October 30, (THEWILL) – Saturday’s slew of English Premier League matches begins with an early kickoff in the East Midlands’ King Power Stadium as Kelechi Iheanacho’s Leicester City welcome Arsenal who will be seeking to keep their unbeaten run going.
Liverpool will also welcome Brighton and Hove Albion to Anfield hoping that Mohamed Salah’s impressive goal-scoring form is unrelenting while Patrick Vieira will try to get the better of Pep Guardiola in the Etihad as Crystal Palace face Manchester City.
It has not been the best of starts for Graeme in his interim position as manager at Newcastle and it will not be any easier with Chelsea visiting but Claudio Ranieri’s Watford will fancy their chances against Southampton in their 3 pm kickoff.
But the most anticipated match of the weekend will be the recovery that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s charges make from their 5-0 pummelling by Liverpool when they meet Nuno Espirito Santo’s inconsistent Tottenham Hotspur at the London club’s home grounds. Manchester United have been solid in their travels and could find redemption at Spurs.
Here is THEWILL’s preview of the things to consider in these games in Saturday’s packed EPL schedule.
Leicester Versus Arsenal – 12:30 pm
In recent weeks, Leicester has found their stride, scoring 14 goals in their previous five games across all competitions and winning their last two Premier League games in a row. Arsenal, on the other hand, has not lost in the league since August and was victorious last time out against a fancied Aston Villa.
Due to a sickness bug that has struck a number of players in the team, the Gunners could be without the impressive Ben White, while Leicester could welcome back Wilfred Ndidi and continue to tap from the scintillating form of Patson Daka.
Burnley Versus Brentford – 3 pm
Brentford’s first season in the Premier League has been hit or miss, and they will have a stiff test at Turf Moor against an improved Burnley team.
Burnley is yet to win a Premier League game this season, but their only defeat in the last month came against Manchester City, the reigning champions. A clean sheet might be a challenge, although they have scored twice in recent meetings against Leicester and Southampton.
Liverpool Versus Brighton and Hove Albion – 3 pm
Liverpool are aiming for their third consecutive Premier League victory since their 2-2 draw with the EPL champions Manchester City, as well as capitalising on the momentum generated by their 5-0 win over Manchester United last time out.
With the Egyptian Mohamed Salah in his current form, there is scarcely an opponent that can stand in their way, as the Reds have shown in recent fixtures this season.
Brighton, on the other hand, has recently lost steam. They had a great start, winning four of their first five games. But, the Seagulls have not won since September 19 and were thrashed by City in their most recent match.
Manchester City Versus Crystal Palace – 3 pm
City are comfortable favourites to win at home in the afternoon fixture. Pep Guardiola’s charges appear to have overcome some early season blips and have scored eight goals in their last three Premier League games alone, including four against Brighton last time out.
Crystal Palace were wasteful against Newcastle a week ago and should have won convincingly. They are not expected get those same opportunities at the Etihad and it could be a long day for manager Vieira against one of his former clubs during his active days.
Newcastle Versus Chelsea – 3pm
Newcastle are still yet to win since the Saudi-Led PIF takeover was completed, which is hardly surprising considering the players and the staff – apart from Steve Bruce – have not changed. They were also lucky last time out against Crystal Palace, snatching a draw against the run of play.
Chelsea come into the weekend top of the Premier League but their depth will be tested here. Mateo Kovacic has joined Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner on the sidelines until November, although there is hope N’Golo Kante, Andreas Christensen and Cesar Azpilicueta can play.
Watford Versus Southampton – 3 pm
Watford shocked the Premier League with a stunning 5-2 demolition away at Everton in their last game. That came just a week after a dismal performance at home against Liverpool and it may be that the Hornets are better suited to life on the road as a counter attacking side.
Watford were so poor at Vicarage Road against Liverpool that it will offer Southampton hope of getting a positive result. The Saints have not been easy to beat so far, yet have also rarely managed to turn draws into wins.
Tottenham Hotspur Versus Manchester United – 5:30 pm
Both of these teams are in poor form heading into the evening Saturday fixture in north London, and both managers are feeling the heat as a result.
Manchester United is coming off a 5-0 loss to Liverpool last weekend and has won just one of their past four Premier League games. Spurs, on the other hand, lost a London derby to West Ham last time out and had previously suffered a humbling Conference League defeat.
Their managers will be itching to get something out of this game to steady the ship and ease some of the pressures the season is bearing down on each but more so for Solskjaer than Espirito Santo given that the Man U Board may be highly pressed to act if United return home empty.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
