8. premier League round: Soucek’s West Ham go to Everton, newcomer welcomes Chelsea

The national team schedule is over, so the carousel of league competitions is starting again, including the Premier League. The eighth round will start with Liverpool and Watford, the Red Devils will try to correct the unflattering series when they face Leicester. The weekend round is also attractive from the Czech fan’s point of view, West Ham will face a tough duel against Everton.

Will Ronaldo and co. return to their winning ways?

The highlight of the round is the match between Leicester and Manchester United. It will be an interesting duel between two strong teams that are not in great form.

Leicester are the big disappointment of the current season. They are currently in 13th place. For a club with ambitions of finishing in the top 4, that’s really low. Fofana’s injury has extremely weakened the team’s defensive position, Brendan Rodgers’ charges have already scored 12 times, only 3 teams are worse off.

The home team’s renowned offense is also not doing well. Barnes and Maddison are not productive, the only one who keeps his high standard is 34-year-old Vardy. The game face of the team looks tired. It certainly doesn’t look like a successful continuation of previous seasons.

Injuries: Fofana, Justin, Ndidi

The visiting team can’t whistle too much either. The Red Devils had a great start to the season, with a lot of credit going to the productive Ronaldo (he also won the player of the month award). However, since the league triumph over West Ham, the team’s performances have gone downhill. Manchester United have not won 2 league games in a row, unexpectedly losing to Aston Villa.

The title aspirant is too dependent on the brilliance of Ronaldo and Fernandes, and has paid the price in recent games. They are currently in 4th place. The gap to the top is not too big yet. It needs to win, a loss against a lackluster Leicester would deepen the team’s playing crisis even more. Moreover, Varane was seriously injured during the national break, which is another big inconvenience for coach Solskjaer.

Injuries: Diallo, Varane

The favourite of the match will be clearly the team from Manchester. However, it won’t be easy for them, they haven’t been doing too well against Leicester lately (3 games in a row without a win). But now the situation is different, coach Rodgers’ team is struggling. If the Red Devils can surprise their opponents and keep Vardy in their sights, they should win. However, another away loss would not be a surprise.

Brentford’s dream Premier League debut, how will they fare against Chelsea?

The league newcomer is having an absolutely awesome debut in England’s top competition. Brentford have gained 12 points in 7 games, they are in 7th position. They have lost only once in the league, while they have beaten Arsenal and West Ham. Brentford plays attractively, has a solid defensive position, can adapt to the opponent and remains unreadable. He has already shown several times that he will not be an easy opponent for anyone.

Injuries: Baptiste, Bech Sorensen, Dasilva, Janelt

The favourite for the duel, however, will be London Chelsea. The Blues have had a good start to the season and are the league leaders. They are leading the Premier League with 16 points, but their lead over the rest is minimal. They can boast the best defence in the league (only 3 goals conceded), the offence is driven by the productive Lukaku (the Blues have already scored 15 goals, only Liverpool have scored more). The advantage for Chelsea is that the difficult draw is already behind them and now they are facing relatively playable opponents.

Injuries: Pulisic

While Brentford have managed to surprise on a few occasions, their next opponent is on a completely different level to Arsenal or West Ham. Chelsea should manage the role of favourites and stay at the top of the competition. It can be expected to be a very attractive match.

Coach Benítez is doing well at Everton, will he succeed against West Ham?

The arrival of the Spanish strategist at Everton has brought a lot of questions. There was a palpable uncertainty in the Toffees fans camp as to what direction their beloved team would take. However, the former Liverpool coach won them over immediately. Everton have already gained 14 points, and are in direct contact with the front runners. Playing attractive football, Benítez’s system is highly effective.

Everton proved that in their last game when they played out a valuable draw at Old Trafford, they could even have won. Liverpool have had a relatively easy draw so far, only the next few games will show how high they can aim. Already the game against the Hammers can give a lot of clues. Another positive news is the return of star players from the sick leave, some could start as early as this weekend.

Injuries: Delph

The London team also had a relatively good start to the season. It is in touch with the top of the competition, Soucek and co. even knocked out Manchester United in the cup. But then came the home loss to Brentford, which was definitely unexpected. That loss dropped West Ham down to 9th place.

Coach Moyes’ team must succeed in the duel against Everton to keep in touch with the best. And that won’t be easy at all. 100% fit is still not Vladimir Coufal, whose start is uncertain.

Injuries: Coufal

This match should not be missed by any Premier League fan. It will be a duel of two teams that play offensively, their matches are attractive. This clash has no favourite. It will be all the more interesting to see for whom this duel will turn out better.