Article by Joe Musker
Can the Reds march on? Liverpool's winning run of four matches came to an end last weekend with a 0-0 draw away at Southampton. A point at St. Mary's is never a bad result, and Klopp's men actually played very well, but this weekend brings a home match against Sunderland, which will be seen as a match in which Liverpool cannot afford to drop any points.
Having gained just 2 points from their first 10 matches, Sunderland have found a bit of form of late, winning their last 2 matches, and leapfrogging Swansea at the foot of the bottom of the table in the process. Sunderland know how to get a result at Anfield, having drawn 2-2 in this fixture last season, so this will be a very important match at both ends of the table.
Who's run will come to an end in London? Tottenham travel to Stamford Bridge on Saturday fresh from being knocked out of the Champions League, but remain as the only unbeaten team in the Premier League. With 6 draws from 12 matches, Spurs sit 4 points behind leaders Chelsea, who are 6 unbeaten themselves, and haven't conceded a goal in 590 minutes of league action.
While both sides will feel they are in the title race, defeat for Tottenham would put them 7 points behind the leaders as we approach the busy winter period. Something has to give, in a battle between the leagues meanest defences.
A win at last? Swansea and Crystal Palace have gone a combined 17 Premier League matches without a win, Swansea 11 and Palace 5. While Swansea have replaced Francesco Guidolin with Bob Bradley, pressure is mounting on Palace boss Alan Pardew, who has guided his side to just 34 points in their last 38 league matches.
The two sides have been abysmal defensively this season, and while confidence will be low in the two camps, both sides couldn't have chosen better opposition to pick up much needed points this weekend.
Ronald returns. The summer saw Ronald Koeman make the switch from Southampton to Everton, and the two sides meet at St.Mary's on Sunday. After a good start to the season, Everton find themselves out of the League Cup and with just 1 win in their last 8 matches. More was expected after spending around £50m during the summer, but The Toffees have failed to look improved thus far.
While Saints have a League Cup quarter final to look forward, they too have struggled, especially in the Premier League where they sit 11th, and closer in points to the relegation zone than to 8th placed Watford. Neither side are in form, and it will be interesting to see how Koeman fares on his return to Southampton, in a fixture Everton won 3-0 last season.
Can West Brom build on their recent wins? It has been 4 years since West Bromwich Albion won 3 Premier League matches in a row, but they have the chance to do exactly that on Saturday when they travel to struggling Hull City. The Baggies have impressed in recent weeks, with wins away to Leicester, and a 4-0 thumping of Burnley.
Matt Phillips has been instrumental in The Baggies securing back to back wins for the first time this season, scoring a goal and grabbing an assist in both matches. Having conceded 27 goals in 12 games, Hull will need to be much tighter in defence if they are to avoid a eighth defeat in 9 Premier League matches.
