EPL Week 11 Predictions: Premier League Picks, Key Players and Fixture Info
On the week of Guy Fawkes Day in the UK, it is Chelsea who are currently setting the Premier League on fire with a brilliant start to their campaign for title glory.
Jose Mourinho's team sit proud at the top of the table on 26 points, with the unlikely challenge of Southampton being the only club to run them close, some four points behind.
The weekend's fixtures see the Blues face one of their stiffest tests yet as they travel to Anfield to play Brendan Rodgers' Liverpool.
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The Merseyside team are yet to show any signs of their brilliant form from last year and will be hoping they can turn on the switch against the imperious west London outfit.
Here is a list of all of the fixtures for Saturday and Sunday's games, with predictions and a look at key players:
| Liverpool v Chelsea | Nov. 8 | 12.45 p.m. | 1-3 |
| Burnley v Hull | Nov. 8 | 3 p.m. | 1-0 |
| Manchester United v Crystal Palace | Nov. 8 | 3 p.m. | 2-1 |
| Southampton v Leicester | Nov. 8 | 3 p.m. | 2-0 |
| West Ham v Aston Villa | Nov. 8 | 3 p.m. | 2-1 |
| QPR v Manchester City | Nov. 8 | 5.30 p.m. | 1-4 |
| Tottenham v Stoke | Nov. 9 | 1.30 p.m. | 2-0 |
| Sunderland v Everton | Nov. 9 | 1.30 p.m. | 0-2 |
| West Brom v Newcastle | Nov. 9 | 1.30 p.m. | 2-2 |
| Swansea v Arsenal | Nov. 9 | 4 p.m. | 1-2 |
When Cesc Fabregas returned to England's shores, he arrived with little fanfare or noise. The former Arsenal player, despite being one of the elite midfielders in European football, does not get the blood flowing like many of his more illustrious team-mates.
But that is no fault of the player, and Fabregas has taken back to Premier League football like a fish in water. The Spanish international has driven his team forward to an unbeaten start in the league and Fabregas appears to be the missing link for Mourinho.
The maestro has posted an incredible set of statistics during his opening gambit in a blue shirt. In his 13 Premier League and Champions League appearances for Chelsea, he has provided a stunning 11 assists and two goals, per WhoScored.com.
It is an extraordinary record for a player with a point to prove after Barcelona let him go without a fight.
The Catalan club's loss is Chelsea's gain and the player seems happy, back in his familiar environment of London where he grew up as a footballer.
Despite this great start, Fabregas showed a small dip in form recently against Manchester United as he was hounded and marked by a resurgent Marouane Fellaini. Liverpool will need to do the same to nullify his obvious threat.
But Fabregas has recently killed most opponents with his sheer brilliance and speed of thought, as highlighted by ESPN's Iain Macintosh against QPR:
If Fabregas carries on with this current performance level, it will be difficult to see any team catching Chelsea in the title race. The balance he gives to Mourinho's team is incredibly hard to match.
All the major sides in Europe must surely be looking at him at present and wondering why they did not snare him from Barca themselves.
He is now the man who wears the armband at Manchester United, and Wayne Rooney will be expected to lead the charge into the top four for the Red Devils.
The England captain recently spent three games on the sidelines for United after his suspension, which saw him missing in action for a whole month. And it was clear the team missed him.
But this Saturday sees the visit of Crystal Palace to Old Trafford, and LvG will be praying his talisman can put the south Londoners to the sword.
Before his suspension, Rooney's own form was inconsistent, but there were definite signs of improvement. The player still managed to record three goals and two assists from his seven Premier League outings, per WhoScored.com, lending hope that his best form was shortly to follow.
And again, Rooney gave flashes of inspiration in his last match against Manchester City, playing in a deeper midfield position, and at one point nearly beating the whole Sky Blues defence on his own with an impressive burst from the centre of the park.
United need Rooney now. They need him to create a habit of winning and take the team to the next level.
The three games he missed may not be vital in the context of a whole season, but his match fitness will have fallen behind his colleagues and he has to catch up fast.
The game against Palace gives him an opportunity to test himself against so-called weaker opposition, but the Selhurst Park team are likely to come and park the bus—and play that tactic to perfection.
