EPL Preview – Matchday 3 (All 10 Games)
My first two attempts at predicting the score lines in the Premier league haven’t been too successful but I shall endeavor to do just a little bit better this week. With an international break coming up after this week’s games my predictions won’t be back until two weeks from now. Here we go with this week’s predictions and don’t forget that if you want to win some money then back the teams I’m picking to lose.
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Blackburn v Arsenal
Blackburn’s had a very good home record last season and Arsenal were one of the teams to fall victim to that. Everton were beaten by them on the opening day of the season and they will be looking to do the same to Arsenal. Their approach will hardly be subtle as they will look to bully them and put their defence and particularly their keeper under a lot of pressure. We can expect plenty of hefty challenges from Blackburn as well in an attempt to stop Arsenal playing their football but it won’t be easy for them.
On the other hand Arsenal will attempt to play football from the first minute until the last one no matter how Blackburn attempt to stop them. With Cesc, RVP and Song looking likely to play from the start in their favored positions and Koscielny coming back after suspension Arsenal will be very close to full strength. As a result I expect them to have too much for Blackburn and emerge with a victory from the early kick off on Saturday.
Prediction: 1-2
Blackpool v Fulham
Blackpool get to play at home after playing their first two matches away and getting three points into the bargain. I’m sure their fans will be right behind them and they will go out and try to play good football as they always do. Their manager has admitted that they are quite a few players short of competing properly at this level and it won’t be easy for them against a Fulham team who are a lot tighter at the back than Wigan.
Fulham did very well to twice come from behind against “Manure” last week to get a draw and they also managed a 0-0 draw away to Bolton on the opening day. With Schwarzer still unavailable through injury/transfer speculation his deputy is doing very well and Fulham look solid at the back again this season. I think they can get a result out of this game as long as they can keep the home fans quiet for as long as possible. The likes of Duff, Dempsey, Zamora and Dembele are too good for Blackpool’s defenders in my opinion and Fulham should get a win.
Prediction: 1-2
Chelsea v Stoke
Chelsea couldn’t have asked for an easier start to the season so far and with Stoke’s terrible away record I’m sure their run of wins and loads of goals will continue. If you don’t have Drogba in your fantasy team the chances are you’re not doing too well as he has excelled so far. Mind you the list of Chelsea players doing well in fantasy football at the moment is very long and after this game it should be longer. They have started off as if they intend keeping the league title for another season and the return of Essien has been a huge boost for them.
Stoke should have got a draw against the Spuds last week as they had a perfectly good goal not given and the need for goal line technology was evident afterwards. They find themselves pointless and after this game I’m sure that won’t change but it won’t alter the way they play. They were described as Stoke RFC by Arsene Wenger and he wasn’t far from the truth as Arsenal learned to the peril of Aaron Ramsey last season. A solid drubbing is all I can see in store for Stoke as Chelsea march on with their run of games against the Premier league also rans before they get to play the big boys.
Prediction: 4-0
Tottenham v Wigan
After qualifying for the group stages of the Champions league the Spuds will be feeling very good and they couldn’t have asked for a better opponent in their next game than Wigan. They beat them 9-1 at home last season and Wigan have received two drubbings already this season from Blackpool and Chelsea. With Defoe out for a couple of weeks there’s a chance for another striker to have a field day and Bale is playing so well in midfield that he looks a certainty for any fantasy team at the moment.
Wigan are going nowhere fast after two home defeats in their first two games where they scored no goals and conceded 10. It’s very early but they look to be favorites for relegation already and they won’t relish going to the Spuds for a game that they got absolutely thrashed in last season. If the Spuds go for it from the start expect another drubbing for Wigan and the Spuds fans to think they will win the league and Champions league double.
Prediction: 6-0
Wolves v Newcastle
Wolves have started off pretty well this season with a home win on the opening day and a good draw away to Everton last week. They don’t look to be quite as good at the back as they were last season but they also seem to have more of an attacking threat. McCarthy did very well to keep them in the Premier league last season and they will be looking to move towards the middle of the table this season.
Newcastle looked good in their opening game at “Manure” until they went behind and then they lost all belief but they soon got that back in their second game as they thrashed Aston Villa 6-0. I didn’t see that result coming but it was fully deserved on the day and it shows that Newcastle do in fact have a serious goal threat in their team. I’m still not sure how good Carroll is but Nolan and Barton will get their fair share of points for any fantasy team from midfield. It won’t be a classic match but I can see both teams sharing the spoils.
Prediction: 1-1
Manchester United v West Ham
It looked liked “Manure” had got a lucky win at Fulham last week until a late Fulham equalizer and if their luck deserts them this could be a tougher than usual season for them. Luckily though they face a so far abject West Ham in Saturday evening’s kick off and they should have far too much in their locker for the Hammers.
West Ham had hoped that their new manager would help them to a better season than last time around after they cam so close to relegation last season. They have had a poor start so far and seem to be devoid of confidence at the moment which is not a good thing. I can see them getting soundly beaten to remain in the bottom three without a point to their name.
Prediction: 4-0
Bolton v Birmingham
Bolton are playing a little more proper football under Coyle but it’s difficult to completely change the way a player like Kevin Davies has always performed. Following on their opening day draw at home to Fulham they won at West Ham last week and I think they have enough about them to cause problems to most teams in the league.
Birmingham seems to have lost their defensive solidity of last season and that could be a bad thing for them. However, they also seem to be more capable of scoring goals so one might balance out the other and make for more interesting games, hopefully. I think they will find it hard against Bolton and I think Bolton should just edge this Sunday lunch time game.
Prediction: 2-1
Liverpool v West Brom
Hodgson rested his two star players for Thursday’s trip to Turkey and Liverpool edged a tight game with two late goals. In the league they have only one point and one goal so far which a pretty poor start for them although they have had two tough opponents so far. They need Gerard and Torres to play all season and at their very best if they are to have a chance of competing in any competition at all.
West Brom were soundly beaten on the opening day by Chelsea but importantly for them they bounced back last week with a 1-0 win over Sunderland. They will need as many points as possible from their home games and their chances of getting anything at Anfield are very slim indeed. I can’t see anything but an emphatic home victory to get Liverpool’s season up and running until they get to play the big boys again.
Prediction: 3-0
Sunderland v Manchester City
Sunderland blew a two goal lead at home to Birmingham on the opening day and ended up with only a point and then they lost at newly promoted West Brom last week. This is going to be a tough game for them and another defeat will leave Bruce feeling a little worried about his job I would imagine.
City are yet to concede a goal in the league this season and with their array of highly expensive talent they could be a real force to be reckoned with. The biggest problem for them is who gets to play and who doesn’t as the manager looks to keep everybody happy. We’ve already seen that Given wants out due to lack of first team football and a few others are bound to follow before the transfer window closes. I can’t see Sunderland getting anything out of this game at all.
Prediction: 1-2
Aston Villa v Everton
Villa have had a disastrous week with a 6-0 league defeat to Newcastle followed by a home defeat against Rapid Vienna in the Europa league. They don’t have a manager yet after Martin O’Neill left just before the season started and it looks as if it might be starting to show. Normally I would say that Villa defenders are good points winners in fantasy football but in their present form UI would steer well clear.
Everton haven’t been great so far this season and they have only one point to show for their first two games. They must surely see this as an ideal opportunity to get one over on a rival as Villa look so poor at the back. With Arteta, Pienaaar and Cahill in their team Everton should be capable of creating and scoring plenty of chances but it just isn’t working for them at the moment. I’m not sure that Moyes knows his best team yet and until Everton find their feet properly they could drop off the pace a little. It’s a hard one to call so I’m going for a draw.
Prediction: 2-2
That’s the lot and as usual feel free to tell me where I went wrong and point me in the right direction too.
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PS: Do check Arsenal Interactive – The Home of Arsenal Fans
What Is Arsenal Interactive?
Arsenal Interactive is a Match Day experience centered around bringing Arsenal fans (and, let’s face it, Gunning Hawk supporters, who are the smartest bunch of football fans in the world) together to share in pre- and post-match revelry. You can rate every Arsenal player after every match, write up your own comments on the ratings, give your thoughts on the game itself, share the entire interactive anthology with a host of social networking sites and chat in real time with fellow Arsenal fans!
