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Premier League Saturday preview: Chelsea look to take top spot

 


A jam-packed Saturday of Premier League football kicks off with Burnley looking for just their second win of the season when Everton visit Turf Moor.


Attention then switches to Fulham's tricky trip to Manchester City before West Ham and Manchester United meet in an intriguing affair.

And in-form Chelsea will look to leap to the Premier League summit when they host Leeds in the day's final fixture.

Burnley vs Everton (BT Sport, 12.30pm)

Burnley will bid to put last week’s horror show at Manchester City behind them when they welcome an out-of-sorts Everton to Turf Moor.

The Clarets have now lost four consecutive trips to the Etihad by the same 5-0 scoreline — the latest of which left Sean Dyche’s side rooted in the relegation zone with only one win. 

But given Carlo Ancelotti’s men have lost four of their last five outings, the hosts will fancy their chances of picking up their second victory at home.

The Toffees topped the division in mid-October after taking 13 points from their opening five matches but have been off the boil since and could slip into the bottom half if they fail to get a result.

While both sides have had their fair share of injuries, Burnley should welcome back Robbie Brady and Jack Cork, while Phil Bardsley will be assessed closer to kick-off.

First-choice Everton full-backs Lucas Digne and Seamus Coleman remain sidelined, which should see both Ben Godfrey and Alex Iwobi in from the start.

Manchester City vs Fulham (BT Sport, 3pm)

Pep Guardiola will hope Manchester City can finally string consecutive Premier League victories together when improving Fulham visit the Etihad.

The Citizens have been a mark of inconsistency in 2020-21, only winning four of their nine outings to date and suffering from a mediocre return from their usually outstanding attack.

Yet they looked back to their imperious best when putting five past Burnley last time out and, given they are only six points off the pace having played a game less, remain among the title favourites.

Fulham looked hapless in their opening fixtures but have shown more promise in recent weeks, with a superb 2-1 win over Leicester propelling the Londoners out of the relegation zone. 

Scott Parker’s side will be optimistic about causing another upset but will have to address a run of 15 meetings against the hosts without registering a single victory.

Sergio Aguero could return for City after missing the Burnley win with a swollen knee, while Terence Kongolo remains Fulham's only absentee. 

West Ham vs Manchester United (Sky Sports, 5.30pm)

Two of the Premier League’s in-form sides lock horns as West Ham welcome 2,000 supporters back to the Olympic Stadium for the visit of Manchester United.

And those lucky home fans have high hopes of witnessing a victory after the Hammers made it three wins in a row by downing Aston Villa 2-1 on Monday.

But the Red Devils are also chasing a fourth straight league victory after an excellent comeback success at Southampton last week and will be out to extend their club-record run of eight consecutive successes on the road.

However, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men did suffer a disappointing Champions League defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in midweek and have lost their last two away trips against the East Londoners.

Andriy Yarmolenko could be back in contention after missing two games through illness but Hammers boss David Moyes is likely to name an unchanged side as he targets victory against his former employers.

Solskjaer will be hopeful of having Marcus Rashford available following a shoulder problem but Luke Shaw is out.  

Chelsea vs Leeds (Sky Sports, 8pm)

Fans will also be back in attendance at Stamford Bridge when Chelsea host Leeds in what is set to be an entertaining encounter. 

The Blues head into the contest on an unbeaten run of eight league games and can go top with a win as both Tottenham and Liverpool are not in action until Sunday.

Frank Lampard’s side have only conceded once in five league outings and their 4-0 trouncing of Sevilla in Spain on Wednesday was another indicator of how quickly they are improving under him. 

Leeds’ pulsating style of play has won more plaudits than points this term, so their 1-0 victory at Everton last week is sure to have come as a relief to boss Marcelo Bielsa.

The visitors will be confident of an upset having picked up three of their four wins on the road, while impressive performances against Liverpool and Manchester City have showcased their capabilities against the division’s leading lights.

The hosts have no fresh injury concerns but Lampard (pictured above) must decide whether four-goal Olivier Giroud will retain his starting berth after his midweek heroics.

Leeds ace Jack Harrison limped off against Everton but should shake off that knock to feature.

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