EPL fans will be rejoicing as the competition returns this weekend after the international break.
The highlight fixture comes right off the bat, with the Red Devils traveling south to take on Eden Hazard and an undefeated Chelsea side.
There are also two heated derbies to get excited about.
Bournemouth host Southampton on the South Coast, and Tottenham take the short bus trip to the London Stadium to face West Ham.
Chelsea v Manchester United
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has been dominating the headlines of late, and that will only continue here.
The beleaguered coach will take his side down to Stamford Bridge, where he spent two successful spells as manager, that ultimately ended in an unceremonious parting of ways with Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich.
In fact, Abramovich sacked Mourinho, leading to the Portuguese walking-headline taking up his current position with Man U.
You can bet that he would love nothing more than securing a big win, and would surely have spent the entire international break formulating a game plan to get the job done.
This game plan will inevitably involve height, as it is the area where his players have a key advantage.
Unsurprisingly, Man U have played the most crosses (196) of any side this season. With the tall timber of Romelu Lukaku, Paul Pogba and Marouane Fellaini to aim at, this stat is no surprise.
How Chelsea deal with these balls into the box, and especially from set pieces, will go a long way towards deciding the outcome.
They no longer have the 199cm of Thibaut Courtois to rely on in goal, and new keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga will surely face a stern examination in the air.
If he, and the Blues' centrebacks can repel Man U's height, Chelsea are specials to win at home.
With Eden Hazard in blistering form since his impressive performance for Belgium at the World Cup, it's hard to see Chelsea failing to find the back of the net.
And with N'Golo Kante, Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic all playing well in the centre of the park, Chelsea only need to keep the ball on the turf to be winning.
While Man U will surely give it a red hot crack, the superior technical ability of the Blues should prove the difference.
Key EPL Stat
Manchester United have only kept 1 clean sheet in the EPL this season: Chelsea to score a goal @ $1.14
EPL Tip: Chelsea to win @ $1.70
Reasoning: The Blues under Sarri are looking formidable. They should prove too much for a stuttering Man U.
Bournemouth v Southampton
The South Coast derby sees neighbours and fierce rivals Bournemouth and Southampton battle for local bragging rights.
And in a turn of events, it is the minnows Bournemouth who will come in as favourites.
Historically, the Saints have dominated this fixture and region.
However, they have been on the slippery dip of late, and are in serious danger of dropping down to the Championship if Mark Hughes can't turn his side's fortunes around.
Because at the moment, it is looking like Southampton are finally starting to pay the toll for selling all of their best talent over the past decade.
But Saints fans don't despair, because you have the squad to avoid relegation.
Nathan Redmond, Ryan Bertrand and Danny Ings are all capable of producing game-winning moments, and they are the players who Southampton will turn to here.
The Cherries meanwhile have been tearing it up, and are coming off a 4-0 away win at Watford.
The speed and link-up play between Joshua King, Callum Wilson and Ryan Fraser has been devastating this season, and it's why Bournemouth have scored the 4th most goals in the league.
In a worrying sign for the Saints, the Cherries have also missed the 3rd most "big chances", meaning that they aren't just getting lucky with their goals.
Instead, Eddie Howe's men are creating chance after chance in attack.
This is remarkable from a club with one of the lowest budgets in the EPL, proving that a good manager makes all the difference.
In front of their home fans who will be baying for blood, Bournemouth look far too strong for the struggling Saints.
Key EPL Stat
Bournemouth have only won 1 of their last 10 matches against the Saints: Southampton to win or draw @ $1.80
EPL Tip: Bournemouth to win @ $2
Reasoning: Despite being historically outplayed in this fixture, the Cherries attack is looking too good not to get the three points.
West Ham v Tottenham Hotspur
The second derby of the week sees East and North London collide as the Hammers host the Spurs.
After a poor start to the season, West Ham started to show what they are capable of before the international break.
New signings Andriy Yarmolenko and Felipe Anderson are coming into their own, while Marko Arnautovic is flourishing in the lone number nine role.
They all played out of their skin in West Ham's last home game, the 3-1 defeat of Manchester United.
The Irons will draw plenty of confidence from this performance. Don't be surprised if they put another three past Spurs in this clash.
Plenty of Spurs fans consider West Ham as their bogey team, and the East Londoners have certainly got the better of them of late.
When they last met, Spurs' Son-Heung Min scored late to salvage a 1-1 draw, as the London sides traded goal of the year contenders.
Even though Tottenham have won six of their eight EPL games so far, they have looked far from convincing.
You can read this two ways. Either they have increased their ability to grind out results, and are ready to do the same. Or alternatively, Spurs have been lucky, and are due for a loss.
Tottenham also have plenty of injury concerns to deal with. Christian Eriksen, Dele Alli, Jan Vertonghen, Mousa Dembele and Danny Rose all look set to be sidelined for this clash.
Having failed to make a single signing in the transfer window, Tottenham's depth will be tested in this tough fixture.
Key EPL Stat
West Ham have won 3 of their last 6 matches against Spurs: West Ham to win @ $4
EPL Tip: West Ham to win or draw @ $1.95
Reasoning: This bet provides extra safety for a side who appear to have too much going for them.
Oct 19, 2018 07:01 PM
AAP
EPL Tip: Chelsea to win @ $1.70
