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 With ten weeks in the books of the 2014-2015 English Premier League season, Chelsea is still looking good at the top of the standings. The league leaders are still unbeaten and are four points clear of Southampton, who for a second season in succession appear to be punching above their weight early on. Chelsea will get the opportunity to extend their advantage as they kick off week 11 proceedings in the early Saturday game against Liverpool. Southampton will fancy their chances to gain the spoils against Leicester, while champions Manchester City travel to another promoted club, QPR. At the very bottom, Burnley will hope they'll finally notch a victory when they entertain Hull. Remember to make your Premier League Pickem predictions before the deadline of each game. Week 11's schedule starts on Saturday with a 7:45 AM ET kickoff, followed by four 10 AM ET games. The day's final match is at 12:30 PM ET. There are four fixtures on Sunday, three beginning at 8:30 AM ET and the week's final contest starts at 11 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. Chelsea (1st) at Liverpool (7th) (Sat, 7:45 AM ET) Through ten games of the season, Chelsea has already asserted themselves as early favourites for the title. They're still unbeaten heading into this week 11 encounter, dropping just four points out of a possible 30. Their two 1-1 ties came in weeks 5 and 9 against the two Manchester clubs. Chelsea tied 1-1 with Maribor in the Champions League. Liverpool's league campaign is back at the rebuilding stage after another setback last weekend. The Reds had got off to a bad start by suffering three defeats in their first five games but they then improved over the next four outings, winning two and tying two, before losing to Newcastle. In the Champions League, Liverpool lost 1-0 to Real Madrid. Head-to-Head Stats Last season: Chelsea 2-0 Liverpool Liverpool 1-2 Chelsea (reverse fixture) Last 6 (all competitions): Chelsea lead 3-1-2 (includes 1 FA Cup games). Last 3 at Liverpool (all competitions): Tied 1-1-1. All-time (all competitions): Liverpool lead 74-59-35. 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, Remy, Schurrle. Doubts: Mikel (knee). Liverpool (from): Jones, Mignolet, Johnson, Jose Enrique, Lovren, Manquillo, Moreno, Skrtel, Toure, Allen, Can, Coutinho, Gerrard, Henderson, Lallana, Lucas, Markovic, Suso, Balotelli, Borini, Lambert, Sterling. Out (reason, expected return date): Flanagan (knee, Dec 21), Fernandez Saez (groin, Dec 6), Sturridge (calf, Nov 23), Sakho (thigh, Nov 23). Hull City (14th) at Burnley (20th) (Sat, 10 AM ET) The steady improvement of Hull was halted in its tracks last time out with a narrow loss to Southampton. Before the 1-0 defeat, the Tigers had pieced together a three-match unbeaten stretch, consisting of one win and successive ties. Hull will be desperate to take full advantage of this match as they now have just one victory in their last nine games. While the visitors have one win in nine, Burnley is in a worse state as they're still searching for their maiden victory of the campaign. What's worse if the Clarets are heading into this encounter on the back of a three-game skid, their worst streak of the season. Burnley now has the joint second-worst defense and the joint worst attack in the league. Head-to-Head Stats Last season: Last met in 2013 Last 6 (all competitions): Burnley lead 5-1-0. Last 3 at Burnley (all competitions): Burnley lead 2-1-0. All-time (all competitions): Burnley lead 28-19-11. Team News Hull (from): Jakupovic, Chester, Davies, Figueroa, Lenihan, Maguire, McShane, Robertson, Rosenior, Brady, Ben Arfa, Diame, Elmohamady, Huddlestone, Ince, Livermore, Meyler, Quinn, Ramirez, Aluko, Hernandez. Doubts: Harper (bicep), McGregor (shoulder). Out (reason, expected return date): Snodgrass (knee, May), Bruce (hamstring, Nov 29), Dawson (ankle, Nov 23), Jelevic (knee, Nov 23). Burnley (from): Cisak, Gilks, Heaton, Duff, Keane, Lafferty, Long, Mee, O'Neill, Reid, Shackell, Trippier, Ward, Arfield, Boyd, Chalobah, Howieson, Jones, Kightly, Marney, Wallace, Barnes, Ings, Jutkiewicz, Sordell. Out (reason, expected return date): Taylor (calf, no date), Vokes (ACL, no date). Crystal Palace (17th) at Manchester United (10th) (Sat, 10 AM ET) The highs of when new manager Neil Warnock was hired are long behind Crystal Palace as they'e currently looking for their first win in five matches. Warnock helped steady the ship and the Eagles produced two ties and two wins in his first four fixtures. However, since then Palace has lost to Hull, Chelsea and Sunderland and tied with West Brom. Manchester United looked to be back on the right trail when they produced three wins in the space of four contests. They've slipped back into mid-table, though, having failed to add to their victories tally in the last three games. They tied with West Brom and then Chelsea, before facing local rival Manchester City last time out, where they lost 1-0. Head-to-Head Stats Last season: Crystal Palace 0-2 Manchester United Manchester United 2-0 Crystal Palace (reverse fixture) Last 6 (all competitions): Manchester United lead 4-1-1 (includes 2 League Cup games). Last 3 at Manchester United (all competitions): Manchester United lead 2-1-0 (includes 1 League Cup game). All-time (all competitions): Manchester United lead 28-8-9. Team News Crystal Palace (from): Hennessey, Kettings, Speroni, Dann, Delaney, Fryers, Hangeland, Kelly, Mariappa, McCarthy, Ward, Bannan, Bolasie, Guedioura, Ledley, McArthur, Puncheon, Thomas, Williams, Campbell, Chamakh, Doyle, Gayle, Johnson. Out (reason, expected return date): O'Keefe (ankle, no date). Suspended: Jedinak (one-match ban). Unavailable: Zaha (loanee; can't face parent club). Manchester United (from): Amos, De Gea, Johnstone, Lindegaard, Blackett, Blind, Jones, McNair, Rafael, Shaw, Vermijl, Anderson, Carrick, Di Maria, Fellaini, Fletcher, Herrera, James, Januzaj, Lingard, Mata, Valencia, Young, Falcao, W. Keane, Rooney, Van Persie, Wilson. Out (reason, expected return date): Rojo (dislocated shoulder, Dec 8), Falcao (calf, Nov 22), Evans (ankle, Nov 22). Suspended: Smalling (one-match ban). Leicester City (18th) at Southampton (2nd) (Sat, 10 AM ET) Leicester's stint as the best promoted club is looking precarious as their recent slump has seen them slide into the bottom three. After beating Manchester United in week 5, the Foxes have struggled to find the net and has scored in just one subsequent fixture. They go into this matchup having lost four out of five, failing to score in all four defeats. Experts are still wondering when Southampton will start faltering, but in the meantime they're enjoying a great run of results. The Saints are currently riding a three-game winning streak having beaten Sunderland 8-0 and defeating Stoke and Hull 1-0. Southampton has now compiled seven victories in their last eight; they lost to Spurs in week 7. Head-to-Head Stats Last season: Last met in 2012 Last 6 (all competitions): Southampton lead 4-2-0 (includes 1 FA Cup game). Last 3 at Southampton (all competitions): Southampton lead 2-1-0 (includes 1 FA Cup game). All-time (all competitions): Southampton lead 30-23-25. Team News Leicester (from): 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): Hamer (finger, Nov 29), Upson (ankle, Nov 22). Southampton (from): K. Davis, Forster, Gazzaniga, Alderweireld, Bertrand, Clyne, Fonte, Gardos, Stephens, Targett, Yoshida, Cork, S. Davis, Isgrove, Mane, McQueen, Reed, Schneiderlin, Tadic, Wanyama, Long, Mayuka, Pelle. Out (reason, expected return date): Ward-Prowse (ankle, Dec 21), Rodriguez (ACL, Dec 21), Gallagher (knee, no date). Aston Villa (16th) at West Ham United (5th) (Sat, 10 AM ET) Aston Villa has finally got back on the scoresheet but they still go into this week 11 contest seeking their first victory in seven attempts. Andreas Weimann's goal ended over 500 minutes of play without scoring but two late strikes saw Villa lose to Tottenham. That defeat extended Villa's losing stretch to six matches, where they've conceded 15 goals. West Ham looked in trouble last weekend but a strong fight back saw them extend their unbeaten run. The Hammers fought back from two goals down to tie with Stoke in week 10, meaning they've now notched a four-match unbeaten stretch. West Ham has lost just once in their last seven fixtures and they've won four out of their last six contests. Head-to-Head Stats Last season: Aston Villa 0-0 West Ham West Ham 2-0 Aston Villa (reverse fixture) Last 6 (all competitions): Aston Villa lead 3-2-1. Last 3 at West Ham (all competitions): Tied 1-1-1. All-time (all competitions): West Ham lead 39-37-30. Team News Aston Villa (from): Given, Guzan, Bacuna, Baker, Clark, Lowton, Okore, Senderos, Vlaar, Cleverley, Cole, Grealish, N'Zogbia, Richardson, Sanchez, Westwood, Agbonlahor, Bent, Burke, Weimann. Out (reason, expected return date): Delph (dislocated shoulder, Dec 26), Hutton (ankle, Nov 24), Kozák (broken leg, no date). Suspended: Benteke (first game of three-match ban). West Ham (from): Adrian, Jaaskelainen, Spiegel, Collins, Cresswell, Jenkinson, O'Brien, Potts, Reid, Tomkins, Amalfitano, Downing, Jarvis, Kouyate, Lletget, Noble, Nolan, Poyet, Song, Carroll, Cole, Sakho, Valencia, Vaz Te, Zarate. Doubts: Carroll (ankle, late fitness test). Out (reason, expected return date): Demel (thigh, Nov 22). Manchester City (3rd) at Queens Park Rangers (19th) (Sat, 12:30 PM ET) The champions' title defense hasn't gone entirely smoothly to date but they secured a victory last time out to get back on track. City went winless between weeks 3 and 5, losing once and tying twice. They hit a three-game winning run, before losing to West Ham and beating Manchester United. City lost in the Champions League to CSKA Moscow. Despite some spirited performances in the last few weeks, Queens Park Rangers are still mired in the bottom three along with their fellow promoted clubs. They've recorded two wins so far this season, against Sunderland and Aston Villa, but they've lost a league worst seven times already. Four of those defeats have come in their last five games. Head-to-Head Stats Last season: Last met in 2013 Last 6 (all competitions): Manchester City lead 4-1-1 (includes 1 League Cup game). Last 3 at QPR (all competitions): Manchester City lead 2-0-1 (includes 1 League Cup game). All-time (all competitions): Manchester City lead 22-12-16. Team News Manchester City (from): Caballero, Hart, Wright, Boyata, Clichy, Demichelis, Mangala, Nastasic, Sagna, Zabaleta, Fernandinho, Fernando, Lampard, Milner, Nasri, Navas, Sinclair, Toure, Aguero, Dzeko, Jovetic. Out (reason, expected return date): Kolarov (calf, Dec 6), Silva (knee, Nov 30), Kompany (calf, no date). QPR (from): Green, McCarthy, Murphy, Caulker, Dunne, Ehmer, Hill, Isla, Onuoha, Traore, Yun, Barton, Fer, Henry, Hoilett, Kranjcar, Mutch, Phillips, Sandro, Wright-Phillips, Austin, Taarabt, Vargas, Zamora. Out (reason, expected return date): Faurlin (ACL, Jul). Suspended: Ferdinand (second game of three-match ban). Everton (9th) at Sunderland (15th) (Sun, 8:30 AM ET) Despite being held to a goalless tie by Swansea last time out, Everton will be pleased with how they've fared in the last few weeks considering their early slump. The Toffees' week 3 win at West Brom was their only success in their first seven outings but they've since hit a three-game unbeaten streak. In the Europa League, Everton beat Lille 3-0. Sunderland heads into this week 11 matchup on the up having recorded their second victory of the campaign so far. The Black Cats went winless in their opening six games, though they only suffered one defeat during that span. In their last six contests, Sunderland has won 3-1 two times but they've been kept off the scoresheet in the other four. Head-to-Head Stats Last season: Everton 1-0 Sunderland Sunderland 1-0 Everton (reverse fixture) Last 6 (all competitions): Everton lead 4-2-0 (includes 1 FA Cup game). Last 3 at Sunderland (all competitions): Everton lead 2-0-1 (includes 1 FA Cup game). All-time (all competitions): Everton lead 79-68-30. Team News Everton (from): Howard, Joel, Stanek, Baines, Browning, Coleman, Distin, Garbutt, Hibbert, Jagielka, Atsu, Barkley, Barry, Besic, Gibson, Junior, McCarthy, McGeady, Osman, Pienaar, Eto'o, Hope, Long, Lukaku, McAleny, Naismith. Doubts: Barry (ankle), Coleman (calf, late fitness test). Out (reason, expected return date): Mirallas (hamstring, Nov 22), Oviedo (leg, Nov 22), Koné (knee, Nov 22), Stones (ankle, no date), Alcaraz (dislocated shoulder, no date). Sunderland (from): Mannone, Pantilimon, Brown, Coates, O'Shea, Reveillere, Vergini, Bridcutt, Buckley, Cabral, Gomez, Johnson, Larsson, Mavrias, Rodwell, Altidore, Fletcher, Graham, Wickham. Doubts: Rodwell (knock). Out (reason, expected return date): Jones (hamstring, Nov 22), Alvarez (knee, Nov 22), Giaccherini (ankle, Nov 22), Van Aanholt (dislocated shoulder, no date). Suspended: Cattermole (one-match ban). Stoke City (13th) at Tottenham Hotspur (8th) (Sun, 8:30 AM ET) Stoke has failed to get any consistency going in the league to date, with their three victories all being followed by a defeat to go along with their opening day loss. The Potters have also accumulated three ties in the league, their most recent one coming last week against West Ham, where they rued throwing away a two-goal lead to share the spoils. Tottenham's bad run looked like it was going to continue last weekend but they rallied to get maximum points. Spurs followed their wins in the first two weeks with a winless run of four games and they recorded one win in seven. They defeated Aston Villa 2-1, though, to end a two-game skid. Tottenham beat Asteras Tripolis 2-1 in the Europa League. Head-to-Head Stats Last season: Stoke 0-3 Tottenham Tottenham 1-0 Stoke (reverse fixture) Last 6 (all competitions): Tottenham lead 3-1-2. Last 3 at Tottenham (all competitions): Tottenham lead 1-0-2. All-time (all competitions): Tottenham lead 43-23-20. Team News Stoke (from): Begovic, Sorensen, Bardsley, Cameron, Huth, Muniesa, Pieters, Shawcross, Wilson, Adam, Assaidi, Ireland, N'Zonzi, Palacios, Sidwell, Arnautovic, Bojan, Crouch, Diouf, Moses, Walters. Out (reason, expected return date): Odemwingie (ACL, Jun), Whelan (broken leg, Dec 6), Teixera (foot, no date). Tottenham (from): Friedel, Lloris, Vorm, Chiriches, Davies, Dier, Fazio, Kaboul, Naughton, Rose, Veljkovic, Vertonghen, Capoue, Ceballos, Chadli, Dembele, Eriksen, Lamela, Lennon, Mason, Paulinho, Stambouli, Townsend, Adebayor, Kane, Soldado. Out (reason, expected return date): Bentaleb (ankle, no date), Walker (pelvis, no date). Newcastle United (12th) at West Bromwich Albion (11th) (Sun, 8:30 AM ET) Newcastle went into week 8 of the season winless but they now head into this match looking to extend their winning streak to four games. The Magpies defeated Leicester in week 8 to finally notch a victory and they followed that by coming back to defeat Spurs. They extended their winning streak to three games by beating Liverpool 1-0 last week. West Brom sits one place above their week 11 visitors by virtue of having a superior goal difference. After failing to win in their opening four games, losing two in the process, the Baggies have been much better since, recording three times and losing just once. They're also enjoying a three-game unbeaten run, winning 1-0 at Leicester last time out. Head-to-Head Stats Last season: Newcastle 0-1 West Brom West Brom 1-2 Newcastle (reverse fixture) Last 6 (all competitions): Newcastle lead 3-2-1. Last 3 at West Brom (all competitions): Tied 1-1-1. All-time (all competitions): West Brom lead 47-45-32. Team News Newcastle (from): Alnwick, Elliot, Krul, Coloccini, Dummett, Haidara, Janmaat, Streete, R. Taylor, S. Taylor, Aarons, Abeid, Anita, Bigirimana, Cabella, Colback, Sissoko, Vuckic, Ameobi, Armstrong, Cisse, Ferreyra, Gouffran, Perez, Riviere. Doubts: Aarons (knock), Cisse (knee). Out (reason, expected return date): De Jong (thigh, Dec 21), Tioté (calf Nov 22), Santon (knee, Nov 22), Obertan (thigh, no date), Williamson (muscle, no date), Good (groin, no date). West Brom (from): Daniels, Foster, Myhill, Baird, Davidson, Dawson, Gamboa, Lescott, McAuley, O’Neil, Pocognoli, Wisdom, Blanco, Brunt, Dorrans, Morrison, Mulumbu, Sessegnon, Roofe, Yacob, Anichebe, Berahino, Ideye, Nabi, Samaras. Out (reason, expected return date): Olsson (calf, Nov 22), Varela (groin, Nov 22). Suspended: Gardner (one-match ban). Arsenal (4th) at Swansea City (6th) (Sun, 11 AM ET) It's been a frustrating beginning to Arsenal's campaign, with the joint most ties through ten fixtures. However, the Gunners are now heading into this weekend on the back of a three-match unbeaten streak and they've also recorded their first two-game winning stretch. In the Champions League, Arsenal tied 3-3 with Anderlecht after leading 3-0. Swansea faded badly after a fine start to the season but they've now stopped the rot and hope to extend their mini revival. Three consecutive wins were promptly followed by two defeats, but the Swans have now lost just once in the last five games. They're also unbeaten in two after defeating Leicester 2-0 and then sharing the spoils with Everton. Head-to-Head Stats Last season: Arsenal 2-1 Swansea Swansea 2-2 Arsenal (reverse fixture) Last 6 (all competitions): Arsenal lead 3-1-2 (includes 2 FA Cup games). Last 3 at Swansea (all competitions): Arsenal lead 2-0-1 (includes 1 FA Cup game). All-time (all competitions): Arsenal lead 9-5-3. Team News Arsenal (from): Martinez, Szczesny, Chambers, Gibbs, Mertesacker, Monreal, Cazorla, Coquelin, Diaby, Flamini, Gnabry, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Ramsey, Rosicky, Wilshere, Alexis, Campbell, Podolski, Sanogo, Walcott, Welbeck. Out (reason, expected return date): Ospina (thigh, Jan 1), Debuchy (ankle, Dec 21), Giroud (ankle, Dec 21), Arteta (hamstring, Nov 24), Koscielny (calf, no date), Özil (LCL, no date). Swansea (from): Cornell, Fabianski, Tremmel, Amat, Bartley, Fernandez, Kingsley, Obeng, Rangel, Taylor, Williams, Britton, Carroll, Dyer, Fulton, Ki, Montero, Routledge, Sigurdsson, Sheehan, Barrow, Bony, Emnes, Gomis. Out (reason, expected return date): Richards (knee, no date), Donnelly (ankle, no date), Tiendalli (groin, no date). Suspended: Shelvey (one-match ban). |
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