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 Congrats to Andrew Maher for top scoring in week 1 of Premier League Pickem. Maher notched 29 points, seven points clear of second-placed Patrick Cooley. A total of seven competitors reached the 20-point mark. Maher had the most correct picks (6) and most perfect games (2). The opening week had a few surprise results but overall the competitors did quite well, averaging 1.754 points per pick made. Manchester City's 3-0 win over West Brom was the week's friendliest fixture, yielding a 3.22 point average and a 100% success record for the competitors. At the other end of the spectrum, Arsenal's 2-0 defeat at the hands of West Ham was one of the very few games in Premier League Pickem history to not give up a single point, with nobody predicting West Ham's win or the Hammers' two goals and cleansheet. No competitor predicted Swansea would share the spoils with Chelsea, either. Week 2's marquee fixture is champions Chelsea's visit to Manchester City, who has secured two of the last four titles. Manchester United at Aston Villa and Leicester at West Ham are this week's only fixtures between teams that both won last weekend. Remember to make your Premier League Pickem predictions before the deadline of each game. Week 2's schedule a Friday start, with the week's first game kicking off at 2:45 PM. Saturday's slate begins with a 7:45 AM ET match, with five 10 AM ET kickoffs following. Sunday has two games, the first beginning at 8:30 AM ET and the second starting at 11 AM ET. The schedule ends on Monday at 3 PM ET. 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. Manchester United (=5th) at Aston Villa (=5th) (Fri, 2:45 PM ET) Louis van Gaal's tenure began last season with a defeat but this term has got off on the right foot with his charges delivering a 1-0 win against Tottenham. The pre-match talk mainly surrounded David de Gea's absence but debutant Sergio Romero secured a cleansheet. However, they relied on a Kyle Walker own goal for their only successful strike. Despite a disappointing campaign last time out, Aston Villa began it with a good run of results and they've managed to open their account this season with another 1-0 win. It was tough going against promoted Bournemouth, though, with the hosts dominating possession. However, Villa new-boy Rudy Gestede came off the bench to score the winner. Head-to-Head Stats Last season: Manchester United 1-1 Aston Villa Aston Villa 1-3 Manchester United (reverse fixture) Last 6 (all competitions): Manchester United lead 5-0-1. Last 3 at Aston Villa (all competitions): Manchester United lead 2-0-1. All-time (all competitions): Manchester United lead 96-49-39. Team News Manchester United (from): Romero, Johnstone, Blackett, Darmian, Evans, McNair, Rojo, Shaw, Smalling, Blind, Carrick, Herrera, Januzaj, Lingard, Mata, Pereira, Schneiderlin, Schweinsteiger, Valencia, Young, Depay, Hernandez, Rooney, Wilson. Out (reason, expected return date): Jones (illness, no date). Suspended: Fellaini (second game of three-match ban). Unavailable: De Gea (personal reasons). Aston Villa (from): Bunn, Guzan, Steer, Amavi, Bacuna, Baker, Bennett, Clark, Crespo, Hutton, Richards, Senderos, Cole, Gardner, Gueye, N'Zogbia, Richardson, Sanchez, Veretout, Westwood, Agbonlahor, Ayew, Gestede, Kozak, Sinclair. Out (reason, expected return date): Gardener (ankle, Sep 13), Okore (knee, Sep 13), Gil (muscular injury, Aug 22), Grealish (hamstring, Aug 22). Everton (=8th) at Southampton (=8th) (Sat, 7:45 AM ET) Everton probably would have been happy to get a promoted team as their opening day opponent but they were made to battle for their share of the spoils. The Toffees found themselves a goal down to Watford but Ross Barkley scored a spectacular equalizer. Watford retook the lead, though, but Arouna Koné ensured Everton got a point on the board. Southampton also started their campaign with a 2-2 tie and they'll have mixed feelings about the result. The Saints took the lead away at Newcastle through Graziano Pellé, only for their hosts to score a goal either side of half-time. Sub Shane Long headed Southampton level but Sadio Mané missed two late opportunities to secure the three points. Head-to-Head Stats Last season: Everton 0-3 Southampton Southampton 0-1 Everton (reverse fixture) Last 6 (all competitions): Everton lead 3-2-1. Last 3 at Southampton (all competitions): Southampton lead 2-0-1. All-time (all competitions): Everton lead 45-27-20. Team News Everton (from): Howard, Joel, Stanek, Browning, Coleman, Galloway, Holgate, Jagielka, Oviedo, Stones, Barkley, Barry, Besic, Cleverley, McCarthy, McGeady, Mirallas, Osman, Deulofeu, Kone, Lukaku, McAleny, Naismith. Out (reason, expected return date): Baines (ankle, Nov), Hibbert (knee, Sep 12), Gibson (foot, Aug 23), Pienaar (hamstring, no date). Southampton (from): K. Davis, Gazzaniga, Stekelenburg, Cedric, Fonte, Martina, McCarthy, Targett, Yoshida, S. Davis, Isgrove, Mane, McQueen, Ramirez, Reed, Romeu, Tadic, Wanyama, Ward-Prowse, Juanmi, Long, Pelle, Rodriguez. Out (reason, expected return date): Forster (knee, Apr), Bertrand (knee, Sep 12), Clasie (ankle, Aug 30), Caulker (illness, no date), Gardos (knee, no date). Norwich City (18th) at Sunderland (17th) (Sat, 10 AM ET) Norwich suffered a 3-1 home defeat against Crystal Palace last week but they'll consider themselves unlucky not to earn something from the game. Opportunities went squandering before Palace took a 2-0 lead but Neil Redmond got a goal back and Cameron Jerome was unlucky to have a goal chalked off. Crystal Palace wrapped it up in injury time. Sunderland has just avoided relegation in the past three seasons and there was little evidence in week 1 to suggest they'll spend this season away from the lower reaches of the standings. The Black Cats quickly fell 3-0 down before Jermaine Defoe got a goal back. Both sides scored a further goal each, but Sunderland will be relived it wasn't more. Head-to-Head Stats Last season: Last met in 2014 Last 6 (all competitions): Norwich lead 3-1-2. Last 3 at Sunderland (all competitions): Sunderland lead 1-0-2. All-time (all competitions): Norwich lead 26-17-15. Team News Norwich (from): Kean, Rudd, Ruddy, Bassong, R. Bennett, Martin, Olsson, Toffolo, Turner, Whittaker, Wisdom, Andreu, E. Bennett, Brady, Dorrans, Hoolahan, Howson, Johnson, O'Neil, Odjidja-Ofoe, Redmond, Tettey, Grabban, Hooper, Jerome, Lafferty, Van Wolfswinkel. Doubts: Lafferty (knee), Olsson (shoulder). Out (reason, expected return date): Mulumbu (Metatarsal, no date). Sunderland (from): Mannone, Pantilimon, Brown, Coates, Jones, Kaboul, Matthews, O'Shea, Van Aanholt, Bridcutt, Buckley, Cattermole, Giaccherini, Gomez, Larsson, M'Vila, Rodwell, Defoe, Fletcher, Graham, Lens. Doubts: Gomez (knee), Graham (knock). Out (reason, expected return date): Johnson (shoulder, Oct). Newcastle United (=8th) at Swansea City (=8th) (Sat, 10 AM ET) The second half of Newcastle's 2014-2015 campaign was woeful but the 2-2 tie they recorded in their opening game last weekend showed some signs of steps in the right direction. The defense still looked suspect, but the Magpies' Papiss Cissé drew the team level with Southampton and new signing Georginio Wijnaldum opened his goal account. Swansea was given the tough task of facing the defending champions in their opening match of the season but they went into Chelsea's backyard and came away with a point. The Swans fell behind but Andre Ayew equalized. Chelsea quickly retook the lead, though. Swansea earned a penalty, however, and Bafetimbi Gomis slotted in the spot kick. Head-to-Head Stats Last season: Newcastle 2-2 Swansea Swansea 3-2 Newcastle (reverse fixture) Last 6 (all competitions): Swansea lead 5-0-1. Last 3 at Swansea (all competitions): Swansea lead 2-0-1. All-time (all competitions): Newcastle lead 22-14-6. Team News Newcastle (from): Darlow, Elliot, Krul, Coloccini, Haidara, Janmaat, Lascelles, Mbemba, Taylor, Williamson, Aarons, Abeid, Anita, Bigirimana, Colback, De Jong, Gouffran, Obertan, Sissoko, Tiote, Wijnaldum, Cisse, Mitrovic, Perez, Toney. Out (reason, expected return date): Marveaux (hernia, Sep 14) Dummett (hamstring, Aug 29), Cabella (thigh, Aug 22), Riviere (knee, no date), Good (hip, no date). Swansea (from): Fabianski, Nordfeldt, Tremmel, Bartley, Fernandez, Naughton, Rangel, Tabanou, Taylor, Tiendalli, Williams, Ayew, Britton, Cork, Dyer, Fulton, Grimes, Ki, Montero, Routledge, Shelvey, Sigurdsson, Eder, Emnes, Gomis. Doubts: Ki (hamstring), Amat (ankle). Stoke City (=14th) at Tottenham Hotspur (=14th) (Sat, 10 AM ET) Stoke thrashed Liverpool on the final day of last season but the same fixture brought a defeat on the opening day of this campaign. It was a match with very few chances, with the Potters only hitting the target once. It means Stoke has won just once in their opening game in the Premier League. They did the double over Spurs last season, though. Just like their week 2 visitors, Tottenham lost 1-0 last weekend. Spurs opened their campaign on the road against Manchester United and looked lively early on. However, Christian Eriksen cleared the crossbar when clean through and United then took the lead via a Kyle Walker own goal. Spurs struggled to create an obvious chance thereafter. Head-to-Head Stats Last season: Stoke 2-1 Tottenham Tottenham 0-3 Stoke (reverse fixture) Last 6 (all competitions): Tottenham lead 3-2-1. Last 3 at Tottenham (all competitions): Tied 1-1-1. All-time (all competitions): Tottenham lead 43-25-20. Team News Stoke (from): Butland, Haugaard, Given, Bardsley, Cameron, Johnson, Muniesa, Pieters, Teixeira, Wilson, Wollscheid, Adam, Afellay, Ireland, Moha, Shaqiri, Shenton, Sidwell, Van Ginkel, Whelan, Arnautovic, Crouch, Diouf, Joselu, Walters. Doubts: Arnautovic (thigh), Wilson (knock). Out (reason, expected return date): Odemwingie (hamstring, Aug 29), Krkic (knee, no date), Shawcross (back, no date). Tottenham (from): Lloris, McGee, Vorm, Alderweireld, Davies, Dier, Fazio, Rose, Trippier, Vertonghen, Walker, Wimmer, Yedlin, Alli, Bentaleb, Carroll, Chadli, Dembele, Eriksen, Lamela, Mason, Onomah, Pritchard, Townsend, Winks, Kane. Unavailable: Soldado (personal reasons). West Bromwich Albion (20th) at Watford (=8th) (Sat, 10 AM ET) West Bromwich Albion began last season poorly and this campaign got off to the worst possible start, leaving the Baggies to prop up the standings after the opening round of fixtures. West Brom came up against an in-form Manchester City and was dominated in every major aspect of the game. They'll be pleased to have kept it to 3-0. Watford will be pleased with how they competed upon their return to the top flight but they'll be disappointed they couldn't hang on and secure all three points. The Hornets shocked Everton when Miguel Layun scored an early goal. Watford was pegged back but Odion Ighalo put them 2-1 up. A late equalizer meant the points were shared, though. Head-to-Head Stats Last season: Last met in 2010 Last 6 (all competitions): West Brom lead 4-0-2. Last 3 at Watford (all competitions): West Brom lead 2-0-1. All-time (all competitions): West Brom lead 17-10-8. Team News West Brom (from): Myhill, Rose, Chester, Dawson, Gamboa, Lescott, McAuley, O'Neil, Olsson, Pocognoli, Brunt, Fletcher, Gardner, Gnabry, McClean, McManaman, Morrison, Sessegnon, Yacob, Anichebe, Berahino, Ideye, Lambert, Nabi, Rondon. Doubts: Rondon (fitness), McAuley (calf). Out (reason, expected return date): Foster (ACL, Oct 1). Watford (from): Gilmartin, Gomes, Angella, Belkalem, Cathcart, Hoban, Holebas, Layun, Nyom, Paredes, Prodl, Pudil, Abdi, Anya, Behrami, Capoue, Dyer, Jurado, Watson, Berghuis, Deeney, Ighalo, Forestieri, Vydra. Out (reason, expected return date): Doyley (neck, no date), Ekstrand (ACL, no date). Suspended: Arlauskis (second game of two-match ban), Britos (second game of two-match ban). Leicester City (2nd) at West Ham United (4th) (Sat, 10 AM ET) Only Manchester City bettered Leicester City's record during the final nine games of last season and after one week this term once again only the Citizens achieved a better result than the Foxes. Leicester raced into a 3-0 lead thanks to Jamie Vardy and two goals from Riyad Mahrez. Marc Albrighton made sure Leicester topped the table on Saturday. West Ham ended last season as one of the worst teams in the league but they've begun this campaign with a shock victory against a leading contender and London rival. The Hammers traveled across the capital to face Arsenal and they took the lead just before half-time with a Cheikhou Kouyaté header. Mauro Zaraté completed the 2-0 victory. Head-to-Head Stats Last season: Leicester 0-2 West Ham West Ham 1-2 Leicester (reverse fixture) Last 6 (all competitions): West Ham lead 3-1-2. Last 3 at West Ham (all competitions): West Ham lead 2-0-1. All-time (all competitions): West Ham lead 51-43-29. Team News 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). West Ham (from): Adrian, Spiegel, Randolph, Burke, Collins, Cresswell, Demel, Jenkinson, Ogbonna, Oxford, Reid, Tomkins, Jarvis, Kouyate, Lanzini, Noble, Nolan, Payet, Poyet, Samuelsen, Maiga, Sakho, Zarate. Out (reason, expected return date): Valencia (knee, Oct), Carroll (MCL, Sep 14), O'Brien (knock, Aug 22), Obiang (muscular injury, no date), Amalfitano (not considered, no date). Arsenal (19th) at Crystal Palace (3rd) (Sun, 8:30 AM ET) Arsenal went into this campaign on the back of victory over Chelsea in the Community Shield but they failed to take that momentum into the opening week despite a historically good matchup for them. New keeper Petr Cech failed to deal with a freekick which led to West Ham's opener. Arsenal will be disappointed they didn't click offensively either. Crystal Palace's away form was exceptional at times during the second half of last season and they kicked things off this term with a win on the road. The Eagles had to soak up early pressure from Norwich but they went 2-0 up. They were perhaps lucky the referee disallowed what seemed a legitimate equalizer, but they went on to notch a 3-1 win. Head-to-Head Stats Last season: Arsenal 2-1 Crystal Palace Crystal Palace 1-2 Arsenal (reverse fixture) Last 6 (all competitions): Arsenal lead 5-0-1. Last 3 at Crystal Palace (all competitions): Arsenal lead 2-0-1. All-time (all competitions): Arsenal lead 24-3-10. Team News Arsenal (from): Cech, Ospina, Bellerin, Chambers, Debuchy, Gabriel, Gibbs, Koscielny, Mertesacker, Monreal, Arteta, Cazorla, Coquelin, Flamini, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Ozil, Ramsey, Campbell, Giroud, Sanchez, Walcott. Out (reason, expected return date): Wilshere (ankle, Sep 12), Welbeck (knee, Sep 12), Rosicky (knee, no date). Crystal Palace (from): Hennessey, McCarthy, Dann, Delaney, Hangeland, Kelly, Mariappa, Souare, Ward, Bolasie, Cabaye, Guedioura, Jedinak, Ledley, Lee, McArthur, Mutch, Puncheon, Sako, Zaha, Bamford, Gayle, Murray, Wickham. Out (reason, expected return date): Speroni (hand, Aug 29), Chamakh (hamstring, Aug 22), Campbell (hamstring, no date), Appiah (ACL, no date). Chelsea (=8th) at Manchester City (1st) (Sun, 11 AM ET) Chelsea had an almost flawless home record during their title run but they had to settle for a point last week when they were equaled by Swansea. Oscar put the champions ahead and they restored their lead thanks to an own goal. However, Thibaut Courtois was sent off for a professional foul, leading to a penalty and meaning he'll miss this clash. There were no such problems for the two-time champions as they cruised to a 3-0 win over West Brom on Monday. There were question marks over Yaya Touré's form and fitness when he returned from the African Cup of Nations earlier this year but he was central to City's success on Monday, scoring a goal and having another shot deflected in. Head-to-Head Stats Last season: Chelsea 1-1 Manchester City Manchester City 1-1 Chelsea (reverse fixture) Last 6 (all competitions): Tied 2-2-2 (includes 2 FA Cup games). Last 3 at Manchester City (all competitions): Tied 1-1-1 (includes 1 FA Cup game). All-time (all competitions): Chelsea lead 61-50-39. Team News Chelsea (from): Begovic, Blackman, Ake, Azpilicueta, Cahill, Ivanovic, Terry, Zouma, Cuadrado, Fabregas, Hazard, Loftus-Cheek, Matic, Mikel, Moses, Oscar, Ramires, Traore, Willian, Costa, Falcao, Remy. Suspended: Courtois (one-match ban). Manchester City (from): Caballero, Hart, Wright, Clichy, Demichelis, Denayer, Kolarov, Kompany, Mangala, Sagna, Zabaleta, Evans, Fernandinho, Lopes, Nasri, Navas, Silva, Toure, Zuculini, Aguero, Bony, Iheanacho, Pozo, Sterling. Doubts: Clichy (ankle). Out (reason, expected return date): Delph (hamstring, Aug 23), Fernando (knock, no date). A.F.C. Bournemouth (=14th) at Liverpool (=5th) (Mon, 3 PM ET) Bournemouth gave a good account of themselves in their first ever match at top flight level last weekend but they were eventually handed a narrow defeat. The Cherries dominated possession and they carved out chances but their accuracy in front of goal was wanting. Bournemouth was made to pay when Aston Villa scored the game's only goal. Liverpool's opening encounter also only had a solitary goal but it came courtesy of a Red. Liverpool had the majority of possession against Stoke but they struggled to get quality service to new striker Christian Benteke. The match appeared to be meandering towards a 0-0 tie until Philippe Coutinho produced a spectacular strike from distance. Head-to-Head Stats Last season: Liverpool 3-1 Bournemouth (League Cup) Last 6 (all competitions): Liverpool lead 4-0-2 (never met in the league). Last 2 at Liverpool (all competitions): Liverpool lead 2-0-0. All-time (all competitions): Liverpool lead 4-0-2. Team News 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): Arter (hip, Aug 22). 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): Flanagan (knee, Dec), Sturridge (thigh, Sep 12), Allen (hamstring, Aug 29). |
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