Premier League Matchday 6: The London Showdown

Arsenal hoped their home advantage would help them break their winless streak against Chelsea. Before that, Manchester United faced immense pressure when they hosted reigning champions Leicester.

Man Utd - Leicester(6:30 PM Saturday, September 24th): The biggest question facing Jose Mourinho right now is when he will sacrifice Wayne Rooney for the greater good of Man Utd.

Rooney's inability to fit into a midfield position, a role Mourinho assigned to the England captain from the start of the season, has been widely discussed. Some experts believe Mourinho had to sacrifice Rooney to utilize the abilities of Paul Pogba, the record-breaking signing that Man Utd spent $130 million to acquire last summer.

Mourinho is an insider and understands Rooney's position in the Manchester United dressing room. However, Rooney's poor form since the Manchester derby defeat has forced Mourinho to consider changes for Man Utd. Last weekend's loss to Watford was the first time Mourinho has suffered three consecutive defeats since managing Porto in the 2001-2002 season.

Mourinho could keep Rooney on the pitch, give him another chance, a different position, but reigning champions Leicester are not an opponent to be used as a "practice opponent" to test different lineups.

Bournemouth - Everton(9 PM Saturday, September 24th): This weekend's match at Dean Court will see a showdown between two players once considered among the most promising young talents in English football, Jack Wilshere and Ross Barkley.

In the 3-0 win against Sunderland, Barkley was substituted at half-time. Everton manager Ronald Koeman subsequently criticized the midfielder, saying he needed to improve further.

Barkley could look to Wilshere as a role model. Once highly rated, the 24-year-old midfielder is now playing for Bournemouth on loan from Arsenal. Wilshere has repeatedly been plagued by personal troubles, lack of focus in training, and injuries. Now, at 24, the midfielder hopes Bournemouth will help him return to his peak.

Barkley is only a year younger than Wilshere and also received praise upon his debut at Everton. Both England midfielders need to understand they must work harder to avoid repeating the mistakes of their predecessors in the England national team.

Liverpool - Hull(9 PM Saturday, September 24th): Jurgen Klopp's team has good morale after beating Chelsea 2-1 in the last round.

Furthermore, they have been in excellent form at home. At Anfield, Liverpool have only lost one of their last 14 Premier League matches in 2016.

Their only defeat, against Man Utd in January, was also the only game in which Liverpool failed to score since Jurgen Klopp took over. This foreshadows a tough match for Hull's defense.

Before this match, interim manager Mike Phelan signaled to the board that he wanted his future to be clear. Having helped the team start the season with seven points from five games, the former assistant to Alex Ferguson at Man Utd deserved to be rewarded with a long-term contract.

Middlesbrough - Tottenham(9 PM Saturday, September 24th): This is the first time in 73 matches that Tottenham have played without Harry Kane in the lineup.

An ankle injury forced the England international off the pitch against Sunderland and could keep him out for several more games. Mauricio Pochettino has no shortage of options to replace Kane in that position.

While Vincent Janssen is still adjusting to his new environment, Son Heung-min seems to have settled into the pace of life in North London. Erik Lamela can still occasionally shine, and Dele Alli is highly motivated after renewing his contract.

However, the absence of Harry Kane will still be a significant loss, and playing at Riverside Stadium is no small challenge. Middlesbrough have beaten Tottenham nine times in Premier League history, and only Manchester City have lost to the Riverside side more times than Spurs.

Stoke - West Brom(9 PM Saturday, September 24th): Stoke enter this weekend's match against West Brom with only one point after five rounds and are currently bottom of the table.

Stoke's only point came in their opening match against Middlesbrough. Since then, they have suffered four consecutive defeats. However, Stoke have never lost three consecutive home games at the start of a season in any competition they have participated in since the club's founding. Therefore, Mark Hughes's team can hope for a favorable result.

In fact, Stoke haven't lost five consecutive games since January 2005, while Mark Hughes hasn't lost five games in a row since starting his managerial career. These signs are a good sign that Stoke can hope to get points against West Brom.

Sunderland - Crystal Palace(9 PM Saturday, September 24th): Sunderland have not won a single game in their last 24 Premier League matches played in August and September.

That curse continues to haunt David Moyes and his players to this day. With just one point after five rounds, some Black Cats fans have begun to think about a spectacular escape to remain in the Premier League at the end of the season.

At this time, defender Patrick van Aanholt is the center of attention at The Light Stadium. The Dutch player was caught smoking shisha, and David Moyes has stated that he does not like that image.

In their last three home games against Palace, Sunderland have failed to secure a single victory.

Swansea - Man City(9 PM Saturday, September 24th): Kelechi Iheanacho's impressive goalscoring record makes him one of Pep Guardiola's trump cards at Man City right now.

If Man Utd have Marcus Rashford, Man City have Iheanacho. The 19-year-old striker has already scored two goals for his team in the Premier League this year. Even more impressive is that Iheanacho has scored 10 goals from just 14 shots on target – a remarkable scoring rate.

Iheanacho scored in both legs against Swansea last season. However, Sergio Aguero's return after serving a three-match ban could affect the Nigerian striker's chances of playing.

Arsenal - Chelsea(11:30 PM Saturday, September 24th): The head-to-head history is not on the side of Arsene Wenger's team whenever they face Chelsea.

In their last 10 encounters with their city rivals, Arsenal have failed to win a single match. The last time they beat Chelsea was back in October 2011.

In fact, Arsenal haven't scored a single goal in their last six Premier League encounters with Chelsea. Meanwhile, Didier Drogba used to be a nightmare for Arsenal's defense. Now, Drogba has been replaced by Diego Costa, another striker Wenger doesn't particularly like either.

With N'golo Kante's ability to control the defensive half, Cesc Fabregas can comfortably focus on attacking duties. In that case, the Spanish midfielder will be one of the most dangerous playmakers in the Premier League, and it's not out of the question that he could once again cause heartbreak for his former club this weekend.

West Ham - Southampton(10 PM Sunday, September 25th): It's a surprise that West Ham are in the relegation zone after the first five rounds of matches.

The home side enter this weekend's match having lost three consecutive games for the first time since Slaven Bilic took over. West Ham haven't lost four games in a row since April 2014.

Bilic's primary concern right now is the poor form of his defense. In their last two matches, West Ham have conceded four goals in each game, the first time this disappointing run has returned since March 2008. Therefore, winning and keeping a clean sheet are two parallel objectives that Bilic wants his players to achieve in this match.

Burnley - Watford(2 AM Tuesday, September 27th): The 3-1 victory against Man Utd in the previous round will be a source of inspiration for the visitors as they travel to Turf Moor.

The penalty that sealed the victory in that match was captain Troy Deeney's 98th goal for Watford. If he scores more goals, Deeney will become the fifth player after Luther Blissett, Tommy Barnett, Ross Jenkins, and Cliff Holton to reach 100 goals for Watford.

Things are going smoothly for Deeney. The 28-year-old striker has scored two goals this season and has found the net three times against Burnley in his last five matches against the Welsh side.

According to VNE