Premier League preview: Team news, TV schedule, live text details and ticket info

Saturday 26 August 2017

Bournemouth v Manchester City - 12:30 - Vitality Stadium

• Eddie Howe’s side have lost all four of their Premier League meetings with Man City with a combined scoreline of 1-15.
• Manchester City are one of only two clubs to have won away at Bournemouth in both 2015-16 and 2016-17 in the Premier League (the other being Chelsea).
• Bournemouth have faced Manchester City on 10 occasions in league football previously, but haven’t won any of these games (W0 D2 L8).
• The Cherries have a 0% win ratio against five different clubs in league football (Arsenal, Man City, Spurs, Wimbledon & Kidderminster) & Manchester City are the team that they have faced the most without winning (10 games).
• Bournemouth have lost both of their opening two Premier League games this season – they haven’t lost their first three league games in a campaign since 1994-95 in the third tier.
• The Cherries have won just one of their previous nine Premier League matches in the month of August and have picked up just five points from these games (W1 D2 L6).
• Manchester City have won eight and drawn one of their Premier League matches in the month of August since 2015-16.
• Manchester City have had a possession figure of at least 55% in all 40 of their Premier League games under Pep Guardiola. Their two games so far this season have seen them post 78.2% (vs Brighton) and 65.3% (vs Everton).
• Sergio Aguero has scored in seven successive Premier League away appearances – only one player has enjoyed a better run than this in the competition; Robin van Persie with a nine-game run between December 2010 and May 2011.
• Raheem Sterling has scored five Premier League goals against Bournemouth; more than versus any other club in the competition. This includes his only Premier League hat-trick, netted in October 2015 at the Etihad Stadium.

3pm kick-offs

Crystal Palace v Swansea - Selhurst Park

• There were 12 goals scored in the two Premier League games between these two sides last season; the highest scoring PL fixture in 2016-17.
• Swansea have lost just one of their last 12 league meetings with Crystal Palace (W6 D5 L1); this came at Selhurst Park in May 2015 (0-1).
• Swansea scored a winning goal in the 88th minute or later in both Premier League games against the Eagles last season.
• Crystal Palace have started the season with two defeats – they haven’t lost their first three opening league games to a season since 2012-13; the season that they won promotion back to the Premier League via the Championship play-offs.
• Swansea have failed to score in their opening two Premier League matches of 2017-18 and are yet to attempt a single shot on target.
• The last time that Swansea failed to find the net in their opening three games to a Premier League campaign was in their first season in the competition (2011-12), when it took them five matches to open their goal account.
• Should Tammy Abraham score a Premier League goal before October, the young English striker would be only the second teenager to score a goal for Swansea in the competition after Ben Davies (Jan 2013).
• Abraham hasn’t registered a shot on target in the Premier League yet, however (163 mins) and overall in league football he hasn’t found the target with a shot in any of his last four appearances (334 mins).
• Wilfried Zaha scored in both of Crystal Palace’s Premier League matches against Swansea City in 2016-17, but ended up on the losing side in each match.
• Frank De Boer has lost his opening two Premier League games in charge of Crystal Palace - the only Dutch manager to lose his first three games in the competition is Martin Jol (who won his fourth).

Huddersfield v Southampton - Kirklees Stadium

• The last time that these two teams met was in December 2010 in the third tier of English football – Southampton won 4-1 that day.
• These two sides last met in the top-flight back in December 1971; a season that Huddersfield finished bottom of Division One.Huddersfield Town have started the season with two wins – the only other newly-promoted team to win their opening three games to a Premier League season were Bolton Wanderers in 2001-02.
• The Terriers haven’t won their opening three league games of a season since the 1979-80 campaign, when they won the fourth tier; they last won their first three matches of a top-flight season in 1924-25, on their way to the second of three consecutive league titles.
• Huddersfield have also kept a clean sheet in both of their Premier League games so far. The only previous occasion a newly-promoted side managed to do this in each of their opening three games in a Premier League season were Charlton Athletic in 1998-99.
• Southampton have failed to score in seven of their last 10 Premier League games, scoring just seven goals from 138 shots in these matches (5.1%).
• Saints have won more Premier League away games in 2017 (4 of 10) than they have at home (3 of 11).
• 23 of Huddersfield’s last 27 wins in league competition have been achieved by a one-goal margin.
• Since the start of 2014-15, Fraser Forster has kept 34 clean sheets in 88 Premier League appearances (39% of matches) – more than Chelsea’s Thibaut Courtois (33 in 93 games) despite playing five games fewer.
• Dusan Tadic has now played 100 Premier League games for Southampton and he has been involved in 39 goals (15 goals, 24 assists). The only Southampton players to have had a hand in more in their opening 100 PL apps for the club are Matt Le Tissier (80), Marian Pahars (50) and Rickie Lambert (43 in 75 apps).

Newcastle v West Ham - St James' Park

• Newcastle United have lost just one of their last 13 Premier League home games against West Ham United (W7 D5 L1).
• Only against Aston Villa (22) and Tottenham Hotspur (21) have Newcastle United won more Premier League matches than versus West Ham United (17).
• Newcastle United have lost both of their opening two games to a Premier League season for only the third time. On the other two occasions, they finished the season in the top 11 (3rd in 1993-94 and 11th in 1999-00).
• The only previous time that Newcastle United have lost their opening three games to a Premier League season was in 1999-00, when they had to wait until their fourth game to pick up their first point.
• West Ham have conceded seven goals in their opening two Premier League games of the season; the most they have conceded at this stage in a league campaign since 1988-89 (7).
• This is the fifth time that West Ham United have lost their opening two games to a Premier League season, but they have only been relegated in one of those campaigns (2010-11).
• The aforementioned 2010-11 Premier League season is the only previous time that the Hammers have lost each of their opening three games to a Premier League campaign.
• Newcastle United haven’t won a Premier League game in the month of August since 2013; losing five and drawing four of their nine matches in the month since then.
• Rafael Benitez has seen his Newcastle side lose their first two Premier League games of the season under his stewardship – he’s never lost three successive games as a Premier League manager before.
• Joe Hart has conceded 17 goals in his last five appearances in league competition and saved just 10 shots in this period.
• Javier Hernández has now scored 39 Premier League goals following his brace on MD2 against Southampton; all 39 of these goals have come from inside the box.
• The Mexican poacher has scored three goals in his last four Premier League starts against Newcastle United.

Watford v Brighton - Vicarage Road

• Watford have lost just one of their last 10 league meetings with Brighton & Hove Albion since the start of the 2005-06 season (W5 D4 L1).
• Brighton have scored just four goals in their last seven league trips to Vicarage Road, all coming after half-time.
• The last time that these two sides met was in April 2015, when Watford defeated Brighton 2-0 on the south-coast to seal promotion to the Premier League.
• Since winning promotion back to the Premier League themselves in May 2015, Watford haven’t lost at home to a newly-promoted side in the competition (W3 D2 L0) and have conceded just one goal in these five games (which was a penalty).
• Brighton have lost their opening two Premier League games of the season. The last team to lose their first three games to a Premier League campaign were Southampton in 2012-13 and they ended the season in 14th place.
• The Seagulls haven’t scored a goal in their two Premier League matches so far. On only 11 previous occasions has a team failed to score in their first three games of a Premier League season, but none of those 11 teams have been relegated at the end of that campaign.
• Troy Deeney hasn’t played any part in Watford’s two Premier League games this season so far; missing one more game than in 2015-16 and 2016-17 combined (1 of 76 games).
• All five of Watford’s Premier League goals so far this season have come from different players (Okaka, Doucouré, Britos, Richarlison & Capoue).
• After his goal versus Bournemouth on MD2, Richarlison will be looking to become the fourth Brazilian player to score in his first two Premier League starts, after Gabriel Jesus, Robinho and Geovanni.
• Watford striker Andre Gray has scored in all four of his previous league appearances against Brighton and Hove Albion.

Manchester United v Leicester City - 17:30 - Old Trafford

• Manchester United have lost just two of their 22 Premier League meetings with Leicester City and only one of these came at Old Trafford: 0-1 in January 1998.
• The Red Devils drew the most Premier League home games last season (10), but started their 2017-18 campaign with a 4-0 rout of West Ham United.
• Leicester City have scored in all but one of their 15 Premier League matches under Craig Shakespeare and striker Jamie Vardy has scored in eight of these games.
• Manchester United, who have won their opening two Premier League games by a four-goal margin, haven’t won three consecutive league games by such a margin or greater since October 1907.
• Romelu Lukaku will be looking to become the first Manchester United player to score in each of their opening three Premier League appearances for the club.
• Lukaku has scored 15 goals in his last 11 Premier League appearances at home (13 in 10 for Everton, two in one for Manchester United).
• Henrikh Mkhitaryan has already registered four assists in two Premier League games this season, three more than he managed in the whole of last season; the Armenian midfielder could become the first player in Premier League history to assist two goals in three consecutive games if he does it again versus Leicester.
• Juan Mata scored for Manchester United in both of their home and away victories against Leicester City in 2016-17, whilst also assisting in their 4-1 win at Old Trafford.
• Craig Shakespeare will be the 75th different manager that Jose Mourinho has faced in the Premier League. The Portuguese has won at least one game against 62 of the previous 74.
• Since Craig Shakespeare took charge of his first Premier League game against Liverpool at the end of February, matches involving Leicester City have seen more goals than any other Premier League side - 53 goals in total (29 scored, 24 conceded).

Sunday 27 August 2017

Chelsea v Everton - 13:30 - Stamford Bridge

• Chelsea have won seven of their last 10 Premier League meetings with Everton, including both in 2016-17 (W7 D1 L2).
• Chelsea are unbeaten in their last 22 home Premier League games against Everton since a 0-1 loss in November 1994 (W12 D10). Only against Tottenham (25) are they on a longer unbeaten Premier League run at Stamford Bridge.
• Indeed, this Everton run of 22 games without a victory at Chelsea is their longest away winless run at another club in the Premier League. Only against Leeds (36 games between 1953-2001) have they had a longer away run without a win in league history.
• Chelsea haven’t lost back to back home Premier League games since November 2011 when they were managed by Andre Villas-Boas.
• The Toffees have only lost one of their last 11 Premier League games against the reigning champions (W6 D4); a 1-0 defeat to Manchester City in December 2014.
• Since the start of 2011, Everton have won just one of their 40 Premier League away matches at one of the top-six sides in the competition last season (W1 D14 L25).
• Wayne Rooney scored his 200th Premier League goal in Everton’s 1-1 draw at Manchester City on Monday night. He managed this feat in his 462nd game, while the only other player to reach 200; Alan Shearer (260), did this in 306 matches.
• Wayne Rooney will be looking to score in three successive Premier League appearances for the first time since January 2016.
• Everton had eight English players in their starting XI for their last Premier League game at Manchester City. One of the eight players in their last match was Tom Davies, who wasn’t born when Everton last did this on Boxing Day 1997.
• Spanish forward Pedro scored two goals and assisted two more in Chelsea’s two wins over Everton in the 2016-17 Premier League title-winning campaign.

West Bromwich Albion v Stoke City - 13:30 - The Hawthorns

• Since Tony Pulis took over as West Brom boss, the Baggies have won four and lost none of their five Premier League meetings with his former side Stoke (W4 D1 L0).
• Stoke won their first five Premier League trips to the Hawthorns, but haven’t won a single point there in their last three league trips (W0 D0 L3).
• Five of the six goals scored in the last three Premier League meetings between WBA and Stoke have been netted in the final 30 minutes.
• West Bromwich Albion have scored just one goal in their last five Premier League matches at the Hawthorns, but this did give them a 1-0 opening day victory against Bournemouth.
• In these last five matches at the Hawthorns, WBA have attempted 63 shots overall with 20 of these being on target but only scored once (1.6% conversion rate). Their xG total in these five games is 4.6, meaning that on average they should have scored closer to five goals from those chances.
• Just under half of Tony Pulis’ 31 Premier League wins as West Bromwich Albion manager have been by a 1-0 scoreline (15 – 48%).
• In fact, since Pulis took charge of his first WBA game in the Premier League back in January 2015, the Baggies have won the most matches 1-0 in the competition (15).
• Stoke City have found the net just three times in their last nine Premier League away matches; failing to find the net in seven of these games.
• Striker Saido Berahino hasn’t scored in any of his last 28 Premier League appearances over a spell at both of these clubs (13 games for WBA & 15 games for Stoke).
• Should Jesé score in this match for Stoke City, he’ll be only the second player to score in his opening two Premier League appearances for the club after Ricardo Fuller.

Liverpool v Arsenal - 16:00 - Anfield

• Liverpool won both of their Premier League meetings with Arsenal in 2016-17 – they haven’t won three in a row versus the Gunners since May 1998 (four in a row).
• Games between these two clubs in the Premier League have produced 17 goals in the 90th minute or later; more than any other fixture.
• Arsenal won the fewest points in matches between the top six sides in 2016-17 (9) and lost half of their 10 matches against fellow top six opposition.
• The Gunners last won a Premier League away game against a side that finished in the top six last season back in January 2015 (2-0 at Man City) – they’ve since lost seven and drawn five of their matches on the road against these clubs.
• Liverpool won 20 points from 10 Premier League matches against the rest of the top six in 2016-17; more than any other side.
• Arsenal have lost eight of their last 13 Premier League away matches (W4 D1 L8) – their previous eight away defeats in the competition came over a period of 41 games (W22 D11 L8).
• Liverpool have kept a clean sheet in each of their last three Premier League games at Anfield – the last time that they kept four in a row at home in the competition was in September 2013 under Brendan Rodgers.
• Since Jürgen Klopp took charge of the Reds for the first time in October 2015, Arsenal (133) have won five more points in the Premier League than Liverpool (128).
• These two sides have attempted the most shots on target in the opening two matchdays of the 2017-18 Premier League season – Liverpool (18) & Arsenal (16).
• Alexandre Lacazette has netted seven goals in his last six competitive appearances, although just one of those has come in an Arsenal shirt (six for Lyon).
• Petr Cech has conceded 26 goals against Liverpool in the Premier League – against no side has he conceded more in the competition (also 26 vs Manchester United).
• Sadio Mané has had a hand in five goals in his five previous Premier League starts against Arsenal (three goals, two assists).
• Roberto Firmino has scored three goals in four Premier League games against Arsenal.

Tottenham v Burnley - 16:00 - Wembley Stadium

• Tottenham have won four and lost just one of their previous six Premier League meetings with Burnley (W4 D1 L1).
• Burnley have suffered a defeat in all three of their Premier League away games at Tottenham Hotspur; the last two of which have ended 1-2.
• The Clarets’ last league win against Tottenham Hotspur in London came back in October 1974 in the top-flight (3-2).
• Burnley will be making their first appearance at Wembley Stadium since the 2008-09 Championship play-off final, which they won 1-0 against Sheffield United.
• Following their 1-2 defeat to Chelsea on MD2, Tottenham Hotspur have lost seven of their last 10 matches at Wembley Stadium (W1 D2 L7).
• Burnley failed to attempt a shot on target in their MD2 defeat to West Brom. This is the third occasion since the start of last season that they haven’t attempted a single shot on target in a Premier League match; no team has failed to do so on more occasions in this period.
• Burnley have won their last two Premier League away matches in London; 2-0 at Crystal Palace in April and 3-2 vs Chelsea on MD1 – before these two games, they’d picked up just two points in 15 Premier League trips to the capital (W0 D2 L13).
• Sean Dyche’s side won just one game and seven points from their 19 Premier League away games in 2016-17, but equalled their away win total in 2017-18 on MD1 at Chelsea (3-2).
• Harry Kane has now had 34 shots and played 12 games in the month of August without scoring in the Premier League.
• Tottenham's all-time top scorer in games at Wembley is own goals, with Michy Batshuayi's last weekend being the fifth netted in favour of them at the Stadium.