Barclays Premier League 2014/15 Fixtures, Saturday 18 October 2014

Seven Barclays Premier League 2014/15 fixtures are scheduled for the afternoon of Saturday 18 October 2014, including an exciting curtain raiser at Etihad Stadium, between Man City and Tottenham.

Only three points separate Manchester City (2nd) and Spurs (6th) who are on 14 and 11 points respectively in their hunt for a high Premier League finish. City might be holding champs, but Spurs have shown resilience and sharpness in front of goal to date this term. City have also looked a little lacking in lustre this season, too, so they’ll want to bring out their best at home to Tottenham or they face their visitors drawing level on points with them… and Chelsea (1st) pulling farther ahead at 3pm, when they face Crystal Palace (15th) away.

Also looking to end the day in the Champions League places are Arsenal (8th) who face a strong Hull City (11th) side who are just a point behind the Gunners. Hull are developing a resilient defence, marshalled from the centre by new signing Michael Dawson, and will be looking for some return from their long journey South. If they can pick up a result, Hull will push towards European places.

Also in the mix in the top half of the table, West Ham (7th) will visit a Burnley (19th) who are struggling currently to get to grips with the quality of the Premier League. The Hammers will be looking to consolidate their place in the top half of the table, and will be keen to maintain their hard work to stay as far away from the bottom three as possible. Burnley are badly in need of a win, as they could end up more than three points from safety without one.

Two teams who have looked better than their current league position would suggest are Aston Villa (10th) and Everton (17th) who face each other at Villa Park at 3pm on Saturday. The visitors, despite some good performances against top teams, could end the day in the bottom three without a win.

The pressure on Everton will be added to if Newcastle (18th) can pick up a home win over Leicester City (12th) at St James Park. There’s plenty to play for in this fixture, as boss Alan Pardew is in danger of seeing a full scale revolution in the North East if he cannot start to get performances from his players. The recently returned Papiss Cisse might prove the difference on Tyneside, as the Magpies have missed his talents in front of goal.

The remaining fixture sees third play thirteenth at St Marys, for Southampton v Sunderland.

Despite it being match week eight, there are only three points between Man Utd in fourth place and Stoke City in sixteenth in what is developing into one of the closest Premier League seasons in history – a win this weekend for any club may see them jump several places in the table.

Full fixture details for Saturday 18 October 2014 are below.