 |
|
Tweet
 Just seventy-six days after last season's final whistle, the 2015-2016 English Premier League kicks off. Chelsea won last season's crown at a canter at the end, with deposed champions Manchester City having to settle for the runners-up spot. There's a new face this season, with Bournemouth tasting top flight soccer for the first time in the club's history. The campaign begins with Manchester United hosting Tottenham, two teams who finished in the top 5 last season. Defending champions Chelsea get their defense under way in Saturday's final fixture, with Swansea visiting The Bridge. Community Shield winners Arsenal start off at home against West Ham on Sunday. Championship winners Bournemouth kick-off their first ever season in England's top flight by entertaining Aston Villa, while promoted Watford return to the Premier League with a visit to Everton. Championship playoff winners Norwich take on Crystal Palace having earned promotion back to the EPL at the first time of asking. Remember to make your Premier League Pickem predictions before the deadline of each game. Week 1's schedule starts on Saturday with a 7:45 AM ET kickoff. There are then four 10 AM ET games, with the final Saturday fixture beginning at 12:30 PM ET. Sunday's lineup has two 8:30 AM ET matches and an 11 AM ET clash. The week's slate is completed on Monday with a 3 PM ET matchup. Just like last season, NBC Sports will be providing live coverage of all 380 games. Here we preview the ten games in the upcoming week of the English Premier League. The title of each game section is a link to pick the result of that game. Tottenham Hotspur (Last season 5th) at Manchester United (4th) (Sat, 7:45 AM ET) Tottenham were the early Premier League pace-setters last season after winning their opening two matches but they quickly slipped down the table with just two more wins in their next nine fixtures. Tottenham's best period began in mid-December through to the start of February but Spurs staggered to fifth with three wins in their last eight games. Manchester United spent big last season in an attempt to rise back up the table after finishing the 2013-14 campaign in seventh. Further additions this summer will put pressure on Louis van Gaal to improve on the club's last season finish of fourth. United began last season slowly but improved in November. They ended with one win in six, though. Head-to-Head Stats Last season: Tottenham 0-3 Manchester United Manchester United 0-0 Tottenham (reverse fixture) Last 6 (all competitions): Tottenham lead 2-1-3. Last 3 at Manchester United (all competitions): Tottenham lead 2-1-0. All-time (all competitions): Manchester United lead 85-48-49. Team News Tottenham (from): Lloris, Vorm, Alderweireld, Davies, Dier, Fazio, Rose, Trippier, Vertonghen, Walker, Wimmer, Yedlin, Alli, Bentaleb, Carroll, Ceballos, Chadli, Dembele, Eriksen, Lamela, Lennon, Mason, Townsend, Adebayor, Kane, Soldado. Doubts: Soldado (back), Townsend (shoulder). Manchester United (from): Valdes, Lindegaard, Blackett, Darmian, Evans, Jones, McNair, Shaw, Smalling, Blind, Carrick, Herrera, Januzaj, Lingard, Mata, Pereira, Powell, Schneiderlin, Valencia, Young, Depay, Rooney, Wilson. Doubts: Hernandez (collarbone). Out (reason, expected return date): Rojo (fitness, Aug 14), Schweinsteiger (fitness, Aug 14), De Gea (not considered, no date). Suspended: Fellaini (first game of three-match ban). Aston Villa (17th) at A.F.C. Bournemouth (Championship 1st) (Sat, 10 AM ET) Last term was another disappointment for Aston Villa, with the club avoiding relegation by three points. Villa's main problem was a lack of goals; they failed to score in 16 out of their first 27 fixtures. Their results improved under Tim Sherwood; Villa won five of their last 11, they more than doubled their goals scored and reached the FA Cup final. A.F.C. Bournemouth narrowly avoided being relegated from the Football League in 2008-09 but a remarkable turn in fortunes sees the club that was founded in the 1890s play in England's top flight for the first time this season. They earned their berth in the EPL by clinching the Championship, scoring the most goals in the division in the process. Head-to-Head Stats Last season: Bournemouth 1-2 Aston Villa (FA Cup) Last 6 (all competitions): Only five games. Fixtures at Bournemouth (all competitions): Tied 1-1-0. All-time (all competitions): Aston Villa lead 3-1-1. Team News Aston Villa (from): Bunn, Guzan, Steer, Amavi, Bacuna, Baker, Bennett, Clark, Crespo, Hutton, Richards, Richardson, Senderos, Cole, Gil, Gueye, Herd, N'Zogbia, Sanchez, Veretout, Westwood, Agbonlahor, Ayew, Gestede, Kozak, Sinclair. Out (reason, expected return date): Gardener (ankle, Sep 13), Okore (knee, Sep 13), Grealish (hamstring, Aug 14), Rincon (knee, no date). Bournemouth (from): Allsop, Boruc, Camp, Federici, Cargill, Cook, Daniels, Distin, Elphick, Francis, Mings, Smith, Ward, Zubar, Atsu, Gosling, MacDonald, O'Kane, Pugh, Ritchie, Stanislas, Surman, Tomlin, Gradel, Kermorgant, King, Rantie, Wilson. Out (reason, expected return date): Artur (thigh, Aug 22). Watford (Championship 2nd) at Everton (11th) (Sat, 10 AM ET) Watford returns to the top flight for the first time since 2007 after finishing as runners-up in a close Championship race. Despite a successful campaign, though, the Hornets went through four managers. Furthermore, they go into this term with another new coach, with Slaviša Jokanović being replaced by Quique Flores during the off-season. Everton's 2014-2015 campaign was a major disappointment after finishing the previous season in fifth. The Toffees languished in the bottom half of the standings after recording just six wins in their first 28 games but they improved to pull away from the danger zone. Everton finished in mid-table by notching six victories in their final ten outings. Head-to-Head Stats Last season: Last met in 2007 Last 6 (all competitions): Everton lead 6-0-0 (includes 1 FA Cup game and 1 League Cup game). Last 3 at Everton (all competitions): Everton lead 3-0-0 (includes 1 League Cup game). All-time (all competitions): Everton lead 17-2-1. Team News Watford (from): Gomes, Nyom, Cathcart, Prodl, Paredes, Holebas, Behrami, Capoue, Watson, Ighalo, Jurado, Deeney, Forestieri, Anya, Angella, Vydra, Layun, Gilmartin, Berghuis, Pudil, Abdi. Doubts: Berghuis (leg). Out (reason, expected return date): Ekstrand, (ACL, no date), Doyley (neck, no date). Suspended: Arlauskis (first game of two-match ban), Britos (first game of two-match ban). Everton (from): Howard, Robles, Coleman, Baines, Oviedo, Galloway, Jagielka, Stones, Browning, Cleverley, Barry, McCarthy, Barkley, Osman, Mirallas, Deulofeu, Lukaku, Naismith, Kone. Doubts: Deulofeu (hamstring), Lukaku (hamstring). Out (reason, expected return date): Hibbert (knee, Sep 12), Gibson (abductor, Aug 23), McGeady (hamstring, Aug 23), Besic (hamstring, Aug 15), Pienaar (hamstring, no date). Sunderland (16th) at Leicester City (14th) (Sat, 10 AM ET) Last time out was yet another season where Sunderland flirted with relegation. The Black Cats looked in big trouble when they could only muster three victories in their first 22 games of the campaign. They eventually decided to fire Gus Poyet and bring in Dick Advocaat, who guided them to safety. Only Burnley scored fewer goals than Sunderland. Leicester became the early candidates for relegation despite early victories over Stoke and Manchester United. The Foxes propped up the standings for the majority of the first half of the season but they sparked into life and notched seven wins in their final nine outings. Claudio Ranieri is the new coach after Neil Pearson was sacked in the summer. Head-to-Head Stats Last season: Sunderland 0-0 Leicester Leicester 0-0 Sunderland (reverse fixture) Last 6 (all competitions): Sunderland lead 3-0-3. Last 3 at Leicester (all competitions): Sunderland lead 2-0-1. All-time (all competitions): Leicester lead 32-30-22. Team News Sunderland (from): Mannone, Pantilimon, Brown, Coates, Jones, Kaboul, Matthews, O'Shea, Van Aanholt, Bridcutt, Buckley, Cattermole, Giaccherini, Johnson, Larsson, M'Vila, Mavrias, Rodwell, Defoe, Fletcher, Graham, Lens. Out (reason, expected return date): Gomez (knee, Sep 13). Leicester (from): Schmeichel, Schwarzer, Benalouane, De Laet, Fuchs, Huth, Moore, Morgan, Simpson, Wasilewski, Albrighton, Drinkwater, Hammond, Kante, King, Mahrez, Schlupp, Kramaric, Lawrence, Nugent, Okazaki, Ulloa, Vardy. Out (reason, expected return date): James (ACL, Feb). Crystal Palace (10th) at Norwich City (Championship playoffs) (Sat, 10 AM ET) Before a ball was kicked last season, Crystal Palace parted company with Tony Pulis and installed Neil Warnock. It never worked out, though, with the Eagles recording just three wins during the first half of the term. Alan Pardew took over and things improved instantly; Palace accumulated ten victories during the second half of the campaign. Norwich's absence from the Premier League lasted just one season, with the Canaries successfully gaining promotion last term via the Championship playoffs. During the regular season, Norwich finished third in the league, just four points off champions Bournemouth. In the playoffs, they defeated local rivals Ipswich and then beat Middlesbrough. Head-to-Head Stats Last season: Last met in 2014 Last 6 (all competitions): Crystal Palace lead 3-1-2. Last 3 at Norwich (all competitions): Crystal Palace lead 2-1-0. All-time (all competitions): Crystal Palace lead 45-44-19. Team News Crystal Palace (from): Hennessey, Kettings, A McCarthy, Speroni, Dann, Delaney, Fryers, Hangeland, Kelly, Mariappa, P McCarthy, Souare, Ward, Bolasie, Cabaye, Guedioura, Jedinak, Ledley, Lee, McArthur, Mutch, Puncheon, Williams, Sako, Bamford, Gayle, Wickham, Zaha. Out (reason, expected return date): Speroni (hand, Aug 29), Chamakh (hamstring, Aug 16), Campbell (hamstring, no date). Norwich (from): Kean, Rudd, Ruddy, Bassong, R. Bennett, Martin, Olsson, Turner, Wisdom, Whittaker, Andreu, E. Bennett, Brady, Dorrans, Howson, Hoolahan, Johnson, Odjidja-Ofoe, O'Neil, Redmond, Tettey, Grabban, Lafferty, Jerome, Hooper, Van Wolfswinkel. Doubts: Olsson (shoulder). Out (reason, expected return date): Mulumbu (Metatarsel, no date). Swansea City (8th) at Chelsea (1st) (Sat, 12:30 PM ET) Swansea had the perfect start to last season, winning their opening three matches. However, a defeat in their fourth game, the equivalent fixture to this outing, triggered an inconsistent campaign. They didn't win back-to-back games until late-December and only won three-in-a-row on one further occasion. Swansea ended last term with two losses. Chelsea spent all of last season at least level on points with first place. They came out of the gates with a 14-match unbeaten run. A second defeat on New Year's Day saw them caught at the top but that shocked them into producing an unrivaled 16-game unbeaten streak, resulting in the Blues wrapping up the league with three fixtures remaining. Head-to-Head Stats Last season: Swansea 2-4 Chelsea Chelsea 5-0 Swansea (reverse fixture) Last 6 (all competitions): Chelsea lead 5-0-1 (includes 1 League Cup game). Last 3 at Chelsea (all competitions): Chelsea lead 3-0-0. All-time (all competitions): Chelsea lead 14-6-9. Team News Swansea (from): Fabianski, Nordfeldt, Amat, Bartley, Fernandez, Naughton, Rangel, Tabanou, Taylor, Tiendalli, Williams, Ayew, Barrow, Britton, Cork, Dyer, Emnes, Fulton, Grimes, Ki, Montero, Routledge, Shelvey, Sigurdsson, Eder, Gomis. Chelsea (from): Begovic, Blackman, Courtois, Ake, Azpilicueta, Cahill, Ivanovic, Terry, Zouma, Cuadrado, Fabregas, Hazard, Loftus-Cheek, Matic, Mikel, Oscar, Ramires, Willian, Costa, Falcao, Remy. Doubts: Costa (hamstring). West Ham United (12th) at Arsenal (3rd) (Sun, 8:30 AM ET) Despite an indifferent start to last term, West Ham had a strong first half to the season, occupying a top 4 spot for much of the period. However, their form dipped significantly after Christmas, with the Hammers recording just three wins in 21 games. They qualified for the Europa League through the Fair Play League, but were eliminated this week. For the second year, Arsenal heads into their campaign as FA Cup and Community Shield winners. They struggled to finish off teams at the start of last term, with two wins in their first eight. They were impressive in the second half, though, with only Chelsea bettering their record. Two wins in their last six games, however, was a disappointing end. Head-to-Head Stats Last season: West Ham 0-3 Arsenal Arsenal 2-1 West Ham (reverse fixture) Last 6 (all competitions): Arsenal lead 6-0-0. Last 3 at Arsenal (all competitions): Arsenal lead 3-0-0. All-time (all competitions): Arsenal lead 60-33-38. Team News West Ham (from): Adrian, Randolph, O'Brien, Tomkins, Collins, Ogbonna, Reid, Cresswell, Hendrie, Noble, Nolan, Amalfitano, Obiang, Kouyate, Poyet, Payet, Jarvis, Lanzini, Maiga, Zarate, Sakho. Out (reason, expected return date): Valencia (knee, Oct), Carroll (MCL, Sep 14). Unavailable (reason): Jenkinson (loanee; can't face parent club). Arsenal (from): Cech, Bellerin, Chambers, Koscielny, Monreal, Coquelin, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Cazorla, Ozil, Walcott, Ospina, Giroud, Gibbs, Mertesacker, Debuchy, Ramsey, Gabriel, Flamini, Arteta. Out (reason, expected return date): Wilshere (hairline fracture, Sep 19), Rosicky (knee, Aug 24), Welbeck (knee, Aug 24), Sanchez (fitness, no date). Southampton (7th) at Newcastle United (15th) (Sun, 8:30 AM ET) Many experts predicted a troubled campaign for Southampton last season, with many key players leaving the club, as well as coach Mauricio Pochettino. However, the squad responded well to new boss Ronald Koeman. Their form became inconsistent late on but they qualified for the Europa League and Southampton defeated Vitesse in midweek. Newcastle began last term poorly, with their first victory coming in their eighth game. A five-match winning streak followed, but more struggles were to come. Manager Alan Pardew left for Crystal Palace and coach John Carver took over. The Magpies flirted with relegation after a dismal run but just survived. Steve McClaren is in charge this term. Head-to-Head Stats Last season: Southampton 2-1 Newcastle Newcastle 0-4 Southampton (reverse fixture) Last 6 (all competitions): Southampton lead 4-1-1. Last 3 at Newcastle (all competitions): Tied 1-1-1. All-time (all competitions): Tied 35-35-20. Team News Southampton (from): K. Davis, Gazzaniga, Stekelenburg, Caulker, Fonte, Gape, Martina, Soares, Targett, Yoshida, Clasie, S. Davis, Isgrove, Mane, McQueen, Reed, Tadic, Wanyama, Ward-Prowse, Juanmi, Long, Mayuka, Pelle, Rodriguez, Seager. Doubts: Clasie (hamstring). Out (reason, expected return date): Forster (knee, Apr), Bertrand (knee, Aug 23), Ramirez (knock, no date), Gardos (no date). Newcastle (from): Krul, Darlow, Coloccini, Williamson, Lascelles, Haidara, Janmaat, Taylor, Mbemba, Sissoko Anita, De Jong, Colback, Aarons, Marveaux, Obertan, Cisse, Gouffran, Perez, Mitrovic, Wijnaldum. Out (reason, expected return date): Good (hip, no date), Riviere (knee, no date), Cabella (thigh, no date), Dummett (hamstring, no date). Liverpool (6th) at Stoke City (9th) (Sun, 11 AM ET) After finishing as runners-up in 2013-2014, much was expected from Liverpool last season. The Reds notched just four victories in their first 12 games, leaving them struggling in the bottom half of the table. December saw the start of a 13-match unbeaten stretch, lifting them up the standings, but Liverpool won just two of their final nine fixtures. Stoke was inconsistency personified at the start of last term, with no streak - win, loss or tie - lasting more than one game. The Potters' first back-to-back wins came in December, but this was only repeated on two further occasions. They only lost one of their last seven games, though, and they thrashed Liverpool 6-1 on the final day of the season. Head-to-Head Stats Last season: Liverpool 1-6 Stoke Stoke 0-1 Liverpool (reverse fixture) Last 6 (all competitions): Liverpool lead 3-2-1. Last 3 at Stoke (all competitions): Stoke lead 2-1-0. All-time (all competitions): Liverpool lead 67-30-35. Team News Liverpool (from): Bogdan, Mignolet, Clyne, Jose Enrique, Gomez, Lovren, Moreno, Sakho, Skrtel, Toure, Can, Henderson, Lallana, Lucas, Markovic, Milner, Balotelli, Benteke, Borini, Coutinho, Firmino, Ibe, Ings, Origi. Out (reason, expected return date): Sturridge (thigh, Sep 12), Flanagan (knee, Dec), Allen (hamstring, no date). Stoke (from): Butland, Haugaard, Given, Bardsley, Cameron, Johnson, Muniesa, Pieters, Teixeira, Wilkinson, Wilson, Wollscheid, Adam, Afellay, Ireland, Moha, Shenton, Sidwell, Van Ginkel, Whelan, Arnautovic, Bojan, Crouch, Diouf, Joselu, Odemwingie, Walters. Doubts: Wilson (ankle). Out (reason, expected return date): Shawcross (back, no date). Manchester City (2nd) at West Bromwich Albion (13th) (Mon, 3 PM ET) Manchester City's title defense last season began slowly, with the champions failing to win five of the first 11 games. However, an undefeated stretch of 12 games saw City draw level with Chelsea at the top of the table. Just five wins in 14 from the start of the New Year ended their challenge, but they ended the term with a 6-match winning streak. West Bromwich Albion found themselves languishing at the wrong end of the standings when they could only secure four wins in their opening 20 games. They slowly hauled their way up the table in the New Year with just one defeat in eight; though another poor span made sure they weren't quite safe. However, they lost just once in their last six. Head-to-Head Stats Last season: Manchester City 3-1 West Brom West Brom 0-3 Manchester City (reverse fixture) Last 6 (all competitions): Manchester City lead 6-0-0. Last 3 at West Brom (all competitions): Manchester City lead 3-0-0. All-time (all competitions): Manchester City lead 64-54-29. Team News Manchester City (from): Hart, Caballero, Zabaleta, Sagna, Kompany, Demichelis, Mangala, Denayer, Kolarov, Silva, Nasri, Navas, Toure, Fernando, Fernandinho, Lopes, Aguero, Bony, Sterling, Iheanacho. Out (reason, expected return date): Delph (hamstring, no date), Clichy (ankle, no date). West Brom (from): Myhill, Rose, Gamboa, McAuley, Lescott, Chester, Olsson, Brunt, Pocognoli, Morrison, McClean, Gardner, Fletcher, McManaman, Sessegnon, Berahino, Lambert, Ideye, Anichebe. Doubts: Lescott (knock). Out (reason, expected return date): Foster (ACL, Oct 1). |
Sections: Main, Fantasy Games | Tags: Premier_League_Talk, Soccer_Talk, Fantasy_Premier_League, ASFL2_Fantasy_Games, Premier_League_Pickem, Unofficial_Games, Bonus_Points |