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John Newsome, our resident premier league football predictions analyst, previews all of the matches taking place in game-week 7, including Manchester United’s trip to East London. With West Ham finally finding a bit of form, should we expect more woe for Mourinho’s men?

WEST HAM v MANCHESTER UNITED
The first match of Game Week 7 of the Premier League live on Sky Sports. Manchester United travel south to the London Stadium to take on a rejuvenated West Ham.
Manchester United were held 1-1 at home last weekend against newly promoted Wolves. Fred got United’s goal early on in the game but Nuno Espírito Santo wasn’t going to lose to his old Porto boss and Joao Moutinho made the game level in the 2nd half. United had the majority of possession but Wolves did put a great shift in and deserved the point. It was great to see Sir Alex Ferguson back at Old Trafford for the first time since his illness. Sir Alex is a true legend at Old Trafford and it’s a real shame time catches up on us all and we all have to retire in the end. It’s a real shame too United couldn’t hold out for the win for Mr Ferguson. He will have had a great day though and no doubt a few glasses of rouge was partaken. This game last term was played towards the end of the season and West Ham shut Manchester United out and David Moyes was determined not to lose to his old employers. The game finished 0-0, but in London today there should be goals. Bet 365 have West Ham at 7/2 to take the points, the Draw is 11/4 and United are odds-on favourites at 8/11 to come away from the Capital with all 3 points. Bet 365 offer 9/2 for West Ham to score in both halves and 6/4 for United to do likewise.
Away Win 1-3

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HUDDERSFIELD v TOTTENHAM
Huddersfield are finding life in the Premier League far more difficult than last season and were well beaten at Leicester last time out. Despite taking the lead through Mathias Jorgensen, Huddersfield eventually lost 3-1 and now find themselves rock bottom of the Premier League without a win. The Terriers faithful should still relish life in the fast lane and will enjoy the visit of Tottenham despite the obvious defensive frailties.
Tottenham had lost 2 Premier League games in a row for the first time under Mauricio Pochettino prior to last weeks win against Brighton. They had also lost a 3rd game in mid-week away at Inter Milan in the Champions League so really didn’t want to make it 4 in a row. In the rain at the Amex, Tottenham took the lead through a Harry Kane penalty just prior to half-time which settled the nerves for the 2nd half. Erik Lamela made it 2-0 before a late Brighton consolation. Dele Alli made a brief 13-minute cameo after missing a couple of games through injury. The victory would have steadied the ship at Tottenham and the Spurs fans will relish this trip up to West Yorkshire where they will be able to buy a pie and a pint for under £6 quid.
This game last season was played virtually at the same time at the end of September. Tottenham went up to West Yorkshire and hammered the Terriers 4-0. Harry Kane got a couple, Ben Davies and Moussa Sissoko with the other 2.
Bet 365 have Tottenham as clear favourites to win at 4/9 the Draw is 10/3 and Huddersfield are 6/1 to get a first win of the season. Bet 365 are offering 2/1 for there to be over 3.5 goals and 20/1 for another 4-0 win to Spurs.
Away Win 0-4

EVERTON v FULHAM
Everton were soundly beaten 2-0 at the Emirates on Sunday. They did put up a fight for a part of the game but the quality in front of goal leaves a lot to be desired. In the Premier League you have to take the chances presented to you and simply Cenk Tosun and Richarlison didn’t in the 1st half. That came back to haunt the Toffees and the 2-0 scoreline was a fair result. Tom Davies captained the Toffees. It’d debatable what Tom brings to the Everton side never mind why he captained them. There surely must be a better candidate than Tom to lead the Toffees. It’s all well and good for the Everton faithful to have “one of they’re own” but you have to win Matches not be nice. Tom Davies is a good kid but is he an Everton captain?
Fulham got an excellent draw at home to Watford last time out. In the 1st half, the Fulham faithful must have feared the worst after Watford missed a hat-full of chances but went in at the break only losing 1-0. In the 2nd half, they performed much better and Aleksandar Mitrovic got the all-important equaliser to give the Cottages a share of the points. Mitrovic could have scored more and was a constant threat to the Watford backline. His goal tally since joining Fulham is up there with the best of them and he will be vital to Fulham staying in the Premier League. He moves on to 5 goals for the season which is 1 more than Aguero, Lukaku, Mane and surprisingly Glenn Murray.
Bet 365 have Everton at 3/4, the Draw is 13/5 and Fulham are 7/2 to come away from Goodison with all 3 points. Bet 365 offer 11/8 for Everton to score in both halves and 10/3 for Fulham to do the same.
Home Win 2-1

ARSENAL v WATFORD
Arsenal were deserved winners against Everton on Sunday beating the Toffees 2-0. Alexandre Lacazette scored a superb opener in the 2nd half which no goalkeeper in the world would have saved. There was a controversial 2nd goal in that game, by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang who was clearly offside when he put the ball in the net and the decision was not even tight, 4 yards offside at least. Whilst it’s horrendous by the officials it doesn’t really change the result so is VAR worth it ? The Gooners would have won regardless.
Watford hammered Fulham for 45 minutes last Saturday but could only manage 1 goal and the hat-full of missed chances came back to haunt them as Fulham got a 2nd half equaliser to prevent the Watford win.
Andre Gray got Watford’s goal in that game and him and Troy Deeney make for a great partnership up front for the Hornets but just need to convert their chances more to prevent games slipping away. That goal took Andre’s tally to 3 for the season. Big Troy is such a good player and could play at the highest level for any club. His strength and control as a front man is simply brilliant. Probably one thing he could be is a little more selfish and just go straight for goal himself but Watford are extremely lucky to have the Big Man playing for them.
This game last season was played in the cold of mid-March when the Beast from the East had landed over Britain. Arsenal put on an extra layer of kit and ran out easy 3-0 winners against Watford. Shkodran Mustafi, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Henrikh Mkhitaryan got the Gunners goals that day. Troy Deeney missed a penalty and that would have annoyed Big Troy.
Bet 365 have the Gooners as favourites at 2/5 the Draw is 4/1 and Watford are 11/2, to come away from the Emirates with all 3 points which is way-way too big. Bet 365 offer a massive 9/2 that there will only be 1 goal in the game.
Home Win 2-1

MAN CITY v BRIGHTON
Man City play at 3.00pm on a Saturday afternoon for the 3rd consecutive weekend which is unusual for the Champions of the Premier League. They went to South Wales last Saturday at 3.00pm and smashed Cardiff 5-0. Sergio Aguero, the Bernardo of the Silva’s and Ilkay Gundogan gave City a 3-0 lead at half-time and Riyad Mahrez, who had come on as a replacement for Aguero on the hour mark, completed the rout, scoring 2 in the 30 minutes he was on the pitch. The current Premier League Champions won’t give up their title without a fight and will see this game against Brighton as a chance to move closer to Liverpool and Chelsea with the 2 playing each other later.
Brighton played and lost 2-1 against Tottenham late Saturday afternoon and although Anthony Knockaert had pulled a goal back late on, in theory, they were never at the races against a Tottenham side who had lost their previous 3 games. Brighton, like Huddersfield, will find it tough in their 2nd season in the Premier League but will rely on the goals of Glenn Murray and the fact that there are 3 worse teams than them in the league to prevent relegation. This will be a long away trip for the Seagulls faithful and maybe a long afternoon if City turn on the style.
This game last season was played in May and City ran out convincing 3-1 winners. Danilo, Fernandinho and Bernardo Silva got the goals for City. Leonardo Ulloa got the Brighton consolation.
Bet 365 understandably have City as clear favourites at 1/14, ( yes 14/1 ON !!) Brighton are a massive 22/1 to get a surprise win and Bet 365 offer 10/1 for the points to be shared. Whilst it’s likely City will win, it’s worth a pound on the Draw. Bet 365 offer 13/8 that there are over 2.5 goals and Both Teams To Score which, with Glenn Murray in the Brighton side, is real value.
Home Win 4-1

NEWCASTLE v LEICESTER
Newcastle played out a goalless draw away at Selhurst Park on Saturday which is arguably their best result of the season. The losses sustained by the Magpies have only been by the odd goal and they have never been hammered as such even away at Man City. So even though they are currently in the bottom 3 there is still hope for the Toon Army. This game at home against the Foxes will be a real test to see where Newcastle really are after tough losses against Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham and City. The fixture computer compiler certainly was kind to Newcastle. The strange thing about all those games is Newcastle lost by the same scoreline of 2-1 so no real disgrace. The other 2 games played have finished 0-0 so this game against Leicester will either be 0-0 or 2-1.
Leicester came from a goal behind to beat Huddersfield 3-1 on Saturday. Kelechi Iheanacho pulled a goal back to make the score level at half-time and James Maddison and Jamie Vardy rounded off the scoring to give the Foxes a convincing win. Maddison with a superb free-kick and Vardy with a simply sublime goal running clear and neatly chipping the ball over the helpless Terriers goalkeeper.
This game last term was played in early December and was a bit of a goal-fest with Leicester eventually running out 3-2 winners up on Tyneside. Joselu opened the scoring for Newcastle and Demarai Gray equalised for Leicester to make the score 1-1 at half-time. Gray scored a 2nd in the 2nd half and Dwight Gayle made the scores level before the unfortunate Ayoze Perez scored an own goal to give the Foxes all 3 points. Bet 365 have this pretty even with Newcastle priced at 29/20 the Draw is 11/5 and Leicester are 19/10 to come away from St James with all 3 points once again. Bet 365 offer 10/1 that Leicester can repeat their result against Huddersfield and Win from Behind.
Draw 1-1

WOLVES v SOUTHAMPTON
Wolves got a well-deserved point at Old Trafford on Saturday after Joao Moutinho scored the equaliser in a 1-1 Draw against Manchester United. They have adapted the best to the Premier League out of the 3 promoted clubs from the Championship and will feel this game against Southampton is very winnable especially being at Molineux. As mentioned, the Wolves boss Nuno Espírito Santo played in goal for Jose Mourinho at Porto in the early noughties and whilst not the main goalkeeper for Jose, has obviously learned a lot from Mr Mourinho. He was the backup keeper to Porto number 1 Vitor Baia and was on the bench when Jose lead Porto to The Champions League final in 2004 and surprisingly beating Monaco in that final putting Jose on the World stage.
Southampton were soundly beaten away at Anfield on Saturday. They were 3-0 down at half-time after the unfortunate Wesley Hoedt gave Liverpool their 1st with a horrendous deflection putting into his own goal. Maybe some hope the Saints can take away from their trip to Liverpool is that they didn’t concede in the 2nd half and most teams will find it hard at Anfield to get a result.
Bet 365 have Wolves at odds on 4/5 to win the game, the Draw is 23/10 and 15/4 for the Saints to gain all 3 points. Bet 365 offer 9/4 that Wolves will score in Both Halves.
Home Win 2-0

CHELSEA v LIVERPOOL
Late Saturday afternoon kick-off live on BT Sports and what a cracker of a game to round off. Both teams are unbeaten but only Liverpool now have a 100% record after Chelsea’s draw against West Ham. Both have got off to great starts in their relevant European adventure too. The big advantage for Liverpool is they have played and beaten Tottenham whereas the highest team Chelsea have played up to now is Bournemouth.
As mentioned Chelsea had a frustrating Sunday over the park at the London Stadium. They had the majority of the possession and shots on goal but couldn’t break down a resilient Bubbles side. Eden Hazard was recalled after his midweek break and was the heartbeat of Chelsea but they do miss a World Class goalscorer as although Olivier Giroud is a World Cup winner, he’s not a prolific goalscorer and his replacement Alvaro Morata isn’t either and appears to be lacking confidence which is remarkable really playing in such a great team with great players. Gary Cahill finally got on the pitch for the first time under Maurizio Sarri. If Gary is not in Sarri’s plans then he will be a terrific asset for someone in January and the Top clubs should keep an eye on that situation. Gary will be 33 in December and with the way modern footballers look after themselves is still young and has a good couple of years left in him.
Liverpool easily beat Southampton 3-0 on Saturday with all of the goals coming in the 1st half. They were helped on their way when the unfortunate Wesley Hoedt deflected the ball past his helpless goalkeeper. Joel Matip added a 2nd with a powerful header and Mo Salah got one of his easiest goals for Liverpool tapping in from 1 yard after a Xherdan Shaqiri free-kick came back off the crossbar. Shaqiri made a rare start for the Reds and will be a vital squad player in Liverpool’s long season. The slight worry for the Reds faithful is Virgil Van Dijk was substituted in the 55th minute with a slight injury. He is instrumental to Liverpool and will not want to be sidelined for this game otherwise it will be a massive advantage to Chelsea.
This game last season was played Inn early May and Chelsea got a 1-0 victory. World Cup winner Olivier Giroud got the vital goal. Bet 365 have this pretty even with Chelsea at 7/4 the Draw is 12/5 and Liverpool are slight favourites at 29/20 to continue their 100% start. Bet 365 are offering 13/8 for there to be more than 3.5 goals which is real value. The main thing to watch out for is the team sheet, if Virgil plays, Liverpool shouldn’t lose, however, without Big Virgil, Chelsea have a real chance at Stamford Bridge.
Draw 2-2

CARDIFF v BURNLEY
Cardiff were well beaten at home last time out against Man City. The scoreline of 5-0 looks rough on the Bluebirds but in truth, most teams will lose heavily to City so Cardiff just have to put that one to bed and move on to this game against Burnley.
Burnley hammered Bournemouth 4-0 on Saturday. What’s surprising about that result is everyone is surprised. In reality, Burnley were excellent last season, haven’t changed, just were being worn down by the toils of the Europa League. Once out of that competition they were surely going to come good. It’s brilliant getting to 6th, 7th or 8th place and gaining entry into the Europa League. It’s a great experience for the fans and great to talk about in the pubs, but it’s a burden on lesser teams who have no experience of the competition. For example, Chelsea played in the Europa League on Thursday and made 5 changes for the following Sunday. Arsenal played on Thursday and made 7 changes. Burnley can’t do that and expect to compete. So being out of that competition is a real bonus. Ex-Watford and Derby striker Matej Vydra made a first start and got the opener against Bournemouth. Aaron Lennon got the 2nd and Ashley Barnes, who had come on as a substitute for Sam Vokes got 3 and 4. Sean Dyche is too good of a manager to let Burnley wallow in the relegation zone and will be up to speed pretty soon after getting back on track with that superb win at Turf Moor.
Bet 365 have Cardiff at 8/5 the Draw is 2/1 and Burnley are 15/8 to come out of Wales with all 3 points. Bet 365 are offering 4/1 that there will be 4 goals or more in this game. Not the worst punt of the weekend.
Away Win 1-3

BOURNEMOUTH v CRYSTAL PALACE
Monday Night Football. This is the final Premier League game of Game Week 7 live on Sky Sports.
Bournemouth were blitzed on Saturday away at Turf Moor. Considering the way both teams had started the season, no one saw a 4-0 Cherries loss coming. There isn’t really much anyone can say about that game other than put it to bed and move on. Sometimes games like that against Burnley are a blessing in disguise as they bring you back down to earth. Bournemouth were 5th in the Premier League, Flying! Gonna Win the League. No, take a reality check and play Burnley away at Turf Moor. What a reality check. Eddie Howe’s expression at the final whistle says a thousand words. He knows the Premier League. It will not take any prisoners. It is literally week to week. The Cherries faithful would have looked at this game and thought easy 3 points. That’s not how the Premier League works. Eddie will get Bournemouth going again and this might be the ideal game against Crystal Palace.
Palace played out a 0-0 draw at home against Newcastle last time out which would have irked the Eagles faithful. It’s these games against struggling teams like Newcastle that Palace have to win. Wilfried Zaha will have been happy as he didn’t get kicked that much. Wilfried is a great player, but like all modern folk nowadays have to blame someone for something. His transfer to Manchester United in 2013 didn’t work out and he’s come out this week and said he needed help at United. Probably he did need guidance but he turned up at United on his first day wearing a photo on a Tee-shirt of a ‘Ryan Giggs’ supposed lover. Fact! Not a good start! Also, Wilfried had top class players in the same position as him. Nani, Antonio Valencia, Jesse Lingard and even Ryan Giggs were all at United at that period. Maybe like a lot of people nowadays, Wilfried needs a bit of self-awareness.
This game last term was played in early April and finished 2-2. Lys Mousset and Josh King got the Cherries goals with Luka Milivojevic and Wilfried Zaha replying for the Eagles. Bet 365 have Bournemouth as slight favourites being at Home at 6/5 the Draw is 12/5 and Crystal Palace are 11/5 to get all 3 points. Bet 365 offer just above Evens at 21/20 that there will be under 2.5 goals.
Draw 1-1

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