Premier League: Matchday Two Preview

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Egeonu Ifeanyichukwu

The opening weekend of the Premier League season didn't quite go according to plan for the likes of Liverpool & Manchester United, as they both dropped points.
 *How costly could this turn out to be come the end of the season?

 
Aston Villa vs Everton kicks off this weekend's fixtures.
The Toffees should have new signings Conor Coady & Amadou Onana making their Premier League debuts, but they missed the services of a proper number nine by Chelsea & still look lightweight up front, even with Salomon Rondon back from suspension.
I don't think anyone saw Villa losing to Bournemouth last weekend, and they really need a positive result here after such a horrible performance.
Steven Gerrard was critical of his side, especially in the final third, so what is going to change this time?
They really need a positive result at home against Everton to kick-start their season.
And I think they'll just nick this one.

My prediction: 2-1

 Arsenal vs Leicester
All does not seem well at Leicester who are the only team in Europe's top five league not to have made any summer signings.
They have some good players in their rank but it looks as though Brendan Rodgers is not entirely happy with the situation, and on the pitch, they let a two-goal lead slip against Brentford last week.
On the flip side, everything seems rosy at Arsenal at the moment. The fans are getting excited as though this could be the year they finally qualify for the Champions League after a 6-year absence.
It is still a long season anyway, so maybe the fans should simmer down that excitement.
This will be their first league game at home, & with the home crowd behind them, I think they will edge this one.

My prediction: 2-1

 *Brighton vs Newcastle* 
The Seagulls are a really good team under Graham Potter, and they showed that against Manchester United at Old Trafford last week.
The same can be said of Newcastle who showed a lot of intent in their forward play against Nottingham Forest.
Eddie Howe's teams are a delight to watch and I am expecting this to be quite an open game. I expect both team to share the spoils.

My prediction: 1-1

 *Manchester City vs Bournemouth* 
Erling Haaland is going to be licking his lips before this one after his double against West Ham at the London Stadium last week. If Manchester City go on to score the first goal, Bournemouth are in for a long day.
The Cherries are the tallest team in the Premier League - and they are probably going to take the biggest bashing this weekend.

My prediction: 4-0

 *Southampton vs Leeds*
Leeds got off to a flying start by beating Wolves. They are a lot of people's candidate for relegation.
Southampton got walloped by Spurs last weekend after getting their noses in front.
Saints have reverted to a back three after using it in pre-season, and even though Spurs was a very difficult start to the season for them, it is too early to tell how damaging that defeat will be.
I am going with Southampton to bounce back here.

My prediction: 2-1

 *Wolves vs Fulham*
Wolves needed a striker after the injury Raul Jimenez suffered in pre-season, and they have got one after signing Goncalo Guedes from Valencia this week.
Until the season goes into full swing, it is hard to know what to expect from Bruno Lage's men.
Fulham on the other hand, will have taken a lot of confidence from that performance against Liverpool, and with Aleksandr Mitrovic in their team they carry in them a goal threat.
I think this will end in a draw, I'm afraid.

My prediction: 2-2

 *Brentford vs Manchester United* 
After the dreadful start to the season Manchester United had against Brighton, one would expect some reaction.. 
Not this time though, because United are all over the place at the moment. They have got issues everywhere that urgently requires some fixing. It's no fault of Ten Hag for the current woes of United, but he has to try to plug these holes.
Ivan Toney could prove a handful for Harry Maguire & Lisandro Martinez, and I think they are both going to struggle against the big centre-forward.
Up front, Cristiano Ronaldo should return to lead the line - but how fit is he?
Like Brighton, Brentford are a well-drilled side and unless United click into gear, they are going to struggle again.
This is a very tricky game for United, and I fancy Brentford for the win.

My prediction: 2-1

 *Nottingham Forest vs West Ham* 
This is not going to be an easy game for the Hammers. It's Forest's first game back in the big time so they are going to take the game to them.
The Hammer still have injury woes at the back too, but I just think the technical expertise of their manager will see them edge it.

My prediction: 1-2

 *Chelsea vs Tottenham* 
Chelsea love playing Spurs it seems - they beat them four times last season, and Spurs have only beaten them once at Stamford Bridge since 1990.
Guess the Chelsea boss who was in charge during that defeat in 2018? Antonio Conte, the current Spurs manager. I just have this sneaky feeling he will relish this meeting a lot more.
Chelsea got a hard-fought victory against Everton. If they are slightly off it again on Sunday, they won't be lucky.
Tottenham on the other hand, were ominous in attack against Southampton and I'm expecting more of the same in this game.
They took the game to Saints anyway, but they are also a good counter-attacking team. When they get the ball into Kane with runners off him, they are hard to stop.

My prediction: 1-2

 *Liverpool vs Crystal Palace*
 Palace got off to a poor start losing at home to Arsenal, and things don't get any easier for them from here on.
 Liverpool cannot afford to slip up again in this one after dropping two points against Fulham.
The Reds have got some injury problems, but the big thing for Klopp is that he has to start his new striker Darwin Nunez. 
I don't see Klopp leaving him on the bench.
This is going to be a routine win for Liverpool under the floodlights and a difficult night for the Eagles.

My prediction: 3-0

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