Finally, the Premier League has returned and what a first round of fixtures it was. We saw a dominating performance by one of the title favorites as Liverpool found the net 4 times against West Ham, Man City returned to their excellent form as they beat Arsenal 2-0, and we also saw some great individual performances from the likes of Richarlison (Everton), Ruben Neves (Wolves), and Roberto Pereyra (Watford). With the 2nd group of fixtures set to kickoff this Saturday morning, JTP will highlight a few of the important fixtures set to kick off this weekend.
Leicester City vs. Wolves
While both teams didn’t find the win column in the first week, they each showed a lot of potential. For Wolves, they faced a strong Everton side and played a relatively good game which ended in a draw, 2-2. As for Leicester, they took part in the first match of the 2018 season which was won by Manchester United 2-1. Looking forward, Leicester will be playing in front of a home crowd and I like them to ultimately get their first win of the season, 2-0 Foxes.
Chelsea vs. Arsenal
This is the second consecutive week that Arsenal will face a very difficult opponent and playing Chelsea, on the road, is an extremely challenging test for the Gunners. Arsenal did some good things in their opening match against City but it was the times when they were unorganized in the box that Man City were able to take advantage of. Chelsea looked really strong in their start to the 2018 season as they defeated Brighton, 3-0. This is a very important match for Arsenal more than Chelsea, you never want to kick off the season with back to back losses. I like the Gunners to compete for all 90 minutes and when it’s all said and done I think this game will end in a 1-1 draw.
Crystal Palace vs. Liverpool
Both CP and Liverpool looked really good in opening matchups as they each held a clean sheet. Palace was one of the worst teams for the first portion of the season last year so starting off with a win in the 2018 season was a great first step for the Eagles. Liverpool, as expected, controlled West Ham for the entirety of the game as there was never any doubt over who the better team was. I think Palace will give Liverpool’s new goalie Alisson a better test as Wilfried Zaha and Christian Benteke each looked good against Fulham. Despite Crystal Palace being at home, I think Liverpool’s high powered offense will be too much for Palace especially considering that CP tends to have very aggressive wing backs, 3-1 Liverpool.
Just The Phacts 