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Previews

Premier League previews: First chance to see the new boys in action

With six games lined up for this afternoon, here’s everything you need to know.

West Ham United v Fulham – Upton Park, 12.45pm

ANDY CARROLL COULD make his first start in West Ham colours as Sam Allardyce looks set to ring the changes for the visit of Fulham.

After an opening-day victory against Aston Villa, West Ham were brought back to earth with a thud as Swansea City thoroughly outclassed them in a 3-0 win last week.

The newly promoted side quickly bounced back, defeating Crewe Alexandra 2-0 in the League Cup on Tuesday at Upton Park.

The likes of Ricardo Vaz Te, Nicky Maynard and Mobido Maiga – all on the bench against Swansea – impressed in the cup clash and could be in line for a start as Allardyce looks to refresh his attacking options for the visit of Fulham.

Matt Jarvis is one player who will remain in West Ham’s starting side, with the winger – who joined the club for 10.75 million pounds from Wolves last week – impressive in glimpses on his debut in Wales.

Fulham have a new boy of their own in Dimitar Berbatov. Martin Jol’s men also lost in their last Premier League encounter, although they were impressive in the 3-2 defeat at Manchester United.

The manager will not be happy with a 1-0 loss to Championship side Sheffield Wednesday in the League Cup on Tuesday, but will take heart from the fact his side have scored seven goals in the league so far this season.

John Arne Riise (leg) could return for Jol’s side this weekend but defender Philippe Senderos (foot) will miss, while Jack Collison (knee) is sidelined for West Ham.

Swansea v Sunderland – Liberty Stadium, 3pm

BRENDAN RODGERS’ DEPARTURE has not seen the dawn of collapse as many expected at Swansea with the club thriving near the top of the table.

Last season’s Premier League newcomers impressed under Rodgers with their attractive brand of football but have shown the same attacking flair under his replacement Michael Laudrup.

The Welsh side are riding high ahead of Saturday’s clash with Sunderland having disposed of QPR 5-0 with a finishing clinic, before a comfortable 3-0 victory over promoted West Ham at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday.

Despite losing Scott Sinclair and Joe Allen, the club have recruited exceptionally well with defender Chico (Genoa) and midfielder Michu (Rayo Vallecano) joining for less than £5 million combined.

Michu celebrates against West Ham (Nick Potts/PA Wire/Press Association Images).

Michu leads the league with three goals already and could prove the bargain buy of the season at £2.5 million.

The hard-working midfielder’s early season form may have come as a surprise to Premier League regulars, but his 15 goals for cash-strapped Rayo Vallecano in La Liga last season before they were forced to offload him, displayed his undoubted quality.

Sung-Yeung was not eligible for the West Ham match but the South Korea international is likely to start against Sunderland with Martin O’Neill’s side set to unleash two new signings of their own in Steven Fletcher and Adam Johnson.

Fletcher joined from relegated Wolverhampton and Johnson from Manchester City in a double deal worth over 20 million pounds, with the pair certain to boost Sunderland’s attack.

The former Wolves front man was denied the chance to make a swift debut when Sunderland’s fixture with Reading was called off due to poor rain on Saturday, but both 25-year-olds are likely to line up at the Liberty Stadium in what looms as an intriguing clash.

West Bromwich Albion v Everton – The Hawthorns, 3pm

WEST BROM HOST Everton on Saturday looking to halt David Moyes’ side’s blistering start to the season.

Everton are notoriously slow starters so back-to-back opening wins over Manchester United (1-0) and Aston Villa (3-1) were welcomed not just for the impressive manner of both but their significance in reversing the club’s fortunes.

Everton managed just three wins from their opening 10 fixtures last season and a measly three in 17 to commence their 2010-11 campaign.

The Merseyside club have looked dynamic with wiry Belgian Marouane Fellaini unplayable in the opening two fixtures having notched two goals in two games, following just 11 in his last three campaigns.

Nikica Jelavic’s goal against Villa was remarkable in that it continued a sequence of 19 first-touch finishes. The Croatian was brought in by Moyes as a clinical marksman to spearhead the attack but has taken the role rather more literally.

Meanwhile West Brom, under new manager Steve Clarke, have looked similarly spritely in their two openers with a shock 3-0 win over Liverpool on the opening weekend followed by a well-deserved point in a 1-1 draw at Tottenham.

The Midlands club were tipped as relegation candidates before the season proper but have looked anything but in their first two games.

Midfielder James Morrison was stung during the week by suggestions the side would have difficulty continuing England manager Roy Hodgson’s excellent work.

“Whoever has said things about our chances, what do they know? We will prove them wrong,” Morrison said.  ”Steve Clarke hasn’t changed much. He’s tweaked a few things and it’s worked. ”

West Brom snapped up Swedish international striker Markus Rosenberg and Belgian Romelu Lukaku on loan in two good bits of business and have already looked a potent force going forward.

Tottenham Hotspur v Norwich City – White Hart Lane, 3pm

WITH BOTH TEAMS yet to post a win in the Premier League this campaign, plenty will be on the line when Tottenham host Norwich.

Andre Villas-Boas’ start to his second lease on Premier League life has been hampered by the introduction of a few new faces and more broadly, the inevitable departure of Spurs’ key playmaker Luka Modric to Real Madrid.

Post Paul Lambert, Norwich appear to be struggling too. Chris Hughton’s men were humbled on the opening weekend in a 5-0 defeat at Fulham and will feel they should have got more than a 1-1 result at home to fellow strugglers QPR, who were also hammered 5-0 on the opening day of the season.

Meanwhile, Tottenham were far from disgraced as they conceded a late winner in a 2-1 loss at Newcastle and suffered the same fate on Saturday when West Brom clawed their way back at White Hart Lane in stoppage time for a 1-1 draw.

Belgian defender Jan Vertonghen provided a good piece of business after his move from Ajax and he was joined by compatriot Moussa Dembele this week, after his £15 million move from Fulham. The 25-year-old midfielder has grown in stature over the past season and could offer some relief for Modric’s departure.

Moussa Dembele: can he make an immediate impact at Tottenham? (Neal Simpson/EMPICS Sport)

Another important cog is Emmanuel Adebayor, who made his loan deal from Manchester City permanent for £5 million after scoring 17 goals in 33 matches last season.

Norwich have hardly strengthened from the largely Championship-laden squad that performed so well last season after promotion, and will do well to avoid relegation this campaign.

Fresh from his move from Rangers, Steven Whittaker will likely line up for his first Premier League appearance against Spurs while defender Sebastien Bassong will face his former Spurs team-mates for the first time since his transfer last week.

Spurs will be without influential midfielder Scott Parker (Achilles) will be out for at least another three weeks, while Rafael van der Vaart returned to Hamburg on the final day of the summer transfer window.

Wigan v Stoke – DW Stadium, 3pm

STOKE CITY WILL look to bounce back from a League Cup shock when they travel to the DW Stadium to face Wigan.

Tony Pulis’s side were stunned by League One outfit Swindon Town at the Britannia Stadium on Tuesday, losing 4-3 after extra-time.

Swindon led 2-0 and 3-2 before Peter Crouch’s late effort, but James Collins – who scored a hat-trick on the night – netted in the 120th minute to embarrass Stoke.

Winger Michael Kightly is confident his side will respond though, despite the fact Wigan will enter the match fresh off consecutive away wins at Southampton and Nottingham Forest.

“No disrespect to Swindon, but we should be beating teams like that, there is no doubt about it. We were sloppy,” Kightly said afterwards.

“We have to bounce back from it though and I know we can do that. We carved out a lot of chances (against Swindon), scored three goals and came back from behind on two occasions, so we have to stay positive.”

The defeat snapped a run of five successive draws for Stoke – a streak which included three friendly matches – with the club opening their English Premier League campaign with stalemates against Reading and Arsenal.

Of more concern for Pulis is Stoke’s away form, with the club having not won a league match on the road since 2 January, when a Crouch double helped them to a 2-1 success against now-relegated Blackburn Rovers.

In stark contrast to Stoke’s struggles in the Cup, Roberto Martinez’s men emphatically beat Forest 4-1 with Mauro Boselli, Maynor Figueroa, Jordi Gomez and Callum McManaman all on the scoresheet.

Despite starting their Premier League season with a 2-0 home loss to Chelsea, Wigan were impressive as a 2-0 triumph over promoted Southampton at St Mary’s Stadium lifted them to eighth on the table. They have now scored in 11 successive away fixtures and have won eight of their last 11 in the league across two seasons.

Stoke’s Dean Whitehead will return from suspension for the match, while both sides have a relatively clean bill of health.

The match will feature a contrast in styles with Stoke’s long-ball approach, based on power and aerial strength, coming up against Wigan’s fluent, attractive method of football.

Manchester City v Queens Park Rangers – Etihad Stadium, 5.30pm

THE LAST TIME Manchester City hosted Queens Park Rangers in an English Premier League match, history was made in remarkable fashion.

On the final day of last season, goals from Edin Dzeko and Sergio Aguero at the death saw City steal a remarkable 3-2 win over QPR and their first league title since 1968 at the expense of rivals Manchester United.

THAT goal by Sergio Aguero (Peter Byrne/PA Wire/Press Association Images)

QPR, on the other hand, were dramatically spared relegation as Bolton slumped to a 2-2 draw away to Stoke City and were demoted to the Championship.

The stakes are not nearly as high come Saturday at Etihad Stadium, but City will be determined to keep a clean sheet after conceding twice against both Southampton and Liverpool in their opening two Premier League outings.

City are undefeated with four points from two matches, while QPR already find themselves languishing towards the bottom of the table with just one point and an alarming six goals conceded.

However, new signing Julio Cesar believes success is on the horizon for the London Club following his arrival from Inter Milan this week.

“I have many dreams at QPR,” Cesar told the Daily Mail. “To play well for the fans, the manager, the chairman and myself. And eventually finish in the top four and qualify for the Champions League and then one day win the Premier League.

“It is possible. A few years ago nobody believed Manchester City would ever win the Premier League. So we have to dream. When you dream, things can happen. That’s the reason I came here.”