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The last round of matches before an international break is highlighted by three matches. The new-look West Ham faces its stiffest test to date when Man City visit for a late Saturday kick-off. Newcastle and Spurs have both dropped points already and will be desperate for all three when they meet at St James’ Park on Sunday. Round 3 finishes with one of the oldest and fiercest rivalries in the English game: Man Utd v Liverpool.
The table has a familiar feel even at this early stage. The three teams that head the betting, Man City, Arsenal and Liverpool, have won 2/2, collectively scoring 14 and conceding just one. Brighton joins them at the top following a late winner at home to Man U last weekend.
At the other end it is another poor start for promoted sides, picking up only one point from a possible 18 between them. To be fair to Ipswich, Man City and Liverpool is a brutal baptism! Everton looks to be in for a long season – at this stage the Toffees and the three that came up this season look to have the relegation battle between them.
ARSENAL v BRIGHTON
History: Arsenal completed the double over Brighton last season without conceding. Strangely though, prior to that, the Seagulls had won three in a row in all competitions at the Emirates.
Form: Two of the four teams with maximum points collide.
Arsenal eventually overcame Villa away last weekend, but the hosts blew some serious chances, and it was three points stolen. It might be a measure of how the Gunners have grown in 24/25; they won a game they probably wouldn't have in the past couple of campaigns.
Brighton was the better side and deserved the win over Man U in atrocious conditions on the south coast last Saturday. Mitoma was kept quite but played a part when it counted. The Seagulls look to be in for a strong season.
Overview: Arsenal has won 30 of its last 38 home games in the league. They are defensively rock solid and have the capacity to stifle the Brighton passing game. A good test for both teams to see how they are travelling.
Prediction: Arsenal win.
BRENTFORD v SOUTHAMPTON
History: These sides met for two seasons in the Premier League before Southampton's relegation in 22/23. Brentford won three and the Saints one. Both matches at the Gtech resulted in 3-0 wins to the home side.
Form: After a somewhat lucky win at home to kick things off, Brentford was a long way off the pace at Anfield last weekend and were lucky to come away with only a 2-0 defeat. The Toney saga looks to be over, so the Wissa/Mbeumo combination is their way forward.
Southampton has suffered a couple of 1-0 defeats in a sobering reintroduction to the top-flight. Curiously they have dominated long passages in both games. However, 78% possession against Newcastle for four shots on target then 65% possession against Forest for just one shot on target tells the story. Eight new players lined up at home last weekend; they may need more time.
Overview: The Bees were uncharacteristically brittle at home last season, winning just five games and conceding three or more goals on five occasions. They need to find the form that saw them dispose of Palace first-up and, if so, should get away with this.
Prediction: Brentford win.
EVERTON v BOURNEMOUTH
History: Everton registered its biggest win of the last campaign in this corresponding fixture, a 3-0 whitewash in October 2023. There have been seven meetings at Goodison in the EPL era, the home side winning six times and Bournemouth grabbing its sole win in the Covid season.
Form: The 24/25 campaign has started in much the same way as 23/24 for the Toffees – two losses and no goals scored. Defensively they were shambolic at times against Spurs. With little firepower up front a solid rearguard is needed to keep them from relegation and potential financial catastrophe with a new stadium to pay for.
Two draws is a better start for Bournemouth than last season. A late winner against Newcastle at home was controversially chalked off by VAR. It would have given them the result they deserved – Solanke's replacement Evanilson missed some chances his predecessor probably gets. It looks like a solid mid-table season for the underrated Cherries.
Overview: We have seen nothing in the first two rounds to suggest Everton can feel confident against any opposition. Bournemouth plays an aggressive style of football that will pile further pressure on Dyche's side, and a potentially hostile home crowd.
Prediction: Bournemouth win.
IPSWICH v FULHAM
History: This is just the second season that both teams have been in the Premier League, the first coming in 01/02. The last six clashes have been in the Championship and League Cup, and Fulham has won them all.
Form: Ipswich scored an early counter-attacking goal at the Etihad which only rattled the City cage and evoked a rapid-fire three-goal response. This will be a welcomed change of pace for the Tractor Boys who had Liverpool to deal with on opening day.
Fulham dominated and deserved their win over Leicester last weekend. Two former Gunners in Iwobi and Smith-Rowe scored the goals after some excellent early chances were missed by Muniz and Tete. It was only a one-goal win in the end, but the Cottagers superiority belied the scoreline.
Overview: Fulham outclassed a newly promoted side last weekend, albeit at home, and can do the same here. Indeed, when these side met at Portman Road in an FA Cup tie back in January Fulham was far too good in a 3-1 win.
Prediction: Fulham win.
LEICESTER v ASTON VILLA
History: A real mixed bag of results. The last time a side won two or more consecutive games in this match-up was a hat trick by Leicester in 1996/97. In the Premier League era there have been 28 meetings, Leicester winning 11, Villa seven, and ten draws.
Form: Leicester was good value in getting a point at home against Spurs on opening day but were not as impressive on the road at Fulham last weekend and were outclassed. There is plenty of Premier League experience in this squad, but it can be argued they are not as strong as the side relegated in 22/23.
Villa was far too good for West Ham away before suffering a 2-0 defeat at home to Arsenal last weekend. The two goals came midway through the second half after Villa had a few great chances to take the lead. Arsenal keeper David Raya was man of the match, which tells a story.
Overview: Leicester showed against Tottenham that they can test the good sides at home. However, I suspect Villa is a better outfit than Spurs at the moment. They have so much aggression going forward, Rogers has been highly impressive, and should be too good for the hosts.
Prediction: Aston Villa win.
NOTTINGHAM FOREST v WOLVES
History: Barely a struck match between these teams in the past two seasons. Forest won 1-0 at Molineaux in the first EPL meeting between these sides in October 2022, and the three subsequent games have been drawn.
Form: A pleasing start for Forest although Bournemouth at home and Southampton away isn't the toughest draw. Southampton dominated possession but Forest did far more with it in their 1-0 at St Marys last weekend. The squad gives a far more settled feel this season.
Wolves went to the sheds at 2-2 against Chelsea in one of the better halves of football we are likely to see this season. However, the class of the Blues, with Cole Palmer pulling the strings, was overwhelming in the second half. Despite two losses, Gary O'Neil's side has faced two powerhouses and looked okay in patches.
Overview: The market might have overreacted to the winning form of Forest and the losing form of Wolves. They have faced far different opposition to date. Wolves have shown enough at stages to suggest they are going okay.
Prediction: Draw.
WEST HAM v MANCHESTER CITY
History: Unsurprisingly an ugly record for the Hammers. Since Pep's appointment in 2016/17, Man City has won 14 of the 16 EPL games, the other two drawn.
Form: West Ham warmed into their game against Palace at Selhurst Park last weekend and put in an excellent second half shift to grab three points. Kilman was enormous and his involvement in the opener, and Wan-Bissaka's key role in the second goal, was a breath of fresh air for Hammers fans who have yearned for this sort of incisive play for a few seasons now.
City was asleep at the wheel when Ipswich shocked them early at the Etihad. From that point it was one-way traffic. The return of Gundogan is massive and certainly shifts the chance of them grabbing another title in a positive direction. There is a familiar look to the 24/25 version of Pep's machine.
Overview: Hammers fans hope that some sort of resistance and belief is taken into the fixture, unlike the defeatist attitude in recent seasons. Whatever the approach, City looks too good.
Prediction: Manchester City win.
CHELSEA v CRYSTAL PALACE
History: Chelsea has recorded an incredible 14 straight wins against Palace, 13 in the league and one FA Cup tie. The aggregate score is 33-8.
Form: Chelsea had their moments in the opener against Man City but in the end a 2-0 loss was a fair indication. Last week, after a thrilling first half against Wolves when the sides shared four goals, the Blues ran riot in the second half. Palmer and Madueke combined three times in 14 minutes to destroy the hosts and give Maresca his first win in charge.
Palace had a few decent chances across the 90 minutes at home to West Ham last weekend but were busted open twice in quick succession after the break by goals that originated deep in the opposition half. It has been a disappointing start for the Eagles after the wonderful end to 23/24. Eze and Mateta remain threats, but Olise cannot be replaced.
Overview: Chelsea is a top four side when on-song and they put that on display against Wolves. Palace showed they were vulnerable against the counterattack against West Ham and Maresca will exploit that.
Prediction: Chelsea win.
NEWCASTLE v TOTTENHAM
History: Newcastle has the ascendancy with three wins from the last four, ending a period of Spurs dominance. A feature of late has been plenty of goals; 30 in the past six encounters.
Form: Newcastle's start has been less than convincing. The 1-0 win with 10 men against Southampton had merit, although there would be few teams in the league you'd rather play with a man down than the Saints. At Bournemouth last time out they were lucky to come away with anything. Barnes made a difference when he came on but ultimately the home side looked better and should have taken all three.
Spurs bashed up an awful Everton outfit at home after a moderate display at Leicester. It is hard to gauge how a side is going when the opposition is so poor; a trip to St James will give us a better idea of how Ange's team is travelling.
Overview: Newcastle has lost just five times in two seasons at home, four of them to Liverpool (twice), Arsenal, and Man City. Against lower opposition or like opposition, they rarely slip up. Spurs didn't pick up any major scalps on their travels in 23/24, saving their best for home games. Hard to argue with the market that has this at almost lineball.
Prediction: Draw.
MANCHESTER UNITED V LIVERPOOL
History: An eclectic set of results in recent seasons. In the last four campaigns, Liverpool has recorded wins of 4-2 and 5-0 at Old Trafford, along with 4-0 and 7-0 demolitions at Anfield. However, Man U has sprung a couple of upsets on home soil, with two wins and a draw from the last three played in their own backyard.
Form: After a last gasp win against Fulham on opening day it was more of the same form from recent seasons from Man U at Brighton last weekend – ineffective, uninspiring and second-best. New signings have done little and they look very much like a mid-table side once again.
Liverpool was very convincing in disposing of Brentford at Anfield last weekend. Salah has not lost any of his hunger and has started this campaign as well as any. Slot has inherited a strong squad that is largely the same as 23/24. Whether they can haul in Arsenal and Man City is questionable, but they are in a different league to this weekend's opponent.
Overview: Man U will be beaten comfortably if they bring the form of weeks one and two to this game. It is hard to see them resisting Liverpool on what we have seen in the past fortnight. Ten Hag doesn't have a lot more to offer than those we have seen go around so far, and Liverpool is a dangerous outfit when they smell blood in the water.
Prediction: Liverpool win.
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