, in which Newcastle specialise.

Alan Pardew's team got their season off to a good start with a great 2-1 win at home to Spurs. Tottenham were the better team for much of that game but Newcastle always looked dangerous on the break and when given the chance they created a number of goalscoring opportunities.

Having beaten Chelsea 2-0 at Stamford Bridge in May, Newcastle will not fear their opponents and will set their team up accordingly but it will be hard to see their patched up defence keep the Blues at bay.

Fabricio Coloccini is still doubtful so that means Perch will retain his place at the back while much will be asked of Cheick Tiote and Yohan Cabaye as Pardew bids to keep Chelsea's creative midfielders quiet.

Prediction: Chelsea win @ 1/2 if Coloccini does not play.

Liverpool (Form-LWWLWL) vs. Manchester City (Form-WWWWWW)

The biggest game in Week 2 sees Roberto Mancini's Manchester City travel to Anfield to take on Liverpool in Brendan Rodgers' home debut as manager.

There is never a good time to face Manchester City and coming off the back of a 3-0 mauling at the hands of West Brom is even worse.

Last week's result was a sobering one for Liverpool fans, and for Brendan Rodgers, because it showed everyone just how far Liverpool have to go if they are to be considered viable league contenders again.

They were poor across the back four with both Agger and Skrtel exposed for their lack of pace numerous times, while Martin Kelly at right-full was caught out of position far too often and Glen Johnson had what could only be described as a day to forget at left-back. So expect Luis Enrique to return to the left-full slot if he makes a full recovery from as Johnson switches over to the right.

That of course does not mention the fact that Daniel Agger is suspended after being sent off, so Jamie Carragher could and should fill in ahead of Coates, who still looks off the pace of the English game.

Midfield is where Rodgers is expected to make most improvements and if last week's performance is anything to go by, he has a lot of hard work ahead.

Lucas, Allen and Gerrard never really got going and the longer the game went on, the worse they were, so it will be interesting to see if changes are made there for Manchester City. One place where changes must be made is right midfield where Downing had a nightmare. Henderson could fill in here with a view to providing better defensive cover.

Luis Suarez will start up front with Fabio Borini, with the Uruguayan expected to improve his finishing upon last week.

Roberto Mancini's team do not make changes to accommodate the opposition any more so they will, in all probability, field the same team that started the season against Southampton. With the exception of Sergio Aguero who will miss the next month through injury.

With the little Argentinian genius out with injury, it will be a toss up to see who Mancini decides to go with between Balotelli and Dzeko as both have unique skill traits. But when push comes to shove, Dzeko is a far better team player, therefore the better option, if Mancini sticks with a 4-4-2.

If he chooses 4-5-1, it would come as no surprise to see James Milner out on the right with Samir Nasri and David Silva tucking in behind Tevez.

The champions will relish going at a Liverpool team which seemed uncomfortable across the back and in midfield during the 3-0 loss to West Brom. Nasri and Silva, as ever, will be expected to provide the creative juices while Toure patrols midfield like a guard dog.

Vincent Kompany should have no difficulty dealing with Suarez so, all in all, it could be a case of playing the wrong team at the wrong time for Rodgers and his team.

Prediction: Manchester City win @ 13/10