Premier League Week 3 Fixtures: EPL Picks and Predictions
It’s been a breathless start to the Premier League season. The champions are toiling, their nearest challengers are flying, while others are clinging on their coattails at the outset of a campaign that looks set to yield a much more engrossing title race than its predecessor. In Week 3, the critical matches keep on coming.
The standout fixture sees Arsenal host Liverpool on Monday, with both sides looking to puff their chest out at the start of the term. In addition, table toppers Manchester City head to a rejuvenated Everton in what should be a fascinating contest, while Chelsea head to West Bromwich Albion looking for their first win of the season.
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Here’s a look at the fixtures to come in the third round of English football’s top flight, a prediction for each of the 10 games and a closer look at a couple of standout contests.
| Saturday, Aug. 22 | 12:45 p.m. | Manchester United vs. Newcastle United | 3-1 |
| Saturday, Aug. 22 | 3 p.m. | Norwich City vs. Stoke City | 2-1 |
| Saturday, Aug. 22 | 3 p.m. | Sunderland vs. Swansea City | 0-2 |
| Saturday, Aug. 22 | 3 p.m. | Crystal Palace vs. Aston Villa | 1-1 |
| Saturday, Aug. 22 | 3 p.m. | Leicester City vs. Tottenham Hotspur | 1-2 |
| Saturday, Aug. 22 | 3 p.m. | West Ham United vs. Bournemouth | 1-0 |
| Sunday, Aug. 23 | 1:30 p.m. | West Bromwich Albion vs. Chelsea | 0-1 |
| Sunday, Aug. 23 | 4 p.m. | Everton vs. Manchester City | 2-2 |
| Sunday, Aug. 23 | 4 p.m. | Watford vs. Southampton | 1-1 |
| Monday, Aug. 24 | 8 p.m. | Arsenal vs. Liverpool | 2-1 |
Everton vs. Manchester City
After a poor opening-day draw against Watford, Everton burst into life away at Southampton with an accomplished 3-0 victory. The Toffees will be hoping to preserve those levels against City, who have been rampant at the start of the campaign.
Roberto Martinez’s men played a counter-attacking style on the south coast, which got the best out of men like Romelu Lukaku and Arouna Kone. But midfielder Ross Barkley was the standout performer, grabbing his second goal in as many matches and surging forward with an enlivened vigour.
As noted by sports writer Henry Winter, the young midfielder seems to be making positive refinements in his game:
He’ll have to be at his best to trouble a Manchester City team that have been imperious to date. Manuel Pellegrini’s side have scored six and conceded zero in their first couple of matches, swatting aside both West Brom and Chelsea in flawless fashion.
The Etihad Stadium outfit have been the standout team in the division so far and will be hoping to lay down another indicator of their title credentials with a victory at a difficult venue. But as we can see here courtesy of Sky Sports News HQ, they are in tremendous form:
This is a match that looks set to be open. Expect Everton to sit deep and spring when City do push on to them, something they did to devastating effect against Southampton last weekend. However, in players like David Silva, Sergio Aguero and Raheem Sterling, the visitors have the quality to pick the Toffees apart.
Expect plenty of goals, an intriguing clash of styles and a share of the spoils for each side.
Prediction: Everton 2-2 Manchester City
Arsenal vs. Liverpool
Having banished the bad memories of last season’s 6-1 defeat at the Britannia Stadium with a 1-0 win over Stoke City on the opening day, Liverpool can help heal the wounds of another tepid showing from 2014-15 when they face Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Monday.
The hosts sashayed to a 4-1 victory in this fixture last season and after their Week 2 2-1 win over Crystal Palace, should come into this game with momentum firmly behind them. Manager Arsene Wenger will have been delighted with the response of his team at Selhurst Park after losing to West Ham United first up, particularly the performance put in by the magisterial Mesut Ozil.
As we can see via EPL Stat Man, it was a brilliant display from the German international:
Liverpool will face the unenviable task of shutting him down, but Brendan Rodgers’ team have showed signs of added grit in the early stages of the season. Indeed, while the Reds have stuttered through their opening games against Stoke City and Bournemouth—both 1-0 wins—in an attacking perspective, from a defensive standpoint they never looked like conceding.
Bleacher Report’s Karl Matchett reflected on the peculiar feeling of having confidence in the defence of this Reds team:
But Arsenal’s attacking talent is a cut above anything this reshaped Liverpool team has come up against so far this season and for a team that is still clearly striving for familiarity, that’s something the Gunners will be capable of exposing.
Although they were profligate in front of goal at Palace, there were clear signs that Arsenal were ready to click into gear. Expect Wenger’s side to play with incision and vibrancy against a quality opponent, eventually emerging as victors in a close contest.
Prediction: Arsenal 2-1 Liverpool
