Following their victory against Chelsea last week, that preserved their 100% record, it seems that no team is able to stop Manchester United, writes William Geldart.
The champions have an impeccable record at the Britannia Stadium, home to this week’s opponents Stoke City, but notching up another victory will be far from straightforward against the stubborn Potters.
There are a number of other fixtures this weekend that will be equally as tough to call for SportGuru’s devoted band of predictors. An intriguing battle at the top of our pool is developing. ‘ciano’ has regained top spot from ‘Growler’, who is chasing hard in second position. ‘Saff’ dons the Yellow Cap for collecting the highest amount of points in week five.
Manchester City v Everton
The Saturday lunchtime kick-off sees Everton make the short trip to the Etihad Stadium to take on Manchester City. Both sides enjoyed Carling Cup victories in midweek, and the Toffees will be looking to expose the same weaknesses that Fulham discovered last weekend as they fought back to draw with Roberto Mancini’s City.
Indeed, David Moyes’ Toffees will hold no fears about meeting the home side’s star-studded squad. Everton have won seven of the last eight meetings, including a double over City last season and they were the last opposition the Sky Blues have lost to in the Barclays Premier League.
A rampant start to the season by the Citizens, including 17 goals scored in five games, appears to indicate that they will be a different proposition for the Toffees on this occasion. However, Everton’s start to this season is identical to the beginning of their 2007/2008 campaign, when they finished fifth.
Owen Hargreaves and a host of other City fringe players are expected to make way for their first-team counterparts and the returning big names will be wary of the threat posed by tomorrow’s opponents. We’re sticking our necks out and predicting a draw.
The Football Blog prediction: Manchester City 1-1 Everton
Arsenal v Bolton
Arsenal’s tense 3-1 victory over League Two side Shrewsbury Town in the Carling Cup third round has done little to convince observers of the strength in depth of Arsene Wenger’s squad. Nor has it dispelled doubts about their fragile character as their difficult start to the season continues.
Some light relief may be on its way as the Gunners have won all of their home games at the Emirates against this weekend’s visitors, Bolton Wanderers.
Owen Coyle’s Trotters are in dire need of a reversal of fortunes, following nine defeats in their last 10 Premier League games. Wanderers fans will make the trip to north London hoping that their side’s 2-0 Carling Cup victory against Aston Villa on Wednesday will serve as a catalyst for improved league results.
Having not won away at Arsenal since 1962, the majority of the north-west club’s travelling support are no doubt travelling in hope, rather than expectation. Arsenal’s worst start to the season since 1953-1954 offers a glimmer of light though, with Wenger calling on Gunners fans to help lift the mood around the stadium tomorrow. This one could be closer than you think.
The Football Blog prediction: Arsenal 2-1 Bolton Wanderers
Chelsea v Swansea
Swansea face a daunting first trip in nearly three decades to Stamford Bridge. A defensive injury crisis means captain Garry Monk will have to play through the pain barrier, despite suffering from a foot injury.
Just to make the South Walians’ journey even less appealing, Chelsea are unbeaten in their last 62 games against newly-promoted teams stretching back to April 2001, recording 53 wins and nine draws.
The Swans’ only victory in SW6 came on 21 November 1925 in Division Two. Still, the Blues could be without goalkeeper Petr Cech and striker Daniel Sturridge after both suffered knocks in the midweek League Cup victory against Fulham.
Alas, Chelsea rarely end up on the losing side at their Stamford Bridge fortress. Two home defeats in their last Premier League campaign were considered munificent and they should ease to victory against a depleted Swansea side.
The Football Blog prediction: Chelsea 5-1 Swansea City
Liverpool v Wolves
Both of these sides continue to keep punters guessing after patchy starts to the season. Many commentators had begun to discuss Liverpool’s re-emergence as a top four side after wins against Arsenal and Bolton. Two defeats since then, including last weekend’s clueless 4-0 drubbing at Tottenham, have seen doubts resurface.
Likewise, Mick McCarthy’s Wolves had seemingly shrugged off concerns that they would once again be involved in a desperate relegation battle. The arrival of imposing defender Roger Johnson appeared to hail a new solidity; however, successive defeats to Tottenham, and a limp display in last Saturday’s 3-0 home reverse against QPR, have dampened expectations.
Liverpool and Wolves return to league action on the back of cup victories in midweek and improved performances. Craig Bellamy could prove to be the missing forward link for the Reds, based on his display against Brighton and Hove Albion, as the Welshman scored and showed a terrific understanding with Luis Suarez.
Wolves have a poor record at Anfield, losing thirteen of their last fifteen encounters, although they can take heart from last season’s shock 1-0 victory.
Liverpool though, have failed to win a match in the month of September for over two years, stretching back to a 6-1 home triumph over Hull City in 2009. It might not be such a big margin of victory this weekend, but we think Kenny Dalglish’s men have enough to claim all three points.
The Football Blog prediction: Liverpool 2-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Newcastle v Blackburn
Blackburn boss Steve Kean will be buoyed by two victories in a week for his Rovers side, against Arsenal and Leyton Orient respectively.
The Scotsman can also enjoy another statistic as he travels with his rejuvenated charges to St. James’ Park to play unbeaten Newcastle.
Blackburn are undefeated in their last seven matches against the Magpies, winning six of those previous encounters. The Lancashire side have won their last five league games on Tyneside and will be eager to break Newcastle’s eight-match unbeaten run in the Premier League.
Alan Pardew has orchestrated the Toon Army’s best start to a league season since 1995, and could name returning French midfielder Hatem Ben Arfa in his starting line-up after he appeared against Nottingham Forest in midweek.
The home side’s mix of Gallic flair, with Ben Arfa, Yohan Cabaye and Sylvain Marveaux running midfield, will be severely tested by a Rovers team beginning to find a sense of purpose as their own new signings begin to gel.
The Football Blog prediction: Newcastle United 2-2 Blackburn Rovers
West Brom v Fulham
Roy Hodgson takes on former club Fulham at the Hawthorns on Saturday, as his West Brom side continue to endure a miserable run of league form.
The veteran manager will be hoping star striker Shane Long can shake off a flu virus to play against the Cottagers, who are not in the rudest of health themselves.
Both sides have made their worst ever starts to a Premier League season and while Fulham boss Martin Jol is likely to receive warm applause as a former Baggies player, any sentiment will end there.
A failure to covert opportunities has been instrumental in West Brom and Fulham’s slow start to this campaign. Whites midfielder Danny Murphy has created more chances (21) than any other player in the Premier League, yet his side have scored just four goals in five games. Likewise, West Brom have the worst shots to goals ratio, scoring with just 6% of their efforts on target.
This fixture usually ends up with a win for the home side but on this occasion, we can only see a score draw. Safety first, you see?
The Football Blog prediction: West Bromwich Albion 1-1 Fulham
Wigan v Tottenham
Wigan have only won two of their twelve Premier League encounters with Tottenham however they are unbeaten in their last six home games at the DW Stadium. In addition, Spurs have failed to score in four of their last six meetings with Wigan. That’s perhaps hard to believe, given the 9-1 drubbing the north London side meted out upon Wigan in November 2009.
The loss of striker Hugo Rodallega for up to a month due to a knee injury sustained against Everton last week is a major blow for an already impotent Wigan attack. Latics boss Roberto Martinez will have to continue trying to get the best out of frontman Franco Di Santo, in order to record a vital win.
Emmanuel Adebayor is in menacing form, and his strike partner Jerman Defoe has scored 10 times against Wigan, more than any other opponent.
You never quite know what to expect from either of these sides in this fixture. It could be a six-goal thriller or a drab scoreless draw. We’re going to be optimistic and predict goals aplenty on this occasion.
The Football Blog prediction: Wigan Athletic 2-3 Tottenham Hotspur
Stoke v Manchester United
Forget the victories against Arsenal and Chelsea. Saturday’s trip to the Potteries represents Manchester United’s sternest test of character so far this season. Or does it?
The champions have won all three of their Premier League games away against Stoke, meaning that the oft-used cliché of a trip to the Britannia Stadium being akin to entering the bowels of hell simply does not apply in this case.
That said, despite Stoke not taking a single point from Premier League games against United, they will still be a tough nut to crack.
Tony Pulis’ men will have to make do without striker Kenwyne Jones though, and their misery could be compounded by a likely return to action for Mexican striker Javier Hernandez for the visitors.
Only one defeat in their last sixteen home games could indicate a change in fortunes for Stoke against United. Even with Jones absent, they might want to rethink naming new signing Peter Crouch in the starting line-up. In 13 previous league meetings for various clubs against Sir Alex Ferguson’s men, he’s never been on the winning side. We can’t see that changing this weekend.
The Football Blog prediction: Stoke City 1-2 Manchester United
QPR v Aston Villa
Aston Villa have not beaten QPR at Loftus Road since a 1-0 old Division One victory in 1991, five visits ago, and they will have to be at their best if they are to notch up a win in London this weekend.
Sunday afternoon’s live television match-up pits Neil Warnock’s revitalised Hoops against the Villans, who are unbeaten in their opening five Premier League matches played.
Villa striker Darren Bent is only rated at 50-50 to feature because of a groin problem, potentially limiting the away side’s goal threat.
QPR are likely to name an unchanged line-up from their 3-0 win against Wolves at Molineux last weekend and they will pose a significant challenge to the Midlanders.
Both sides are locked on seven points but it is QPR’s fresh brand of swashbuckling attacking dynamism that we think will prevail.
The Football Blog prediction: Queens Park Rangers 2-1 Aston Villa
Norwich v Sunderland
Indifferent starts to their respective seasons makes this an intriguing encounter between Norwich and Sunderland.
The Canaries claimed their first league victory of the season last weekend with an impressive 2-1 win at Bolton. Sunderland were also back on form, dismantling Stoke 4-0 at the Stadium of Light.
Have those triumphs merely papered over the cracks or will they be a springboard for further success?
Monday night’s game throws up an unwelcome statistic for Sunderland boss Steve Bruce, who will be hoping his side’s luck changes.
The Black Cats have failed to win in their last 13 Premier League matches on a Monday since a 2-1 home victory against Leicester City in April 2002. They have never won in all 11 Premier League away matches on a Monday, according to Infostrada.
Sunderland’s last win at Carrow Road was 26 years ago. Although they are without a potent in-form striker, they could benefit from Norwich’s defensive recklessness that has seen them give away a record five penalties in each of their opening games.
If you look at past meetings, goals could be hard to come by. The last five meetings have resulted in 1-0 victories for the home side. With Norwich’s shaky defence, we think they’ll concede, and Sunderland will do well to escape with a point.
The Football Blog prediction: Norwich City 2-1 Sunderland
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