Manchester, England – Manchester United will be hoping to bounce back from its humiliating derby defeat last time out when it welcomes West Bromwich Albion to Old Trafford on Saturday.
The Red Devils fell to local rival Manchester City in a 4-1 loss at the Etihad on Sunday, their second league defeat of the early season. It was enough to drop United to eighth place in the English top flight as the club remains on seven points through its first five games.
A significant amount of criticism for manager David Moyes followed, but the Red Devils did well to respond to the disparagement of their boss by picking up a 1-0 victory over a first-choice Liverpool side in Capital One Cup action on Wednesday.
"It was a massive turnaround (from the weekend) and especially as there were a few players who have not played a lot of games," defender Chris Smalling told Sky Sports. "There was a lot of doubt after the weekend and we wanted to go out there and put on a performance.
"It was a big stage for us to go out there and the fans were really behind us - the noise they created was fantastic."
It was a particularly special occasion for Javier Hernandez. The Mexico international has found Premier League appearances hard to come by, but he made the most of a rare start on Wednesday, repaying Moyes' faith by losing his defender in the penalty area to turn in a corner kick from Wayne Rooney for the lone goal of the affair.
"I think sometimes in the box it's your movement so you can lose big defenders and markers," Moyes told the official Manchester United website. "I think (Chicharito) did that and he's done great - his movement in the box is terrific.
"It's real center-forward movement, and that is what Chicharito has always done for all his goals. Every time people talk about him, that's what people tell me. He's great in the box and he gets his goals that way."
United will need all the firepower it can muster against a West Brom side that has conceded just four goals through its first five league matches. The Baggies will be desperate to pick up a share of spoils against United as they have collected just five points despite their stout defensive record.
West Brom began the season with a four-game winless run but managed to pick up its first victory of the campaign with a resounding 3-0 defeat of Sunderland last time out.
The Black Cats, meanwhile, have been something of a mess this season. They sit at the bottom of the Premier League with just one point collected from their first five games, and to add insult to injury, manager Paolo Di Canio was sacked during the week. Sunderland will attempt to get on the right track when it welcomes Liverpool, which is winless in its last three contests across all competitions, to the Stadium of Light on Sunday.
Chelsea and Tottenham enter the weekend separated by just two points in the table. Former Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas has guided Tottenham to an impressive position out of the gates while Jose Mourinho has faced a wealth of criticism surrounding his constant exclusion of Juan Mata and subsequent run of disappointing results. The meeting of these former FC Porto prodigies makes their meeting at White Hart Lane on Saturday an intriguing one.
Arsenal comes into the weekend leading the Premier League on 12 points, eclipsing Tottenham for top spot on goal difference. The Gunners have won four straight after opening the season with a 3-1 loss to Aston Villa, a run that they will look to continue when they head to the Liberty Stadium to take on Swansea City.
Elsewhere on Saturday, Aston Villa welcomes Manchester City to Villa Park, Fulham hosts Cardiff City at Craven Cottage, Hull City takes on West Ham at the KC Stadium and Crystal Palace ventures to St. Mary's to face a surging Southampton side.
On Sunday, Stoke City will take on Norwich City at the Britannia while Monday's lone contests pits Newcastle United up against Everton, the Premier League's only remaining unbeaten team, at Goodison Park.
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