England Round 3

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Chelsea vs Fulham Preview:

Possible starting lineups:

Chelsea:
Sanchez; Gusto, Adarabioyo, Chalobah, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Estevao, Pedro, Neto; Delap

Fulham:
Leno; Tete, Andersen, Bassey, Robinson; Berge, Lukic; Iwobi, King, Smith-Rowe; Muniz

Chelsea will welcome Fulham to Stamford Bridge on Saturday lunchtime. The Blues have four points after the opening two rounds. In the first match they played a goalless draw with Crystal Palace. Considering the fact they were hosts, it was a disappointing result for Maresca and his players. However, they exploded in the next match, beating West Ham 5:1. But not everything was smooth for Chelsea. First they lost key player Cole Palmer to a pre-game injury before kickoff against West Ham and then fell behind to a Lucas Paqueta stunning goal early in the first half. But the home fans at the London Stadium were soon silenced by the Blues who scored five goals. The scorers were Joao Pedro, Pedro Neto, Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo and Trevoh Chalobah. Furthermore, the Chelsea fans witnessed a history-making moment when Estevao Willian became the youngest player to claim a Premier League assist for the club with 18 years and 120 days. Maresca was surely satisfied with his men and I don't expect many changes. Palmer is rated as doubtful, while Levi Colwill, Benoit Badiashile, Romeo Lavia and Omari Kellyman are out injured. Mykhaylo Mudryk is still serving his lengthy suspension for doping.

Fulham played two identical draws in the first two rounds of the new season. The draw with Brighton at Amex was a good result knowing Rodrigo Muniz equalized deep into the stoppage time. Another 1:1 draw came against Manchester United at Craven Cottage last week. According to me, it's a good result too. Bruno Fernandes missed a penalty in the first half. It was a funny situation, but after a long review by referee Chris Kavanagh for Calvin Bassey's challenge on Mason Mount, the penalty was awarded. It was Bruno's first penalty miss since December 2023. However, Man United took advantage in the second half when Leny Yoro's deflected and contentious second-half header gave Bruno some relief. Officially the goal went down as a Rodrigo Muniz own goal, but nobody carried about that. However, Smith Rowe, on as a substitute, upset the favorites, pouncing on an Alex Iwobi cross from the touchline that had bounced into the visitors' six-yard box. Fulham were also successful in EFL Cup, securing a 2:0 second-round win over Bristol City in midweek - thus earning a third-round date with Cambridge United. Marco Silva has the majority of his players available for this match, only Harry Wilson is rated as doubtful.

Chelsea vs Fulham Prediction:

Chelsea are in excellent form, they won 10 of their last 12 matches, including their Club World Cup campaign. Maresca's men didn't start well in the Premier League, playing 0:0 with Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge. Not since the 2002-03 season have Chelsea failed to win both of their first two home games of a Premier League season. I think the Blues are able to beat Fulham, particularly after the high 5:1 away win against West Ham. The atmosphere in the squad is positive, while the players confidence is high. Fulham are not naive side, but they have some defensive problems. The Cottagers have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their last nine Premier League games away from home. I think the quality is on Chelsea side.

Chelsea vs Fulham Pick: Chelsea to win @ 1.56 with Pinnacle

 

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Leeds United vs Newcastle United Preview:

Possible starting lineups:

Leeds United:
Perri; Bogle, Rodon, Struijk, Gudmundsson; Stach, Gruev, Longstaff; James, Piroe, Gnonto

Newcastle United:
Pope; Trippier, Thiaw, Burn, Livramento; Miley, Guimaraes, Ramsey; Elanga, Osula, Barnes

Leeds United opened the Premier League season with a narrow 1:0 win over Everton. The victory was somehow controversial due to a late penalty decision. Nevertheless, Lukas Nmecha was calm and scored the winning goal. Three points from that match are extremely important in the relegation battle. Manager Farke could be satisfied with the performance of his players. But in the second round Leeds suffered a catastrophe, losing 5:0 to Arsenal. In addition, Leeds were eliminated from the Carabao Cup after lost on penalties against Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough. Farke made nine changes to his side from the Premier League defeat against Arsenal at the weekend, but without success. The manager admitted the defeats, but also say he expect a strong reaction from his men against Newcastle. Leeds need to improve the form as soon as possible. It is clear the last few seasons were very, very difficult for the newcomers in the Premier League. That is why the club officials brought several new players, most of them experienced - Jaka Bijol from Udinese, Sebastian Bornauw from Wolfsburg, Gabriel Gudmundsson from Lille, Sean Longstaff from Newcastle, Anton Stach from Hoffenheim, Lucas Perri from Lyon, Dominic Calvert-Lewin from Everton, Noah Okafor from AC Milan, James Justin from Leicester City etc. Leeds have until Monday 1st September to add to the side. Farke has three injury worries as midfielders Ethan Ampadu and Ao Tanaka are both ruled out with knee injuries, while new signing Noah Okafor is rated as doubtful.

Newcastle United played two excellent games in the new season, but failed to capitalized. The Magpies have outplayed Aston Villa in the first round, but the match ended with a goalless draw. Last week they produced another strong performance, but suffered a 3:2 home defeat to Liverpool. Losing to champions isn't a catastrophe, but the problem is Howe lost some important players due to injury or suspension. He will be missing almost a half of the team for the weekend trip to Elland Road. Sandro Tonali was forced off in the second half with an arm injury and now faces a possible spell on the sidelines. Joelington also picked up an injury against Liverpool, handing Howe a real "midfield crisis". To be worse, key defender Fabian Schar was forced off with concussion which makes him doubtful for the trip to West Yorkshire. Defenders Sven Botman and Lewis Hall, meanwhile, are working their way back to fitness, as is midfielder Joe Willock. But that's not all. Key striker Anthony Gordon was sent off on Monday and he will be absent from Newcastle's next three domestic matches. It means he will be available in Europe, but will miss the trip to Leeds, the home game against Wolverhampton and away match at Bournemouth on September 20. He will then return domestically for Newcastle's Carabao Cup third-round tie against Bradford.

Leeds United vs Newcastle United Prediction:

I think Leeds could upset the Magpies. My pick isn't about Leeds, but about Newcastle, The guests will be very handicapped on this match. Key striker Alexander Isak refused to play asking for transfer. In addition, Anthony Gordon is suspended which means another blow for Howe as he will be without two most influential strikers. The situation is equally bad in midfield as Tonali and Joelington are injured. The defense is no exception at all with Schar struggling with injury. Some of the mentioned players could recover in time for this match, but nobody would be 100 percent ready. Leeds are solid at home, they already beat Everton at Elland Road. I think they won't lose here.

Leeds United vs Newcastle United Pick: Leeds United +0.5 AH @ 1.80 with Pinnacle

 

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Liverpool vs Arsenal Preview:

Possible starting lineups:

Liverpool:
Alisson; Szoboszlai, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Wirtz, Jones; Salah, Ekitike, Gakpo

Arsenal:
Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Merino, Zubimendi, Rice; Madueke, Gjokeres, Eze

The reigning champions Liverpool opened the season in mixed way. First they lost the Community Shield to Crystal Palace, while then recorded two victories in the Premier League. The Reds managed to beat Bournemouth 4:2 at Anfield in a very interesting match. Summer signing Ekitike and Gakpo put the Reds 2:0 up before Bournemouth bounced back in style, thanks to a brace from Semenyo. And just when it seemed Liverpool would have to settle for a draw, substitute Chiesa struck a late goal before Salah summed up an incredible contest with a stoppage-time strike. In the second round Slot's men beat Newcastle at St James Park. Once again Liverpool had a 2:0 lead and once again conceded two goals. And once again scored a late winner. The 16-years old Rio Ngumoha became Liverpool’s youngest-ever goalscorer with his stunning winner at Newcastle. I believe the atmosphere in the squad is good following two victories in the first two league matches, but Slot has to improve the defense. To be worse, he has some injury worries ahead of the derby. Right-back Frimpong is ruled out until after the international break. To be worse, Conor Breadly and Joe Gomez have just recover and were able only to play 15 minutes. That is why Slot has to improvise and started with Dominik Szoboszlai in that position. The Hungarian midfielder was impressive and many pundits said he was "Man of the match".

Arsenal also had a maximal record after the opening two rounds. First they beat 1:0 Manchester United at Old Trafford thanks to Riccardo Calafiori's header. Once again the set-piece made the difference. It was a tough match, but I strongly believe Mikel Arteta is satisfied with the fact his team kept clean sheet. Another clean sheet was recorded in the second round when the Gunners demolished Leeds United 5:0 at Emirates. It was a fantastic match for the fans, who enjoyed watching their team. Almost every fan dreams about the title and this season the dreams could become reality. New signing Viktor Gyokeres, who came from Sporting Lisbon this summer, scored twice. Jurrien Timber also scored a brace, while Bukayo Saka netted the remaining goal. But the victory had its price. Captain Martin Odegaard, who celebrated his 200th club appearance, departed after 38 minutes due to a shoulder injury. He is rated as doubtful for the trip to Anfield, although the latest news from the medical department are optimistic. Bukayo Saka suffered a hamstring injury and will miss the next four weeks of action, including England's two September qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup against Andorra and Serbia, as well as the league fixtures with Liverpool and Nottingham Forest. Finally, striker Kai Havertz suffered a significant knee problem and will be out for a longer period.

Liverpool vs Arsenal Prediction:

Both Liverpool and Arsenal have 6 points after the opening two rounds. it’s still early in the season, but making a statement in this derby is huge for both managers. Liverpool are favorites in this derby, because they are the reigning champions and they play at home. But Arsenal are far from naive team, despite the injury situation. According to me, that's not a big problem when You just signed Eze, while players like Trossard and Nwaneri sit on the bench. The Gunners already beat Manchester United and continued their incredible record against the traditional "Big Six". The victory at Old Trafford left Mikel Arteta’s men with a glittering statistic: 22 straight derby games unbeaten. Arsenal won 13 of them, while shared the points on the remaining 9 occasions. It’s been 844 days since Arsenal last lost suffered a defeat - in April 2023 they lost 4:1 to Manchester City. They are unbeaten since and I expect to continue that way. I will mention the defenses of both teams. While Liverpool received 4 goals, Arsenal are yet to concede. I think the defense could make a difference.

Liverpool vs Arsenal Pick: Arsenal +0.5 AH @ 1.76 with Pinnacle