EPL Week 8 Fixtures: TV Schedule, Live Stream Info and Predictions

As the World Cup qualifiers give way to another weekend of Premier League action, we can once again turn our attentions to the developing early season narratives of the English top flight.

Arsenal and Liverpool are out in front with Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur just behind them. But what's this? Mauricio Pochettino's Southampton have defied their pay grade to puncture the top-four bubble, having leapt into the leading pack in the opening weeks.

Their overreach is surely unsustainable however, a judgement that is also shared by a number of pundits and supporters when it comes to the fortunes of the top two. Chelsea and City lie in wait ready to pounce on any dropped points while Spurs will also have chances to stake their own claim at a top-four finish.

Week 8 will see all the top six sides in action with the key match set to take place at Old Trafford as Southampton visit the home of the team most people probably expected to place ahead of the Saints in their current placing, Manchester United.

Meanwhile, Arsenal and Chelsea host Norwich City and Cardiff City respectively, in what should be two fairly routine victories for the London clubs. Liverpool, City and Spurs join Southampton on the road with visits to Newcastle United, West Ham United and Aston Villa, the latter of which could be a tricky fixture for Andre Villas-Boas' men.

Further down the pecking order, Everton play host to Hull City, Stoke City play West Bromwich Albion at home, Swansea City welcome Sunderland to the Liberty Stadium and on Monday night Crystal Palace will seek to take advantage of a stuttering Fulham, in their bid to climb up from the relegation depths.

The full TV schedule, with match-by-match, predictions, can be found below:

Live Stream Info

All three of the games to be televised on Sky Sports can also be watched using the SkyGo app, with BT Sport’s Saturday fixture also available on the BT Sport app. Both services require a subscription.

For those seeking their recap fix, Match of the Day (BBC One, Saturday) and Match of the Day 2 (BBC Two, Sunday) will be offering up highlights and analysis of the weekend's action.

If that's not enough, both programmes can also be streamed live on the BBC Sport website with on-demand versions of each show up for grabs on the BBC iPlayer from midnight on Monday.

BT Sport and Sky Sports will also be offering their own array of highlights packages and review shows. 

Predictions

Movement in the top six

Arsenal will remain on top with Norwich City's visit unlikely to trouble the Gunners. While Christ Hughton's visitors held Chelsea well until late into their game at Carrow Road in Week 7, on the road they have dismal defence.

It's unlikely that second place will change hands either, with Newcastle looking more like sitting ducks than Magpies for the arrival of Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suarez on Tyneside. The last time this fixture finished goalless was in 1974, and with Liverpool's defence in better shape than the home side's, the scoreline should favour the visitors.

That means that Chelsea can continue to track their quarry into Week 9 by keeping the gap between them and the top two to just two points. Cardiff City have been far from Premier League patsies so far but it's hard to see them taking anything at Stamford Bridge.

City too will look to keep their pace up with a trip down to London to face West Ham. While Sam Allardyce's side can up trumps 3-0 away to Spurs in Week 7, Manuel Pellegrini's team should see them off at Upton Park.

They will likely replace Southampton in fourth, with the Saints more than capable of taking at least a draw from Old Trafford given United's recent problems against energetic sides at home.

Rounding out the top six, Aston Villa could well defeat Spurs to take their place in sixth place, with Christian Benteke ready to punish and pummel his countryman Jan Vertonghen and his new defensive partner Vlad Chiriches.

The best of the rest in the mid-table

Should Everton beat Hull at home it will be Roberto Martinez's team who enter the top six at the expense of Villa and Spurs, but Steve Bruce's team look in good spirits and could pull off a shock draw at Goodison Park.

That would keep the Tigers steady in the middle of the table, helping them to inch their points total towards the magical survival target of 40. Whether they make it there will depend greatly on their form after Christmas however.

With United set to draw with Southampton, West Brom could overtake them should they continue their good form at home and away when they visit the Britannia Stadium to face Stoke.

Mark Hughes is yet to make the breakthrough he needs to turn his and the club's fortunes around, but with Steve Clarke's team arguably the most in-form side in the league, Week 8 may not offer him the opportunity to do so.

Stepping up and out of the lower reaches of the league, Swansea City should do well against Sunderland under new manager Gus Poyet. Although the Black Cats have been prone to spectacular bounces of form following the appointment of new coaches in recent years, it may be too soon for the Gus effect to kick in.

Who will be dragged into the relegation zone vortex?

That will leave Sunderland glued to the bottom of the Premier League with Crystal Palace next to them as the early duo adrift from the other runners in the field.

Ian Holloway's battlers have a very real chance of taking at least a point off Martin Jol's Fulham, who may soon find themselves in free fall unless their incoherent mix of flair players and lethargic playmakers can find some structure.

Norwich and Stoke are likely to remain as the breakwater between Jol's side and the relegation zone proper, thanks to their respective defeats to Arsenal and West Brom.

This would resign the Canaries to another week third from bottom, with the next twist in the Premier League sack race looming heavy over Hughton.

See how the Premier League table in Week 8 could look by clicking here.

Who are you tipping to rise to top and sink to the bottom in the next round of Premier League games?