EPL: Matchday Five Preview

Following a busy week for a couple of English Premier League sides both on the home front and in Europe, attention will now be shifted to an exciting weekend in which Enzo Maresca will lead his Chelsea side to his first West London Derby away at the London Stadium against West Ham in search of another win on the road while the pick of the bunch in matchday five is the clash between Manchester City and Arsenal at the Etihad on Sunday.

Julen Lopetegui’s West Ham have been far more remarkable this season, with just one win out of their four league matches so far. Thanks to a last-gasp winner from Danny Ings in their last encounter against Fulham, the pressure on the Spanish manager has been reduced.

They will welcome an improved Chelsea side to their London Stadium, with The Blues gunning for their fifth straight win on the road – a feat they last achieved in December 2021.

Chelsea have picked up seven points from three matches since losing to Manchester City on the opening weekend of the Premier League season, and they’ve scored a number of goals in the process.

While there’s an appreciable improvement in their offensive performances, defending has been the major problem, and Saturday’s fixture provides another test for their defense, given last weekend’s clean sheet at Bournemouth was the only shutout in their last eighteen away league fixtures.

On Sunday, the league’s reigning champions, who have already opened a two-point lead over their closest rivals going into Sunday’s encounter at the Etihad and Pep Guadiola’s side, can snatch an early lead on the log if they win against the Gunners.

The Gunners haven’t won at the Etihad since 2015 – they have lost on eight of their ten visits to this ground since then. But given how they have been able to find solutions to every problem they’ve faced so far this season with their recent win against Tottenham Hotspurs last weekend, writing them off might not really be a good idea ahead of Sunday’s clash.