The quarter point of the Premier League season is upon us, and Gameweek 9 offers up some enticing matchups.
There’s a top-of-the-table clash in London as Chelsea entertain Manchester City, while David Moyes will be hoping his Manchester United side can get their season up and running as they welcome Stoke to Old Trafford.
Top-of-the-table Arsenal will be hot favourites when they travel across London to take on lowly Crystal Palace, and Liverpool will be looking to bounce back from their draw with Newcastle as they face a tricky game at home to West Bromwich Albion.
After picking up just one point from their opening eight games, the last opponent Sunderland boss Gus Poyet probably wanted to see on the fixture list was rivals Newcastle. The fans at the Stadium of Light are already downbeat, and a loss to Newcastle would rub more salt into their early season wounds.
Here’s a look at some predictions for this weekend’s top matchups and the goalscorers to look out for.
Top Match This Weekend
Chelsea vs. Manchester City, October 27, 16:00, Sky Sports
Although only one point separates them in the table, Chelsea and Manchester City’s respective starts to the season have been quite different.
Jose Mourinho’s side have looked solid without every really impressing. Victories over Hull City, Aston Villa, Fulham, Norwich and Cardiff were expected, but when challenged with Everton, Tottenham and Manchester United, they stuttered.
On the other hand, Manchester City’s early season form has resembled a yo-yo being controlled by a four-year-old: extreme highs—a 4-1 win over rivals United—and extreme lows—3-2 defeats to both Cardiff and Aston Villa.
The outcome of this match on Sunday may depend on which City outfit shows up.
Manuel Pellegrini’s team have begun to steady the ship of late, winning their past four league matches, and they come into the game fresh off the back of their first away win of the season over West Ham. They have been buoyed by the return in recent weeks of David Silva and top goalscorer Sergio Aguero, who has bagged six goals in the league this season.
While City have had little trouble finding the net—they lead the league in goals scored with 20—it will be their performances at the other end of the pitch that concern Pellegrini ahead of the visit to Stamford Bridge.
They have shipped three goals on three separate occasions this season, and they could be without Vincent Kompany after the Belgian was ruled out of their midweek Champions League clash with CSKA Moscow—per John Drayton in the Daily Mail. City can often look shaky without their skipper marshalling the back four.
Chelsea’s main issue this year has been up top where Samuel Eto’o, Demba Ba and Fernando Torres have all had a go. The Portuguese even experimented without any of them when they visited Old Trafford earlier in the season.
Despite a lack of form running through his strike force, Chelsea remain the third-highest scorers this season with 14 goals. The midfield has picked up the slack, but the question is whether or not they can continue to do that over the course of the season.
This is Gameweek 9’s biggest clash, and if both teams can bring their A-games, it should be a cracker.
If City reach the heights they did against Manchester United, then they could come away from London with all three points, but we’re going to play it safe and go with a 2-2 draw.
Gameweek 9 Top Goalscorer Prediction
Olivier Giroud
Giroud has taken his time to bed in at Arsenal, but he has been in impressive form since the season got underway.
He has bagged four goals in the opening eight games of the Premier League, but he does so much more for his side than just score goals. The four assists to his name give an indication of the importance of his role in the side.
With a creative and speedy midfield behind him, Giroud not just holds up the play, but he links it up also. The 6'3" Frenchman has excellent footwork for a big man, something he demonstrated so well in the buildup to Jack Wilshere’s goal-of-the-season contender in Saturday’s victory over Norwich City.
Crystal Palace, Arsenal’s opponents this weekend, languish in the relegation zone with just one win from their opening seven matches, and they have shipped 13 goals, which is tied for third worst in the league.
Their poor defensive record suggests this could be the weekend that Giroud grabs the headlines. With Mesut Ozil and Santi Cazorla, two of Europe’s highest assisters, supplying him from midfield, he could be the Premier League’s highest goalscorer this weekend.
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