Now that we have all had a few days to catch our collective
breath following one of the most exciting Manchester Derbies since the title
decider back in 2012, Matchday 5 of the English Premier League gets underway this
afternoon with the second Friday Night Football fixture of the season and
kickoffs spread throughout the weekend, including a full slate of Sunday
matchups that will take you right up to the Ravens kickoff at 1pm. As usual, you can catch all of the action live
throughout the weekend on the NBC family of networks or online at NBC Live
Extra.
Friday (all times eastern)
3pm – Liverpool @
Chelsea – Stamford Bridge, NBC Sports Network
Liverpool made short work of Leicester City at the remodeled
Anfield last weekend, with a brace on either side of a defensive miscue, which
Jamie Vardy quickly pounced on, the only blemish in 4-1 victory over the
defending champions. They will travel to
Stamford Bridge for the season’s second edition of Friday Night Football to
square off with Chelsea who, after losing an early lead, saved a point against
Swansea City with Diego Costa’s overhead kick in the game’s final ten minutes making
it two on the day and four in four games for the revitalized striker to keep
the Blues unbeaten so far on the young season.
While Costa and Chelsea have lost just once in their last
eight league matches against Liverpool (W3 D4), they have managed to take all
three points from the Reds in only one of their last three encounters at
Stamford Bridge and will find themselves shorthanded in defense when the
vaunted Liverpool attack, that looks to be growing in confidence with each
passing week, comes calling as captain and center back John Terry will miss out
through an ankle injury, with deadline day signing David Luiz getting the nod
to fill in for his first appearance at the Bridge since he left for PSG two
summers ago.
Saturday (all times eastern)
10am – Arsenal @ Hull
City – KCOM Stadium, NBC Sports Network
Arsenal were hardly convincing at the Emirates Stadium last
weekend when they went behind early and needed an injury time penalty kick from
Santi Cazorla to steal all three points away from Southampton in a 2-1 victory,
with the Saints likely to feel aggrieved by the referee’s decision to award the
spot kick on what replays showed to be a certainly soft foul. They will travel to the KCOM Stadium to take
on a Hull City side that similarly left it late but managed to grab another
point when Robert Snodgrass’ free kick in the final minute of injury time moved
the Tigers level on points with the Gunners in the table.
Newly promoted but already relegated in some circles even
before the season’s first kick of the ball, the Tigers have been the surprise team
of the early goings, the draw giving Hull seven points and their best joint
start to a Premier League campaign in the club’s history, although they face a
difficult ask this weekend against an Arsenal side whom they have dropped all
three points against in six of their last seven meetings (D1 L6) and have only
beaten in three of their of their twenty four meetings across all competitions
(D5 L16), including losses in five of the last six at the KCOM Stadium (W1 L5).
Sunday (all times eastern)
7am – Manchester
United @ Watford – Vicarage Road, NBC Sports Network
After being outclassed tactically in the first half by longtime
counterpart Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho’s halftime tinkering brought his
Manchester United side back into the game but were ultimately unable to breach
a resolute Manchester City, who held on for a 2-1 victory in the 172nd
edition of the Manchester Derby. United
will hope to bounce back when they kick off the busy Sunday slate of games with
a visit to Vicarage Road and Watford, with the Hornets still buzzing after they
over turned an early 2-0 deficit at West Ham United with four unanswered goals
to run out 4-2 winners at the Olympic Stadium.
It was a critical three points for Watford who, after
running the gauntlet to open the campaign with matches against four teams that
all finished in the top half of the table last season, notched their first
victory of the season as the $66 million that new manager Walter Mazzarri
shelled out during the summer transfer window, including shattering their club
transfer record on two separate occasions, is beginning to look like an
investment that will soon pay dividends ahead of the visit from United, who
have beaten the Hornets in each of their last nine meetings, including the last
six in the league.