West Ham vs Brighton
The opening fixture of Matchday 9 sees Brighton travel to West Ham in a battle of 14th and 15th in the premier league standings. Both sides were held to 1-1 draws last week against mid-table opposition, and have displayed an inability to win away from home across the first eight rounds of the season, therefore suggesting it should be the Hammer's day. Expect Chicharito to cause Brighton all sorts of problems.
Prediction:Â West Ham 2-0
Chelsea vs Watford
Chelsea face Watford in what has suddenly become a significant contest, with Watford claiming Chelsea's spot in the top four after a 2-1 win over Arsenal.
Chelsea meanwhile are coming off an embarrassing 2-1 defeat to the hands of Crystal Palace, who previously had not scored in the premier league this season, and will be looking to make amends in front of their home crowd at Stamford Bridge.
Expect Chelsea to bounce back, however, the boys from Watford won't go down without a fight.
Prediction:Â Chelsea 2-1
Huddersfield vs Manchester United
Manchester United travel to Huddersfield to face a side bereft of confidence after failing to register a victory in their previous six premier league outings.
The Red Devils on the other hand remain undefeated, after sitting back at Anfield and achieving a 0-0 draw. However, are likely to deploy more positive tactics against the struggling Huddersfield.
Aaron Mooy should return to his starting role as a holding midfielder after coming off the bench at half time last week, and will need to play out of his skin to give the home side a fighting chance.
Prediction:Â Manchester United 3-0
Manchester City vs Burnley
Another undefeated Manchester club come into Matchday 9 in red-hot form after sealing their sixth straight premier league win with a world-class 7-2 thumping of Stoke City.
The potency of City's attack was on full display during the beat-down, with six individual goalscorers getting on the score-sheet, all whilst superstar Sergio Aguero watched on from the sideline.
Burnley have been a difficult side to score against however, conceding only the six goals in their campaign to date, yet haven't faced a strike-force with the power that Manchester City possess.
Prediction:Â Manchester City 4-0
Newcastle vs Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace are on the road to Newcastle on the back of not only their first goals of the season but also their first victory. The win against Chelsea will instill much needed confidence within the squad, yet with Newcastle's only home loss thus far being to Tottenham, Palace face an uphill battle to bag points two weeks on the trot.
Prediction:Â Newcastle 3-1
Stoke vs Bournemouth
The battle of the battlers.
Stoke are coming off an insipid performance against league-leaders Manchester City, going down to the tune of 7-2 and face a Bournemouth team sitting in the relegation zone with only the one win to their name.
The clubs have contrasting concerns on either end of the pitch, with Bournemouth having struggled to find the net all season, whereas Stoke are leaking goals as if they're playing FIFA. Bournemouth's complete inability to worry the scorers away from home could be the difference.
Prediction:Â Stoke 2-0
Swansea vs LeicesterÂ
Swansea face a Leicester side who has been unable to resurrect their form in recent weeks, sitting two points deep in the relegation zone after eight games.
Swansea have experienced struggles of their own, displaying an inability to find multiple avenues to goal, with loaned striker Tammy Abraham netting four of Swansea's five goals in the premier league season.
With only two points splitting the clubs both sides will be desperate to put distance between themselves and the bottom pack.
Prediction:Â 1-1
Southampton vs West Brom
The mid-table battle to end all mid-table battles. Southampton face West Brom in a conflict of positioning, with both sides failing to win a game in the month of October so far.
Containing Italian striker Manolo Gabbiadini will be the key to West Brom's chances, with the goal-threat starting to find his feet in his new club, netting twice last week against Newcastle.
Prediction:Â Southampton 1-0
Everton vs Arsenal
The Toffees and Gunners face off at Goodison Park in an important game for different reasons. Everton have had a difficult start of their campaign thanks to an unfavourable draw and are looking to hit form with a smoother set of fixtures to come.
Arsenal meanwhile are looking to get back on the winner's list after losing to Watford, and will look to limit the impact of creative Everton signing Gylfi Sigurdsson to lock up the points.
Prediction: 2-2
Tottenham vs LiverpoolÂ
The marquee matchup of Matchday 9 features Tottenham playing Liverpool at Wembley Stadium.
In what should be a viewers delight, world-class talent the likes of Harry Kane and Phillipe Coutinho will grace the prestigious stadium in a vital match for both clubs.
Tottenham are sitting pretty near the top thanks to the mind-boggling weekly exploits of Kane, while Liverpool need to continue bagging points to maintain pace with the top four whilst playing their first Champions League campaign since 2014/15.
Prediction:Â Liverpool 3-2
