With only 5 home wins in the last round of games compared to 7 for the opening round has the fan factor already waned? Of course it hasn’t, and no doubt the number of home wins this season will surpass the tally from the previous campaign. As for clubs on the road, Man United continued their impressive unbeaten away run even if they appeared unconvincing at times against the Saints. The likes of bottom of the table Norwich and Arsenal will need to up their game fairly quickly if they are to avoid a dangerous spiral. At the other end, can league leaders West Ham maintain their momentum with Benrahma and Antonio’s attacking returns? Here are five of my predictions for the third Perfect Picks’ Premier League contest:
Man City v Arsenal
The Gunners have had a torrid start to the season. Injuries and fitness issues within their squad haven’t helped at all. White’s continued absence for this weekend will only be a hindrance. Arsenal were completely outplayed by Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium – their stats are grim to read – and the worry is that things will only get worse with the encounter against Man City this weekend.
The Citizens were in cruise control against Norwich from start to finish and you’ll be forgiven to think that they will be in total control again. Arsenal have only beaten Man City on the road only once in the Premier League since 2010 and in all likelihood they will struggle again, especially with a depleted team.
Prediction: Man City to win by 2
Aston Villa v Brentford
With four points from their opening two games and two clean sheets for good measure, The Bees have made a dream start to their inaugural Premier League campaign. Their talisman Toney may not have scored so far, but that hasn’t mattered at all for the time being.
Will the other teams eventually figure them out? Maybe sooner rather than later. No doubt Aston Villa will offer them more of a stern challenge with their four goals scored from the first two games. In-form Ings could prove to be the decisive factor in this head to head. Villa’s fixtures become more challenging after the international break. Therefore they will have more of an impetus to register back-to-back wins and are capable of it.
Prediction: Aston Villa to win by 1
Norwich v Leicester
You have to hand it to Farke and the Canaries for staying true to their footballing philosophy regardless of the opposition. The downside is that they are more prone to losing certain matches quite heavily as was the case last Saturday. Surely they have learned lessons from two season ago? On the other hand, Leicester have been somewhat of a mixed bag of late. They may have been down to 10 men for more than half a game against West Ham on Monday night but that defeat won’t be forgotten easily. Let’s not forget, Leicester came relatively close to Champions League qualification over the past two seasons. You would expect Rodgers to instil an instant response and Norwich may just struggle again next time out. Prediction: Leicester to win by 2
West Ham v Crystal Palace
Fans of The Hammers may have bemoaned their relatively quiet transfer activity during pre-season but for the time being at least none of that matters as much. West Ham are topping the table and have scored eight goals in their opening two games. Benrahma has filled the Lingard void and has made the most of his opportunity. An Algerian winger and an English-born striker setting the Premier League alight. Sound familiar?
A third win in a row will only serve to further galvanise Moyes’ men and maybe even encourage the board to dip into the transfer market with their imminent European campaign. Up next are Crystal Palace who bounced back from their defeat to Chelsea with a draw. It’s still probably early days to say how they will fare with Vieira. Even if it’s another London derby for them, The Eagles could easily be outdone by West Ham’s momentum.
Prediction: West Ham to win by 2
Tottenham v Watford
Will he or won’t he? It seems as if Kane’s future status at Tottenham dominated the headlines for a large chunk of the summer. For the time being at least he is staying which will be a much needed boost for Nuno and his planning. With that aside, it may be easy to forget that they have got on with doing their talking on the pitch and won their opening two games. Even Alli seems to be rediscovering his finesse under the new regime. As for Watford they were well and truly humbled by the Seagulls. They just seemed like a different outfit on the road. With the confirmed update on Kane, and with him even possible starting this weekend, you would have to say that Watford may struggle again. Prediction: Tottenham to win by 2