Mercifully the Premier League returns after a mundane fortnights break – and we get straight back to some mouth watering fixtures as teams try to rein in runaway leaders Manchester City, or pull away from the dreaded drop zone.
Here, FantasySports.co.uk predicts the results of every game, along with an overview of where we can expect to see the goals, thrills, spills and shocks as only the Premier League can deliver :
Arsenal 1 Tottenham Hotspur 2
No doubting that the early kick off is the game of the weekend, as the next instalment of the North London derby takes place at the Emirates Stadium. We see Tottenham’s extra class in attack just get the better of the shaky Arsenal defence and take the points by the odd goal of three.
Bournemouth 1 Huddersfield Town 1
Not much in this with two teams looking to maintain their Premier League status for next season as quickly as possible. An entertaining game in prospect but one we feel ultimately where the points will be shared.
Burnley 2 Swansea City 0
Hard to fail to be impressed by Burnley this season, but Swansea have been a distinct bogey team for the Clarets, winning all four of their Premier League clashes previously. But we think Burnley can finally pluck three points from the Swans and maintain their comfortable start to the season.
Crystal Palace 1 Everton 1
Two teams in desperate need of the points – but this could be one of those games where both teams would prefer not to lose, rather than go for the win. It will be a tense, nervy Selhurst Park but we think a draw the most likely result with both teams managing to get on the scoresheet also.
Leicester City 1 Manchester City 3
Leicester at the King Power Stadium is never an easy place to visit and we feel Vardy, Mahrez and Co are good enough to grab a goal and cause the City defence a few issues. But we also feel the City goal machine will roll into gear and outscore the Foxes by a couple of goals as a minimum.
Liverpool 1 Southampton 1
This is exactly the type of game that, over the seasons, the Reds drop points in with quite some regularity – and we can see Saturday being another one of those days for the Anfield faithful, with the Saints marching in and marching away with a point. The Saints are unbeaten in the last five against Liverpool and can extend that run here.
West Bromwich Albion 0 Chelsea 2
The Baggies are in a very poor run of form, and a home game against Chelsea is by no means ideal as they look to halt their freefall down the table after a solid enough start. This should be straightforward for the Blues as they look to keep the pressure up at the head of the table.
Manchester United 3 Newcastle United 0
Another relatively straight forward prediction here, with all the odds stacked in the Red Devils favour. Very hard to see the Magpies cause United many problems across the game.
Watford 3 West Ham United 2
Goals follow Watford around and their Sunday clash with a West Ham team desperate for three points should bring more of the same. New Hammers boss David Moyes will want to run a tighter ship, but may well see first hand just what a job lies in front of him….a capable team, but one who manages to snatch zero points from the clutches of one or three.
Brighton 1 Stoke City 2
Hard to suggest that an away win here is a shock, but we still believe the Potters are better than their league position suggests, whilst the Seagulls are currently being supported by strong gusts of wind that are inflating their own league placing. Stoke have an excellent record against Brighton and can take three points – though it may not be a game for the purists.
Should be an excellent weekends set of fixtures – we look forward to seeing how our predictions go on and check back next week for more of the same!