The Premier League | 9th round preview

The more rounds are passing, the more interesting The Premier League becomes. Almost no surprises so far in the most competitive division in the world, but with the 9th round knocking on the door, we should expect the underdogs to put the pressure on the favourites. Moreover, there were Champions League and Europa League matches this week.

On the other hand, none of the favourites can afford a wrong move. Of all the teams in the division, we must stand out the team of Arsenal, which is in the best form. The Gunners are to host Middlesbrough and are expected to have no problems against The Boro. Arsene Wenger’s players are on a run of 7 straight victories in all competitions. They have scored the impressing 23 goals in these games and have only conceded 3 in their net! Moreover, the last time The Gunners lost a match was in the first round of the Premier League (3-4 to Liverpool) – around 2 months ago.

To continue with, Manchester City haven’t won a game since the 3-1 victory against Swansea City on 24th September. Since then, The Citizens have recorded 2 draws and 2 defeats. In addition, Pep Guardiola’s players were smashed 4-0 by Barcelona on Wednesday, which was a huge humiliation for the Spanish manager. So, Manchester City will be highly motivated to win the three points from their next game against Southampton. Furthermore, Manchester City have recorded 6 consecutive home victories against The Saints.

After a bit boring 0-0 draw between Liverpool and Manchester United, both teams will try to improve the number of their points. However, Liverpool will have a much easier task – against West Bromwich Albion, while The Red Devils will head to London to visit Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. We all know Jose Mourinho’s style very well, but in the last match against Liverpool he surprised everyone with the high pressure The Red Devils showed.

There are also interesting matches “at the bottom”. West Ham United will try to get rid of the danger zone and will look for their 3rd victory of the season against the last team in the standings Sunderland. David Moyes’ players seriously struggle from the beginning of the season. Moreover, The Black Cats haven’t recorded an away victory against The Hammers for 5 years.

The champions Leicester City are to host Crystal Palace. The Foxes aren’t very persuasive in The Premier League, but they have shown great performances in The Champions League, where they have recorded 3 victories of 3 matches, without conceding a single goal. However, Claudio Ranieri’s players have lost 4 of their first 8 games in The Premiership and they will need to improve, in order to collect more points.

Tottenham Hotspur are expected to record easy 3 points against Bournemouth away from home, but the task for Spurs, for sure, won’t be that easy. The Cherries are in a great form, winning 3 of their last 5 league matches.

To conclude with, Everton will try to return to The Top 4. For the purpose, The Toffees must beat Burnley at Turf Moor, which is always difficult. The Clarets have only lost 2 of their last 19 home matches in all competitions. Moreover, The Toffees have won once in their last 6 visits to Burnley.

The schedule of the 9th round:

• AFC Bournemouth vs. Tottenham Hotspur 22.10.2016 – 12:30
• Arsenal vs. Middlesbrough 22.10.2016 – 15:00
• Burnley vs. Everton 22.10.2016 – 15:00
• Hull City vs. Stoke City 22.10.2016 – 15:00
• Leicester City vs. Crystal Palace 22.10.2016 – 15:00
• Swansea City vs. Watford 22.10.2016 – 15:00
• West Ham United vs. Sunderland 22.10.2016 – 15:00
• Liverpool vs. West Bromwich Albion 22.10.2016 – 17:30
• Manchester City vs. Southampton 23.10.2016 – 13:30
• Chelsea vs. Manchester United 23.10.2016 – 16:00