Premier League Preview: Liverpool Favourites For United Clash As Emirates Hosts North London Derby                

David Moyes' tough start to life as Manchester United boss continues with a trip to Anfield on Sunday

MANCHESTER CITY v HULL CITY 12:45, Etihad Stadium (Saturday)
City need to get back to winning ways after their shock defeat to Cardiff City last weekend, and the home side boast the impressive record of not having lost successive Premier League games since October 2010 and they will not be expecting another promoted side to upset them. However, Hull should not be underestimated as they won the last meeting between the two teams, a 2-1 success in February 2010.
The Tigers will be buoyed by their morale-boosting victory over Norwich although they will have to do without Yannick Sagbo who is suspended after his sending off in that game. It will be a difficult task for Steve Bruce’s men who have not won back-to-back Premier League games since October 2008, a total of 69 matches, the longest run in the league’s history.
What to watch out for: Hull striker Danny Graham has failed to score in 1,056 minutes of Premier League football and will be looking to end this atrocious record on Saturday.
Possible line-ups:
Man City – Hart; Zabaleta, Nastasic, Lescott, Clichy; Navas, Y Toure, Fernandinho, Silva, Dzeko, Aguero
Hull – McGregor, Elmohamady, Chester, Davies, Figueroa, Huddlestone, Koren, Livermore, Aluko, Graham, Brady
Recent form (League): Man City: WL; Hull: LW
Prediction: 3-1

CARDIFF CITY v EVERTON 15:00, Cardiff City Stadium
Cardiff will be raring to go after last weekend’s fantastic win over Manchester City and another home game is exactly what Malky Mackay would have wanted. The atmosphere at the Cardiff City Stadium was unbelievable on Sunday which no doubt inspired the side, and the same will be expected this weekend.
The Bluebirds have continued their superb home form from the Championship last season which saw them lose just two of their 23 fixtures, and it will be a tough test for an Everton side who have yet to win in the league this term. They claimed their first victory of the season against Stevenage in the League Cup in midweek but have registered two draws in the Premier League.
Roberto Martinez will see the pressure increase on him if his side don’t win on Saturday with predecessor David Moyes only once failing to win any of his three opening fixtures as manager of Everton in his 11 years in charge.
What to watch out for: If Cardiff City striker Craig Bellamy scores on Saturday he will become the first player to score for seven different Premier League clubs.
Possible line-ups:
Cardiff – Marshall, Connolly, Caulker, Turner, Taylor, Gunnarsson, Medel, Kim Bo-Kyung, Bellamy, Campbell, Whittingham
Everton – Howard; Coleman, Jagielka, Distin, Baines; Barkley, Osman, Fellaini; Mirallas, Jelavic, Pienaar
Recent Form: Cardiff: LW; Everton: DD
Prediction: 2-1

NEWCASTLE UNITED v FULHAM 15:00, St. James’ Park
Newcastle have not had the best start to the season; thrashed by Manchester City before a drab 0-0 with West Ham last weekend. The Magpies preparations have been disrupted by interest in their star player Yohan Cabaye who has not played since Arsenal submitted a bid for the midfielder hours before the City game.
However, Newcastle have failed in the transfer market thus far having only brought Loic Remy on loan, who is still out injured, and 16-year-old midfielder Olivier Kemen from Metz. It is believed that the club have re-opened talks with Lyon striker Bafetimbi Gomis whose move broke down over wage demands and Newcastle are also interested in bringing back former player Demba Ba on loan from Chelsea.
Fulham were outplayed by Arsenal last weekend and will hope to prevail against a Newcastle side who are low on confidence. The Cottagers have a great record against their opponents winning 11 of their 22 Premier League meetings.
What to watch out for: Since the start of 2012, Newcastle have lost just two of their eight Premier League games at St. James’ Park against sides from London, winning five and drawing one.
Possible line-ups:
Newcastle – Krul; Debuchy, Coloccini, Yanga-Mbiwa, Santon, Ben Arfa, Sissoko, Anita, Marveaux, Sh Ameobi, Cisse
Fulham – Stockdale; Reither, Hughes, Hangeland, Riise, Duff; Sidwell, Parker, Taarabt, Berbatov, Bent
Recent Form: Newcastle: LD; Fulham: WL
Prediction: 1-1

NORWICH CITY v SOUTHAMPTON 15:00; Carrow Road
Carrow Road has become a fortress for Norwich, proven by them winning 71% of their points in the Premier League at home since the start of last season. The Canaries produced a spirited performance in their opening game against Everton which saw them come from behind to claim a point. However, they did not fare as well away from home losing to newly promoted Hull City.
Chris Hughton has made some notable signings this summer including Ricky van Wolfswinkel, Leroy Fer and Gary Hooper who he will hope can catapult Norwich up the table and away from a relegation battle this term.
Southampton will be confident going into the game after a terrific start to the campaign and Mauricio Pochettino is expected to hand record signing Dani Osvaldo his first start. The Italy international has an excellent reputation for scoring on his travels with more goals away than at home in his two seasons with Roma in Serie A. It would be expected to be a tight affair at Carrow Road as four of the last six Premier League meetings between the clubs have ended in draws.
What to watch out for: Norwich’s last five home games in the Premier League have produced 18 goals in total which will hopefully lead to another thrilling fixture on Saturday.
Possible line-ups:
Norwich – Ruddy; Martin, Turner, Bassong, Garrido; Snodgrass, Tettey, Johnson, Redmond; Fer, Van Wolfswinkel
Southampton – Boruc; Clyne, Fonte, Lovren, Shaw; Ward-Prowse, Schneiderlin, Wanyama; Lallana, Osvaldo, Lambert
Recent Form: Norwich: DL; Southampton: WD
Prediction: 2-2

WEST HAM UNITED v STOKE CITY 15:00, Upton Park
West Ham have won two and lost none of their last four league games with Stoke and after an undefeated start to the campaign they will believe their good form can continue. The Hammers will also be facing a Stoke side who have won just once in their last 12 Premier League away games albeit 11 of them were under a different manager.
Sam Allardyce will again be without Andy Carroll through injury so Modibo Maiga looks set to lead the line with Stewart Downing and Matt Jarvis expected to support him on the flanks.
Stoke boss Mark Hughes has tried to change the way his team plays this season which has been shown by his side’s drop in the amount of long passes they play from an average of 16.2% last term to 10.3% so far this campaign. Hughes boasts a magnificent record against his opposite number having won four and lost just one of their seven previous encounters.
What to watch out for: The last five league games between these two have produced just nine goals in total. However, there has never been a 0-0 draw between the clubs in the Premier League.
Possible line-ups:
West Ham – Jaaskelainen; Demel, Reid, Collins, O’Brien, Diame, Noble, Nolan, Downing, Maiga, Jarvis
Stoke – Begovic; Cameron, Shawcross, Huth, Pieters; Walters, Wilson, Nzonzi, Etherington; Adam, Crouch
Recent Form: West Ham: WD; Stoke: LW
Prediction: 1-0

CRYSTAL PALACE v SUNDERLAND 17:30, Selhurst Park
Palace are just one of two sides yet to register a point this season and a home game against a struggling Sunderland is exactly what manager Ian Holloway will have wanted.
The Eagles have had a tough start to the campaign with games against Spurs and a tricky trip to Stoke, and Palace have lost just three of their last 25 home matches in the league and only succumbed to Tottenham at Selhurst Park courtesy of a penalty kick while Sunderland have won just twice on their last 11 Premier League trips to London.
Paolo Di Canio will have to decide whether to drop Stephane Sessengnon after the midfielder’s midweek arrest on suspicion of drink driving, with Craig Gardner ready to step in or alternatively Conor Wickham can step in after a brace against MK Dons in the League Cup win if Di Canio were to shift to a 4-4-2 formation. The Black Cats have been appalling in front of goal this term with the third lowest shooting accuracy in the division of just 28.6% and one goal to their name.
What to watch out for: Sunderland have lost six of their last eight league matches and Holloway will tell his players there will be no better time to claim their first victory of the season.
Possible line-ups:
Palace – Speroni, Ward, Gabbidon, Delaney, Moxey, Campana, Dikgacoi, Jedinak, Williams, Gayle, Chamakh
Sunderland – Westwood; Celustka, O’Shea, Diakite, Colback, Johnson, Larsson, Cabral, Giaccherini, Gardner, Altidore
Recent Form: Crystal Palace: LL; Sunderland: LD
Prediction: 1-0

LIVERPOOL v MANCHESTER UNITED 13:30, Anfield (Sunday)
In one of the most anticipated games of the season, the two most successful clubs in English football history will do battle in what is always a highly contested encounter. There have been 14 red cards in Premier League clashes between two of the country’s oldest football rivals with only Everton v Liverpool producing more.
Liverpool have started the campaign superbly and sit two points above United in second place in the table. Daniel Sturridge has been in electrifying form and has now scored 10 goals in his last eight appearances for Liverpool, and with Luis Suarez due back from suspension next month the duo could form a deadly partnership. The Reds have a great record against United at Anfield only losing once in the last five league meetings with Brendan Rodgers’ change of the footballing philosophy now appearing to be paying off.
This is a massive match for David Moyes who only managed three victories in 22 Premier League clashes with Liverpool during his time as Everton boss and none of these came at Anfield. The Red Devils were marginally the better side against Chelsea on Monday but they failed to breakdown a stubborn Blues defence and Moyes will know United fans will demand victory against one of their biggest rivals.
What to watch out for: Wayne Rooney is expected to start for United after impressing against Chelsea and what better way to acknowledge the fans for their support over the last few weeks then scoring against old rivals Liverpool.
Possible line-ups:
Liverpool – Mignolet; Johnson, Agger, Skrtel, Jose Enrique; Lucas, Henderson, Gerrard, Coutinho; Sturridge, Aspas
Man Utd – De Gea; Jones, Vidic, Ferdinand, Evra; Valencia, Cleverley, Carrick; Welbeck, Rooney, Van Persie
Recent Form: Liverpool: WW; Man Utd: WD
Prediction: 1-2

WEST BROMWICH ALBION v SWANSEA CITY 13:30, The Hawthorns
West Brom and Swansea had magnificent campaigns last season finishing eighth and ninth respectively but have struggled to reach such heights so far this term. Steve Clarke’s side have yet to score this season and and seem to be missing Romelu Lukaku who was their top-scorer last term with 17 league goals. The lack of firepower in front of goal has been shown by the fact they have only had 13 attempts on goal this season, only Hull City have had fewer.
Swansea, like Crystal Palace, have yet to pick up a single point this term but have an outstanding record against the Baggies having won three and drawn one of their four Premier League encounters. The Swans are also on a current losing streak of four matches but have never lost five successive games in the Premier League.
Michael Laudrup will surely have been working on his side’s conversion rate which has seen them score just once from 11 shots on target, with only five teams managing more shots on goal.
What to watch out for:  West Brom have conceded a goal in each of their last 11 league matches at home so you would not expect this to be a stalemate.
Possible line-ups:
West Brom – Myhill; Jones, McAuley, Olsson, Ridgewell; Morrison; Yacob, Mulumbu; Dorrans, Long, Anelka
Swansea – Vorm, Rangel, Chico, Williams, Davies; Routledge, Britton, Shelvey, Hernandez; Michu, Bony
Recent Form: West Brom: LD; Swansea: LL
Prediction: 1-2
 
ARSENAL v TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 16:00; Emirates Stadium
The north London derby is one the greatest footballing rivalries in the country and there has been added spice to the fixture in recent years with the teams being so closely positioned in the league. Arsenal have had the upper hand at the Emirates lately, winning their last two home matches against Spurs 5-2, with a Tottenham player sent off on both occasions.
Arsenal have been written off many times against their closest rivals but Spurs have never managed to finish above their arch-rivals in the table. Arsene Wenger will again be looking to striker Olivier Giroud to find the net after scoring in both of Arsenal’s league games this season, the Frenchman has also scored three goals in his last four appearances on home turf.
Tottenham have made some impressive signings this summer and have made a 100% start to the season but they will not have a more pressured game than this. Spurs are looking to complete the transfers of Erik Lamela, Christian Eriksen and Vlad Chiriches in the coming days but none will be available for Sunday’s match. Andre-Villas Boas will be under huge pressure to deliver his side a Champions League spot this season after a summer of spending which is set to rise over £100million, and he will be determined to avoid defeat.
What to watch out for: There have been 124 goals scored in Premier League meetings between the two clubs and there has been at least three goals in 13 of their last 14 encounters, which should lead to a fantastic spectacle at the Emirates.
Possible line-ups:
Arsenal – Szczesny; Sagna, Koscielny, Mertesacker, Gibbs; Cazorla, Ramsey, Wilshere; Walcott, Giroud; Rosicky
Tottenham – Lloris; Walker, Dawson, Vertonghen, Rose; Capoue, Dembele, Paulinho, Townsend, Soldado, Chadli
Recent Form: Arsenal: LW; Spurs: WW
Prediction: 2-2