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 With six weeks gone in the 2014-2015 English Premier League season, Chelsea is beginning to make themselves at home the top of the standings. The current leaders enjoyed another victory last time out against Aston Villa, giving them 16 points out of a possible 18. Just one other team, Arsenal, has gone through the first half dozen games undefeated and the clubs will clash this weekend in week 7's matchup of the week. Elsewhere, defending champions Manchester City hopes to continue their upward trend against Aston Villa, who's looking to end a two-game losing streak. Also, second-placed Southampton is going for a league's best fifth win in a row when they take on their old manager, Mauricio Pochettino, who's now in charge of Tottenham. At the foot of the table, Burnley will be going for their first win of the season when they face fellow promoted club Leicester. Winless Newcastle goes on the road to Swansea, while Sunderland hopes to finally earn a victory when they entertain Stoke. Remember to make your Premier League Pickem predictions before the deadline of each game. Week 7's schedule starts on Saturday with five 10 AM ET games, followed by a 12:30 PM ET kickoff. There are four Sunday fixtures, the first at 7 AM ET, with two at 9:05 AM ET and the final match at 11:15 AM ET. Note that the Yahoo! Fantasy Premier League game's deadline is on Saturday 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. Crystal Palace (9th) at Hull City (16th) (Sat, 10 AM ET) The campaign might have begun in difficult circumstances for Crystal Palace but they head into week 7 of the season looking to notch a third consecutive win. After beginning with two defeats, the Eagles steadied the ship with two ties and then they surprised Everton with a 3-2 away victory. Then, last week, Palace earned a 2-0 win against Leicester. While their visitors have hit an upward trend, Hull is hoping to get back to winning ways, something they haven't experienced since the opening day of the season. On that day, the Tigers snatched a 1-0 victory at QPR but it's been three ties and two defeats since. Despite a spirited fight back, Hull succumbed 4-2 against Manchester City last week. Head-to-Head Stats Last season: Crystal Palace 1-0 Hull Hull 0-1 Crystal Palace (reverse fixture) Last 6 (all competitions): Crystal Palace lead 4-0-2. Last 3 at Hull (all competitions): Crystal Palace lead 2-0-1. All-time (all competitions): Hull lead 18-15-17. Team News Crystal Palace (from): Hennessey, Kettings, Speroni, Dann, Delaney, Fryers, Hangeland, Kelly, Mariappa, McCarthy, Ward, Bannan, Bolasie, Guedioura, Jedinak, Ledley, McArthur, O'Keefe, Puncheon, Thomas, Williams, Campbell, Chamakh, Gayle, Johnson, Zaha. Hull (from): Harper, Jakupovic, Bruce, Chester, Davies, Dawson, Figueroa, Lenihan, Maguire, McShane, Robertson, Rosenior, Brady, Ben Arfa, Diame, Elmohamady, Huddlestone, Ince, Livermore, Meyler, Quinn, Ramirez, Aluko, Hernandez, Jelavic. Out (reason, expected return date): Snodgrass (knee, May '15), McGregor (shoulder, Nov 1). Burnley (20th) at Leicester City (12th) (Sat, 10 AM ET) A lack of goals is the main reason why Burnley is currently propping up the table. Their promotion tilt last campaign was based around having the best defense in the Championship, but that backline was torn apart last weekend, with West Brom inflicting a 4-0 defeat on the Clarets, a third loss of the term. It ended a run of three successive 0-0 ties. Leicester won the Championship last season with a clear nine-point margin over Burnley and despite a setback last week the Foxes currently look the most likely of the three promoted clubs to remain in the top flight. Leicester went winless in their first three games but replied with successive victories. They lost to Crystal Palace last week, though. Head-to-Head Stats Last season: Burnley 1-1 Leicester Leicester 2-0 Burnley (reverse fixture) Last 6 (all competitions): Leicester lead 4-0-2. Last 3 at Leicester (all competitions): Leicester lead 1-0-2. All-time (all competitions): Burnley lead 42-32-29. Team News Burnley (from): Cisak, Gilks, Heaton, Duff, Keane, Lafferty, Long, Mee, Reid, Shackell, Trippier, Ward, Arfield, Boyd, Howieson, Jones, Kightly, Marney, Wallace, Barnes, Jutkiewicz, Sordell. Doubts: Marney (hamstring), Jones (thigh). Out (reason, expected return date): Vokes (ACL, Nov 22), Ings (hamstring, Oct 18), Taylor (calf, Oct 18), Chalobah (throat, Oct 18). Leicester (from): Hamer, Schmeichel, Smith, De Laet, Konchesky, Moore, Morgan, Simpson, Wasilewski, Albrighton, Cambiasso, Drinkwater, Hammond, James, King, Knockaert, Mahrez, Powell, Hopper, Lawrence, Nugent, Schlupp, Taylor-Fletcher, Ulloa, Vardy, Wood. Out (reason, expected return date): Upson (ankle, no date). West Bromwich Albion (10th) at Liverpool (14th) (Sat, 10 AM ET) Very little went right for West Brom in the opening month of the season but they're now heading into week 7 hoping to extend a two-game winning run. The Baggies tied 2-2 with Sunderland in week 1 but then went goalless for three games, resulting in a tie and two defeats. West Brom has bounced back, however, with wins over Spurs and Burnley. Liverpool's high expectations, stemming from their runners-up finish last season, aren't being met right now as they struggle to string together good performances. The Reds are three matches without a league win having lost to Aston Villa and West Ham and tied 1-1 with Everton last weekend. In the Champions League, Liverpool lost 1-0 to FC Basel. Head-to-Head Stats Last season: West Brom 1-4 Liverpool Liverpool 1-1 West Brom (reverse fixture) Last 6 (all competitions): West Brom lead 3-2-1 (includes 1 League Cup game). Last 3 at Liverpool (all competitions): West Brom lead 2-1-0. All-time (all competitions): Liverpool lead 65-38-39. Team News West Brom (from): Daniels, Foster, Myhill, Baird, Davidson, Dawson, Gamboa, Lescott, McAuley, O'Neil, Olsson, Pocognoli, Blanco, Brunt, Dorrans, Gardner, Morrison, Mulumbu, Roofe, Sessegnon, Yacob, Berahino, Nabi, Samaras. Out (reason, expected return date): Ideye (ankle, Oct 20), Anichebe (groin, Oct 20), Varela (hernia, no date). Unavailable: Wisdom (loanee; can't face parent club). Liverpool (from): Jones, Mignolet, Jose Enrique, Lovren, Manquillo, Moreno, Skrtel, Toure, Coutinho, Gerrard, Henderson, Lallana, Lucas, Markovic, Suso, Balotelli, Borini, Lambert, Sterling, Sturridge. Doubts: Sturridge (thigh). Out (reason, expected return date): Flanagan (knee, Dec), Sakho (thigh, Oct 25), Can (ankle, Oct 25), Allen (knee, Oct 19), Johnson (thigh, no date). Stoke City (11th) at Sunderland (17th) (Sat, 10 AM ET) With six matches now in the book, Stoke has an even looking record with two wins, two losses, two ties, as well as a goal difference of zero. A defeat and tie in their first two games was followed by a shock 1-0 away win at Manchester City. Another defeat and tie came in weeks 4 and 5, but Stoke's first home victory came last week against Newcastle. Despite suffering just one defeat this season, Sunderland hasn't found a way to beat the opposition yet and is still in search of that maiden league victory. The Black Cats opened their campaign with two ties, before falling to a defeat against QPR. Sunderland's streak going into this matchup is currently three ties in a row, the last two being goalless. Head-to-Head Stats Last season: Stoke 0-1 Sunderland Sunderland 0-2 Stoke (reverse fixture) Last 6 (all competitions): Sunderland lead 3-1-2. Last 3 at Sunderland (all competitions): Sunderland lead 2-0-1. All-time (all competitions): Sunderland lead 63-44-36. Team News Stoke (from): Begovic, Butland, Sorensen, Bardsley, Huth, Muniesa, Pieters, Shawcross, Teixeira, Wilkinson, Wilson, Adam, Assaidi, Ireland, N'Zonzi, Palacios, Sidwell, Whelan, Arnautovic, Bojan, Crouch, Moses, Walters. Doubts: Moses (thigh, late fitness test). Out (reason, expected return date): Odemwingie (ACL, Jun '15), Diouf (hamstring, Oct 19), Cameron (hernia, Oct 19). Sunderland (from): Mannone, Pantilimon, Brown, Jones, O'Shea, Van Aanholt, Vergini, Alvarez, Bridcutt, Buckley, Cabral, Cattermole, Giaccherini, Gomez, Johnson, Larsson, Mavrias, Rodwell, Altidore, Fletcher, Graham, Wickham. Doubts: Giaccherini (ankle). Out (reason, expected return date): Coates (thigh, no date). Newcastle United (19th) at Swansea City (5th) (Sat, 10 AM ET) Despite the mounting pressure, Alan Pardew remains at the helm at Newcastle. The club is experiencing their worst start in 11 seasons and their poor form can be traced back to the turn of the year. The Magpies remain without a win this season having recorded three ties and a trio of losses, the latest being a 1-0 defeat by Stoke in their last outing. After getting out of the blocks quickly, Swansea is looking to get back on track following a three-game winless span. The Swans began the season with three consecutive wins but they were halted by Chelsea in week 4. They then fell to a 1-0 defeat against Southampton and then last time out they drew another blank in a 0-0 tie away to Sunderland. Head-to-Head Stats Last season: Newcastle 0-3 Swansea Swansea 2-1 Newcastle (reverse fixture) Last 6 (all competitions): Swansea lead 4-1-1. Last 3 at Swansea (all competitions): Swansea lead 2-1-0. All-time (all competitions): Newcastle lead 22-13-5. Team News Newcastle (from): Alnwick, Elliot, Krul, Coloccini, Dummett, Haidara, Janmaat, Streete, R. Taylor, S. Taylor, Williamson, Abeid, Anita, Bigirimana, Cabella, Colback, Obertan, Sissoko, Tiote, Vuckic, Ameobi, Armstrong, Cisse, Ferreyra, Gouffran, Perez, Riviere. Out (reason, expected return date): De Jong (thigh, Dec), Santon (knee, Nov 22), Aarons (hamstring, Nov 1), Good (groin, no date). Swansea (from): Cornell, Fabianski, Tremmel, Bartley, Fernandez, Kingsley, Obeng, Rangel, Taylor, Tiendalli, Williams, Carroll, Dyer, Fulton, Ki, Montero, Richards, Routledge, Sigurdsson, Sheehan, Shelvey, Barrow, Bony, Emnes, Gomis. Doubts: Tiendalli (groin). Out (reason, expected return date): Amat (knee, Nov 1), Britton (knee, no date). Suspended: Rangel (one-match ban). Manchester City (3rd) at Aston Villa (6th) (Sat, 12:30 PM ET) Last season, this fixture at almost the same time in the schedule produced a setback for Manchester City, so they'll be eager to erase those memories. When City lost in week 3 to Stoke it sparked a three-game winless run but they got back on track last week with a win over Hull. City had to settle for a tie in the Champions League against Roma. Aston Villa's strong start to the season has subsided after losses against two big-hitters and there probably won't be any let up this week as they face the champions. The Villans recorded three wins and one tie in their opening four fixtures but in week 5 they lost 3-0 to Arsenal and then last time out Chelsea defeated them by the same scoreline. Head-to-Head Stats Last season: Manchester City 2-3 Aston Villa Aston Villa 0-4 Manchester City (reverse fixture) Last 6 (all competitions): Manchester City lead 4-2-0 (includes 1 League Cup game). Last 3 at Aston Villa (all competitions): Manchester City lead 2-1-0. All-time (all competitions): Manchester City lead 68-57-40. Team News Manchester City (from): Caballero, Hart, Wright, Boyata, Clichy, Demichelis, Kolarov, Kompany, Mangala, Nastasic, Sagna, Zabaleta, Fernandinho, Fernando, Lampard, Milner, Navas, Silva, Sinclair, Toure, Aguero, Dzeko, Jovetic. Doubts: Jovetic (hamstring), Fernando (groin). Out (reason, expected return date): Nasri (groin, Oct 25). 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. Out (reason, expected return date): Kozák (broken leg, no date). Everton (15th) at Manchester United (7th) (Sun, 7 AM ET) The start of the term has been tough for Everton, with only one victory on the board through six games. The Toffees began with two ties before losing heavily to Chelsea. A win at West Brom followed, but in the last two weeks Everton has lost to Crystal Palace and shared the spoils with Liverpool. They also tied 1-1 in the Europa League at Krasnodar. Manchester United's record is back at an even keel but they now go into the next three fixtures without club captain Wayne Rooney after he was sent-off during their 2-1 win over West Ham last weekend. It was just United's second victory of the season, with the other one coming in week 4 against QPR. United also has two ties and a pair of losses. Head-to-Head Stats Last season: Everton 1-0 Manchester United Manchester United 0-2 Everton (reverse fixture) Last 6 (all competitions): Everton lead 3-2-1. Last 3 at Manchester United (all competitions): Tied 1-1-1. All-time (all competitions): Manchester United lead 82-67-42. Team News Everton (from): Howard, Joel, Stanek, Alcaraz, Baines, Browning, Coleman, Distin, Garbutt, Hibbert, Jagielka, Stones, Atsu, Barry, Besic, Gibson, Junior, McCarthy, McGeady, Osman, Oviedo, Pienaar, Eto'o, Kone, Long, Lukaku, McAleny, Naismith. Doubts: McCarthy (quad, late fitness test), Coleman (soft tissue, late fitness test). Out (reason, expected return date): Mirallas (hamstring, Dec), Barkley (MCL, Oct 18). Manchester United (from): Amos, De Gea, Lindegaard, Blackett, Blind, McNair, Rafael, Rojo, Shaw, Vermijl, Anderson, Di Maria, Fellaini, Fletcher, Januzaj, Mata, Valencia, Falcao, W. Keane, Van Persie. Out (reason, expected return date): Herrera (rib, Oct 20), Smalling (thigh, Oct 20), Jones (hamstring, Oct 20), Evans (ankle, Oct 20), Carrick (ankle, Oct 20), Wilson (knock, no date), Lingard (knee, no date), Young (groin, no date), Johnstone (elbow, no date). Suspended: Rooney (first game of three-match ban). Arsenal (4th) at Chelsea (1st) (Sun, 9:05 AM ET) Arsenal enters week 7 still unbeaten but they might feel they've dropped some crucial points having already notched four ties. The Gunners won on the opening day of the season but followed that with three ties. They beat Aston Villa in week 5 but were held to a 1-1 tie by Tottenham last week. Arsenal beat Galatasary 4-1 in the Champions League. Chelsea has hit a run of form from the beginning of the campaign similar to their strong start two years ago, though that season they fell short of the title. The Blues have only dropped points so far against Manchester City; otherwise they have five wins that have produced 18 goals. Against Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League, Chelsea won 1-0. Head-to-Head Stats Last season: Arsenal 0-6 Chelsea Chelsea 0-0 Arsenal (reverse fixture) Chelsea 2-0 Arsenal (League Cup) Last 6 (all competitions): Cheslea lead 4-0-2 (includes 1 League Cup game). Last 3 at Chelsea (all competitions): Chelsea lead 2-1-0. All-time (all competitions): Arsenal lead 71-58-53. Team News Arsenal (from): Szczesny, Chambers, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Gibbs, Flamini, Cazorla, Sanchez, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Ozil, Welbeck, Ospina, Wilshere, Rosicky, Podolski, Coquelin, Campbell, Bellerin, Monreal. Doubts: Diaby (hip). Out (reason, expected return date): Debuchy (ankle, Dec), Giroud (foot, Dec), Ramsey (hamstring, Nov 1), Walcott (ACL, Oct 25), Gnabry (knee, Oct 25), Arteta (calf, Oct 18), Sanogo (hamstring, Oct 18). Chelsea (from): Courtois, Cech, Ivanovic, Luis, Fabregas, Zouma, Ake, Oscar, Hazard, Drogba, Mikel, Schurrle, Salah, Remy, Costa, Matic, Willian, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta, Christensen, Boga, Baker, Schwarzer. Out (reason, expected return date): Drogba (ankle, Oct 18), Ramires (groin, Oct 18). Southampton (2nd) at Tottenham Hotspur (8th) (Sun, 9:05 AM ET) Uncertainty might have surrounded Southampton heading into this season but six weeks into the campaign the side is producing results comparable to a year ago when they surprised many. The Saints had an inauspicious start with a loss and a tie in their first two, but they're on a roll now and the win over QPR last week was their fourth on the trot. Tottenham began this campaign on a winning streak but going into this week 7 game they're desperate to rediscover that form in the league. After kicking off with two wins, Spurs have alternated between defeats and ties in their last four outings. Last week, they were held to a 1-1 tie by Arsenal. In the Europa League, Spurs tied with Beşiktaş 1-1. Head-to-Head Stats Last season: Southampton 2-3 Tottenham Tottenham 3-2 Southampton (reverse fixture) Last 6 (all competitions): Tottenham lead 5-1-0. Last 3 at Tottenham (all competitions): Tottenham lead 3-0-0. All-time (all competitions): Tottenham lead 51-36-28. Team News Southampton (from): K. Davis, Forster, Gazzaniga, Alderweireld, Bertrand, Clyne, Fonte, Gardos, Targett, Cork, S. Davis, Isgrove, Mane, McQueen, Reed, Schneiderlin, Tadic, Wanyama, Gallagher, Long, Mayuka, Pelle. Out (reason, expected return date): Ward-Prowse (ankle, Dec), Rodriguez (ACL, Dec), Yoshida (ankle, Oct 18), . 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. Out (reason, expected return date): Walker (pelvis, no date). Queens Park Rangers (18th) at West Ham United (13th) (Sun, 11:15 AM ET) When Queens Park Rangers were last in the Premier League two seasons ago they avoided defeat just twice in their first six games and they've begun this campaign in a similar manner. This time, though, the R's have notched a win, in week 3 over Sunderland. However, last weekend they slipped to defeat against Southampton, their fourth to date. West Ham hasn't found any consistency so far this term with no streaks lasting more than one game. An opening day defeat was followed by a win over Crystal Palace but another loss followed in week 3. The Hammers shared the spoils with Hull in week 4, before defeating Liverpool. Last time out, though, West Ham was defeated by Manchester United. Head-to-Head Stats Last season: Last met in 2013 Last 6 (all competitions): West Ham lead 3-2-1. Last 3 at West Ham (all competitions): West Ham lead 2-0-1. All-time (all competitions): West Ham lead 21-19-19. Team News QPR (from): Green, McCarthy, Murphy, Hill, Dunne, Ferdinand, Onuoha, Caulker, Yun, Traore, Isla, Henry, Barton, Mutch, Hoilett, Phillips, Austin, Zamora. Doubts: Barton (hamstring, late fitness test), Mutch (hamstring, late fitness test). Out (reason, expected return date): Taarabt (ankle, Oct 19). West Ham (from): Adrian, Jaaskelainen, Cresswell, Reid, Burke, Tomkins, Collins, Demel, Jenkinson, Song, Poyet, Amalfitano, Jarvis, Downing, Vaz Te, Cole, Zarate, Sakho, Valencia. Doubts: Demel (knock). Out (reason, expected return date): Carroll (ankle, Nov 29), Kouyate (groin, Nov 8), Noble (calf, Oct 18), O'Brien (knee, no date). |
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