Gameweek 6 is rounded off with a pair of tea-time encounters. Liverpool host Norwich City in the wake of successive defeats, while Southampton duke it out with Manchester United at St Mary’s Stadium.
Only Newcastle (two) have tallied fewer goals than the Reds (three) this campaign, yet the Canaries’ visit could be the perfect antidote for their impotence, given that they’ve rattled 21 goals past the Norfolk outfit in their past five meetings – albeit largely due to the influence of the departed Luis Suarez. At the back, Liverpool have shipped six goals in their previous two outings so need to turn out a diligence performance at Anfield to renew our confidence in their defensive recruits.
Norwich rank in the top four with regards to goals (eight) and big chances (11) this season, illustrating the budget potential of their attacking assets. Alex Neil will be keen to tighten up at the back, however, considering that his charges place joint-third for goals conceded (nine) and joint-fourth for big chances conceded (nine). The fact that Norwich are yet to register a clean sheet will serve as motivation for Liverpool’s misfiring forward line.
Southampton go into the meeting with United desperate for three points having recorded just two wins in their last eleven league outings. Goals are the main issue for Ronald Koeman’s men having blanked in the last four: the Saints have converted just 6% of their on their attempts on goal. Defensively, however, Southampton are in the ascendency, having claimed three consecutive shut-outs – only Man City have allowed fewer shots in the box than Koeman’s defence thus far.
Manchester United will need to find a cutting edge to break the Saints’ resistance, having found three goals against Liverpool last weekend to double their league tally. Louis van Gaal’s side have dominated possession in matches, without carving out gilt-edged opportunities. Indeed, with just five big chances to their name, only West Brom and Newcastle have proved less potent in that respect.
