Premier League Matchday 13: Chelsea look to pile misery on United
Chelsea's Sunday afternoon clash with Manchester United headlines a blockbuster weekend of Premier League action.
Manchester City will have their work cut out against West Ham, while fellow title contenders Liverpool host Southampton.
Arsenal vs Newcastle (Saturday, 12.30pm, BT Sport)
Mikel Arteta will hope Arsenal’s fine record against Newcastle continues in Saturday’s early kick-off at the Emirates.
The Gunners have won 16 of their last 17 meetings with the Magpies and have not tasted a home defeat since 2010.
Skipper Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has six goals and three assists in eight appearances against the Toon and will want to fill his boots again.
It all spells bad news for new Newcastle boss Eddie Howe, whose side picked up a point in his first game against Brentford.
Not only are the Toon the only winless side in the top four tiers of English football but the Englishman only took five points from a possible 30 against the Gunners in his time as Bournemouth manager.
Crystal Palace vs Aston Villa (Saturday, 3pm)
Two midfield titans of the Premier League era meet for the first time as managers when Crystal Palace take on Aston Villa.
Patrick Vieira’s side are currently on a seven-game unbeaten run but will be wary of Steven Gerrard and Villa following their 2-0 win over Brighton last time out.
The Liverpool legend will look to become only the second Villa manager in the Premier League era to win his first two games in charge — John Gregory also managed the feat in 1998.
Palace have won five of their last six home meetings with Villa and are yet to taste defeat at Selhurst Park this season.
But Danny Ings loves playing the Eagles and has scored five times against the South London outfit — more than any other side.
Liverpool vs Southampton (Saturday, 3pm)
Liverpool host Southampton at Anfield knowing three points are a must in the Premier League title race.
The Reds are the only team to have scored in all 12 of their league games this term and are the division’s top scorers with 35 goals.
It is eight years since Saints left Anfield with three points — though they did pick up a famous EFL Cup semi-final win in 2017.
Their recent top-flight away record will not inspire confidence in their travelling fans either with 13 defeats in 17 trips this year.
They will need to keep a close eye on former Saint Sadio Mane, who has scored the opening goal in more games (four) than any other player since the start of the season.
Norwich vs Wolves (Saturday, 3pm)
Norwich are aiming for a third consecutive Premier League victory when Wolves come to town.
The Canaries have not achieved that feat in the top flight since December 2012, while the four goals they have scored in their past two games are more than they managed in their previous 20.
Dean Smith would also join Mike Walker as the only Norwich manager to win his first two games in charge in the top flight.
But Wolves are one of the Premier League's form sides and have won five of their past seven games under Bruno Lage.
The 16 points they have picked up in that period is the joint-most in the league alongside Chelsea and Manchester City.
Brighton vs Leeds (Saturday, 5.30pm, Sky Sports)
The visit of Leeds offers Brighton the perfect chance to end a seven-game winless run after a promising start to the season.
Eight of the last nine meetings between the two sides have ended up in victories for the Seagulls, including both games last season.
That is good news for Graham Potter’s men with only bottom side Newcastle (12) having gone more matches without picking up three points than the South Coast outfit.
Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds have dropped 10 points from winning positions already this campaign — more than they did in the whole of last season.
But the return of Raphinha is good news for the Whites, who have failed to win a single game he has missed since the Brazilian made his debut 13 months ago.
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Brentford vs Everton (Sunday, 2pm, Sky Sports)
Brentford and Everton meet with both managers desperate to arrest worrying slides down the table.
Thomas Frank and Rafa Benitez have seen their sides lose four of their past five games after promising starts in West London and on Merseyside.
Improving his men's home form and shoring up a leaky first-half defence will be the first port of call for Frank.
The Bees have not won at their new ground since the opening day while they have conceded more goals (11) than any other side in the opening 45 minutes.
Benitez is having to deal with numerous injury problems at Goodison Park but pressure is building on the Spaniard with his side bottom of the form table over the past six games.
Burnley vs Tottenham (Sunday, 2pm)
A trip to Burnley could prove the perfect tonic for Tottenham and Antonio Conte after midweek humiliation against Mura in the Europa Conference League.
They have only lost to the Clarets once in the past six seasons with Harry Kane scoring seven goals in his last six meetings with them.
Sean Dyche’s men, meanwhile, are unbeaten in four games but have only picked up one victory in their past 15 league outings.
It will be an aerial attack for Burnley too, having scored a league-high six headed goals this season with Spurs yet to manage one.
Leicester vs Watford (Sunday, 2pm)
Late drama is sure to be on the menu as Watford visit Leicester on Sunday afternoon.
Four of the last five top-flight meetings between the two have seen a goal scored in the 90th minute — and the only time that did not happen, Etienne Capoue was sent off in stoppage-time.
It is usually the Foxes who come out on top with only one defeat in their past 12 home games with the Hornets.
In fact, no team has ever played more top-flight games without keeping a clean sheet than Watford have against Leicester (20).
The match sees Claudio Ranieri return to the King Power Stadium — he has only won one of the six games he has managed against his former sides.
Read more: Dennis the Menace is giving Hornets their sting
Manchester City vs West Ham (Sunday, 2pm)
David Moyes faces the seemingly impossible task of turning around West Ham’s woeful record against Pep Guardiola’s Citizens.
City have won nine of their 10 Premier League games against the Hammers under Guardiola, scoring 28 goals and conceding just five in that time.
The Irons' only away win in their last 15 attempts came under Slaven Bilic in September 2015 — though they did beat them on penalties in the EFL Cup in October at the London Stadium.
Finding a way past City’s defence will be no easy task, with only Crystal Palace breaching their backline at the Etihad this campaign.
And keeping out Raheem Sterling, who has scored six goals and set up five in his past eight games against them, will be key for the visitors.
Chelsea vs Manchester United (Sunday, 4.30pm, Sky Sports)
After seven league games without a victory over Manchester United, Chelsea will be confident of ending that run at Stamford Bridge.
The Red Devils’ remarkable recent record against the Blues has seen them keep a clean sheet in the last four meetings between the two sides.
But with United only keeping two shutouts this season and heading into the game with Michael Carrick in charge ahead of Ralf Rangnick’s imminent arrival, it looks the perfect opportunity for Thomas Tuchel’s men.
Chelsea’s rock-solid defence has seen them concede just four goals in their opening 12 matches — only in 2004 when Jose Mourinho’s side let in three at this stage did a team have a better record.
Cristiano Ronaldo will be desperate to damage that impressive stat having never scored a top-flight goal against the Blues — only previously breaching them in the 2008 Champions League final.
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