Another huge weekend of Premier League football returns with crunch matches at both ends of the table, increasing pressure growing on managers and stars hitting form.
Ipswich vs Nottingham Forest – 8pm Friday
This weekend’s Premier League action gets underway on Friday night with The Tractor Boys welcoming an out-of-form Nottingham Forest to Portman Road. Ipswich have made an impressive return to the top-flight sitting comfortably in 10th place with three wins from their opening seven matches. In their previous outing they were narrowly defeated 3-2 by Manchester City, the only team to still boast a 100% record in the league. Ipswich underwent a major squad overhaul over the summer, bringing in 23 new signings, and so far, the changes appear to be paying off for Gary O’Neil’s side.
Nottingham Forest’s start to the season has been quite the opposite. One win in seven matches is their second worst start to a Premier League season, and pressure is already increasing on newly appointed manager Oliver Glasner. Forest showed glimpses of hope against Champions Arsenal last week, however they were unable to hold on to a point with Noni Madueke scoring in the 80th minute to hand the Gunners the points.
Glasner’s side will be boosted by the return of captain Morgan Gibbs-White. The Forest star missed their previous match against Arsenal due to an injury picked up against Crystal Palace the week before. No English player has scored more Premier League goals in 2026 than Gibbs-White (13).
In the head to head, Forest lead with 11 wins to Ipswich’s four, with six draws. In their previous meeting Forest came out 4-2 winners in March 2025 and are unbeaten in this fixture since 2017.
Prediction – Ipswich 2-1 Nottingham Forest
Aston Villa vs Manchester City – 12:30pm Saturday
Two sides that won in the Champions League in midweek will entertain the early kick off spot on Saturday. After a dismal start to the season, Aston Villa have had a huge upturn in form, with one defeat in their last nine matches. Unai Emery’s men have had an excellent start to their Champions League campaign winning their first three games. Summer arrivals Johan Manzambi and Nicholas Jackson have been a revelation in Emery’s side producing eight goals and two assists between them, however Manzambi is a fitness doubt after missing Villa’s 3-1 win over Viking on Wednesday.
As of this gameweek, Manchester City are the team to beat. City have had an incredible start to their post-Pep era sitting top of the league. Manager Enzo Maresca is the first ever manager to win his first seven Premier League matches at a new club. Goals have been flying in for City this season with the side averaging 2.71 goals per match, only Brighton are averaging higher with 3.3 per match. Erling Haaland already has 12 goals to his name, netting in six of City’s seven games. However, Haaland has not scored in his last four appearances against Villa.
The Citizens have lost their last two Premier League matches to Villa, with their previous match ending 2-1 and it was Pep Guardiola’s last match for City.
Villa are also unbeaten in their last three top-flight home games against sides starting the day top of the table, beating Arsenal 1-0 in December 2023 and 2-1 in December 2025, and drawing 2-2 with Liverpool in February 2025.
Prediction – Aston Villa 1-3 Manchester City
Arsenal vs Everton – 3pm Saturday
The Champions host David Moyes’ Everton side who have enjoyed an encouraging start to the season. Arsenal, who sit in second place, entertained a 2-2 draw against Bayern Munich in midweek in the Champions League. Unfortunately for the Gunners, Bukayo Saka limped off in the 10th minute with what appeared to be a quad injury. Post match, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta told reporters “It doesn’t look good at all, but we have to wait and see”.
The Champions are currently suffering an injury crisis, with William Saliba, Piero Hincapié, Christos Tzolis and now Saka all sidelined. How they will overcome this will decide whether they are capable of challenging for the title, with questions already asked before the season regarding their lack of squad depth.
Everton were handed their first defeat of the season to an impressive Chelsea side last Saturday. Moyes’ side have kept five clean sheets in all competitions this season, with three coming in the league, however they will be thoroughly tested against an Arsenal side who have won all four home matches this season, scoring 10 and conceding just twice.
Everton have won just one of their 30 away league matches against Arsenal. In the previous meeting between the sides, Arsenal were pushed all the way however late goals by Viktor Gyokeres and Max Dowman were enough for a crucial three points on their way to the title.
Prediction – Arsenal 3-0 Everton
Coventry vs Fulham – 3pm Saturday
In potentially an early relegation six-pointer, Frank Lampard’s Coventry take on Fulham at the CBS Arena. The sides sit 17th and 18th respectively, with a win for either being pivotal this early in the season.
Last season’s Championship winners struggled to find their feet in the early stages of the season. Lampard’s side lost their first four matches in the league however they picked up crucial wins away at Nottingham Forest and at home to Newcastle. They return back to their home after a 3-1 loss to Tottenham on Monday night, but will remain confident that their upturn in form will help them against fellow strugglers Fulham. Jack Rudoni has been impressive in recent weeks for The Sky Blues, netting in his last two appearances.
The Cottagers, who are also enduring a fresh start under Alvaro Arbeloa, will know that recent performances will have to improve if they are to stay in the Premier League.
Fulham’s away form shows worrying reading for fans having not won one of their previous eight. Last time out they picked up their first win of the season producing an encouraging performance against Hull City to win 1-0.
19-year old Josh King has been a shining star in Fulham’s side this season, with two league goals to his name. He has made 48 touches in the opposition box, more than any Premier League player this season, proving his ability in the final third.
Both sides last met in the 2021/22 Championship season with Coventry coming out on top on both occasions.
Prediction – Coventry 1-1 Fulham
Chelsea vs Tottenham 5:30pm Saturday
The standout match of this gameweek is a huge London derby between two sides with contrasting starts to the season. Chelsea’s free-scoring attack has helped them climb to fourth in the table. The lethal trio of Joao Pedro, Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers have been on fire this season with 18 goals and assists between them. However, their defence has shown worrying signs for them. Last week’s 2-0 win against Everton was their first clean sheet of the season. They have let in 13 goals in seven matches, only five teams have conceded more. With Chelsea without their starting goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez who is expected to be sidelined for a couple of months after a broken jaw against Everton, they will have to rely on 21-year old Belgian, Mike Penders.
Spurs have had quite the opposite start to the season. Sitting in 16th place, things began looking like a repeat of last season. Without a goal in their first four matches and abysmal performances against Brentford and Newcastle, worrying signs were appearing for fans.
However, since the international break, their performances have improved. A 1-1 draw away at Manchester United perhaps should have been three points after a dominating performance. They earned their first win of the season on Monday night, beating Coventry 3-1. Three well taken goals from James Maddison, Omar Marmoush and Ben Davies rounded off a good night for Spurs, who welcomed back star winger Dejan Kulusevski after 526 days due to a long term injury. After spending around £340 million in the summer, it finally looks like Roberto Di Zerbi is getting the performances out of his players.
Spurs, though, have lost each of their last six London derbies in the Premier League. In their entire league history, they have never lost seven derby games in a row. Chelsea have won each of their last six Premier League matches against Spurs, which is their joint-longest ever winning streak against them.
Prediction – Chelsea 3-1 Tottenham
Crystal Palace vs Newcastle – 2pm Sunday
A disjointed Newcastle side head to the capital as they face Crystal Palace on Sunday. Palace have had a tough couple of weeks juggling Thursday night Europa League with Premier League fixtures, a problem they struggled to overcome last season. During the 2025/26 season, the south-London side failed to win six of their first seven Premier League matches following European fixtures. Potentially an issue with squad depth or fitness, this is an issue that manager Pierre Sage will have to find a solution to if his side are to compete in the Premier League.
Last week’s derby-day defeat to Brighton was sobering. Jaydee Convot headed into his own net after only four minutes, which opened the floodgates. Only minutes later, Deigo Gómez and Yasin Ayari scored to put The Seagulls out of reach after 10 minutes. Brighton won 5-0 and it could and probably should have been more.
Sage and Palace will be pleased to see the return of their club captain Dean Henderson, who is second for most saves per match this season, for Sunday’s clash. He has missed The Eagles last three matches.
After what was a positive start to life after Eddie Howe, Matthias Jaissle and his Newcastle side have recently been poor. One win in five league games has seen The Magpies fall down the table. Losing key players including Anthony Gordon, Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali in the summer has obviously had an impact on the side but recruitment over the summer wasn’t good enough. Players who were brought in for lots of money over past seasons including Yoane Wissa and Anthony Elanga have not been performing to their standard.
In a match-up of two teams who are off-form, it could produce an exciting game with goals. Palace have conceded 17 goals in their opening seven Premier League games the most at this stage since 1980-81. Newcastle have won just one of their last 10 matches at Selhurst Park, with their previous meeting finishing 2-1 to Palace back in April. Can Palace finally break their European – Premier League curse?
Prediction – Crystal Palace 2-1 Newcastle
Hull vs Brentford – 2pm Sunday
Brentford visit Hull for their first ever Premier League clash. Keith Andrews’ Brentford side suffered their first defeat of the season last week to Liverpool, however they have been impressive across their first seven games. Likewise, last season’s Championship Play-off winners Hull have been a fantastic addition to the Premier League. Hull have picked up points against Chelsea and Aston Villa as well as beating Manchester United on their return to the top flight of English football.
The Tigers were tipped by many to struggle this season and were the bookmakers favourites for relegation, however picking up nine points sits them comfortably in ninth place. Algerian international Mohamed Belloumi has been a standout player in orange and black so far, finding the net on three occasions and assisting twice.
Visitors Brentford have been in fine form this season, with standout 3-0 victories against both Tottenham and Chelsea highlighting their attacking threat. Last season’s second highest goalscorer Igor Thiago hasn’t yet hit his heights of last season with only one goal in seven however he has six goals in his last six Premier League games against newly promoted clubs, so could this be the game that kickstarts his season?
Keith Andrews will be without both Yehor Yarmoliuk and Vitaly Janelt and they were both sent off in the defeat to Liverpool last week, the first time two players from the same side were sent off since April 2025 when Eddie Nketiah and Marc Geuhi were both sent off against Brighton for Crystal Palace.
Despite Hull’s promising start to the season, they are winless in six matches and have conceded in each of their last five. Brentford are unbeaten in five away matches scoring 13 goals. The previous meeting between the sides ended 5-1 to Brentford in 2020.
Prediction – Hull 1-3 Brentford
Liverpool vs Brighton – 2pm Sunday
In one of the eye-catching matches of gameweek eight, high-flying Brighton travel to Anfield to play Liverpool. Brighton are currently enjoying their best ever start to a Premier League season, however face a tough task against a re-ignited Liverpool side.
The Reds produced a comeback win over Villarreal in the Champions League on Tuesday after going 2-0 down after half an hour. A double from Alexis Mac Allister as well as goals from Ronald Araujo and Florian Wirtz saw Liverpool edge out 4-3 winners. The Reds only league defeat came when Manchester City scored three second half goals to stun Anfield. Alexander Isak’s presence has been massively important for Liverpool after spending most of last season out injured with a broken leg. He has already bettered his goalscoring tally from last season with five goals all coming in the league. Florian Wirtz also appears to be finding his feet in a Liverpool shirt after a poor first season, all signs that manager Andoni Iraola is creating a side capable of challenging at the top.
Fabian Hurzeler has created a Brighton team that is more than capable of challenging the top teams in the league. His side have scored more goals (23) than any other team this season and have the most clean sheets (5). Sitting third in the table, The Seagulls have only lost once. They beat the Champions Arsenal with ease last month as well as picking up big wins against Aston Villa and Crystal Palace. They have had the most different goalscorers with 11, two more than any other team, proving that their goals are coming from all over the pitch rather than relying on one or two players. Pascal Grob has been Brighton’s standout player so far. The 35-year old German has the most goals and assists (7) for a midfielder.
Brighton have found it tough in recent seasons at Anfield, winning just once in 11 visits. However Liverpool’s home form has been poor this season with no wins in three matches. In the last meeting between the sides, a Danny Welbeck double was enough to give Brighton a 2-1 win.
Prediction – Liverpool 2-2 Brighton
Manchester United vs Bournemouth 2pm Sunday
Manchester United manager Michael Carrick will be desperate for his side to pick up the three points against a tricky Bournemouth side on Sunday. The Red Devils are currently on their longest winless run since 2015 as pressure is ramping up on Carrick after a dismal performance in midweek against Como.
United looked out of place on Wednesday against a Como side managed by Cesc Fabregas. The Serie A side lead 4-0 before a last minute consolation goal by Joshua Zirkzee. Meanwhile Bournemouth had arguably their biggest European night on Thursday, dispatching seven-time Champions League winners AC Milan 3-0 in the Europa League.
Things don’t look to be getting any better for Manchester United, with captain Bruno Fernandes questioning the manager’s tactics after the defeat in midweek. One win in their first seven league games is their fewest since 1986/87. Carrick’s side are having issues all over the pitch. The 20-time Premier League Champions are yet to keep a clean sheet and have scored just four times in their last five matches. Injuries are hugely affecting Carrick’s team selections with eight first team players unavailable.
United’s opponents Bournemouth have also struggled at the beginning of the season picking up just one win. However they are on a three match winning streak in all competitions, with three consecutive clean sheets. Striker Evanilson has had a strong start to the season for The Cherries netting on three occasions and assisting four goals.
The sides entertained two thrilling draws last season when they met with 12 goals across both games, including a 4-4 draw last December at Old Trafford.
Prediction – Manchester United 2-2 Bournemouth
Sunderland vs Leeds – 4:30pm Sunday
To round off gameweek eight, Sunderland welcome Leeds to the Stadium of Light. After a mighty impressive return to the Premier League last season, Sunderland have had a taste of second season syndrome. Four successive league defeats see them sat at the bottom of the pile staring down the barrel of relegation.
They have started their Europa League campaign in impressive form with two wins and a draw in their opening three matches, however haven’t been able to replicate that form in the league. They have conceded 12 goals in their last five league matches, with their most recent loss against Bournemouth the worst yet. Despite only losing 2-0, they showed no fight and never looked like scoring. It didn’t help when summer arrival Kevin Danso was straight red carded in the 17th minute for a last man challenge on Evanilson.
Leeds however have had an excellent start to the season. Currently sitting 7th in the Premier League with 10 points from seven matches, the Whites boast one of the tightest defenses in the league with only six goals conceded. Leeds’ only defeat fell to Arsenal where they took the lead through James Justin. Dominic Calvert-Lewin is enjoying another strong season for the Whites having scored four goals already.
The head to head is even in the last 10 years with both sides winning on three occasions and the remaining ending a draw. In the last meeting between the two sides Sunderland’s second half winner through Habib Diarra was enough to give them a 1-0 win away from home.
Prediction – Sunderland 1-1 Leeds
