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The north London Derby between Spurs and Arsenal is one of the most bitter rivalries in the game. Neither side can afford to drop further points even at this early stage, so their 210th meeting is of great importance and clearly the highlight of Round 4.
Brighton, Liverpool, and Man City are all undefeated and play at home in very winnable games. Strugglers Everton face a difficult trip to Villa and look destined to remain rooted at the foot of the table for now.
SOUTHAMPTON v MANCHESTER UNITED
History: Not a great look for Southampton. In the seven EPL seasons prior to their relegation in 22/23, the sides met 14 times – Man U won six and eight were drawn. The Saints have not won this fixture at home since 2003.
Form: Just three points of a possible 18 for these two, who both come off comprehensive defeats last time around.
Southampton self-destructed at Brentford, attempting to play out from the back as they did successfully in the Championship against inferior opposition. The first two goals were avoidable, but the manager possesses a Kompany-like doggedness that this is they way they will continue to play, despite the quality of press at this level. Good news for the other 19 in the league.
Man U were lucky not to be on the end of another 7-0 hiding at the hands of Liverpool. All three goals came from them giving up possession in their own half, and with a bit more ruthlessness in front of goal by Liverpool this could have been embarrassing. It looks eerily familiar to the 23/24 version of Man U. They won't be troubling any of the top sides without dramatic improvement.
Overview: The backlash from the latest defeat must have some impact on Man U. They should be good enough to get past the Saints, but I wouldn't back them at $1.70.
Prediction: Manchester United to win.
BRIGHTON v IPSWICH
History: No meetings since they were both in the Championship in 16/17. The ledger was close to even in the last dozen matches.
Form: Brighton maintained the unbeaten record at Arsenal a fortnight ago, certainly aided by Rice's dismissal in the first half when they were a goal behind. Nevertheless, this Brighton side has the same sharpness and incision as the De Zerbi version and, without the rigours of European competition, can make another push for the top six this season.
Ipswich has weathered a storm to start the campaign and deserved their point against Fulham a fortnight ago. It doesn't get any easier here as this is a tough road trip for even the best sides in the league.
Overview: Brighton has made a seamless switch in managership and at home against sides in the bottom half are reliable performers.
Prediction: Brighton to win.
CRYSTAL PALACE v LEICESTER
History: These teams contested the Premier League for nine consecutive seasons prior to Leicester's relegation in 22/23. The last four campaigns were dominated by the Foxes, who won four of the eight matches, with three drawn.
Form: Palace steadied the ship with a somewhat surprising but well-deserved draw at Chelsea last start. A wonderful strike by Eze, who has the weight of expectation in his shoulders now with the departure of Olise, cancelled out Jackson's first-half goal. It was a big improvement on the moderate display at home against West Ham the week before.
The high of taking a point from Spurs on opening day is long forgotten for the Foxes, who have been on the wrong end of 2-1 scorelines subsequently. They were vibrant against a quality Villa outfit at home most recently but lacked penetration in the midfield and struggled to create chances as a result. The King Power Stadium gives this side a lift, so they look vulnerable on their travels.
Overview: Palace put in easily their best shift of the season away to Chelsea. They will be keen to give home fans something to cheer about and should take care of Leicester comfortably.
Prediction: Crystal Palace to win.
FULHAM v WEST HAM
History: Last season saw the sands shift dramatically in favour of Fulham. After a lean trot of just three wins from the previous 22 meetings, Fulham pulled off the double in 23/24 by an aggregate of 7-0.
Form: The jury is out on Fulham. It hasn't been the most testing fixture list to open the season and they have looked very sharp at times, and pedestrian at others. Their 1-1 draw at Portman Road could have gone either way but in the end it looked a just result. Marco Silva will be desperate for his side to improve their Craven Cottage form this season after losing nine games at home in 23/24.
West Ham showed plenty of enterprise but were outclassed by Man City, and in particular an unstoppable Haaland, at the London Stadium two weeks ago. Kudus struck the upright at 1-2 which could have made things interesting had he levelled up. Ultimately, the Hammers aren't in City's league and can't expect to pick up points in fixtures such as that. A trip to west London this weekend, however, is mouth-watering. The two-week break came at the right time as it gave Lopetegui a chance to get in plenty of sessions with his newly assembled squad.
Overview: West Ham has shown enough to suggest they are heading the right way. If a top-six finish is to become reality they need to pick up three points in games like this.
Prediction: West Ham to win.
LIVERPOOL v NOTTINGHAM FOREST
History: Forest surprised Liverpool 1-0 at home in October 2022, the first league meeting for 23 years. Since then the Reds have won all three encounters, although the winner at the City Ground when they last met came in the 99th minute.
Form: Three wins, three clean sheets, and an utter towelling of fierce rival Man U has given Slot a dream start on Merseyside. Wisely, the Dutch manager hasn't changed a great deal about a side that didn't really need fixing. It's too early to say whether they are title contenders as the three fixtures to date have been against sides that aren't going to make a splash in 24/25. You can only beat what's put in front of you though.
Forest sit on five points and are undefeated, although Bournemouth, Southampton and Wolves is a pretty kind start. The draw with Wolves last time out was entertaining and tight as the score suggested – a good stoush between sides that will probably hover between 12th and 16th. This is their first proper test and it is unlikely to end well, but Nuno's team has the ability to pull off the odd upset or two.
Overview: It would be catastrophic for the Reds to drop points in a fixture such as this. On what we have seen so far, it should be an easy watch for the Anfield faithful.
Prediction: Liverpool to win.
MANCHESTER CITY v BRENTFORD
History: While City has won four of the six meetings since Brentford's arrival in the top-flight, it hasn't always been easy. The Bees pulled off a rare double in season 22/23. City's four wins have been by a single goal twice and two goals on the other two occasions.
Form: Seven goals from Haaland in three games has put City on top of the league and for most pundits that's where they will stay. The big Norwegian looks fresh after no engagement in international football over the summer (Salah at Liverpool looks similarly sprightly perhaps for the same reason). Despite starting the campaign without Rodri, Pep's side are doing it very easily.
Brentford were a mile off Liverpool at Anfield three weeks ago then bounced back at home when the Saints handed them a couple goals either side of half time. The strong press adopted by the Bees should be credited, but the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result – Southampton are insane. Frank's team is well-drilled and they do punish sloppiness. Mbeumo is one of my favourite players in the league – aggressive, energetic, no-nonsense and effective in front of goal.
Overview: Drawing a line through their effort at Anfield, this looks a bridge too far for Thomas Frank's men. City will have 80% possession and win by two or three.
Prediction: Manchester City to win.
ASTON VILLA v EVERTON
History: Villa hasn't lost to Everton in the league since their return to the top-flight in 19/20. Since then, the record stands at seven wins to Villa and three draws.
Form: Villa overcame a potential banana-skin trip to the King Power and were too good for Leicester last time around. It has been a positive start to the Villains most important season in over 40 years. They defeated West Ham at London Stadium which is no mean feat then were unlucky not to get something against Arsenal. The real test will come in January/February when the toll of twice-a-week football hits.
Everton created history at Goodison a fortnight ago, becoming the first team in EPL history to lose a game after leading by two inside the final five minutes. The positive is that for 85 minutes they dominated a decent football team. The negative is that 85 minutes of hard work took seven minutes to unravel. The Toffees showed last season that they can overcome a poor start and the loss of points and still survive, but this team looks brittle.
Overview: Villa has a trip to Switzerland on Tuesday evening in the back of their minds, a first foray into Champions League football for a couple of generations. If they are to remain competitive at all levels, they need to show up for games like this and get the job done.
Prediction: Aston Villa to win.
BOURNEMOUTH v CHELSEA
History: Chelsea has dominated this fixture in the EPL era, winning eight of the 14 meetings. Bournemouth has collected only two points in the last five matchups.
Form: Bournemouth maintained their unbeaten start to the season with a Houdini job at Goodison, scoring three times after the 86th minute to dig themselves out of a massive hole. The concern is that for most of the game they were second-best against a poor side, but the will-to-win is impressive, particularly away from home. Life goes on without Solanke, and The Cherries look quite settled now in the top-flight.
Chelsea dominated Palace at the Bridge two weeks back in an entertaining encounter but couldn't score again after Eze's perfectly placed goal squared the ledger early in the second half. The Blues are playing some attractive football and have picked up where they left off in 23/24, but they have a way to go to be talked about in the same breath as the big three.
Overview: A difficult one to pick. Bournemouth is often underestimated by the market and Chelsea overestimated. If Chelsea clicks, they win, but that happens randomly. Perhaps the telling stat is that 57% of EPL meetings between these two ends in a draw.
Prediction: Draw.
TOTTENHAM v ARSENAL
History: Arsenal has the recent bragging rights in the north London Derby, winning three and drawing once in the last two seasons. They led 3-0 at halftime at Tottenham last season before Spurs fought back, eventually hanging on 3-2.
Form: Tottenham dominated possession and the chances but came away from St James' Park empty handed in an early blow for Ange's team. Little has changed from the 23/24 version of this side, which means they are great to watch but tend to self-destruct by playing too high up the pitch. Today's opponent is one of the best at exploiting that weakness.
Arsenal looked to be in control at 1-0 against Brighton but Rice's dismissal changed the tide. In the end, a point was precious for the Gunners as Brighton used the one-man advantage and really pushed for the win late in the second half. It is a set-back, not a huge one, for a team that faces the unenviable task of trying to match City for a third straight season.
Overview: Some key players may be missing from both sides. Rice and almost certainly Odegaard for Arsenal; Richarlison, Solanke and maybe Van De Ven for Spurs. Champions need to win without key personnel, so this is a real test for Arsenal in a cauldron of hate.
Prediction: Arsenal to win.
WOLVES v NEWCASTLE
History: Not much joy for Wolves with just two wins in their 18 EPL meetings with Newcastle. Draws have been prevalent, the points shared in seven of the last 11 league clashes.
Form: Wolves followed a couple of resounding defeats with a gutsy draw at the City Ground two weekends back. Bellegarde's thunderbolt to level things in the 12th minute was the highlight of a lively midlands Derby. Wolves lack star quality to trouble the top eight or nine sides, but will stay up with a bit to spare. Gary O'Neil will want Molineaux to become a fortress again and Newcastle isn't a bad side to put things back on track as they were pretty plain on the road last season.
It wasn't convincing by any stretch but the Magpies collected an important three points at home to Spurs last time out. The visitors were twice as good in just about every stat department, but only half as good on the all-important score sheet. Barnes' inclusion was crucial, and Isak is cementing his place as one of the top half handful of strikers in the league. Howe's lads do need to do more on their travels though – losses last season to Everton, Bournemouth and Forest don't help a push towards European football.
Overview: It's hard to be too confident about the Magpies when they leave Tyneside, but Wolves do struggle to beat them regardless of the venue. Expect this will be tight, a draw or a goal either way.
Prediction: Draw.
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