By Scroll Reporter, Lagos
Bournemouth vs Brighton (Friday, 7.45pm)
Bournemouth’s first win? : Eddie Howe. West Ham’s win on Monday night meant that Bournemouth are now one of only two Premier League sides left on zero points – not somewhere they would have envisaged being in the middle of September. Howe is rightly afforded some latitude on the south coast; he’s done tremendous things for Bournemouth, but failing to win here will raise some questions.
Huddersfield vs Leicester (Saturday, 3pm)
Battle of the underdogs: How Huddersfield respond to their first defeat. That’s always interesting. When the sun is out and players are basking in the novelty of Premier League life, newly promoted teams can often look like near certainties to avoid relegation. With that first loss will come the first pangs of doubt, though, and there’s no way of knowing quite how David Wagner’s players will react.Given how much money Leicester spent on the forward, Kelechi Iheanacho has had a quiet start at his new club, playing just 20 minutes of competitive football. Iheanacho’s restricted game-time over the past year had left him well short of match fitness, so too his late arrival after pre-season had been completed. Could he be left waiting again for a full debut?
Liverpool vs Burnley (Saturday, 3pm)
Liverpool’s comeback?: How Liverpool respond to last weekend’s humbling. Sadio Mane’s red card was only a partial excuse for what happened against Manchester City; it attracted the headlines and provoked a ceaseless debate about the laws, but it didn’t disguise just how insipid Jurgen Klopp’s team were. He’ll know that and he’ll want to see something far more committed.
Watford vs Manchester City (Saturday, 3pm)
The fall of city’s fortress?: Probably the end of that unbeaten record. City were terrifyingly potent against Liverpool and made Feyenoord look like part-timers in midweek. Defence remains a concern for Pep Guardiola. Watford’s form. Two wins, two draws and no goals conceded since the opening day (vs Liverpool). What a start by Marco Silva.
Tottenham vs Swansea (Saturday, 5.30pm)
Harry kane’s goal scoring spree: Probably a debut for Fernando Llorente. The Spaniard was signed to provide cover for Harry Kane and a slight variation on his style of play, so, given that Kane played almost the entire game on Wednesday night, his first Premier League action for Spurs seems set to come against the club he left.
Chelsea vs Arsenal (Sunday, 1.30pm)
Battle for the pride of London:As it always seems to be: a strong, intimidating Chelsea looking to give a listing Arsenal team a hefty shove. Antonio Conte managed to navigate the Champions League tussle comfortably while also resting several key players A fresh look for a team seeking their fifth win in succession.
Manchester United vs Everton (Sunday, 4pm)
Lukaku and Rooney to face former clubs: With Wayne rooney and Romelu Lukaku expected to face their former clubs, Paul Pogba’s hamstring is certainly a problem. Nemanja Matic has been praised for the impact he’s made on his new side, but his success has been in freeing Pogba – a rare midfielder with a passing range to multiply United’s pacy attacking threat. expect this to be a harder game than it might have been as a result.
