As the next round of Premier League fixtures begins, we attempt to predict the results of Game week 3.
West Ham v Fulham – Upton Park – Saturday 1st September – 12:45
Chris: This will be a tough match for both sides. Fulham have recently lost star man Moussa Dembele, a player they could really struggle to replace. The Belgian was instrumental for the club versus United and I think we could see the impact of his departure in this match.
West Ham on the other hand suffered a heavy defeat to high flying Swansea last weekend. With the home advantage this game week, I think they’ll be much more of a threat.
Prediction: West Ham 2-2 Fulham
George: West Ham started their time back in the Premier League with a solid 1-0 win over Aston Villa. However, last week, they were outplayed by a classy Swansea outfit, crashing to a 3-0 defeat.
The defeat to Swansea indicates to me that the Hammers may not have what it takes to handle Fulham. Fulham destroyed Norwich before pushing Manchester United all the way. It will be interesting to see how the Cottagers go without the services of Moussa Dembele, but I think they still have enough quality to overcome West Ham.
Prediction: West Ham 1-2 Fulham
Swansea v Sunderland – Liberty Stadium – 15:00
Chris: Swansea have had a great start to the new Premier League campaign. With 6 points from two games, Michael Laudrup’s side will be brimming with confidence.
Sunderland have had a much different start to the season. O’Neil’s side looked strong against Arsenal, but unfortunately their second fixture was postponed. As a result we haven’t really seen much of them.
Based on recent form, I think Swansea will take 3 points in this match, especially with the home advantage in their favour.
Prediction: Swansea 3-1 Sunderland
George: Swansea have started their campaign in an admirable fashion, gaining 2 big wins against QPR and West Ham. Sunderland picked up a solid goalless draw against the Gunners.
Sunderland have made some very good additions lately, including Adam Johnson from Manchester City and Steve Fletcher from Wolves, turning them into a very exciting outfit. I think Sunderland will have a successful season, but I think they may struggle to contain Landrup’s Swansea, especially at the Liberty Stadium. I am going for a Swansea win, but a tough one at that.
Prediction: Swansea 2-1 Sunderland
Tottenham v Norwich – White Hart Lane – 15:00
Chris: Tottenham have experienced a slow start since the beginning of AVB’s reign at White Hart Lane, whilst the Canaries have looked extremely weak since the departure of Paul Lambert,
AVB still needs to add to his side to enable top four contention, but I believe the current side is sufficient in strength to overcome a weak Norwich. I expect Adebayor to start this match too, adding to the away team’s worries.
Prediction: Tottenham 3-0 Norwich
George: Both teams have gotten off to a pretty poor start to the new Premier League season, recording just a draw from 2 games. Andre Villas-Boas is under instant pressure at White Hart Lane, and without the services of (potentially) Rafael Van der Vaat and Scott Parker, this game could be a banana skin for Spurs.
Norwich have hardly improved on their squad that lead to them being promoted from the Championship 2 years ago. Steven Whittaker has joined from Rangers, whilst Sebastien Bassong will play his first game for Norwich, providing some more depth to the squad. The Canaries squad is much more settled than that of Spurs, and that is why I am going to be brave and go for a Norwich victory on this occasion.
Prediction: Tottenham 0-1 Norwich
West Brom v Everton – The Hawthorns – 15:00
Chris: Everton have had a great start to the 2012/13 campaign, with two convincing wins both at home and away. West Brom have had similar fortunes, having picked up 4 from a possible 6 points.
The addition of Kevin Mirallas to Moyes’ side already seems another top quality transfer. The Belgian has already scored twice for the club on his debut.
I think Everton will carry their momentum into this fixture, despite the Baggies having the home advantage.
Prediction: West Brom 0-2 Everton
George:
This is another tough game to call as both sides have got off to great starts, both currently occupying Champions League spots. Everton recently snapped up Kevin Mirallas from Olympiakos, he went on to score 2 goals in his debut in the cup win over Leyton Orient. He could be the difference between the 2 sides on Saturday.
West Brom themselves are now looking a big force going forward. Romelu Lukaku is on loan from Chelsea, and he looks the real deal. They also have attacking threats from Shane Long, Simon Cox and Peter Odemwingie. This will be a high scoring contest but I can’t pick a winner.
Prediction: West Brom 3-3 Everton
Wigan v Stoke City – JJB Stadium – 15:00
Chris: Wigan versus Stoke is a very interesting fixture. The Potters have drawn twice so far this season, whilst the Latics have taken 3 points versus Southampton.
I have a sneaky feeling Wigan will be victorious in this one. There’s not much between both teams, but I think Martinez’s side just about have the attacking edge
Prediction: Wigan 2-1 Stoke
George: Wigan have recorded a win and a loss whilst Stoke have grabbed 2 draws so far. Stoke are coming off of the back of a shock defeat to League 1 outfit Swindon Town in the cup. They have also struggled on the road, the last time they grabbed 3 points away from the Britannia was the start of January!
Wigan, on the other hand, thrashed Nottingham Forest on Tuesday in the cup, running out 4-1 winners. I think that Wigan won’t be battling relegation come the end of the season. They have an experienced outfit with some powerful strikers.
Both teams come into the game injury-free. Stoke are winless against Wigan in their last 6 meetings, and I think this streak is going to continue for The Potters. Wigan come into the game with momentum after a solid victory over newly promoted Southampton.
Prediction: Wigan 1-0 Stoke
Manchester City v Queens Park Rangers – Etihad Stadium – 17:30
Chris: Somehow I don’t think this match will be a repeat of last season’s final fixture. Although City have looked poor at the back in their opening games, QPR have struggled against supposedly much weaker teams.
Prediction: Manchester City 3-0 QPR
George: I can only see one result from this game, and that is a win for Roberto Mancini’s City. Despite not having the services of Sergio Aguero, Gareth Barry and Micah Richards, there is still a big difference in class between the teams.
QPR showed their defensive vulnerabilities in the opening weekend defeat to Swansea. Brazilian goalkeeper Julio Cesar is set to make his debut in goal for the London club. They are trying very hard to strengthen their back 4, as both Michael Dawson and Ricardo Carvalho could pull on QPR jerseys in the near future.
Prediction: Manchester City 3-1 QPR
Liverpool v Arsenal – Anfield – Sunday 2nd September – 13:30
Chris: Liverpool played fantastically against the Champions last weekend and were unlucky not to take all 3 points. After struggling in their first fixture against West Brom they seem to have become more adapted to Rodgers Style of play.
Arsenal, however, have struggled to score in both their matches, taking 2 points from 2 games – hardly championship winning form. However they do look promising, with Santi Cazorla, in particular, looking sharp.
The addition of new loanee Nuri Sahin will boost Liverpool tremendously and I think they’ll steal 3 points from Arsene’s men in this one.
Prediction: Liverpool 1-0 Arsenal
George: New Liverpool manager Brenden Rogers has quickly discovered that being the manager of a side like Liverpool is not an easy job. He has managed just a point from 2 games, and the pressure is starting to build already. Wenger has managed 2 draws from the Gunners first 2 games.
I think this could be a scrappy encounter. Both sides will be pushing hard for the 3 points, but I think that defence will be the first priority for both. Liverpool created chances against City and looked capable of scoring on several occasions. It is clear Arsenal will struggle to score goals without RVP, as they are yet to net one this season. This is why I give the edge to Liverpool in a tight and scrappy affair.
Prediction: Liverpool 1-0 Arsenal
Newcastle v Aston Villa – Sports Direct Arena – 16:00
Chris: Aston Villa look extremely week this season, they’re my favourites to go down. Newcastle, however, have looked strong in both of their opening fixtures, despite losing to Chelsea.
In my opinion, this is the easiest game to predict this weekend.
Prediction: Newcastle 3-0 Aston Villa
George: Newcastle stunned everybody last season and I think they are definitely a team to watch again this season. Paul Lambert has struggled since taking over Villa, falling to 2 defeats.
Newcastle are a settled squad from last season, offering a lot of goal scoring threats. I think that Villa are going to suffer their third straight defeat to start their campaign. The Sports Direct Arena is a tough place to go at the best of times.
Prediction: Newcastle 2-0 Aston Villa
Southampton v Manchester United – Saint Mary’s Stadium – 16:00
Chris: Although Rooney’s injury is a setback for united, they still have plenty of firepower upfront. Despite an opening defeat to Everton, Sir Alex’s team have looked extremely dangerous so far this season.
Southampton have had a tough start, as a result they lie near the bottom of the table with 0 points. I can’t see this total changing over the weekend, I think the Red Devils will win comfortably.
Prediction: Southampton 0-3 Manchester United
George: Southampton are looking for their first points since being relegated, and they face a tough game against United to try and get their campaign underway. Rickie Lambert scored against City on opening weekend to show that he has the potential to be a decent Premier League striker.
I feel that the Southampton squad lacks that extra bit of class that United have in their armoury. I don’t think it will be easy by any means for United at St Marys. I think they will scrape 3 points.
Prediction: Southampton 1-2 Manchester United
Please feel free to comment in the below with your own opinions and predictions regarding this weekend’s fixtures.