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 It doesn't look like Chelsea is in the mood to relinquish top spot of the English Premier League standings any time soon as they head into week 9 of the 2014-2015 season having just notched their seventh win from eight outings. On Sunday they'll hope to consolidate their position against Manchester United. Elsewhere, champions Manchester City looks to close the gap on Chelsea when they travel to a buoyant West Ham in the week's opening kickoff. Third-placed Southampton entertains Stoke, while Liverpool hosts Hull. At the foot of the standings, QPR takes on Aston Villa, while Burnley, who's still seeking their first victory, makes the trip to Goodison Park to face Everton. Third from bottom Newcastle goes to the capital to face Tottenham. Remember to make your Premier League Pickem predictions before the deadline of each game. Week 9's schedule starts on Saturday with a 7:45 AM ET kickoff, followed by four 10 AM ET games. The day's final fixture is at 12:30 PM ET. On Sunday there are two 9:30 AM ET matchups ahead of a 12 PM ET contest. The week concludes on Monday with a clash beginning at 4 PM 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. Manchester City (2nd) at West Ham United (4th) (Sat, 7:45 AM ET) Manchester City has been playing catch up since losing in week 3, but they've recently regained their form. The 1-0 defeat to Stoke was followed by ties against Arsenal and leaders Chelsea, but the Citizens have now recorded three wins in a row, defeating Hull, Aston Villa and Tottenham. In the Champions League, City tied with CSKA Moscow 2-2. After worrying about a relegation battle for much of the second half of last season, West Ham will be delighted with their opening to this campaign, despite a slow start. The Hammers won one of their first four games but they go into this fixture having won three of the last four. Their only setback during this stretch was defeat at Manchester United. Head-to-Head Stats Last season: Manchester City 3-1 West Ham West Ham 0-2 Manchester City (reverse fixture) West Ham 0-6 Manchester City (League Cup) Manchester City 3-0 West Ham (League Cup) Last 6 (all competitions): Manchester City lead 5-0-1 (includes 2 League Cup games). Last 3 at West Ham (all competitions): Manchester City lead 2-0-1 (includes 1 League Cup game). All-time (all competitions): Manchester City lead 47-35-15. Team News Manchester City (from): Caballero, Hart, Wright, Boyata, Clichy, Demichelis, Kolarov, Kompany, Mangala, Nastasic, Sagna, Zabaleta, Fernandinho, Fernando, Milner, Navas, Silva, Sinclair, Toure, Aguero, Dzeko, Jovetic. Out (reason, expected return date): Lampard (thigh, Nov 8), Nasri (groin, Nov 2). West Ham (from): Adrian, Jaaskelainen, Spiegel, Collins, Cresswell, Demel, Jenkinson, O’Brien, Potts, Reid, Tomkins, Amalfitano, Downing, Jarvis, Kouyate, Lletget, Noble, Nolan, Poyet, Song, Cole, Sakho, Valencia, Vaz Te, Zarate. Doubts: Zarate (knock), Demel (thigh). Out (reason, expected return date): Carroll (ankle, Nov 29). Hull City (11th) at Liverpool (5th) (Sat, 10 AM ET) Seeing out matches has been problem for Hull in their opening eight games in the league. The Tigers have tied four times to date and they led each of those games, conceding in the final ten minutes in three of them. The latest came last time out when they conceded a late equalizer at Arsenal to tie 2-2. Elsewhere, Hull has two wins and two losses. Liverpool's up and down campaign is back on track but they might count their latest win as fortunate after a hectic finale. The Reds suffered three defeats in their first five games but they're currently on a three-match unbeaten run. Last week, a late own goal secured a 3-2 victory at QPR. Liverpool lost 0-3 to Real Madrid in the Champions League. Head-to-Head Stats Last season: Hull 0-2 Liverpool Liverpool 1-3 Hull (reverse fixture) Last 6 (all competitions): Liverpool lead 3-1-2. Last 3 at Liverpool (all competitions): Liverpool lead 2-0-1. All-time (all competitions): Liverpool lead 13-1-4. Team News Hull (from): Jakupovic, Bruce, Chester, Davies, Lenihan, Maguire, McShane, Robertson, Rosenior, Brady, Ben Arfa, Diame, Elmohamady, Huddlestone, Ince, Livermore, Meyler, Quinn, Ramirez, Aluko, Hernandez. Out (reason, expected return date): Snodgrass (knee, May), Jelevic (knee, Dec 6), Dawson (ankle, Dec 6), McGregor (shoulder, Nov 1), Harper (bicep, no date). Liverpool (from): Jones, Mignolet, Johnson, Jose Enrique, Lovren, Manquillo, Moreno, Skrtel, Toure, Allen, Can, Coutinho, Gerrard, Henderson, Lallana, Lucas, Markovic, Balotelli, Borini, Lambert, Sterling. Out (reason, expected return date): Flanagan (knee, Dec 21), Fernandez Saez (groin, Dec 6), Sakho (thigh, Nov 4), Sturridge (calf, no date). Stoke City (10th) at Southampton (3rd) (Sat, 10 AM ET) So far this season Stoke has failed to find their rhythm, but they head into this week 9 contest looking to earn their first back-to-back victories. The Potters have three wins spread across their eight fixtures against Manchester City, Newcastle and they beat Swansea 2-1 last week. In amongst Stoke's three victories are three defeats and two ties. Southampton's league campaign has been close to remarkable considering the changes they were forced into during the summer. Despite selling two of their regular starting defenders, the Saints have the best defence in the division, conceding just five in eight games. Last week they thrashed Sunderland 8-0, which was their fifth win in the last six. Head-to-Head Stats Last season: Stoke 2-2 Southampton Southampton 1-1 Stoke (reverse fixture) Last 6 (all competitions): Tied 1-1-4. Last 3 at Southampton (all competitions): Southampton lead 1-0-2. All-time (all competitions): Southampton lead 28-25-13. Team News Stoke (from): Begovic, Sorensen, Bardsley, Cameron, Huth, Muniesa, Pieters, Shawcross, Teixeira, Wilson, Adam, Assaidi, Ireland, N'Zonzi, Palacios, Sidwell, Arnautovic, Bojan, Crouch, Diouf, Moses, Walters. Doubts: Bardsley (back). Out (reason, expected return date): Whelan (broken leg, Dec 6). Southampton (from): Boruc, K. Davis, Forster, Gazzaniga, Alderweireld, Bertrand, Clyne, Fonte, Gardos, Targett, Yoshida, Cork, S. Davis, Isgrove, Mane, McQueen, Reed, Schneiderlin, Tadic, Wanyama, Gallagher, Long, Mayuka, Pelle. Out (reason, expected return date): Ward-Prowse (ankle, Dec 21), Rodriguez (ACL, Dec 21). Arsenal (7th) at Sunderland (17th) (Sat, 10 AM ET) Arsenal has only lost once in their first eight games but there'll be concerns that they've only notched two victories. It leaves them 11 points off the pace and it looks like a title challenge might be out of the question. They scored late to gain a 2-2 tie against Hull last week, their fifth tie so far. In the Champions League, Arsenal beat Anderlecht 2-1. Sunderland has also accumulated five ties in the league, but they've won just once and last time out they suffered a humiliating defeat. The Black Cats had to wait until week 7 for their maiden victory, 3-1 at home to Stoke. However, their defense, which had been solid to date, was ripped apart last weekend by Southampton, who netted eight times. Head-to-Head Stats Last season: Arsenal 3-1 Sunderland Sunderland 1-4 Arsenal (reverse fixture) Last 6 (all competitions): Arsenal lead 4-1-1 (includes 1 FA Cup game). Last 3 at Sunderland (all competitions): Arsenal lead 2-1-0 (includes 1 FA Cup game). All-time (all competitions): Arsenal lead 57-50-39. Team News Arsenal (from): Martinez, Szczesny, Chambers, Gibbs, Koscielny, Mertesacker, Monreal, Arteta, Cazorla, Coquelin, Diaby, Flamini, Gnabry, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Ramsey, Rosicky, Alexis, Campbell, Podolski, Sanogo, Walcott, Welbeck. Doubts: Walcott (fitness). Out (reason, expected return date): Ospina (thigh, Jan), Debuchy (ankle, Dec 21), Giroud (ankle, Dec 21), Koscielny (calf, no date), Özil (LCL, no date). Suspended: Wilshere (one-match ban). Sunderland (from): Mannone, Pantilimon, Brown, O'Shea, Reveillere, Van Aanholt, Vergini, Bridcutt, Buckley, Cabral, Cattermole, Gomez, Johnson, Larsson, Mavrias, Rodwell, Altidore, Fletcher, Graham, Wickham. Out (reason, expected return date): Jones (hamstring, Nov 22), Giaccherini (ankle, Nov 22), Coates (thigh, Nov 9), Alvarez (knee, Nov 9). Crystal Palace (16th) at West Bromwich Albion (14th) (Sat, 10 AM ET) After the worst possible start to the season, Crystal Palace's campaign hit an upward trend but they now are hoping that they can end a two-match losing streak. Palace began the term with two defeats, too, before two ties and then victories over Everton and Leicester. In the last two games, though, they've lost 2-0 to Hull and 2-1 against Chelsea. West Brom began this campaign without a victory in their first four fixtures but they've slowly crept up the standings recently. The Baggies tied their first two games but they were followed by two defeats. West Brom then beat Spurs and Burnley, before a defeat by Liverpool. In week 8, a late goal by Manchester United meant they shared the spoils. Head-to-Head Stats Last season: Crystal Palace 0-2 West Brom West Brom 1-3 Crystal Palace (reverse fixture) Crystal Palace 2-0 West Brom (FA Cup) Last 6 (all competitions): Crystal Palace lead 3-1-2 (includes 1 FA Cup game). Last 3 at West Brom (all competitions): Crystal Palace lead 2-1-0 (includes 1 FA Cup game). All-time (all competitions): West Brom lead 21-15-13. Team News Crystal Palace (from): Hennessey, Kettings, Speroni, Fryers, Hangeland, Kelly, Mariappa, Ward, Bannan, Bolasie, Guedioura, Jedinak, Ledley, Puncheon, Thomas, Campbell, Chamakh, Doyle, Gayle, Johnson, Zaha. Out (reason, expected return date): O'Keefe (ankle, no date), Dann (LCL, no date), McArthur (hip, no date). Suspended: Delaney (one-match ban). West Brom (from): Foster, Myhill, Baird, Davidson, Dawson, Gamboa, Lescott, McAuley, O’Neil, Pocognoli, Wisdom, Blanco, Brunt, Dorrans, Gardner, Morrison, Mulumbu, Sessegnon, Roofe, Anichebe, Berahino, Ideye, Nabi, Samaras. Out (reason, expected return date): Varela (groin, no date), Olsson (Achilles, no date). Unavailable: Yacob (personal). Leicester City (15th) at Swansea City (8th) (Sat, 12:30 PM ET) Leicester might still be the leading promoted club in the division but they've stumbled in their recent contests. The Foxes started with no victories in their first three games but they then recorded wins against Stoke and Manchester United. A 2-2 tie with Burnley, however, has been sandwiched between defeats by Crystal Palace and Newcastle. Swansea's perfect opening to the season is becoming a distant memory as they head into this week 9 match looking to end a five-game winless streak. The Swans opened their account with three successive wins but that was followed by two defeats. They shared the spoils with Sunderland and Newcastle, before losing 2-1 to Stoke in their last match. Head-to-Head Stats Last season: Last met in 2011 Last 6 (all competitions): Leicester lead 3-2-1 (includes 1 FA Cup game). Last 3 at Swansea (all competitions): Swansea lead 2-1-0. All-time (all competitions): Leicester lead 14-8-8. Team News 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). Swansea (from): Cornell, Fabianski, Tremmel, Bartley, Fernandez, Kingsley, Obeng, Rangel, Taylor, Williams, Carroll, Dyer, Fulton, Ki, Montero, Routledge, Sigurdsson, Sheehan, Shelvey, Barrow, Bony, Emnes, Gomis. Out (reason, expected return date): Britton (knee, Nov 22), Tiendalli (groin, Nov 1), Amat (knee, Nov 1), Donnelly (ankle, Nov 1), Richards (knee, no date). Everton (13th) at Burnley (19th) (Sun, 9:30 AM ET) It's been tough for Everton to try and emulate last season's performances but they head into this week 9 matchup looking to build on last week's victory. The Toffees' 3-0 win against Aston Villa last time out was only their second of the campaign, to go with their 2-0 week 4 victory over West Brom. In the Europa League, Everton tied 0-0 with Lille. Burnley was always expected to struggle upon their return to the top flight but even they would have hoped for a victory by this stage of the season. Two defeats were followed by three successive 0-0 ties, but the Clarets' defense has since weakened. The subsequent two defeats and one tie has seen them concede nine goals during those games. Head-to-Head Stats Last season: Last met in 2009 Last 6 (all competitions): Burnley lead 2-1-3. Last 3 at Burnley (all competitions): Burnley lead 1-0-2. All-time (all competitions): Everton lead 45-32-29. Team News Everton (from): Howard, Joel, Stanek, Alcaraz, Baines, Browning, Coleman, Distin, Garbutt, Hibbert, Jagielka, Atsu, Barkley, Barry, Besic, Gibson, Junior, McCarthy, McGeady, Osman, Pienaar, Eto'o, Long, Lukaku, McAleny, Naismith. Out (reason, expected return date): Mirallas (hamstring, Nov 22), Stones (ankle, no date), Oviedo (leg, no date), Koné (knee, no date). Burnley (from): Gilks, Heaton, Duff, Keane, Lafferty, Long, Mee, Shackell, Trippier, Ward, Arfield, Boyd, Chalobah, Howieson, Jones, Kightly, Marney, Wallace, Barnes, Ings, Jutkiewicz, Sordell. Doubts: Marney (hamstring, late fitness test). Out (reason, expected return date): Vokes (ACL, Dec), Taylor (Achilles, no date), Reid (groin, no date). Newcastle United (18th) at Tottenham Hotspur (9th) (Sun, 9:30 AM ET) Newcastle has finally notched one in the 'W' column but they're still under immense pressure to produce the results. The Magpies remains in the bottom three, just above two promoted clubs, with just seven points on the board. Their 1-0 win over Leicester last week is just their sixth in the calendar year and it was their first cleansheet since week 2. Tottenham's good start quickly subsided and they've failed to remain undefeated for two successive games since the first two weeks. Spurs went winless from week 3 to week 6, losing two and tying two. They beat Southampton 1-0 in week 7 but then lost 4-1 to Manchester City last week. Tottenham defeated Asteras Tripolis 5-1 in the Europa League. Head-to-Head Stats Last season: Newcastle 1-0 Tottenham Tottenham 4-0 Newcastle (reverse fixture) Last 6 (all competitions): Tottenham lead 3-2-1. Last 3 at Tottenham (all competitions): Tottenham lead 2-1-0. All-time (all competitions): Tottenham lead 64-55-32. Team News Newcastle (from): Alnwick, Elliot, Krul, Coloccini, Dummett, Haidara, Janmaat, R. Taylor, S. Taylor, Williamson, Abeid, Anita, Bigirimana, Cabella, Colback, Obertan, Sissoko, Tiote, Vuckic, Ameobi, Armstrong, Cisse, Ferreyra, Gouffran, Perez, Riviere. Doubts: Cisse (knee), Tiote (calf), Riviere (knock). Out (reason, expected return date): De Jong (thigh, Dec 21), Santon (knee, Nov 22), Aarons (hamstring, Nov 1), Good (groin, no date). Tottenham (from): Friedel, Lloris, Vorm, Chiriches, Davies, Dier, Kaboul, Rose, Veljkovic, Vertonghen, Bentaleb, Capoue, Ceballos, Chadli, Dembele, Eriksen, Lamela, Lennon, Mason, Paulinho, Stambouli, Townsend, Adebayor, Kane, Soldado. Doubts: Bentaleb (ankle). Out (reason, expected return date): Naughton (ankle, no date), Walker (pelvis, no date). Suspended: Fazio (one-match ban). Chelsea (1st) at Manchester United (6th) (Sun, 12 PM ET) Chelsea has steadily compiled one of the best openings to a Premier League campaign by accumulating 22 points out of a possible 24 from the first eight games. They opened with four successive wins, with a 1-1 tie at Manchester City halting the run. They're now on a three-game winning span. Chelsea defeated Maribor 6-0 in the Champions League. Manchester United has had a relatively easy looking schedule up until now but this week 9 encounter is likely to be a stern test. It took United until week 4 to finally get a win on the board, a 4-0 triumph against QPR. They then lost at Leicester, but notched three wins in four games. They had to fight back to tie 2-2 with West Brom last week, though. Head-to-Head Stats Last season: Chelsea 0-0 Manchester United Manchester United 1-3 Chelsea (reverse fixture) Last 6 (all competitions): Chelsea lead 4-0-2 (includes 2 FA Cup games and 1 League Cup game). Last 3 at Manchester United (all competitions): Chelsea lead 1-0-2 (includes 1 FA Cup game). All-time (all competitions): Manchester United lead 72-48-50. Team News Chelsea (from): Cech, Courtois, Schwarzer, Ake, Azpilicueta, Cahill, Christensen, Filipe, Ivanovic, Terry, Zouma, Fabregas, Hazard, Matic, Mikel, Oscar, Ramires, Salah, Willian, Costa, Drogba, Schurrle. Doubts: Costa (hamstring). Out (reason, expected return date): Remy (groin, Nov 22). Suspended: Azpilicueta (first game of three-match ban). Manchester United (from): Amos, De Gea, Johnstone, Lindegaard, Blackett, Blind, Jones, Rafael, Rojo, Shaw, Smalling, Vermijl, Anderson, Di Maria, Fellaini, Fletcher, Herrera, James, Januzaj, Mata, Young, Falcao, W. Keane, Van Persie, Wilson. Out (reason, expected return date): Valencia (hamstring, Nov 2), McNair (hamstring, Nov 2), Evans (ankle, Nov 2), Carrick (fitness, no date), Lingard (knee, no date). Suspended: Rooney (final game of three-match ban). Aston Villa (18th) at Queens Park Rangers (20th) (Mon, 4 PM ET) With four games gone in the campaign, Aston Villa was looking at their their best start for many seasons but things have quickly deteriorated. Villa opened with three wins and a tie from their first four fixtures but they're now mired in a four-game losing streak, the worst in the league. They've now failed to score a goal in over 450 minutes of play. Reminiscent of their last stint in the Premier League, QPR resides in the basement of the division. Rangers have just one victory this season to date, a 1-0 win over Sunderland in week 3. However, they've already racked up six losses and they're currently on a three-match losing stretch. Their only other point came in a 2-2 tie with Stoke in week 5. Head-to-Head Stats Last season: Last met in 2013 Last 6 (all competitions): Aston Villa lead 2-1-3 (includes 2 League Cup games). Last 3 at QPR (all competitions): QPR lead 1-0-2. All-time (all competitions): QPR lead 22-18-12. Team News Aston Villa (from): Guzan, Given, Hutton, Lowton, Baker, Clark, Senderos, Okore, Vlaar, Cissokho, Richardson, Cole, Sanchez, Westwood, Grealish, Bacuna, Cleverley, N'Zogbia, Weimann, Agbonlahor, Benteke, Bent. Doubts: Senderos (thigh). Out (reason, expected return date): Delph (dislocated shoulder, Dec), Kozák (broken leg, no date). QPR (from): Green, McCarthy, Onuoha, Traore, Dunne, Caulker, Ferdinand, Yun, Hill, Isla, Henry, Sandro, Fer, Zamora, Vargas, Austin, Phillips, Kranjcar, Murphy, Hoilett, Vargas, Barton, Mutch, Taarabt. Doubts: Barton (hamstring), Mutch (hamstring). Out (reason, expected return date): Faurlin (ACL, Jul). |
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