Blackburn Rovers v Arsenal
Will Arsenal ever be as sure a thing as they are today?
Having ground out two decent results in their last two games, they’ll surely feel confident against a Blackburn team in apparent freefall – despite Christopher Samba’s comments?
Will Andriy Arshavin’s position benefit him? He has hinted at a return to form lately with his goal last week and international performances from Russia. Absolved of defensive duties in a new free role, he may feel much more comfortable.
Can Steve Kean save his job?
Aston Villa v Newcastle United
What chance a goal? These two teams have offered up five blanks between them this season and neither have too much in the way of creativity?
Or, will one team carve out enough to end the other’s unbeaten record? Despite the lack of goals, these teams have also seen a lack of defeats.
Bolton Wanderers v Norwich
Which of the teams will have the confidence to secure a win that’s there for the taking?
Both, after all, have had rather chastening experiences lately. Despite starting the season well with a win over QPR and strong performance against Manchester City, Bolton have had their mindset shattered by two thrashings at the feet of Liverpool and Manchester United. Norwich, by contrast, have been playing quite well but had little reward with only two draws from four games.
As such, we’ll probably see a lot of errors today. But the real question is who can punish them the most?
Everton v Wigan
What will tell, rigidity or adventure? The contrast in style between these sides is stark.
Against a side weak at set-pieces, can Tim Cahill end his goal drought with a header from a corner or free?
Will Moses get the goal he deserves? The Wigan creator has been knocking on the door for a while this season with some impressive performances.
Swansea v West Brom
Will Swansea finally score? They’ve played four games but scored no goals. It seems unlikely today given how well set-up West Brom generally are.
On that, will West Brom get the place in the table their performances have generally deserved? They were unlucky with the difficulty of their opening performances – and really put it up to Manchester United and Chelsea. They’ll feel Swansea are there for the taking.
Has Brendan Rodgers gone too far in his tweaks to Swansea? We’ve argued here before that it’s almost impossible for any promoted team to stay up if they completely keep the attacking style that took them there. But the Swansea manager may have taken too much away. His side are so much more conservative than last season and it sees them in the relegation zone.
Wolves v QPR
Is the levy going to break for QPR? It beggars belief that they didn’t score against Newcastle on Monday.
Are Wolves slipping back to old, inconsistent ways? While it is no disgrace to lose to Tottenham, Wolves have previously made a habit of actually beating the top sides and their impressive start to the season – let alone those clouds over Molineux – had suggested a new beginning in every sense.
