Match to catch
Sunday could be a very big day for Frank Lampard as, after 13 years and more than 200 goals as a Chelsea player, he could face the Blues for the first time since leaving them in the summer. The ex-England midfielder’s surprise loan move to Manchester City from New York threw up the possibility — a highly unpalatable one for Chelsea fans — of him taking on the club where he was worshipped for so long. Jose Mourinho masterminded a vital 1-0 win for the Blues at the Etihad last season and the form book says they are well-placed to do the same again, but City can ill afford to drop eight points behind their rivals at this stage of the season and will not go down without a fight. Prediction: Man City 1 Chelsea 1.
Keep an eye on
Second-placed Aston Villa are the league’s early surprise package thanks to their 10 points from four matches, including last week’s shock 1-0 win at Liverpool. Saturday’s opponents Arsenal, meanwhile, have had a mixed start to the season and were well beaten by Dortmund in the Champions League in midweek. History is clearly on the Gunners’ side — Villa haven’t beaten them at home since a Dion Dublin brace secured a 3-2 triumph in December 1998. Prediction: Villa 1 Arsenal 2.
For the purists
The UK television boffins slipped up this week by giving the privilege of opening the EPL weekend to the unlikely duo of QPR and Stoke — the scheduler in charge must be a fan of one of the two as there’s precious little for the neutral to get excited about. Let’s just hope Stoke’s Jonathan Walters betters his personal best record of two own goals and a missed penalty in the same game to help pass the time before the more attractive matches kick off! Prediction: QPR 1 Stoke 1.
Showing form
Many expected Southampton to struggle this season after losing the likes of Adam Lallana, Rickie Lambert, Dejan Lovren, Luke Shaw and Calum Chambers, as well as manager Mauricio Pocchetino, in the summer. But new boss Ronald Koeman persuaded key midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin to stay and, with new striker Graziano Pelle having hit the ground running, the Dutchman has been able to continue their momentum from last season. On Saturday they go to Swansea, who have also started well, for what should be an entertaining affair. Prediction: Swansea 2 Southampton 2.
Need a win
If reports are to be believed, Alan Pardew literally must guide Newcastle to a win at home to Hull on Saturday if he is to keep his job, and the problem the coach has got is that the man with his finger on the trigger is owner Mike Ashley, who is actually the one largely responsible for United’s predicament. Pardew isn’t entirely free from blame, but the manager has no chance of bringing sustained success to the club because whenever one of his players has a few good games, he gets sold to ensure Ashley doesn’t lose any of his precious fortune. The 53-year-old is an easy target for fans’ ire, but whoever replaces him will undoubtedly soon find himself in a similar no-win situation. Prediction: Newcastle 1 Hull 2.
Get involved
Think I’m way off the mark? Tweet me your EPL predictions via @MartinDownerGN or on email to sportsdesk@gulfnews.com.