ALEX CROOK PREVIEW: Premier League Gameweek 9

Star Sports football ambassador ALEX CROOK previews the latest Premier League action, with expert insight and betting tips ahead of a huge weekend of football.

From Chelsea vs Manchester United and Aston Villa vs Fulham to the heavyweight clash between Liverpool and Arsenal, Alex analyses the key fixtures, players to watch and best bets, before rounding off the weekend with Newcastle vs Everton on Monday night.

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🔵 CHELSEA v MANCHESTER UNITED 🔴
Saturday, 12.30pm

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After being given a stay of execution as Manchester United manager Michael Carrick takes his side to Stamford Bridge on Saturday lunchtime for the start of a potentially perilous run of games.

The writing looked on the wall for Carrick after United’s 4-1 Champions League defeat at Como was followed by a 3-0 drubbing at home to Bournemouth on Sunday.

However, the United hierarchy decided to give Carrick, who has kissed and made up with captain Bruno Fernandes, more time to arrest a run of eight games without a victory.

But, with the trip to Chelsea followed by home clashes with Roma and Aston Villa it looks a tall order for Carrick to get the results he needs to keep his job beyond the November international break.

Chelsea are looking to bounce back from last weekend’s surprise 2-0 defeat at home to Tottenham and are once again without the services of the injured Joao Pedro.

Cole Palmmer does return though having sat out the mid-week EFL Cup penalty shootout defeat at Liverpool due to suspension.

Even without Pedro Chelsea have enough attacking weapons to take advantage of a United defence yet to keep a Premier League clean sheet this season.

Palmer to score at any time is available at 13/10 with starsports.bet.

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🟣 ASTON VILLA v FULHAM ⚪️
Saturday, 8pm

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Villa’s seven-match unbeaten run came to a crashing halt as they were thrashed 3-0 at Bournemouth in the EFL Cup on Wednesday.

Unai Emery made no fewer than nine changes, and it is fair to say not many of the fringe players did much to enhance their claims for more Premier League playing time.

The big guns will return for the visit of Fulham on Saturday evening, and the Cottagers were also KO’d in mid-week as they went down to a limp 1-0 defeat at home to struggling Crystal Palace.

That loss followed back-to-back 1-0 wins over Hull and Coventry to ease the pressure on manager Alvaro Arbeloa.

But Villa Park has not been a happy hunting ground for the Cottagers, who have managed just one win from their last 18 visits.

If Villa are on song then it is hard to see past a home victory, especially with Nicolas Jackson in excellent goal-scoring form having already netted seven times this season.

A build-a-bet of Villa to win, Jackson to score at any time and Villa defender Ian Maatsen to be shown a card is priced at 12/1 with starsports.bet

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🔴 LIVERPOOL v ARSENAL 🔴
Sunday, 4.30pm

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The big heavyweight clash of the weekend sees champions Arsenal travel to Anfield on Sunday.

The visitors are no doubt still reeling after being battered by the Cod Army!

Mikel Arteta’s side suffered the humiliation of becoming the first title holders to lose to a fourth-tier side since their own infamous defeat at Micky Thomas’s Wrexham in the early 1990s.

This might not be a great time to be facing a Liverpool side who have quietly put together an impressive run of results to move up to fourth in the table – albeit six points behind the Gunners.

While striker Alexander Isak has found his scoring boots after an injury-ravaged debut season on Merseyside, Andoni Iraola has also shored up a defence that looked vulnerable in the opening weeks of the campaign.

In fact, since September no team have kept more clean sheets than the Reds and Arsenal are not exactly scoring goals for fun of late.

The Gunners have faced fewer shots on their goal than any other team this season and have the most shutouts in the Premier League.

It would not be a major surprise if this one ended in a drab 0-0 draw, which starsports.bet price up as a 10/1 shout.

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⚫️ NEWCASTLE v EVERTON 🔵
Monday, 8pm

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Newcastle face Everton for the second time in the space of a few days on Monday and will be hoping for a better result than their EFL Cup defeat at Hill Dickinson Stadium.

The Magpies looked to have turned a corner after last weekend’s 2-0 victory at Crystal Palace but have now won only one of their last six games in all competitions.

Everton’s victory was even more impressive given they were missing Jack Grealish after the England international was dropped for a breach of club discipline.

Newcastle have a strange disliking for Monday Night Football, which stretches back beyond their two 4-1 defeats at the hands of Coventry and Newcastle this season.

Everton also lost little in last weekend’s 2-0 reverse at Arsenal and David Moyes has his side set up better tactically than his Newcastle counterpart Mathias Jaissle.

I like the look of the away win at 9/5 with starsports.bet.

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RECOMMENDED SELECTIONS
1⃣ BEST BET: Cole Palmer to score at any time 1pt at 13/10 (⭐️ ? CLICK TO BET NOW)
2⃣ NEXT BEST: Everton to win 1pt at 9/5 (⭐️ ? CLICK TO BET NOW)
🎲 LONG SHOT: Liverpool 0 Arsenal 0 0.5pts at 10/1 (⭐️ ? CLICK TO BET NOW)
📊 BUILD-A-BET: Aston Villa to win, Nicolas Jackson to score and Ian Maatsen to be shown a card 1pt at 12/1 with starsports.bet
🚀 ALEX ACCA: Tottenham, Aston Villa, Bournemouth, West Ham 0.5pts at 11/1 (⭐️ ? CLICK TO BET NOW)

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