This preview sees Crystal Palace take on West Ham with the Hammers struggling both on and off the pitch. The first of the Sunday offerings sees Middlesbrough face Watford with both sides struggling prior to the International break. The final match sees Southampton take on Burnley with the Saints in excellent form and unbeaten in their last six matches.
Crystal Palace vs West Ham – Saturday 15th October 2016 – 17:30 - BT Sport 1
Crystal Palace welcome West Ham to Selhurst Park on Saturday evening, with both sides looking to register a win after the international break.
Alan Pardew's side come into this match on the back of a 1-1 draw against Everton, prior to the international break.
The match was decided by two Belgians, with Romelu Lukaku opening the scoring for the Toffee's in the 35th minute.
In form Christian Benteke equalised in the 50th minute, with the frontman key to Palace's revival.
Palace In Great Form
Crystal Palace had a tough start this season, having struggled for the vast majority of last season.
The signing of Christian Benteke has been key to Palace's rise up the table, with the Belgian proving to be an excellent signing.
Their record after the first two matches has been excellent, with three wins and two defeats in the Premier League.
They suffered a 2-0 defeat against Southampton in the EFL Cup, this has been their only negative result since the middle of August.
Eagles Favourites
Crystal Palace currently find themselves in 8th place, on 11 points after seven matches. It is a step in the right direction for Alan Pardew and his side.
Their three wins this season have come in their last four games against Middlesbrough, Stoke and Sunderland.
Their recent record against West Ham is mixed, in their last four matches they have won just the one game.
Crystal Palace are 11/10 with Christian Benteke at 4/1 to score
Second Season Syndrome
West Ham travel to Selhurst Park on the back of a 1-1 draw against Middlesbrough at the London Stadium.
It's a result that Slaven Bilic will be delighted with, their form this season has really suffered for a number of reasons.
The injuries to key strikers, the move to the new stadium and the crowd trouble have all combined to leave Slaven Bilic's side in turmoil as it stands.
The result could have made the situation far worse for West Ham, with Christian Stuani scoring Middlesbrough's opener in the 51st minute.
Bottom Three
Dimitri Payet proved to be the saviour for West Ham, equalising just six minutes later to give the Hammers a share of the spoils.
West Ham find themselves in the bottom three as it stands, with just four points from their opening seven games.
Three of those four points came in the win against Bournemouth in the second game of the season.
They have lost five of their opening seven games, with two of those defeats at their new home.
Hammers Underdogs
West Ham come into this match as underdogs, they will be looking to register only their second win of this new Premier League season.
This will be a tough fixture for West Ham, without the added pressure of playing at home they could flourish.
Slaven Bilic's side will be looking to continue their record against Crystal Palace, in 25 matches they have won 10, lost 8 and drawn 7.
West Ham are 12/5 with Michail Antonio at 13/2 to open the scoring.
Middlesbrough vs Watford – Sunday 16th October 2016 – 13:30 - Sky Sports 1
Middlesbrough welcome Watford to the Riverside on Sunday afternoon, with both sides looking to register a win after the international break.
Aitor Karanka's side come into this match on the back of a 1-1 draw against West Ham, prior to the international break.
Christian Stuani opened the scoring for Middlesbrough in the 51st minute, with the visitors more than deserving of the lead.
Dimitri Payet proved to be the saviour for West Ham, equalising just six minutes later to give the Hammers a share of the spoils.
Middlesbrough In Need of Wins
Middlesbrough have had a tough start this season, having struggled for wins despite a decent start and signings.
The signing of Alvaro Negredo looked to be an excellent signing, adding to what was an excellent side full of home grown players.
Their record after the first two matches was excellent, with a win and a draw but since then they have struggled to push on.
The draw against West Ham ended a run of three successive defeats, with Tottenham, Everton and Palace proving to be too much.
Boro Favourites
Middlesbrough currently find themselves in 16th place, on 6 points after seven matches. Not quite the start Karanka would have envisaged.
They will be looking to register the first win at the Riverside, with their only win coming in the local derby at the Stadium of Light against struggling Sunderland.
Their recent record against West Ham is poor, they have failed to win any of the last five meetings.
Middlesbrough are 5/4 with Jordan Rhodes and Alvaro Negredo at 5/1 to open the scoring.
Second Season Syndrome
Watford travel to the Riverside on the back of a 2-2 draw against Bournemouth at Vicarage Road.
It's a result that Walter Mazzarri will be delighted with, as they twice recovered from behind to register a vital home point.
He will be disappointed that they fell behind twice at home, against a side that they will have been confident of beating.
Goals from captain Troy Deeney (50) and Isaac Success Ajayi (65) cancelled out goals from Callum Wilson (31) and Joshua King (62).
Mid Table
Given the wins against Manchester United and West Ham, these types of games are ones that Watford will have targeted for maximum points.
The unpredictable nature of the Premier League has bitten Watford more than a few times, with a 2-0 defeat against Burnley evidence of that.
They have registered 8 points from their opening seven matches, with a mixed record of two wins, two draws and two defeats for the Hornets.
Given the vast managerial changes over the last few years, it's a miracle that Mazzarri has settled in with a decent enough record.
Hornets Underdogs
Watford come into this match as underdogs, they will be looking to register their third win of this new Premier League season.
This will be a tough fixture for Watford, they appear to have no trouble raising their game for the bigger opponents and will need to start winning against sides in and around them.
Walter Mazzarri's men will be looking to continue their record against Middlesbrough, in 20 matches they have won 8, lost 6 and drawn 6.
Watford are 23/10 with Troy Deeney at 6/1 to score first.
Southampton vs Burnley – Sunday 16th October 2016 – 16:00 - Sky Sports 1
Southampton welcome Burnley to Saint Mary's on Sunday afternoon, with both sides looking to register a win after the international break.
Claude Puel's side come into this match on the back of a 0-0 draw against Leicester, prior to the international break.
It was a match that Southampton will have been disappointed not to win, with the Saints dominating all of the statistics.
They enjoyed the better of the possession, registered more shots and more shots on target as a result.
Southampton In Excellent Form
Southampton have had an excellent start this season, despite struggling for wins during the first few games.
Much like Leicester the Saints have used their European adventures to kick-start their Premier League campaign.
Despite the added pressure of the games and the toll it will take on the players, they have risen to the challenge and thrived on it.
Their opening win in the Europa League against Sparta Praha has seen them go unbeaten, with no defeats in their last six.
Saints Favourites
Southampton currently find themselves in 10th place, on 9 points after seven matches. A decent enough start for Claude Puel, having never managed in the Premier League.
They will be looking to register their third win of the season, with three draws and two defeats as well.
Their recent record against Burnley is excellent, they have won three of their last four meetings.
Southampton are 2/5 with Charlie Austin at 100/30 to score first.
Burnley Managing
Burnley travel to the South Coast on the back of a narrow 1-0 defeat against Arsenal.
It's a result that Sean Dyche will have been devastated, Burnley more than held their own but succumbed to late pressure.
It took the Gunners until the 93rd minute to finally break the Claret defence, with Laurent Koscielny the unlikely match winner.
That consigned Burnley to three defeats in five Premier League matches but they have had an excellent start.
Unlucky Clarets
Burnley will target these types of matches for wins, although a win away at Southampton would be one of their best wins of the season.
The unpredictable nature of the Premier League has bitten Burnley more than a few times, with the defeat against Arsenal evidence of that.
They have beaten the likes of Liverpool and Watford this season, with both victories coming at Turf Moor.
Sean Dyche's men will need to start producing wins if not points on the road as well, especially if they are to survive.
Clarets Underdogs
Burnley come into this match as underdogs, they will be looking to register their third win of this new Premier League season.
This will be a tough fixture for Burnley, they will need to remain consistent if they are to achieve their aim of remaining in the Premier League.
Sean Dyche's men will be looking to better their record against Southampton, in 25 matches they have won 7, lost 9 and drawn 9.
Burnley are 8/1 with Sam Vokes at 12/1 to open the scoring.
Betting Tips
Tip 1 – Antonio to score first @ 13/2 and West Ham to win 2-1 @ 11/1
Tip 2 – Deeney to score first @ 6/1 and a 2-2 draw @ 14/1
Tip 3 - Austin to score first @ 100/30 and Southampton to win 2-1 @ 8/1