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Premier League Week 4 Preview
1:08 PM on September 12th, 2014 by Nathan Susanto

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The English Premier League returns with the fourth round of games of the 2014-2015 season after a week off for the international break. We get back underway with Chelsea topping the standings, courtesy of three wins out of three. They're joined on maximum points by just one other team, Swansea, and something's got to give this week as the duo clash on Saturday.

Aston Villa is another club that's gone undefeated through the first three weeks of the campaign and they'll hope to continue on their roll on the trip to Liverpool.

As well as the top two teams facing each other this week, the league's bottom two sides, Burnley and Crystal Palace, go head-to-head.

Elsewhere, week 4 kicks off with champions Manchester City visiting the capital to take on unbeaten Arsenal.

Remember to make your Premier League Pickem predictions before the deadline of each game. Week 4's schedule gets under way on Saturday at 7:45 AM ET, a game which is followed by six 10 AM ET kickoffs. The final match of the day is at 12:30 PM ET. There's one Sunday clash, beginning at 11 AM ET, and the week concludes with a Monday fixture, starting at 3 PM ET.

Note that the Yahoo! Fantasy Premier League game's deadline is on Sunday at 6:45 AM ET.

Here we preview the ten games in the upcoming week of the English Premier League. The title of each game section is a link to pick the result of that game.





Manchester City (4th) at Arsenal (7th) (Sat, 7:45 AM ET)


Manchester City's defence of their crown began in the perfect manner, with two wins coming from their opening two contests against Newcastle and Liverpool. However, they came unstuck last time out with Stoke defeating them 1-0. City began last season with a terrible run of results on the road, winning just once in their opening six away fixtures. Arsenal heads into this week 4 matchup having gone unbeaten during their first three games of the season but they haven't looked too convincing to date. The Gunners snatched victory in their first game of the season against Crystal Palace but they then had to settle for a share of the spoils in their last two games, tying with Everton and Leicester.


Head-to-Head Stats

Last season:
Manchester City 1-1 Arsenal
Arsenal 3-6 Manchester City (reverse fixture)
Arsenal 3-0 Manchester City (this season's Community Shield)

Last 6 (all competitions):
Tied 2-2-2 (includes 1 Community Shield game).

Last 3 at Arsenal (all competitions):
Tied 1-1-1.

All-time (all competitions):
Arsenal lead 94-49-42.


Team News

Manchester City (from):
Caballero, Hart, Wright, Boyata, Clichy, Demichelis, Kolarov, Kompany, Mangala, Nastasic, Sagna, Zabaleta, Fernandinho, Lampard, Milner, Nasri, Navas, Silva, Sinclair, Toure, Aguero, Dzeko.

Out (reason, expected return date):
Fernando (groin, Sep 27), Jovetic (hamstring, Sep 21).


Arsenal (from):
Martinez, Ospina, Szczesny, Chambers, Debuchy, Gibbs, Koscielny, Mertesacker, Monreal, Arteta, Cazorla, Coquelin, Diaby, Flamini, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Ozil, Ramsey, Rosicky, Wilshere, Alexis, Campbell, Podolski, Sanogo, Welbeck.

Doubts:
Ramsey (ankle, late fitness test).

Out (reason, expected return date):
Walcott (ACL, Sep 27), Giroud (ankle, no date), Gnabry (knee, no date).





Swansea City (2nd) at Chelsea (1st) (Sat, 10 AM ET)


Last season was a struggle for Swansea, leading to a lackluster finish of 12th position. They only won two games in a row once but Swansea has already bettered that feat this term by winning in the first three weeks. The Swans beat Manchester United 2-1 in week 1 and followed that with a 1-0 win over Burnley and 3-0 victory against West Brom. José Mourinho's past managerial record suggests Chelsea is due to win the league title this season. Whether they go on to claim the honors in May or not, the Blues have begun their campaign in a positive manner. In their first two games Chelsea saw off promoted Burnley and Leicester and then last time out they beat Everton 6-3 in a thriller.


Head-to-Head Stats

Last season:
Swansea 0-1 Chelsea
Chelsea 1-0 Swansea (reverse fixture)

Last 6 (all competitions):
Chelsea lead 3-1-2 (includes 2 League Cup games).

Last 3 at Chelsea (all competitions):
Chelsea lead 2-1-0 (includes 1 League Cup game).

All-time (all competitions):
Chelsea lead 12-6-9.


Team News

Swansea (from):
Cornell, Fabianski, Tremmel, Amat, Bartley, Fernandez, Kingsley, Obeng, Rangel, Tate, Taylor, Tiendalli, Williams, Carroll, Dyer, Fulton, Ki, Montero, Richards, Routledge, Sigurdsson, Sheehan, Shelvey, Barrow, Bony, Emnes, Gomis.

Out (reason, expected return date):
Donnelly (ankle, Nov 1), Britton (knee, no date).


Chelsea (from):
Cech, Courtois, Schwarzer, Ake, Azpilicueta, Cahill, Christensen, Filipe, Ivanovic, Terry, Zouma, Fabregas, Hazard, Matic, Mikel, Oscar, Ramires, Salah, Willian, Costa, Drogba, Remy, Schurrle.

Doubts:
Costa (hamstring, late fitness test).





Burnley (20th) at Crystal Palace (19th) (Sat, 10 AM ET)


Life back in the Premier League was always going to be difficult for Burnley and they head into this contest propping up the standings with three games in the books. The Clarets couldn't last the distance against Chelsea in week 1 and then they were edged out by Swansea. Last time out, though, Burnley earned a point at home to Manchester United. After beginning the season without a manager, Crystal Palace will hope Neil Warnock's presence will help steady the ship. Palace was moments away from earning a point against Arsenal but a defeat there was followed by another loss at home to West Ham. With Warnock in charge, though, the Eagles scored a late equalizer to tie 3-3 with Newcastle.


Head-to-Head Stats

Last season:
Last met in 2013

Last 6 (all competitions):
Tied 2-2-2.

Last 3 at Crystal Palace (all competitions):
Crystal Palace lead 2-0-1.

All-time (all competitions):
Burnley lead 15-8-16.


Team News

Burnley (from):
Cisak, Gilks, Heaton, Duff, Keane, Lafferty, Long, Mee, Reid, Shackell, Trippier, Ward, Arfield, Boyd, Chalobah, Howieson, Jones, Kightly, Marney, Taylor, Wallace, Barnes, Ings, Jutkiewicz, Sordell.

Out (reason, expected return date):
Vokes (ACL, no date).


Crystal Palace (from):
Hennessey, Kettings, Speroni, Binnom-Williams, Dann, Delaney, Fryers, Hangeland, Kelly, Mariappa, McCarthy, Ward, Bannan, Bolasie, Guedioura, Jedinak, Ledley, McArthur, O'Keefe, Puncheon, Thomas, Williams, Campbell, Chamakh, Doyle, Gayle, Johnson, Zaha.

Out (reason, expected return date):
Chamakh (hamstring, Sep 21).





Newcastle United (=15th) at Southampton (8th) (Sat, 10 AM ET)


The next couple of matches might be crucial to the future of manager Alan Pardew at Newcastle. The club had a poor second half to last season and they still haven't won three games into this campaign. The Magpies lost to Manchester City in week 1 and then played out a goalless tie with Aston Villa. In week 3 Newcastle tied 3-3 with Crystal Palace. Southampton started this season in uncertain circumstances but they might be slowly finding their feet under new coach Ronald Koeman. The Saints began this term disappointingly, being edged out 2-1 by Liverpool on the opening day. They then tied 0-0 with West Brom but last time out they recorded a 3-1 victory on the road against West Ham.


Head-to-Head Stats

Last season:
Newcastle 0-4 Southampton
Southampton 1-1 Newcastle (reverse fixture)

Last 6 (all competitions):
Newcastle lead 3-2-1 (includes 1 FA Cup game).

Last 3 at Southampton (all competitions):
Southampton lead 2-1-0.

All-time (all competitions):
Newcastle lead 36-34-20.


Team News

Newcastle (from):
Alnwick, Elliot, Krul, Coloccini, Dummett, Good, Haidara, Janmaat, Streete, S. Taylor, Williamson, Abeid, Anita, Bigirimana, Cabella, Colback, Jonas, Obertan, Sissoko, Tiote, Vuckic, Ameobi, Armstrong, Gouffran, Perez, Riviere.

Out (reason, expected return date):
Cissé (knee, Sep 29), De Jong (thigh, no date), Aarons (hamstring, no date), Ferreyra (back, no date), Santon (knee, no date), R. Taylor (ACL , no date).


Southampton (from):
Boruc, K. Davis, Forster, Gazzaniga, Alderweireld, Bertrand, Clyne, Fonte, Gardos, Stephens, Targett, Yoshida, Cork, S. Davis, Isgrove, Mane, McQueen, Reed, Schneiderlin, Tadic, Wanyama, Ward-Prowse, Gallagher, Long, Mayuka, Pelle.

Out (reason, expected return date):
Rodriguez (ACL, no date).





Leicester City (=15th) at Stoke City (10th) (Sat, 10 AM ET)


Despite heading into week 4 still searching for their first win of the season, Leicester might be heartened by the fact they've lost just once after being handed a tough opening three fixtures. The Foxes came back twice to tie 2-2 with Everton on the opening day, but lost 2-0 to Chelsea in week 2. Last time out, though, they held Arsenal to a 1-1 tie. Stoke has had a mixed start to the current campaign but they go into this clash on the back of a great result. It was a disappointing start when the Potters slipped to a 1-0 loss to Aston Villa. They steadied things in their second game with a 1-1 tie with Hull. Stoke then faced the champions in week 3 and inflicted a 1-0 defeat upon Manchester City.


Head-to-Head Stats

Last season:
Leicester 1-2 Stoke (FA Cup)

Last 6 (all competitions):
Stoke lead 3-1-2 (includes 1 FA Cup game).

Last 3 at Stoke (all competitions):
Stoke lead 2-0-1 (includes 1 FA Cup game).

All-time (all competitions):
Burnley lead 17-12-13.


Team News

Leicester (from):
Hamer, Schmeichel, Smith, De Laet, Konchesky, Moore, Morgan, Simpson, Wasilewski, Albrighton, Cambiasso, Drinkwater, Hammond, King, Knockaert, Mahrez, Powell, Hopper, Lawrence, Nugent, Schlupp, Taylor-Fletcher, Ulloa, Vardy, Wood.

Doubts:
James (shin).

Out (reason, expected return date):
Upson (foot, no date).


Stoke (from):
Begovic, Butland, Sorensen, Bardsley, Huth, Muniesa, Pieters, Shawcross, Teixeira, Wilkinson, Wilson, Adam, Assaidi, Ireland, N’Zonzi, Palacios, Sidwell, Whelan, Arnautovic, Bojan, Crouch, Diouf, Moses, Walters.

Doubts:
Assaidi (knee).

Out (reason, expected return date):
Cameron (hernia, no date), Odemwingie (ACL, no date).





Tottenham Hotspur (6th) at Sunderland (13th) (Sat, 10 AM ET)


Tottenham hit top spot after week two but they were brought back down to earth last time out. Spurs toiled for much of their opening fixture against West Ham, but a late goal secured the three points. They then beat another London club, defeating QPR 4-0. However, Tottenham was on the receiving end of a 3-0 thrashing by Liverpool last time out. Sunderland is one of eight teams in the Premier League that has yet to record a victory this season but all three of their games to date have been close. The Black Cats showed their fighting qualities on the opening day by tying 2-2 with West Brom and then they tied 1-1 with Manchester United. They suffered a 1-0 loss to QPR in week 3, though.


Head-to-Head Stats

Last season:
Tottenham 2-1 Sunderland
Sunderland 1-5 Tottenham (reverse fixture)

Last 6 (all competitions):
Tottenham lead 5-1-0.

Last 3 at Sunderland (all competitions):
Tottenham lead 2-0-1.

All-time (all competitions):
Tottenham lead 46-37-29.


Team News

Tottenham (from):
Friedel, Lloris, Vorm, Chiriches, Davies, Dier, Fazio, Kaboul, Naughton, Rose, Veljkovic, Vertonghen, Bentaleb, Capoue, Ceballos, Chadli, Dembele, Eriksen, Lamela, Lennon, Mason, Paulinho, Stambouli, Townsend, Adebayor, Kane, Soldado.

Doubts:
Soldado (neck).

Out (reason, expected return date):
Walker (abdominal, no date).


Sunderland (from):
Mannone, Pantilimon, Brown, Coates, Jones, O'Shea, Van Aanholt, Vergini, Alvarez, Bridcutt, Buckley, Cabral, Cattermole, Giaccherini, Gomez, Johnson, Larsson, Mavrias, Rodwell, Altidore, Fletcher, Graham, Wickham.





Everton (17th) at West Bromwich Albion (18th) (Sat, 10 AM ET)


Everton started last season slowly, failing to win any of their first three matches, and this campaign has begun in a similar manner. The Toffees lost the lead twice in week 1 at Leicester, eventually having to settle for a 2-2 tie. They then conceded two late goals to share the spoils with Arsenal. Last time out, Everton was thrashed 6-3 by Chelsea. Just like their week 4 visitors, West Brom has struggled early on for the second successive campaign. The Baggies looked on course for the three points against Sunderland but they were pegged back and yielded a tie. In week 2, West Brom played out a goalless tie with Southampton. Last time out, Swansea inflicted a 3-0 defeat upon them.


Head-to-Head Stats

Last season:
Everton 1-1 West Brom
West Brom 0-1 Everton (reverse fixture)

Last 6 (all competitions):
Everton lead 3-1-2.

Last 3 at West Brom (all competitions):
Tied 1-1-1.

All-time (all competitions):
Everton lead 65-58-36.


Team News

Everton (from):
Howard, Joel, Stanek, Alcaraz, Baines, Browning, Coleman, Distin, Garbutt, Hibbert, Jagielka, Stones, Atsu, Barry, Besic, Gibson, Junior, McCarthy, McGeady, Osman, Pienaar, Eto’o, Long, Lukaku, McAleny, Mirallas, Naismith.

Doubts:
Osman (knock, late fitness test), Pienaar (knock, late fitness test), Eto'o (knock, late fitness test).

Out (reason, expected return date):
Barkley (MCL, no date), Oviedo (broken leg, no date), Koné (knee, no date).


West Brom (from):
Daniels, Foster, Myhill, Baird, Davidson, Dawson, Gamboa, Lescott, McAuley, O’Neil, Olsson, Pocognoli, Wisdom, Blanco, Brunt, Dorrans, Gardner, Morrison, Mulumbu, Sessegnon, Roofe, Varela, Yacob, Anichebe, Berahino, Ideye, Nabi, Samaras.

Doubts:
Anichebe (groin).





Aston Villa (3rd) at Liverpool (5th) (Sat, 12:30 PM ET)


Recent seasons have been extremely poor for Aston Villa and so they'll be encouraged by their unbeaten start to the campaign. Villa last went three matches without a defeat over nine months ago and this is their best start for three years. They recorded an opening day 1-0 victory over Stoke, before tying 0-0 with Newcastle and defeating Hull 2-1. Liverpool had to find a way to replace the goals of Luis Suárez and the squad's depth will be tested further after they confirmed Daniel Sturridge will miss time through injury. The campaign began with a 2-1 win over Southampton but they then suffered a 3-1 defeat to Manchester City. Liverpool rebounded with a 3-0 victory over Tottenham, though.


Head-to-Head Stats

Last season:
Aston Villa 2-2 Liverpool
Liverpool 1-0 Aston Villa (reverse fixture)

Last 6 (all competitions):
Liverpool lead 3-1-2.

Last 3 at Liverpool (all competitions):
Aston Villa lead 1-0-2.

All-time (all competitions):
Liverpool lead 91-55-40.


Team News

Aston Villa (from):
Given, Guzan, Bacuna, Baker, Clark, Herd, Hutton, Lowton, Okore, Senderos, Vlaar, Cleverley, Cole, Delph, Grealish, N'Zogbia, Richardson, Sanchez, Westwood, Agbonlahor, Bent, Benteke, Burke, Weimann.

Doubts:
Vlaar (calf).

Out (reason, expected return date):
Kozák (broken leg, Oct 18), Benteke (Achilles, Oct 4).


Liverpool (from):
Jones, Mignolet, Jose Enrique, Lovren, Manquillo, Moreno, Sakho, Toure, Allen,  Coutinho, Gerrard, Henderson, Lallana, Lucas, Markovic, Suso, Balotelli, Borini, Lambert, Sterling.

Doubts:
Allen (knee, late fitness test).

Out (reason, expected return date):
Can (ankle, Oct 25), Sturridge (thigh, Sep 27), Skrtel (knee, Sep 20), Flanagan (thigh, Sep 20), Johnson (thigh, no date).





Queens Park Rangers (12th) at Manchester United (14th) (Sun, 11 AM ET)


The financial position of Queens Park Rangers has made the news, putting pressure on the club to deliver results. The Hoops could consider themselves unlucky in their season opener, where they went down to a 1-0 defeat to Hull. That was followed by a 4-0 thrashing against Tottenham but QPR bounced back with a 1-0 victory over Sunderland. Manchester United displayed their financial might during the summer transfer window, spending around $250M on new talent. They have a lot of work to do after posting their worst opening three games for seven years. United is still seeking their first win of the campaign after losing to Swansea and tying with Sunderland and then Burnley.


Head-to-Head Stats

Last season:
Last met in 2013

Last 6 (all competitions):
Manchester United lead 5-0-1 (includes 1 League Cup game).

Last 3 at Manchester United (all competitions):
Manchester United lead 3-0-0 (includes 1 League Cup game).

All-time (all competitions):
Manchester United lead 32-6-13.


Team News

QPR (from):
Green, Murphy, Hill, Dunne, Ferdinand, Onuoha, Caulker, Suk-young, Traore, Isla, Henry, Sandro, Barton, Fer, Mutch, Faurlin, Hoilett, Phillips, Kranjcar, Wright-Phillips, Austin, Zamora, Vargas.

Doubts:
Barton (hamstring, late fitness test).

Out (reason, expected return date):
Faurlin (ACL, no date).


Manchester United (from):
De Gea, Lindegaard, Amos, Rafael, Valencia, Shaw, Rojo, Evans, Blackett, Blind, Herrera, Fletcher, Anderson, Mata, Januzaj, Di Maria, Rooney, Falcao, Van Persie, W. Keane.

Out (reason, expected return date):
Fellaini (foot, Oct 20), Carrick (ankle, Oct 5), Jones (hamstring, Oct 5), Young (knock, no date), Smalling (groin, no date), Lindgard (knee, no date), Johnstone (elbow, no date).





West Ham United (11th) at Hull City (9th) (Mon, 3 PM ET)


Just three games into the 2014-2015 season and West Ham has already experienced a rollercoaster of emotions. The campaign for the Hammers began disappointingly after they lost 1-0 to Tottenham. That result was followed by a 3-1 win over Crystal Palace. However, last time out they were on the wrong end of a 3-1 scoreline against Southampton. Hull began this season positively but heading into this encounter they're looking to bounce back from a bad week. In week 1, the Tigers came away with a 1-0 victory over QPR. The following week they were held to a 1-1 tie by Stoke. Hull suffered elimination from the Europa League and their misery was compounded by a 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa.


Head-to-Head Stats

Last season:
West Ham 0-1 Hull
Hull 1-2 West Ham (reverse fixture)

Last 6 (all competitions):
West Ham lead 4-1-1.

Last 3 at Hull (all competitions):
Tied 1-1-1.

All-time (all competitions):
Liverpool lead 18-11-14.


Team News

West Ham (from):
Adrian, Jaaskelainen, Cresswell, O'Brien, Reid, Burke, Tomkins, Collins, Demel, Jenkinson, Noble, Kouyate, Song, Poyet, Morrison, Amalfitano, Downing, Jarvis, Vaz Te, Cole, Zarate, Sakho, Valencia.

Doubts:
Jarvis (thigh), Jenkinson (hamstring).

Out (reason, expected return date):
Nolan (shoulder, Oct 18), Carroll (ankle, no date).


Hull (from):
McGregor, Harper, Davies, Dawson, Rosenior, Robertson, Diame, McShane, Elmohamady, Huddlestone, Livermore, Ince, Brady, Jelavic, Aluko, Sagbo, Quinn, Meyler, Hernandez, Ben Arfa, Rodriguez.

Doubts:
Hernandez (work permit), Ben Arfa (fitness), Ramirez (fitness), Robertson (calf).

Out (reason, expected return date):
Snodgrass (knee, no date).

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