Bullet point previews of Premier League matches
Sports
Bullet point previews of Premier League matches
London, Britain (Reuters) - Match-by-match facts and statistics ahead of the next round of Premier League fixtures from Aug. 25-27 (all times GMT):
Friday, Aug. 25
Chelsea v Luton Town (1900)
* Chelsea are aiming to secure their first win of the season when they host promoted Luton at Stamford Bridge after drawing 1-1 against Liverpool and losing 3-1 to London rivals West Ham United.
* New Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino is dealing with injury concerns with captain Reece James, Christopher Nkunku, Carney Chukwuemeka, Wesley Fofana and Benoit Badiashile, among others, ruled out of action.
* Luton will look to bounce back after suffering a 4-1 defeat by Brighton & Hove Albion in their first Premier League game. Luton's first home game of the season against Burnley was postponed due to stadium works.
Saturday, Aug. 26
Bournemouth v Tottenham Hotspur (1130)
* Bournemouth, who have lost five of their last six league matches, are looking for their first win of the season under new manager Andoni Iraola.
* Spurs could be without new signing James Maddison, who is an injury doubt after leaving the last game on crutches.
* Fellow Spurs midfielders Rodrigo Bentancur, Ryan Sessegnon and Bryan Gil are also ruled out with injuries.
Manchester United v Nottingham Forest (1400)
* United are unbeaten in their last 30 games at Old Trafford (W26, D4), making it their longest home unbeaten run since a 40-game stretch between Sept. 2016 and Dec. 2017.
* Erik ten Hag's United will likely miss the services of new signing Rasmus Hojlund, with the striker out due to a back injury while Mason Mount also picked up an injury against Spurs and will be sidelined until the international break.
* Forest have lost their last 10 meetings with United in all competitions.
Everton v Wolverhampton Wanderers (1400)
* Bottom side Everton are yet to find the back of the net in the new campaign and have conceded five goals in two games against Fulham and Aston Villa.
* Everton have not beaten Wolves since May 2021 (D1, L3).
* Both teams are yet to collect any points in two games and lie at the bottom of the table.
Arsenal v Fulham (1400)
* Arsenal became only the third team to keep 200 away clean sheets in the Premier League when they beat Crystal Palace on Monday.
* Bukayo Saka can break the record for most consecutive Premier League games played for Arsenal (currently on 82 games) if he plays against Fulham.
* After selling Aleksandar Mitrovic to Saudi side Al-Hilal, Fulham have lost their top scorer in four of their last five seasons.
Brentford v Crystal Palace (1400)
* The last four fixtures between Brentford and Palace have ended in draws.
* Brentford are unbeaten in their last five league matches.
* In the absence of Ivan Toney, who is still banned, Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa have scored in both of Brentford's opening games.
Brighton & Hove Albion v West Ham United (1630)
* Brighton are top the table in the English top flight for the first time in their history.
* Brighton have won four of their last six home league matches, including a draw and defeat.
* Roberto De Zerbi's Brighton have beaten West Ham six times, while the London side have two victories in the last 14 meetings, with six games ending in a draw.
Sunday, Aug. 27
Sheffield United v Manchester City (1300)
* City have won 14 of their last 16 league matches and have beaten the Blades in their last five games in all competitions.
* City defender John Stones is out of action until after the international break due to an injury while midfielder Kevin De Bruyne is sidelined for at least four months with a hamstring injury.
* City manager Pep Guardiola will miss the game after undergoing back surgery, with assistant Juanma Lillo taking charge of the team in the Spaniard's absence.
Burnley v Aston Villa (1300)
* Burnley and Villa have beaten each other twice in the last decade, with the other four games ending in draws.
* Vincent Kompany's promoted Burnley, 18th, are one of two teams yet to score this season, the other being Everton.
* Burnley's last Premier League victory came in April 2022.
Newcastle United v Liverpool (1530)
* Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister will be available after the club had his red card against Bournemouth overturned.
* Newcastle are winless in their last 13 league games against Liverpool (D4, L9) since a 2-0 home win in December 2015.
* Juergen Klopp's Liverpool are unbeaten in 13 matches (W8, D5) in the league since losing 4-1 at City in April.
