Match-by-match preview of this weekend’s EPL action

LONDON: Match-by-match facts and statistics ahead of round four of the English Premier League this weekend and Monday.

TOMORROW

MAN CITY vs LIVERPOOL

CITY have lost only one of their last 23 home league games. Liverpool have won only once in their last eight league games at the Etihad. The visitors’ 4-1 win in November 2015 was the last time City lost by three goals at home. Sergio Aguero has played Liverpool five times in the league at the Etihad, scoring in every game. The two sides drew 1-1 in the same fixture last March.

LEICESTER vs CHELSEA

The match is a clash of the Premier League’s last two champions. Danny Drinkwater returns to the King Power Stadium after his deadline day move to Chelsea. The Foxes have only once kept a clean sheet against Chelsea in 11 league matches. Eden Hazard looks unlikely to start for Chelsea after an ankle injury kept him out of the opening games. Chelsea’s Gary Cahill is absent, serving the last game of a three-match suspension.

EVERTON vs TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR

SPURS have won their last three away games in the league. Everton have won 10 of their 11 home games so far in 2017. Harry Kane is chasing his 100th goal for Tottenham in all competitions. Last season’s match between the two at Goodison ended 1-1. Tottenham are ninth in the league, Everton 12th.

STOKE vs MAN UNITED

TABLE-toppers United have a 100% record. United have scored 10 goals and conceded none. Stoke twice drew 1-1 with United last season. The Potters have won, lost and drawn in their three matches. Stoke are 11th in the standings.

ARSENAL vs BOURNEMOUTH

ARSENAL have lost their last two league matches. They have not lost three in a row since January 2012. If Jermain Defoe scores, Bournemouth will be the fourth different club he has scored for against Arsenal. Arsenal have won all their three previous home matches with Bournemouth. Bournemouth have lost all three games so far this season and scored just one goal. The Cherries failed to score in their first two matches.

SOUTHAMPTON vs WATFORD

WATFORD used 21 different players in their first three matches, more than any other team. Watford manager Marco Silva has yet to win two successive away games in the Premier League. The two sides both have two draws and a win so far, with Watford ahead on goal difference. Saints’ Dutch defender Virgil van Dijk is back in first team training after transfer speculation. Van Dijk has been out since an ankle injury in January.

BRIGHTON vs WEST BROM

PROMOTED Brighton, with two defeats and a draw, have yet to score in the Premier League. Only three teams have ever failed to score in their first four Premier League matches: Newcastle, Swansea and Sheffield Wednesday. The two Albions meet for the first time in the league since 1993, when they were in the third tier. The Seagulls have not won in six league games. Brighton midfielder Steve Sidwell is unavailable after undergoing minor surgery to his back.

SUNDAY

BURNLEY vs CRYSTAL PALACE

BURNLEY beat Palace twice in the league last season. They won 3-2 at home in November. Palace have yet to score in the Premier League this season but have always scored in the first four. Palace’s Lee Chung-yong could become the third South Korean to make 100 Premier League appearances. Burnley have beaten Palace six times in their eight top flight clashes. Palace are above only West Ham on goal difference.

SWANSEA vs NEWCASTLE

SWANSEA have won three of their last four home league games against Newcastle. Paul Clement has yet to lose two home games in a row as Swansea manager. Rafa Benitez’s first win as Newcastle manager was at home against Swansea in April 2016. Swansea are 13th, promoted Newcastle 14th. Striker Wilfried Bony makes his return to the Swans after his transfer went through on deadline day.

MONDAY

WEST HAM vs HUDDERSFIELD

HUDDERSFIELD are third overall with two wins and a draw. The Hammers are bottom with three straight defeats. The only other time West Ham lost their first three Premier League games, in 201011, they finished last and were relegated. Huddersfield goalkeeper Jonas Lossl has kept clean sheets in his first three matches. No promoted side have ever started a Premier League season with four successive clean sheets. — Reuters