Statistical preview to the Premier League, featuring Liverpool vs Everton, Chelsea vs Aston Villa and Arsenal vs Tottenham
The big games continue to pile up this weekend as the Merseyside and North London derbies steal the limelight on Saturday. WhoScored.com return to rattle off the stats of the top matches in the Premier League in game week six
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We start with the early kick-off on Saturday, where Merseyside rivals Liverpool and Everton do battle at Anfield after sluggish starts to the season for both sides. The Toffees in particular have struggled on the domestic front, crashing out of the Capital One Cup in midweek, which could yet prove to be a blessing.
No side have conceded more goals per game than Roberto Martinez's men in Europe's top 5 leagues this season (2.6). Everton played just 429 minutes of action before conceding their 13th goal, managing to go 1420 minutes before doing so in the previous campaign. It will be a relief, then, that Liverpool have struggled to mirror last season's fluid attacking football since the departure of Luis Suarez.
The Reds' shots per game average is currently sitting at 13.8, which is a significant drop from 17.1 in 2013/14. The potential return of Daniel Sturridge - who has scored 3 goals in the previous 2 meetings between the sides will certainly be a boost for the hosts, and Brendan Rodgers will hope to protect an impressive record in this fixture, having not lost a home game to the Toffees in the league since 1999.
Chelsea vs Aston Villa
Sandwiched in between this weekend's two high-profile derbies Chelsea will hope to keep their distance at the top of the Premier League with victory over Aston Villa. This match will no doubt serve as a form of revenge mission for Mourinho in particular, who was angered by decisions when the two met at Villa Park earlier in the year, with a 1-0 reverse seeing their title chances diminish ahead of the run in.
Where this fixture is concerned Villa tend to either put in a highly commendable performance or get absolutely blown away, and while they've picked up impressive results at Stamford Bridge the Midlands outfit have shipped a lorry-load of goals. Indeed, in the last 7 league meetings between the two sides in West London the hosts have struck 27 times, with Villa netting a noteworthy 12 in that spell themselves.
Although Christian Benteke is nearing a return to fitness this game is likely to come too soon for the Belgian, so in a game that we can expect goals the majority may well go to the home side. With 16 struck already this season, Costa and co. will want to get back to winning ways and stretch the gap between themselves and their opponents - who made a surprisingly strong start to the season - to 6 points.
Arsenal vs Tottenham
Much like the Merseyside derby earlier in the afternoon, these two London rivals will be hoping to really kickstart their respective campaigns with a victory this Saturday. Arsenal may be unbeaten in the league but three successive draws mean they sit just two points above their local rivals, who haven't won in three themselves in the top-flight.
Spurs' main problem came in such matches last season, particularly away from home, having lost all four away games against last season's top 4, conceding 15 and failing to score themselves. Arsenal have won each of the last 4 competitive matches against Tottenham at The Emirates, scoring 13 goals in the process.
With Mesut Ozil coming to life in the league meeting with Villa last weekend, the hosts will hope that he can combine with Danny Welbeck once again. Pochettino is yet to really convince the Spurs fans just yet, though it is of course early days, but a victory in the back yard of their fiercest rivals would undoubtedly be a sure fire way of getting the supporters on side.
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