Premier League questions: Will Harry Kane score? Can City make it six on the spin?
Saturday 19 September 2015 11:40, UK
Ahead of an important round of Premier League fixtures, we take a look at 10 questions that could be answered by the end of the weekend.
Will Manchester City make it six of the best against West Ham? (Manchester City v West Ham United, Sky Sports 1, 5.30)
West Bromwich Albion, Chelsea, Everton, Watford and Crystal Palace have been swept aside and now Manuel Pellegrini's men have eyes on West Ham United.
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In fact, in total, Man City have won their last 11 Premier League games in a row. The English top-flight record is held by Arsenal with 14 wins in succession.
Can Louis van Gaal arrest Manchester United's declining form away from home? (Southampton v Manchester United, Super Sunday, Sky Sports 1, 4.00)
Manchester United have already lost two games away from home this season and when you look at Louis van Gaal's overall record on the road at United it doesn't make good reading.
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He only oversaw six away wins last season and admits that they cannot afford to slip up many more this season. Southampton will fancy their chances.
Drought warning: will Harry Kane stop firing blanks in front of goal? (Tottenham v Crystal Palace, Super Sunday, Sky Sports 1, 1.30)
Tottenham striker Harry Kane says he has no concerns over his lack of goals this season but the longer he goes without a goal, the more people shall talk.
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Kane, whose only goals this season came in England's Euro 2016 qualifiers against San Marino and Switzerland, is now without a Premier League goal since the final day of last season.
Will touchline tension boil over? (Chelsea v Arsenal - Saturday, 12:45)
Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger renew their rivalry on Saturday lunchtime and there will be scrutiny on their behaviours on the touchline.
The reluctance of the two managers to shake hands following Arsenal's Community Shield victory was the latest evidence of the frosty feeling between the pair after squaring up to each other during Chelsea's 2-0 victory in the corresponding fixture last year.
Will a red be brandished in feisty derby atmosphere? (Aston Villa v West Brom, Saturday, 3.00)
This is a derby full of bad blood. A pitch invasion marred Villa's victory over West Brom in the last meeting between the teams as they celebrated getting to the FA Cup semi-finals and in the past 18 meetings, eight players have been sent off.
It kicks-off a derby-tastic week for Tim Sherwood's men, who face Birmingham in the third round of the Capital One Cup on Tuesday night.
Can Bournemouth register a first Premier League home win? (Bournemouth v Sunderland, Saturday, 3.00)
Fixtures against Aston Villa and Leicester City have failed to yield a maximum return at home yet for Bournemouth but this looks a good opportunity to put that right.
Sunderland are currently on an eight-game winless streak in the Premier League; the longest current run in the competition.
Can Steve McClaren sort out his declining strike rate? (Newcastle v Watford, Saturday, 3.00)
Steve McClaren must've forgotten what it's like to win a football match.
The Newcastle boss has overseen just two wins in his last 18 matches as a manager as his Derby and Newcastle teams have struggled to conjure up the winning formula. The Toon are without a win in the Premier League this season and any more stumbles this weekend will raise the temperature around St James' Park.
How do Stoke go about stopping rampant Riyad Mahrez? (Stoke v Leicester City, Saturday, 3.00)
The Leicester City winger has scored four goals and made two assists as the Foxes have made an unbeaten start to their campaign.
He'll take some stopping by the Stoke defence but even if he finds a way through he then has to muster up the skill to beat impressive Stoke goalkeeper Jack Butland, who has made a league-high 27 saves so far this season.
Who will blink first in the battle of the identical records? (Swansea v Everton, Saturday, 3.00)
Played five, won two, drawn two, lost one. That's the records of both Swansea and Everton coming into this game at the Liberty Stadium.
A win could catapult either team into the top four and although they won't admit it publically that is an area of the Premier League table that both clubs will have serious ambitions of challenging for.
Will more criticism fall at Brendan Rodgers door come Sunday evening? (Liverpool v Norwich, Sunday, 4.00)
Sky Sports pundits Jamie Carragher and Phil Thompson have both aimed criticism towards Brendan Rodgers this week. Carragher for Rodgers' tactical decisions in the defeat at Manchester United and Thompson for the team's overall performances in recent weeks.
Both have insisted he deserves more time to turn around the club's fortunes and he can do his cause some good with a victory over Norwich.
