EPL Week 7 Fixtures: Top Games to Watch out for This Weekend

If last weekend taught us anything, it’s that this Premier League season is set to be one of the most unpredictable in history.

Manchester United and City succumbed to defeats against West Brom and Aston Villa, respectively, while Liverpool and Tottenham continued to hold their own in the top four. And the only team left unbeaten after six games? Everton.

With all that in mind, let’s take a look at the games worth catching this weekend.

Man City vs. Everton (Saturday, October 5, 12:45 p.m. BST)

Everton take their unbeaten record to the Etihad Stadium to face a Manchester City side who are formidable in front of their own fans. The Toffees will be hoping the presence of loan signing Romelu Lukaku up front can cause their opponents’ defence to crumble as it did for Aston Villa’s third goal at the weekend.

City may have been erratic away from Manchester so far this season, but on their own patch they have strung together a 100 percent record, including the 4-1 dismantling of rivals United. They welcomed back David Silva and Sergio Aguero into their squad for their Champions League tie with Bayern Munich, further increasing their attacking options.

How will Everton manager Roberto Martinez approach the game? He has encouraged his side to play free-flowing, expansive football this season, but this is their first tricky away trip which will surely see him revert to a more defensive approach. United were ruthlessly exposed on the break when they committed men up field—a real warning to the Everton backline.

If Martinez insists that Leighton Baines and Seamus Coleman continue their charging runs from full-back, we could be in for quite a match…

Sunderland vs. Manchester United (Saturday, October 5, 5:30 p.m. BST)

When Manchester United kick-off against Sunderland in Saturday’s evening game, the Reds could conceivably find themselves in the unfamiliar position of 14th in the Premier League. They’ve endured a nightmare start to the season under new manager David Moyes, which was compounded by last weekend’s limp 2-1 loss to West Brom at Old Trafford.

And their tricky start is showing no signs of letting up. Yes, they face bottom-of-the-table Sunderland, but optimism is far higher at the Stadium of Light than their league position suggests. They performed admirably against Liverpool on Sunday and were unlucky not to get something from the game, with the team responding well to the sacking of the unpredictable Paulo di Canio.

It may only be Week 7 of the season, but both sides desperately need a result. If United fall to another defeat, then they may find themselves a mammoth 11 points off the pace by the end of the weekend. Fortunately for Moyes, the impressive form of Wayne Rooney and the return of Robin van Persie should provide enough firepower to prevent another upset.

But Kevin Ball has publically stated he wants the Black Cats job on a permanent basis. Sunderland can’t hold off naming a permanent successor forever, and a surprise victory over the champions might just put Ball in the managerial driving seat.

Southampton vs. Swansea (Sunday, October 6, 1:30 p.m. BST)

Two sides who look best-placed to get in the mix near the top of the table, Southampton and Swansea, meet at St. Mary's in an intriguing fixture. Both have enjoyed favourable starts, with the Saints shining in the league and the Swans in Europe when they tore Valencia apart at the Mestalla Stadium.

Southampton ruthlessly sacked Nigel Adkins last season, but that decision appears fully justified, with Mauricio Pochettino instilling a direct passing style on his new charges. This tactical tweak has seen them return from Anfield with three points after outplaying their Merseyside opponents for the most part.  It took them until November 27 to accumulate 11 points last season; it’s taken them just six games this time around.

Summer signing Dani Osvaldo got off the mark against Crystal Palace, and if he can link up with Rickie Lambert, then goals should be forthcoming against a Swansea side that have conceded an average of 1.5 goals a game this season.

Swansea’s league position of 13th isn’t a true reflection of where they’re at—the fixture computer was far from generous when handing them matches with United, Spurs, Liverpool and Arsenal in their first six—and Michael Laudrup is building a side capable of challenging domestically and in Europe.

This match will ultimately boil down to whether the Southampton defence, which has conceded just two all season, can deal with last season’s bargain signing Michu. If they can, expect their fine start to continue.