Europa League fatigue to affect Arsenal tie

Huddersfield 0 Man Utd 2

Jose Mourinho’s Red Devils were at their cagey best in protecting their unbeaten record at Anfield. The trip to Huddersfield Town should coincide with a return to Manchester United’s swashbuckling approach. Huddersfield will make a fight of it to no avail.

Man City 3 Burnley 0

Pep Guardiola’s City high flyers had better watch out. Sean Dyche’s battlers are good travellers, having caused ripples at Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool and Everton. However, Manchester City are in a different league at the moment. They attack at scary pace, in droves and with panache and penetration. Burnley won’t understand what has hit them.

Chelsea 2 Watford 0

All eyes are on Antonio Conte. Last season, his champions reacted to successive defeats to Liverpool and Arsenal, by conjuring up a 13-match winning streak that ended with a memorable title. Can they do it again? Yes they can. But they must start by taming Hornets’ Brazilian livewire Richarlison.

Swansea 1 Leicester 1

In signing Chelsea starlet Tammy Abraham, Paul Clement clinched a major coup. The youngster has netted five goals already in a very promising start to the campaign. Leicester City are still trapped in the bottom three because Craig Shakespeare is caught in the past. He must start making use of his rich bench. A stalemate lies in store.

Newcastle 2 C. Palace 1

Ivorian powerhouse Wilfried Zaha is impossible to silence when on fire. Chelsea found out too late to their detriment. A past master at tactical execution, Newcastle United boss Rafa Benitez might man-mark Zaha. I am tipping the St James Stadium crowd to help Newcastle edge this encounter. A narrow home victory portends.

Southampton 1 West Brom 1

No matter how hard I try, I can’t see Southampton beating West Bromwich Albion. Baggies midfield triumvirate of Gregorcz Krychkowiak, Gareth Bale and Jake Livermore offer such excellent protection to Ahmed Hegazi and Johnny Evans, I can’t see the Saints breaking them down. This might be a weekend of draws.

Tottenham 1 Liverpool 1

I am resisting my initial inclination to tip Spurs for victory for three reasons. One is Liverpool’s enviable record against the ‘Big Six’. Secondly, this game is sandwiched between two daunting games with Real Madrid. And finally, a loss would knock Liverpool out of the title race. It’s too early for that.

Everton 1 Arsenal 1

Ronald Koeman says he saw fledglings of the spirit required of his expensively assembled Toffees side in the draw at Brighton. Juggling Thursday Europa League action with the Premiership is a real concern for Arsenal, who travelled to Belgrade. I can see the two teams cancelling each other out.

West Ham 2 Brighton 1

Slaven Bilic’s 10-man West Ham showed real mettle in holding Burnley 1-1 at Turf Moor. If the Croatian tactician keeps partnering Michail Antonio with Javier Hernández upfront, he will be in business. Brighton are wonderfully organised but a tad short on quality. This is West Ham’s game to lose.

Stoke City 2 Bournemouth 1

Eddie Howe is right in assessment of Bournemouth’s problem. The Cherries are in trouble because they’re no longer potent in front of goal. Stoke City are usually very strong at the Bet365 Stadium where Xherdhan Shaqiri, Eric Chopo Moting and Jesse Rodriguez run at opponents. I therefore envisage another setback for Bournemouth.