Big Sam to deliver Hammer blow

Match Forecast

Liverpool 2 Swansea 1
Brendan Rodgers is getting the best out of Liverpool’s 3-4-3 formation. This is a must-win game for a team that has struggled to reach last season’s dizzying heights. The speed at which Phillipe Coutinho, Lazar Markovic and Raheem Sterling circulated the ball against Arsenal portends good tidings. Sterling must play at the top of the diamond.

Aston Villa 1 Sunderland 0

Christian Benteke’s return to form is a major boon for the league’s lowest scoring side ahead of the visit of hard to break down Sunderland. I was impressed by the Black Cats’ execution of the counter-attack that resulted in Adam Johnson’s spectacular winner at Newcastle. All the same, I think Paul Lambert’s Villains will carry the days.
Hull City 2 Leicester 1
The euphoria of last summer’s cash splurge is not yielding fruit. A 10-game winless streak is threatening to condemn a decent outfit into relegation fodder. A battling display for a long awaited victory would be a good start.

Southampton 1 Chelsea 2
After a blistering start to the 2014/15 season, Ronald Koeman’s Saints have lost their bearings. Chelsea looked every inch the title favourites they are in their 2-0 victory over Stoke, with the Nemanja Matic-John Obil Mikel midfield axis providing a perfect launching pad for Cesc Fabregas, Willian and Eden Hazard to wreak havoc. I expect more of the same at St. Mary’s Stadium.

Spurs 2 Man Utd 2
Anything can happen in this game. Manchester United have enough arsenal to destroy any opposition in the English Premier League but they don’t produce their A game often enough. Maybe it is because they are a team in transition. This could be a contest between the two attacks, with Harry Kane and Nacer Chadli facing off with big money star strikers Radamel Falcao and Robin van Persie.

Man City 3 Burnley 0
Even without crocked striking triumvirate Sergio Aguero, Eden Dzeko and Stefan Jovetic, Manchester City have enough Arsenal to destroy rank outsiders Burnley. Burnley’s template will entail sitting deep and creating two walls of four defenders while hoping to catch the champions on the break. The strategy won’t work because David Silva and Yaya Toure are masters at finding holes in such defenses.

QPR 3 C. Palace 2
I can see goals in this encounter because Palace will make the cross-town trip hoping to gain at least a share of the spoils. However, Rangers have been fairly prolific in front of their fans. Free running, free dribbling Congolese showman Yannick Bolassie will shine.

Stoke City 2 West Brom 0
Stoke City are traditionally very strong at home with fair-weather teams facing a barrage of attacks from the powerfully built Potters. Curiously, I am tipping them for victory on account of the excellent form of the smallest man on the pitch Bojan Krkic. The Spaniard is finally living up to his early promise.

Newcastle 1 Everton 1
Everton have the second worst defensive record, which is a major blot on the otherwise impressive copybook of manager Roberto Martinez. The Magpies’ clever attacking pair Ayoze Perez and Carbella means they stand a chance of picking up a result against the poor travellers from Liverpool.

West Ham 2 Arsenal 2
Arsenal’s foreign legion goes head to head with their West Ham counterparts in what promises to be a feisty London derby. Sam Allardyce’s teams have traditionally given Arsene Wenger a bloody nose, and this should be no different. Look out for former Gunner Alexander Song proving a point and the aerial duel between Andy Carrol and ‘I cant jump’ Per Mertesacker.