There’s one fixture that sticks out as the clear highlight of this round of the Premier League, though the teams on both sides of the Manchester Derby probably thought they’d be doing a bit better by this point in the season.
Premier League schedule, scores and results from Week 10
On Sunday, City edged ten-man United in the season’s first edition of the Manchester Derby.
Manchester City are still very much within striking distance of Chelsea at the top, but they've had two bad games in a row, losing to West Ham United in the league and Newcastle United in the League Cup. Manchester United, meanwhile, have drawn their last two in a row. They disappointed against West Bromwich Albion two weeks ago, then needed a late miracle to take a point off Chelsea.
Elsewhere, the aforementioned Blues should record a win at home against Queens Park Rangers, and the same goes for Arsenal at home against Burnley. Both of the current surprise members of the top four face tough away tests -- Southampton go to Hull, while West Ham are away to Stoke.
Newcastle United vs. Liverpool
Saturday, 8:45 a.m. ET. TV: NBCSN (U.S.), Sportsnet Regional (Canada), BT Sport 1 (U.K.)
Liverpool's 0-0 draw against Hull was disappointing, but they're slowly creeping up the table and came from behind to win in the cup midweek, with Mario Balotelli scoring his first domestic goal. But Newcastle are strangely not looking like an embarrassment anymore, having won two in a row against Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City.
Predicting when either of these teams is going to play well or melt down is seemingly impossible, so we’re going to avoid predictions and just enjoy the show.
Chelsea vs. Queens Park Rangers
Saturday, 11 a.m. ET. TV: NBCSN (U.S.), Sportsnet regional (Canada)
Hey, QPR beat Aston Villa last week, and deservedly so! That’s cool! Winning away to Chelsea might be a bit harder. The Blues are undefeated, and their only two draws are against top teams in games where they looked superior for almost the entire duration. They shouldn’t have an issue with QPR.
Manchester City vs. Manchester United
Sunday, 8:30 a.m. ET. TV: NBCSN (U.S.), TSN1 (Canada), Sky Sports 1 (U.K.)
Gone are the days of the epic title-deciding battles between these two sides that rivaled Spain’s Clásico in importance, quality of play and atmosphere. United are still finding their footing under Louis van Gaal, with their plethora of new signings still trying to work out how to play together. But things aren’t all rosy on the blue side of Manchester either -- the Citizens have lost two in a row at home in all competitions.
This edition of the derby won't include Radamel Falcao or David Silva, who both picked up injuries this week, but at least Wayne Rooney passed fit and should partner Robin van Persie up top for United.
Aston Villa vs. Tottenham Hotspur
Sunday, 11 a.m. ET. TV: NBCSN (U.S.), TSN2 (Canada), Sky Sports 1 (U.K.)
These two teams are both in serious need of a win, which is why this game will probably end in a horribly disappointing draw. Aston Villa's scoring record is downright offensive, while Spurs would find a way to let in a silly goal against a pub team at the moment. The easily stoppable force meats the easily moved object. Who's going to prevail?
Monday, 3 p.m. ET. TV: NBCSN (U.S.), Sportsnet World (Canada), Sky Sports 1 (U.K.)
Out of an apparent need to make sure that everyone gets some TV time, the scheduling gods have handed us this match. Both sides are right in the relegation mix, and no result in this game is going to change that for either team. They should be in the bottom six or seven for the entirety of the year.
Week 10 schedule and results (all times ET, scores will be updated as they come in)
Newcastle United 1-0 Liverpool - Full match report here
Arsenal 3-0 Burnley - Full match report here
Chelsea 2-1 Queens Park Rangers - Full match report here
Everton 0-0 Swansea City
Hull City 0-1 Southampton
Leicester City 0-1 West Bromwich Albion
Stoke City 2-2 West Ham United
Manchester City 1-0 Manchester United - Full match report here
Aston Villa 1-2 Tottenham Hotspur - Full match report here
Crystal Palace 1-3 Sunderland - Full match report here
See More:
