After a number of midweek matches involving English teams in the Champions League and Europa League, Premier League clubs now turn their attention back to their domestic fixtures this weekend.
Current champions and early season table toppers Manchester United welcome title rivals Chelsea to Old Trafford on Sunday and with manager Sir Alex Ferguson missing a number of players due to injury, he may have to stick with a similar starting eleven to the one that gained a point in their opening Champions League game away to Benfica on Wednesday evening. David De Gea and Rio Ferdinand however may be recalled to the side after they sat out the game at the Estádio da Luz. Visitors Chelsea have kept just the one clean sheet in their past eight league fixtures, while United have taken maximum points from their opening four games and scored eighteen goals in the process suggesting that they look set to lengthen their winning streak. Chelsea are also unbeaten this season taking ten points from four matches and following a 2-0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen in midweek they will head to Manchester with a considerable amount of momentum behind them.
Current champions and early season table toppers Manchester United welcome title rivals Chelsea to Old Trafford on Sunday and with manager Sir Alex Ferguson missing a number of players due to injury, he may have to stick with a similar starting eleven to the one that gained a point in their opening Champions League game away to Benfica on Wednesday evening. David De Gea and Rio Ferdinand however may be recalled to the side after they sat out the game at the Estádio da Luz. Visitors Chelsea have kept just the one clean sheet in their past eight league fixtures, while United have taken maximum points from their opening four games and scored eighteen goals in the process suggesting that they look set to lengthen their winning streak. Chelsea are also unbeaten this season taking ten points from four matches and following a 2-0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen in midweek they will head to Manchester with a considerable amount of momentum behind them.
Elsewhere, United’s neighbours Manchester City travel to Craven Cottage to face Fulham in confident mood, aiming to continue their 100% start to the Premier League season. The Cottagers have struggled to hit the back of the net so far this season having managed to score just two league goals, while City have the destructive attacking partnership of the equally in form Edin Dzeko and summer signing Sergio Aguero to call upon. With Fulham yet to win at home this season, the Citizens will be disappointed to come away from the capital with anything other than another three points.
Saturday’s lunchtime kick off sees a new look Arsenal away at struggling Blackburn who find themselves at the foot of the table with just a solitary point to their name. Buoyed by the return of Gervinho and Alex Song from suspension, the Gunners head to Ewood Park eyeing a win to put an end to their dismal away form, hoping to give their fans something to smile about after their 8-2 demolition at the hands of Manchester United in their last Premier League outing. Rovers simply need a change in luck after a series of unlucky results in recent weeks. Their last home game saw them miss two penalties only to see Arsenal new boy Mikel Arteta show them how it was done, sticking away a late penalty of his own in his final game for Everton confining Blackburn to an undeserved defeat.
Everton meanwhile, intend to build on their encouraging performance last week against Aston Villa by taking three points at home to Wigan. With Victor Anichebe the only player missing, manager David Moyes can call upon an almost fully fit squad for the first time this season and after an impressive debut as a second half substitute against Villa, Dutch loanee Royston Drenthe is pushing to make his full debut. Moyes’ opposite number Roberto Martinez will look to score his first Goodison Park victory as Latics boss as they aim to maintain their impressive start to the season.
Tottenham head into their match against Liverpool at White Hart Lane searching for their first home win of the season after getting the ball rolling with a 2-0 victory away at Wolverhampton Wanderers in their previous league fixture. Spurs have enjoyed recent success at home to The Reds and with Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard unlikely to be risked following his long injury lay-off they will go into the game fancying their chances. Liverpool though have started well, with their loss away to Stoke last week the only setback in an otherwise solid first few games and with new boys Charlie Adam and Jordan Henderson showing promise in the early stages of their Anfield careers the mood is cheerful as they head down to north London.
Newcastle, who find themselves in the top four after strong start to the season, travel to the Midlands and Villa Park to play Aston Villa hoping to continue their four game unbeaten run. Despite having won just once this term, Villa too are unbeaten and with a number of ex-Magpies in their ranks they have a point to prove as they look to shake their tag as this seasons draw specialists. However, manager Alex McLeish is yet to record a victory over Newcastle in his managerial career.
Newly promoted Swansea City aim to get their inaugural Premier League win at home to West Bromwich Albion following an unfortunate loss to Arsenal in their previous game after a disastrous blunder by goalkeeper Michael Vorm. The Swans are the only team yet to score in the league this season and will see this game as the ideal opportunity to get off the mark. Albion, on the other hand, recorded a 1-0 triumph in their previous game away to Norwich and with star striker Peter Odemwingie turning in a man-of-the-match display they will hoping he can follow up with another high quality to display to lead them to victory.
Wolverhampton Wanderers, who have lost just once this season, see Queens Park Rangers visit them at Molineux. Mick McCarthy’s men will look to build on their solid start which has seen them turn from what ‘experts’ believed to be certain relegation candidates to a team that has flourished under the captaincy of summer acquisition Roger Johnson. QPR head to Wolves having scored only one goal all season and will need to polish their shooting boots if they are to defeat Wolves as the home side have managed to keep three clean sheets in their last four competitive games.
Bolton Wanderers welcome promoted Norwich City to the Reebok Stadium and will have to be on their guard as Norwich look for revenge after they were robbed of what was potentially a point gained when last week they were denied a late penalty after forward James Vaughan was elbowed in the face inside the penalty area by WBA’s Gabriel Tamas. Bolton too will be looking for a change in fortune after being on the wrong end of a 5-0 hammering at the hands of Manchester United in their previous home fixture.
Finally, it’s a battle of the red and white stripes as Stoke head to the North East eager to secure a win over Sunderland. Three points on Wearside would go some way to banishing the gutting memory of their trip to Ukraine in midweek, which saw them just miss out on what would have been tremendous 1-0 victory only for their Europa League opponents Dynamo Kiev to equalise in injury time. Sunderland will be aiming to record their first win of the season and will draw on the fact that Stoke are yet to come away from the Stadium of Light with all three points in the Premier League.
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