After a fairly torrid international break for most of the home nations, the Premier League returns with a bumper Saturday to look forward to. The highlight of the day will be a fiery west London derby, while Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal will also be in action.
QPR v Chelsea – 3pm
All eyes are likely to be on Loftus Road for the pre-match build-up to this local derby as handshake gate part 3 looks as though it could take place. The fallout from the corresponding fixture last year still continues to dominate the build-up to this game, with the news John Terry is set to play likely to stoke the fire further.
Aside from all the tension there is still a game of football to be won and when it comes to the match there should be only one winner given the two club’s respective starts. Chelsea might have been embarrassed in their last outing in the European Super Cup but they have won three out of three in the league and look a sure thing at 5/6. QPR have only one point to show for their efforts thus far and Mark Hughes still has a lot of work to do to blend his raft of summer acquisitions into a team. Rangers are 7/2 for the win, with the draw priced at 13/5.
Manchester United v Wigan – 3pm
It’s fair to say United have stumbled out of the blocks this season, with the defeat to Everton being followed by less than convincing wins over Fulham and Southampton. The game against the Latics represents a great opportunity to get the season up and running, with United traditionally taking three points off their north west neighbours. Last season’s 1-0 defeat at the DW aside, United have won 14 of their 15 meetings and have an aggregate score of 24-1 in games at Old Trafford.
While Wigan have started the season brightly United are likely to have too much fire power for them, with Robin van Persie a good bet to score first at 9/4. United are 1/4 to win the game, with the Latics 12/1 and the draw 5/1.
Arsenal v Southampton – 3pm
The Gunners looked good when they scored their first goals and registered their first win of the season at Liverpool before the international break. Arsene Wenger will hope the recent World Cup qualifiers haven’t interrupted the momentum Arsenal were trying to build, especially with the start of the Champions League around the corner.
Arsenal have yet to concede a goal this season but in Ricky Lambert the Saints have the kind of striker Wenger’s men hate coming up against. Lambert is 11/4 to score anytime and might be worth a punt. However, Lambert’s goal could be the only bit of joy the travelling fans get, with the Gunners 4/11 to win the match and 10/1 to win 3-1.
Stoke City v Manchester City – 3pm
Some of the City players might be forgiven for being distracted heading to the Britannia Stadium on Saturday, with a trip to Real Madrid to come early next week. The Potters will hope to take advantage of City’s state of mind and record their first win of the season after three draws on the bounce.
Tony Pulis may include Charlie Adam and Michael Owen in his Stoke squad for the game, two players who can add that extra bit of quality the Potters have been lacking this season. City have their own new recruits to call on, with Scott Sinclair, Javi Garcia, Maicon and Matija Nastasic likely to be part of the travelling party. Much like rivals United, City have been far from convincing so far this season and Stoke may get something out of this one. Another draw for the Potters can be backed at 11/4 and that is the best they can hope for. City are 8/11 to win, while Stoke are 4/1.
Elsewhere on Saturday, Liverpool could be in for another long afternoon when they visit the Stadium of Light to face Sunderland. The Black Cats have made a slow start to the season but with Steven Fletcher and Adam Johnson have more of a cutting edge which could make the difference against the toothless Reds. Under 2.5 goals is on offer at 8/11, with Sunderland 9/4 to come away with the win.
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