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Premier League questions: Zlatan to get back among goals? Man City to rediscover winning touch?

Zlatan Ibrahimovic in action at Old Trafford
Image: Can Zlatan Ibrahimovic end his barren scoring run in the Premier League this weekend?

After a week of EFL Cup action, the Premier League returns this weekend with plenty of tasty ties taking place across the country.

Sky Sports is again at the heart of the action and we kick off on Saturday lunchtime as winless Sunderland welcome Arsenal, live on Sky Sports 1 HD, before Jeff Stelling and the Soccer Saturday pundits take you through the 3pm fixtures, which includes Tottenham hosting champions Leicester and Manchester United welcoming Burnley, before Liverpool travel to Crystal Palace in the evening fixture. 

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Nissan Super Sunday serves up two crackers as Everton host West Ham before Chelsea travel to Southampton, with Stoke v Swansea rounding off the weekend live on Monday Night Football. 

Here's a look at 10 key talking points ahead of the weekend's action...

Will Sunderland finally get three points on the board? (Sunderland v Arsenal - Saturday, 12.30pm, live on Sky Sports 1HD)

It has been a torrid time for David Moyes at Sunderland so far. The former Manchester United boss is yet to win with his new side in the Premier League, with the Black Cats currently sitting rock bottom of the table with two points from nine games.

Sunderland were narrowly beaten by West Ham last weekend and Southampton in the midweek EFL Cup fixture while Arsenal were held to a 0-0 draw by Middlesbrough last weekend. 

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Watch match highlights of Arsenal 0-0 Middlesbrough

However, the Gunners are unbeaten in all competitions since the opening day loss to Liverpool, while Sunderland have not been able to beat their north London opponents in the top flight since a 1-0 home win in November 2009.

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Will Zlatan Ibrahimovic get back among the goals this weekend? (Manchester United v Burnley - Saturday, 3pm)

It has been a fairly successful start for Zlatan Ibrahimvoic since his move to Manchester United, netting five goals in his opening five games including four in the Premier League.

Zlatan's big misses
Zlatan's big misses

Ibrahimovic has escaped much of the criticism at United but the misses are now totting up.

But the 35-year-old is currently on an uncharacteristicly barren run, going five league games without scoring for the first time since September 2010. He last went longer without a goal with Inter Milan in December 2007 (six games).

Ibrahimovic will certainly be wanting to rectify this against a Burnley side who have lost each of their three away games this season, shipping three goals in each match.

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Watch match highlights of Burnley 2-1 Everton

United are also unbeaten in their last 12 home league fixtures against the Clarets, and will be hoping to take momentum from their EFL Cup victory over local rivals Man City into the Premier League this weekend. 

Who will win the emerge victorious from this Premier League first? (Middlesbrough v Bournemouth - Saturday, 3pm)

Middlesbrough and Bournemouth have met 15 times before in competitive matches, but Saturday will see their first ever meeting in English football's top tier. 

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Watch match highlights of Bournemouth 0-0 Tottenham

Boro have not registered a victory over their south coast opponents since a 2-1 League Cup win in October 1991, while the Cherries won their last meeting in the Sky Bet Championship along with three draws during their time in the division. 

The two sides have certainly begun the Premier League season with differing form. Middlesbrough have picked up just one win, while Bournemouth are unbeaten in their last four games, with three victories so far. 

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Will Spurs get back to winning ways against the champions? (Tottenham v Leicester - Saturday, 3pm)

Tottenham made a great start to the new season, but recent results have dipped with Mauricio Pochettino's men suffering their first domestic defeat of the term against Liverpool in the EFL Cup after two successive league draws.

But they still sit in a tight top five - one point off top spot - and remain unbeaten in the Premier League, with Leicester picking up their first win in three top flight games against Crystal Palace last weekend. 

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Watch match highlights of Leicester 3-1 Crystal Palace

The Foxes are currently 12th in the Premier League table, eight points behind their opponents on Saturday, with the two sides having played each other four times last season.

There was little to separate the sides with two draws - once in the league and another in the FA Cup - before Leicester emerged victorious in the meeting at White Hart Lane in the Premier League before Spurs won the cup replay at the King Power a week later. 

Will Troy Deeney reach his century against the Tigers? (Watford v Hull - Saturday, 3pm)

Watford's Troy Deeney
Image: Watford skipper Troy Deeney could reach 100 goals for the club this weekend

This meeting will be another fixture that will be played for the first time in the Premier League this weekend, and Troy Deeney could net his 100th goal for Watford in all competitions.

Only Luther Blissett, Tommy Barnett, Ross Jenkins and Cliff Holton have previously reached the century for the club and the signs are pointing towards a century on Saturday.

The Hornets skipper has already scored three times this season - all in the Premier League - to take his total to 99 and has also netted in the last three games he has played against Hull. 

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Watch match highlights of Swansea 0-0 Watford

Add this to a run of bad form for the Tigers, who have lost each of their last five league fixtures and conceded at least five goals in their last two away games, and Deeney will be eyeing the milestone on Saturday afternoon.

Can Pep Guardiola rediscover his winning touch? (West Brom v Man City - Saturday, 3pm)

It's been a strange few weeks for Pep Guardiola. After winning ten consecutive games in all competitions, Manchester City have failed to win any of the last six. 

Pep Guardiola
Image: Pep Guardiola has seen his Man City side go without a win for the last six games in all competitions

This includes two draws and a loss in the Premier League, as well as a Manchester derby defeat to Manchester United in the EFL Cup on Wednesday evening with the run the longest the Spaniard has ever gone without winning with any club he has managed.

However, City haven't lost a league game against West Brom since December 2008 - suffering a 2-1 defeat at the Hawthorns - while the Baggies have similarly failed to win any of their last four fixtures in the Premier League. 

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Watch match highlights of Man City 1-1 Southampton

Will Christian Benteke come back to haunt Liverpool? (Crystal Palace v Liverpool - Saturday, 5.30pm)

Liverpool are on a hot streak at the moment. They are sitting in the top three of the Premier League, only behind Arsenal and Manchester City on goal difference, and are unbeaten in their last ten games in all competitions. 

They will also come up against Christian Benteke for the first time since his summer move from the Reds to Crystal Palace - the Belgium international has netted three times for the Eagles so far this season. 

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Watch match highlights of Liverpool 2-1 West Brom

Expect some goals at Selhurst Park with neither side have a particularly solid defence, with Palace failing to keep a clean sheet in their last 14 Premier League games and Liverpool failing to shut out the opposition in their last 10 away league games.

Will Romelu Lukaku make it seven in a row against West Ham? (Everton v West Ham - Nissan Super Sunday, 1.30pm)

Everton's Romelu Lukaku celebrates scoring his side's third goal of the game v Middlesbrough during the Premier League match at Goodison Park, Liverpool
Image: Everton striker Romelu Lukaku has a good history of scoring against West Ham

Romelu Lukaku could get Nissan Super Sunday off to a flying start as he faces his favourite team to score against in West Ham.

The Belgium international has netted eight times in ten games against the Hammers in all competitions - the most he has scored against a single opponent since moving to English shores - and will potentially join an illustrious group this weekend. 

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The Belgian striker has registered goals in his last six Premier League games against the east Londoners and could become only the third player to score in seven successive league games against the same club after Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink - also against West Ham - and Robin van Persie against Stoke, who managed to do so eight times. 

Everton could use a victory this weekend having failed to win in their last four Premier League outings, while the Hammers are starting to find their form having won their last two games and knocked Chelsea out of the EFL Cup on Wednesday night. 

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Watch match highlights of West Ham 1-0 Sunderland

Who comes out on top in the battle of defence versus attack? (Southampton v Chelsea - Nissan Super Sunday, 4pm)

It will be a battle of wills when Southampton welcome Chelsea to St Mary's on Nissan Super Sunday, as the Premier League's joint-second best defence faces the joint-second best attack.

The Saints have conceded just eight goals in nine games so far this season - half of which have come from the penalty spot - which is level with Everton and only behind Tottenham (four).

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Watch match highlights of Chelsea 4-0 Man Utd

On the opposite end, Chelsea have netted 19 times so far this season - including seven in their last two Premier League outings - which is the same as Arsenal and one goal behind Liverpool and Man City (20). 

Both sides are also enjoying good league form to set up a very tasty tie on Sky Sports this weekend. 

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Will the Potters continue their winning streak? (Stoke v Swansea - Monday Night Football, 8pm)

Stoke have made a slow start to the Premier League season, but have finally hit their stride with two consecutive 2-0 victories and four unbeaten games in the top flight. 

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Watch match highlights of Hull 0 - 2 Stoke

Joe Allen and Xherdan Shaqiri have been the stars of the show over the last few weeks as the Potters begin to pull away from the relegation zone where Swansea still sit in 19th place. 

Stoke have also never lost at home to the Swans in the Premier League (W3 D2), with Bob Bradley still searching for his first victory since taking over as manager a few weeks ago.

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