The Sports Lowdown For All Your News and OpinionsA preview of all the upcoming Premier Leagues matches that will take place this weekend. Chelsea face a difficult away day when they travel to White Hart Lane, while Liverpool entertain Swansea at Anfield.
Saturday:
Aston Villa V Watford, 15:00, Villa Park.
After last week’s disastrous performance at Goodison Park, Villa will be looking to bounce back here when they host Premier League new boys, Watford. Villa looked impressive when they held Manchester City to a goalless draw prior to the international break, however after last week’s performance they’ve managed to pile the pressure back on themselves. Watford will still be feeling sore after last week’s last minute loss. They caused so many problems for Manchester United when going forward and deserved a point out of the match, their tails will be wagging though and will feel confident of going to Villa Park and coming out with maximum points.
Bournemouth V Everton, 15:00, Vitality Stadium.
Bournemouth will feel like instead of picking up a point last week, they dropped two. They were 2-0 up and cruising, two goals within thirteen minutes and it was all square. The way the Cherries came out of the blocks was impressive. High tempo, good passing and fantastic finishing. If they can become more consistent, then they have every chance to establish themselves as a Premier League team. Everton were immense last week, putting four past Villa. The only thing Roberto Martinez could get upset about was the fact they didn’t score more against Villa. Bournemouth will have to be on fine form to give this impressive Everton team a good game Saturday.
Crystal Palace V Newcastle United, 15:00, Selhurst Park.
Palace had a surprise loss when they hosted Sunderland on Monday, and it shows that no team can be complacent in this league. They didn’t take their chances, and had to pay a painful lesson. Newcastle on the other hand, are yet to start this campaign. Granted they’ve got two wins under their belt, but they were both against teams promoted from the Championship. This will be a hard game for them and I’m sure Alan Pardew will welcome his former team to Selhurst Park, with intentions to take all three points.
Manchester City V Southampton, 15:00, Etihad Stadium.
What can I say about Manchester City? One point from their last two games is not title winning quality. With Sergio Aguero and David Silva fully fit, they are by far the strongest team in the league. However when you take those two world class players from the side, they can look very average at times. They need to bounce back here, it’s crucial. If the Red Devils win their respective match then they’d be four points clear of their noisy neighbours. Southampton will look to bounce back from their shock 1-0 loss at home to Stoke. It does not get much tougher than going to the Etihad, so they’ll have to be in fine form to take anything out of the match.
Sunderland V Stoke, 15:00, Stadium of Light.
Sunderland done their job perfectly last week, they defended well and just waited for their chance to break. And Jermain Defoe did not disappoint. That was a massive three points for the Black Cats and would have pumped a lot of confidence into the team. Stoke played well last week, and picked up a fantastic result away from home against the Saints. Stoke will be favourites here, but if Sunderland can play the match with a similar game plan, they can win this one.
