EPL Week 3 Predictions: Premier League Picks, Key Players and Fixtures
There has been plenty of drama already in the new Premier League season, and Week 3's fixtures are unlikely to disappoint.
The most eye-catching game is Liverpool's trip to Arsenal on Monday, but there's plenty more excitement to be had as Manchester United host Newcastle United and Manchester City face Everton with both sides coming off the back of excellent 3-0 wins.
Here are predictions for each match in Week 3, as well as a look at which players are set to play key roles for their teams.
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| Saturday, August 22 | 12:45 p.m./7:45 a.m. | Manchester United vs. Newcastle United | 3-0 |
| Saturday, August 22 | 3 p.m./10 a.m. | West Ham United vs. Bournemouth | 2-1 |
| Saturday, August 22 | 3 p.m./10 a.m. | Sunderland vs. Swansea City | 0-4 |
| Saturday, August 22 | 3 p.m./10 a.m. | Leicester City vs. Tottenham Hotspur | 2-2 |
| Saturday, August 22 | 3 p.m./10 a.m. | Norwich City vs. Stoke City | 1-1 |
| Saturday, August 22 | 3 p.m./10 a.m. | Crystal Palace vs. Aston Villa | 2-1 |
| Sunday, August 23 | 1:30 p.m./8:30 a.m. | West Bromwich Albion vs. Chelsea | 1-2 |
| Sunday, August 23 | 4 p.m./11 a.m. | Watford vs. Southampton | 1-3 |
| Sunday, August 23 | 4 p.m./11 a.m. | Everton vs. Manchester City | 1-2 |
| Monday, August 24 | 8 p.m./3 p.m. | Arsenal vs. Liverpool | 3-2 |
Riyad Mahrez, Leicester City
One of the Foxes' top performers last season, Riyad Mahrez has begun the 2015-16 season with a bang, racking up three goals in Leicester City's first two matches.
The 24-year-old is enjoying an excellent run of form stretching back to the end of last year, as Opta Joe illustrated:
As WhoScored.com's Ben McAleer noted, "Mahrez has the potential to be Leicester’s most important attacker this season," thanks to his outstanding dribbling ability and creativity.
Claudio Ranieri's side face a difficult task at home to Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, but as their win at Upton Park showed, their rampant performance against Sunderland was not merely a product of the Black Cats' woeful inadequacy.
The Algerian's exceptional form and confidence will be key to the Foxes getting a result against Spurs, and with Mahrez providing ammo for Shinji Okazaki and Jamie Vardy, as well as offering a threat himself, Leicester can continue their strong start by claiming at least a point.
Juan Mata, Manchester United
United have largely failed to convince in their opening fixtures, despite claiming all six points.
Those points came courtesy of 1-0 wins over Spurs and Aston Villa, the former thanks to a Kyle Walker own goal and the latter due to Adnan Januzaj's deflected effort.
Wayne Rooney has been anonymous and though the Red Devils' only attack-minded signing, Memphis Depay, has shown glimpses of his quality, the Dutchman is yet to make a significant impact for his new side.
Juan Mata, however, showed his importance to the team at Villa Park when he set up Januzaj's goal with a perfectly executed through ball.
Republic of Ireland international Darren O'Dea believes the Spaniard should be handed a more prominent role in the side:
"As good as Januzaj and Deepay are I don't understand how Mata doesn't play as Man Utd's num 10. Best player for that position in that team
— Darren O'Dea (@odea_darren) August 15, 2015"
As the Premier League's official Twitter account notes, Mata's ability to create goals for his team-mates is almost unrivalled:
United welcome Newcastle to Old Trafford on Saturday, and with the Magpies in disarray following their difficult start to the season, the stage is set for Mata to dominate proceedings.
Expect a comfortable win for the Red Devils orchestrated by the 27-year-old.
Alexis Sanchez, Arsenal
Arsenal got their campaign back on track with a win over Crystal Palace in Week 2 following their shock defeat at home to West Ham United on the opening weekend.
Though the winning strike was deemed an own goal by Damien Delaney, the goal was made by Alexis Sanchez's impressive header with the Eagles player trying and failing to clear the ball off the line.
The forward scored 25 goals and registered 12 assists for Arsenal in all competitions last season, and directly contributed to 24 of the Gunners' 71 strikes in the Premier League—almost a third of their overall total.
Despite not being fully fit due to his Copa America exploits, Sanchez was a threat to Palace and is set to play a crucial role in Arsenal's game against Liverpool on Monday.
The Chilean's endless work rate, commitment and frightening pace will undoubtedly cause the Reds all manner of problems, and with an extra week of training under his belt Sanchez will most likely appear even sharper.
Brendan Rodgers' side are capable of making it a difficult night for the Gunners—Christian Benteke in particular, who impressed on his Anfield debut against Bournemouth—but with Sanchez on their side Arsenal can triumph in a hard-fought contest.
