Matchday 8

We are back from the international break and Matchday 8 of the English Premier league will waste little time getting started when the two most successful clubs in English football renew a rivalry that dates back to 1894 to kick off the weekend action.  Be sure to set that alarm for bright and early Saturday morning and catch every game live on the NBC family of networks or online at NBC Live Extra.

Saturday (all times eastern)

7:30am – Manchester United vs. Liverpool – Anfield, NBC Sports Network

Although I am often times hesitant to invest in the first game back from an international break, let alone the early kickoff, a game that will be at the top of my potential investment card will open up the weekend when Manchester United, who took three points for the third straight week when they piled on to Crystal Palace’s misery and cruised to a 4-0 victory, visit Anfield and a Liverpool side that continued to be wasteful this season in the final third against Newcastle United, with only two of their seventeen shots finding the target and just one the back of the net in a 1-1 draw.

A misfiring offense, that will now be without influential midfielder Sadio Mane after the Senegal international picked up  hamstring injury over the break, combined with a continuing leaky defense that sits near the bottom in goals allowed (12) is not a recipe for success with the free flowing United (21 GS) coming to town although, after dropping their previous four meetings in the league and eight of their last ten across all competitions (W2), Liverpool are unbeaten in their last four with Manchester United (W1 D3) and have picked up points in eight of their last eleven meetings at Anfield (W6 L3 D2).

10am – Chelsea @ Crystal Palace – Selhurst Park, NBC Sports Network

Crystal Palace will be happy to know they will not be returning to Manchester this year, after the defeat to United made it a total of nine goals conceded without reply from their trips to the blue and red side of the city over the last two weeks.  They will also be happy to see their brutal three game stretch against the top of the table mercifully come to an end when they welcome Chelsea to Selhurst Park for a London Derby, with the Blues failing to pick up points for the first time since the opening weekend when they were unable to breach a stingy Manchester City defense to fall six points behind the league leaders.

With a league leading seventeen goals allowed so far this season, Chelsea are unlikely to encounter a similar problem at the weekend against a leaky Crystal Palace defense, even with striker Alvaro Morata set to miss the matchup through injury.  It will be interesting to see the reception that Palace receive at their friendly confines, historically one of the most difficult places to visit in the top flight, but where Chelsea have won six of their last eight visits (L1 D1) and have lost only three of their sixteen all time Premier League meetings with the Eagles, taking maximum points in eleven of those affairs.

12:30pm – Arsenal @ Watford – Vicarage Road, NBC

The final game that could end up on the weekend investment card will wrap up the Saturday slate when Arsenal, unbeaten in their last four and level on points with fourth place Chelsea after winning for the second week running 2-0 over Brighton and Hove Albion, visit Watford at Vicarage Road with the Hornets hoping to put in a better showing than their last at home against a top side a few weeks back when they were steamrolled by Manchester City 6-0, though the Hornets have settled themselves since the defeat to grab four points from a six after their 2-2 draw with West Brom the last time out.

The points haul has given Watford their best-ever start to a Premier League campaign after seven matches (12 points) and, with a better performance than the one they put in against City, could see the Hornets jump ahead of Arsenal in the table with a victory on Saturday, although if history is any indication that could be tough to come by, with their win in the reverse fixture last season the only time the Hornets have managed to pick up points in their eight all-time top flight meetings with the Gunners, dropping the previous seven and the last five across all competitions at Vicarage Road.