Leicester City vs West Ham United
King Power Stadium, Leicestershire
Sunday, 04-10-2020 @2pm
Ref: Andy Madley
West Ham’s solitary victory in the past 11 Premier League meetings was by 2-0 at the King Power Stadium in May 2018 (D4, L6). The Foxes are unbeaten in the last four encounters (W2, D2), and won both matches last season.
Leicester will monitor midfielder Dennis Praet, who was forced off last weekend with a twisted knee. Jamie Vardy and Jonny Evans were also substituted with minor fitness issues but both are fit, while Cengiz Under is available to make his debut.
West Ham manager David Moyes has been self-isolating after a positive coronavirus test, and is set to relay instructions via assistant Alan Irvine. Ryan Fredericks is out after suffering a hamstring strain against Wolves.
Leicester are vying to win their opening four league games for the first time in their history. Their total of 12 goals after three matches is the highest by any team at this stage of a Premier League season since 2012. The Foxes are unbeaten in their past eight home league fixtures against London sides (W6, D2). Their most recent defeat came against Crystal Palace in February 2019 – a result which led to Claude Puel being sacked as manager. Jamie Vardy has scored 22 Premier League penalties since his top-flight debut in 2014, more than any other player during this period. Ayoze Perez was directly involved in four of Leicester’s six league goals against West Ham last season, scoring two and assisting two more.
West Ham have only won four of their 23 away league games under David Moyes (D5, L14). They have lost eight of their past 11 Premier League away matches, with their only win in that spell being July’s 4-0 victory at Norwich. The Hammers have kept just three clean sheets in the Premier League in 2020, fewer than any current top-flight side excluding the newly-promoted clubs. The last time they recorded consecutive clean sheets in the league was in a three-match sequence in August and September 2019. Michail Antonio can become the first Hammers player to score in five consecutive top-flight away matches since Mike Small in 1991. Antonio has scored West Ham’s last six Premier League away goals, including four at Norwich in July.
Southampton vs West Bromwich Albion
St. Mary’s Stadium, Hampshire
Sunday, 04-10-2020 @2pm
Ref: Chris Kavanagh
Southampton are weighing up whether to recall Nathan Redmond after he returned to training following an ankle injury. Summer signing Mohammed Salisu has stepped up his involvement with the first team as he awaits his debut.
West Brom are assessing Filip Krovinovic’s fitness after he re-signed on loan this week, while Ahmed Hegazi is available once more after injury. On-loan Chelsea man Connor Gallagher is set to make his league debut for the club but Kieran Gibbs remains banned.
Southampton have won their last three league meetings with West Brom and will equal their longest ever Premier League winning streak against a particular opponent should they win. West Brom have beaten the Saints only twice in their past 11 contests in league and cup (D2, L7). The away side has won four of the last five meetings between the clubs in all competitions (L1). Saints have kept a clean sheet in nine of their previous 16 Premier League meetings with West Brom (56%).
Southampton have lost just two of their past 10 league games (W5, D3), albeit both of those defeats have come this campaign. Saints have earned just 21 points from 20 Premier League home games since the start of last season, fewer than any other ever-present top-flight side. They have won their past eight fixtures against promoted opposition. Southampton conceded five goals in their last home game, as many as in their previous five matches at St Mary’s. Their last nine league goals were either scored by Danny Ings or Che Adams. Ings has scored a joint league-high 13 goals in 2020, level with Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah.
West Brom gained their first point of the season in last week’s 3-3 draw with Chelsea. Dating back to last season, West Brom are winless in seven league matches (D4, L3). The 11 goals they have conceded this season is a new Premier League record over the opening three fixtures. The Baggies have won just two of their past 19 top-flight away games (D4, L13). Albion have let in three second-half goals in every league match so far. Games featuring the Baggies have produced 16 goals so far in 2020-21, a joint league-high with Leicester. Matheus Pereira has been involved in nine goals in his last 10 league games, scoring three and assisting six more. He has contributed to three of the Baggies’ five league goals this term (one goal and two assists).
Arsenal vs Sheffield United
Emirates Stadium, London
Sunday, 04-10-2020 @4pm
Ref: Lee Mason
Arsenal come into the game winless in their past three league games against Sheffield United (D1, L2), with their most recent victory in 2006 – although they did beat them in an FA Cup quarter-final in June. The Blades have gone 10 league matches without a victory away to Arsenal since beating them 1-0 at Highbury in August 1971 (D2, L8).
Arsenal will recall last season’s top scorer Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who was one of several key players rested against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup. Cedric Soares returned from injury in that game, while Sokratis is also back in training, but the Gunners still have a number of long-term absentees.
Sheffield United remain without Simon Moore and Lys Mousset, but John Egan is back after completing a one-game ban. His return is timely as fellow defender Jack O’Connell is ruled out. The Englishman will be missing for approximately six months following knee surgery.
Arsenal have not lost a Premier League home game in 2020, a run of 10 matches since defeat by Chelsea on 29 December (W8, D2). The Gunners have only failed to score in three of their past 72 home league fixtures, with each of those blanks coming against Manchester City. They are unbeaten in their last 40 home league matches against sides starting the day in the relegation zone (W38, D2), with their last such defeat coming against West Ham in April 2007. Since Mikel Arteta took charge in December, Arsenal have lost 18 points from winning positions – more than any other top-flight team in that period. The Gunners have scored with a third of their Premier League shots this season (six of 18, excluding blocks), with only Leicester (48%) boasting a better shot conversion rate.
Sheffield United have failed to score in each of their opening three league games for the first time in their history. The only occasion they began a top-flight season with four defeats was in 1966. A seventh consecutive Premier League defeat on Sunday would equal their longest losing streak in the top flight, set between August and September 1975. The Blades’ last league win away to one of the established top-six teams was a 2-1 victory at Liverpool in April 1994.
Wolves vs Fulham
Molinuex Stadium, West Midlands
Sunday, 04-10-2020 @4pm
Ref: David England
Wolves pair Fernando Marcal and Daniel Podence are fitness doubts for Sunday’s meeting with Fulham. Marcal limped off early on against Manchester City with a calf injury, while Podence missed the 4-0 defeat at West Ham because of a shoulder problem.
Fulham’s Harrison Reed could miss a fourth successive game, while fellow midfielder Mario Lemina remains out. Kenny Tete is also nursing an injury but new loan signing Ademola Lookman will be involved.
Wolves have lost only one of the past 10 league meetings, a 2-0 defeat at Craven Cottage in the Championship in February 2018. There has not been an away victory in their 10 Premier League encounters.
Wolves suffered their heaviest Premier League defeat since March 2012 by losing 4-0 at West Ham last Sunday. They could lose both of their opening two home matches of a top-flight season for only the third time. Nuno Espirito Santo’s side have lost five of their past nine league fixtures (W3, D1). Wolves are in danger of conceding three or more goals in three consecutive Premier League matches for the first time since March-April 2004. They are unbeaten in seven Premier League home games against promoted sides since a 0-3 loss against QPR in September 2011. Santo and Scott Parker were opposition players when Porto won 2-1 at home to Chelsea in the Champions League group stage in December 2004.
Fulham have only once lost their opening four top-flight games of a season – they were relegated at the end of that 1951-52 campaign. The last four sides to start a Premier League campaign with four consecutive defeats all avoided relegation that season, most recently West Ham in 2018-19. Fulham have conceded 10 goals in their three matches. The Premier League record for most goals conceded in a club’s opening four fixtures of a season is 14, set by Swindon Town in 1993 and equalled by Southampton in 2012. The Cottagers have conceded at least twice in 17 of their 21 Premier League matches since January 2019. Fulham and Sheffield United are the only sides yet to take the lead in a Premier League game so far this season.
Man United vs Tottenham Hotspur
Old Trafford, Manchester
Sunday, 04-10-2020 @6:30pm
Ref: Anthony Taylor
Manchester United come into the game unbeaten in the past three league meetings. The Red Devils have only won more Premier League games against Everton than the 35 victories they have enjoyed versus Spurs. There has not been a draw in the past 14 league matches at Old Trafford between these sides. Tottenham’s last six top-flight away wins against Manchester United have all come under different managers, in a run stretching back to Bill Nicholson in March 1974.
Manchester United’s Harry Maguire is available despite injuring his ankle in the Premier League win over Brighton last Saturday. Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has no new fitness concerns in his squad.
Tottenham head coach Jose Mourinho has not completely ruled out Son Heung-min’s chances of recovering in time from a hamstring issue. Giovani Lo Celso is a doubt with an unspecified injury, while Gareth Bale is not yet ready to feature.
Manchester United are looking to avoid losing their opening two home games to a league season for only the fifth time, and first since 1986-87. They last conceded multiple goals in each of their first three fixtures of a top-flight season in 1972-73. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side have scored in 15 successive Premier League matches, the longest current run in the division. Their 40 Premier League games since the start of last season have produced 20 penalties (15 for and five against), which is second only to Leicester City’s total of 22.
Tottenham have won just three of their last 30 Premier League away matches against other established top-six sides. Spurs’ two clean sheets in their past 27 Premier League away games came against relegated Watford and Bournemouth. Jose Mourinho is winless in his last six away league fixtures against sides he previously managed. However, Mourinho has only lost three of his 22 matches against Manchester United in all competitions. All three defeats were at Old Trafford, with one apiece for Chelsea, Inter Milan and Spurs. Harry Kane’s tally of five assists in the Premier League this season is a joint record after three matches, emulating Ruel Fox for Newcastle in 1994-95 and Henrikh Mkhitaryan for Manchester United in 2017-18.
Aston Villa vs Liverpool
Villa Park, Birmingham
Sunday, 04-10-2020 @9:45pm
Ref: Martin Atkinson
Aston Villa’s loan signing Ross Barkley could face Liverpool on Sunday. Jack Grealish has overcome the dead leg he sustained against Fulham but Bjorn Engels and Kortney Hause are injured.
Liverpool will assess the fitness of Jordan Henderson, who has been out for two weeks with a muscle problem. Sadio Mane and Thiago Alcantara are self-isolating after positive tests for coronavirus, while Joel Matip and Kostas Tsimikas remain out.
Liverpool have earned five successive Premier League victories against Aston Villa, by an aggregate score of 15-3. Villa’s only win in their past 19 top-flight home games in this fixture came in May 2011 (D5, L13). Liverpool have won on their subsequent six league visits. This fixture has produced 20 away wins, the most in Premier League history: 14 for Liverpool, six for Villa.
Villa haven’t won each of their opening three top-flight games in a season since 1962-63. It’s 120 years since the only time they began a season by keeping three successive clean sheets in the league. Their current six-match unbeaten league run is the longest of any side in the Premier League prior to this weekend’s fixtures. Dean Smith’s side are vying to win three consecutive matches in the division for the first time since April 2010. The Villans haven’t beaten the reigning Premier League champions at home in 18 attempts since coming from 2-0 down to win 3-2 against Arsenal in December 1998 (D7, L11).
Liverpool could become the first team in top-flight history to win each of their opening four league matches in three consecutive seasons. The Reds have attempted 61 shots in their three league games this season – 17 more than any other side prior to the weekend’s fixtures. Sadio Mane has scored six goals in as many Premier League appearances against Aston Villa. This includes the fastest ever Premier League hat-trick of two minutes and 56 seconds while playing for Southampton in May 2015. Mane can become the first Liverpool player to score in four consecutive away league matches since Daniel Sturridge’s six-match streak between April and October 2013. Andy Robertson has provided a goal or assist in seven of his past eight league appearances for Liverpool, only failing to do so against Chelsea in this run.
Premier League results on Saturday
-Chelsea 4-0 Crystal Palace
-Everton 4-1 Brighton and Hove Albion
-Leeds United 1-1 Man City
-Newcastle United 3-1 Burnley
