EPL Week 3 Predictions: Premier League Picks, Key Players and Fixtures
Tottenham Hotspur will play Liverpool at White Hart Lane in the pick of the Premier League's Week 3 fixtures, with the latter hoping to get back on track after a defeat to Burnley.
Chelsea will play host to the Clarets on Saturday and Arsenal will continue searching for their first win away at Watford.
Meanwhile, Manchester City will take on West Ham United and Manchester United face a trip to Hull City.
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Here is the full schedule for the weekend of top-flight action, complete with predictions and a look at who could prove key to their side:
| Saturday, August 27 | 12:30 p.m./7:30 a.m. | Tottenham Hotspur vs. Liverpool | 2-2 |
| Saturday, August 27 | 3 p.m./10 a.m. | Chelsea vs. Burnley | 2-0 |
| Saturday, August 27 | 3 p.m./10 a.m. | Crystal Palace vs. Bournemouth | 2-1 |
| Saturday, August 27 | 3 p.m./10 a.m. | Everton vs. Stoke City | 1-1 |
| Saturday, August 27 | 3 p.m./10 a.m. | Leicester City vs. Swansea City | 2-1 |
| Saturday, August 27 | 3 p.m./10 a.m. | Southampton vs. Sunderland | 3-1 |
| Saturday, August 27 | 3 p.m./10 a.m. | Watford vs. Arsenal | 0-2 |
| Saturday, August 27 | 5:30 p.m./12:30 p.m. | Hull City vs. Manchester United | 0-3 |
| Sunday, August 28 | 1:30 p.m./8:30 a.m. | West Bromwich Albion vs. Middlesbrough | 1-1 |
| Sunday, August 28 | 4 p.m./11 a.m. | Manchester City vs. West Ham United | 3-1 |
Vincent Janssen, Tottenham Hotspur
While he didn't score—and perhaps should have when picked out by Dele Alli only to fluff his lines—Vincent Janssen enjoyed an excellent first start at White Hart Lane.
The Dutchman started at the tip of Spurs' attack with Harry Kane behind him and impressed with an industrious and committed performance in which he harried defenders and tracked back regularly.
Tottenham writer Chris Miller hailed his showing:
So too did Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino:
According to Squawka, he won three out four aerial duels over the course of the match and created two chances for his side, as well as forcing two good saves from Palace 'keeper Wayne Hennessey.
Strike partner Kane believes the two of them linked up well, per Spurs' official website: "I thought we played very well together today, we created a lot of chances and on another day we could have both had a couple of goals so it’s an exciting partnership. I’m sure you’ll see more of it this season and we’re looking forward to it."
Liverpool have had a mixed start to the season, beating Arsenal before losing to Burnley, but it will be important for Janssen to put in another strong performance.
Like Spurs, Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool side cover lots of ground, and the 22-year-old will need to justify his place in the team ahead of an extra midfielder with plenty of running.
Further, his primary role this season is to share the team's goalscoring responsibilities with Harry Kane—opening his account early will be a handy confidence-booster.
The Reds have looked vulnerable at the back in their opening two games, so Spurs should be able to create chances. If they fall to Janssen, he needs to put them away.
Alexis Sanchez, Arsenal
Arsenal's need for a new centre-forward is readily apparent, but thus far in the transfer window, the Gunners are yet to bring in a new striker.
Should Arsenal fail to recruit one, their current array of attacking players will need to step up. While he is one of the best players at the club and incredibly talented, Alexis Sanchez has plenty of room to improve where his goalscoring contributions are concerned.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is hoping Sanchez can be like Barcelona forward Luis Suarez—an aim that football writer Oli Price-Bates believes is realistic:
However, to do so, he must work on his goal output and score much more frequently.
He did not contribute to any of Arsenal's three goals on the opening day, and while he netted a reasonable return of 13 goals in 30 Premier League appearances last season, he scored them all in just nine games.
As such, in 21 league games, the Chilean failed to find the net and in only four of them did he provide an assist.
Per football writer Liam Canning, Arsenal desperately need three points from their trip to Vicarage Road:
As Olivier Giroud—who could also stand to be more clinical—works his way back to fitness, Sanchez is the Gunners' best hope of finding the net.
After quiet games against Liverpool and Leicester City, Sanchez must put in a strong showing against Watford—if he doesn't, Arsenal may well be waiting another week for their first win.
