October 23, (THEWILL) –Â THEWILL examines the Premier League’s Saturday fixtures. Six games are scheduled, with the early kick-off featuring a match between top and bottom, Chelsea vs. Norwich City.
Chelsea Versus Norwich – 12:30 pm
Chelsea’s front line is hampered by injuries ahead of their match against the Premier League’s bottom team. With Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner limping off against Malmo in midweek, and Christian Pulisic still out with a persistent ankle problem, Thomas Tuchel’s attacking formula will have to be tweaked.
However, the Canaries are winless in their last four league games and have failed to score in three of them, which is not the kind of form you want to take to the home of the division’s joint-best defence.
Newcastle Versus Crystal Palace – 3 pm
The most intriguing game in the regular afternoon slot is probably at Selhurst Park, where Newcastle United take on Crystal Palace in their first match since Steve Bruce’s departure and their new owners begin to look ahead to what will undoubtedly be a rollercoaster future.
Graeme Jones will be in charge of Newcastle, and this is a free hit for him because he is not in the running for the job on a permanent basis. Callum Wilson has returned to Newcastle, and his early goal against Tottenham demonstrated the difference he makes to the team’s attack.
Under Patrick Vieira, Palace has yet to convert some good performances into victories – Monday’s draw with Arsenal was another example, because they should have won – but they are making good progress.
Everton Versus Watford
When Watford take on Everton at Goodison Park on Saturday afternoon, they will be looking to avoid a second straight thrashing at the hands of a Merseyside club.
Claudio Ranieri’s side lost 5-0 to Liverpool last weekend, while the Toffees were defeated 1-0 at home by West Ham United. Everton’s strong start to life back on Merseyside has taken a hit in recent weeks, with West Ham coming out on top in last weekend’s clash between the two European hopefuls.
Nicolas N’Koulou, Watford’s new signing, is unlikely to make his debut just yet, while Christian Kabasele, Peter Etebo, and Francisco Sierralta are all in the infirmary, and Kiko Femenia is a doubt.
After last weekend’s humiliation, where Nigerians Emmanuel Dennis and William Troost-Ekong played, Ranieri will undoubtedly consider a change of shape and personnel, with Tom Cleverley and Joao Pedro hoping to earn starts.
Brighton Versus Manchester City – 5:30 pm
Brighton takes on Manchester City in a 4th versus 3rd match. Last season, City lost the corresponding fixture after having already clinched the league title, but it was a result that most likely set Brighton up for the fantastic season they have had so far in 2021/2022.
City will be looking to re-establish the kind of domestic dominance for which they have long been feared, but they may find it difficult against a Brighton side that is only one place and two points behind them in the table heading into the weekend.
Graham Potter’s team has now drawn three consecutive games on either side of the international break, while also keeping consecutive clean sheets. They will be hoping to maintain that against City who sometimes have not found it as easy breaching tough defenses.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
