5 things to consider for Week 5

Hello all! First, let’s look at the potential rewarding fixtures for this week:

Arsenal vs Stoke

West Ham vs Newcastle

Crystal Palace vs Manchester City

Sunderland vs Spurs

Norwich vs Bournemouth

Leicester City vs Aston Villa

Everton v Chelsea

I’ve highlighted the teams in bold as teams you should look at for goal-scoring potential. As you can see, there are heaps of options available, there’s a good possibility that this week will turn out to be one of those record-breaking goal-scoring weeks.

As such, rather than a standard Player Picks article, I wanted to give you 5 not too obvious issues to consider for the weekend.

1.                  Be careful with Swansea

No doubt Swansea have had a rollicking start to the season, however, this week they come up against a well-drilled Watford. Watford’s defence has been strong, and they have yet to concede at home. Gomes is a strong shot stopper. If ever there was a week where the Ayew and Gomis combo production might come to a screeching halt, this might be it. 

2.                  The De Gea conundrum

With his game being the late Saturday game, you will most likely have had one of your keepers play in the earlier match, so the option to transfer him in is there if you see him on the starting line-up. If you think that Liverpool’s attack will continue to be sub-par, then there’s definitely a temptation to transfer in last season’s MU Player of the year. Naturally the question is whether he will be able to seamlessly slot back in. 

Should start, yes?

3.                  Firmino’s role

On the other side, Coutinho’s suspension throws Firmino into the spotlight as he will be the man entrusted with the bulk of creativity. It’s also the perfect time for him to endear himself to Liverpool fans, by scoring against their rivals in what is sure to be a high pressure game. The question is whether Rodgers can find the right combination for him to thrive. Liverpool play Norwich and Villa immediately after, so jumping in early might be an acceptable risk. And yes, my bias is showing here.

4.                  Sunderland’s attacking potential

While Sunderland’s defence has been appalling, their attack is showing some serious promise. Lens has had a good start to his Sunderland career with 2 goals and an assist. I can see Borini, a Sunderland cult favourite, slotting back immediately at the top, with Defoe and Lens providing support from both sides. If Advocaat also manages to work Toivonen into the starting lineup, then goals could be aplenty. Toivonen worked well with Lens at their former club PSV Eindhoven, so they should be comfortable with each other’s play too.

5.                  Crystal Palace vs Manchester City

I mentioned this in my fixture highlight above, but seriously, there could be goals galore in this one. Both teams goal-scoring ability cannot be disputed, and Palace’s current rep for upsetting the apple cart cannot be underestimated. And while City have yet to concede, they enter the weekend’s game with no recognised right-back, something that Pardew will be looking to exploit. Add to that the popular theory that Kevin De Bruyne is set to replace Navas on the right, and he is NOT known for being a good defender. It’s a must watch match between the current Top 2 sides.

KDB - defensive liability?

That’s it. Enjoy the weekend. Bring popcorn. It’s going to be explosive!