Another international break has been and gone, and now we get one month of uninterrupted football.
Arsenal are atop of the league with 16 points, Liverpool on 15 and Spurs and Bournemouth tied on 14.
After a week off, I’m ready to go again, so let’s get into my previews for this weekend’s games.
This weekend could bring Ange Postecoglou’s stint as Nottingham’s manager one step closer to its end. Winless in his first seven games in charge across all competitions, the pressure continues to mount.
Before the break, Chelsea edged out Liverpool at Stamford Bridge, and I think they are in a great spot to take advantage of a Nottingham side struggling to stay afloat.
Haaland has been on an absolute tear. A hat-trick for Norway then rested against New Zealand (lucky All Whites).
With the Toffees coming to town, there are plenty of ways you could play this.
But I’m going to keep it simple and back Haaland to be the first goal scorer for his side.
Two newly promoted sides go head-to-head this weekend at Turf Moor. The Clarets have been better at home this year and will need to rely on that form to pick up enough points to stay in the top-flight.
The same could be said for Leeds, who are unfortunately the travelling side this week, so I don’t like their chances.
But I’m also not confident that Burnley can win this either. I think the correct way to play this game is to bet on both sides to score. Burley’s fixtures have seen this happen in each of their last four games, and Leeds their last three games.
The last two meetings between these two sides don’t look promising, but I’m betting on both teams to be better than when they met last year.
Brighton have not lost for a four-game stretch now, and this week, they’ll take on a competitive Newcastle side at the Amex.
The Magpies have good recent form, but you have to go back to the end of last season’s edition of the Premier League to find the last game that Newcastle won on the road in the league.
Brighton have had the upper hand recently when the two sides have met, winning three of the last five and drawing two. They’ve all been tight games, and I think they’ll cancel each other out, and this will end with the sides splitting the points.
Wolves are yet to win a game in the top-flight so far this season.
I don’t see that changing here.
Sunderland fell to United before the break, but before that, had been putting in decent performances.
Not many of their games so far have seen more than two goals, and I doubt they’ll blow Wolves away either.
Crystal Palace’s 19-game unbeaten run came to an end two weeks back when Everton triumphed at their new home stadium. They now have to figure out how they bounce back from their first loss of the campaign.
They must entertain Bournemouth at Selhurst Park, and I see this as a great opportunity to bounce back. Not because I think they’ll win but because if they can, it sends a statement to themselves, their fans and the rest of the league.
Yes, Bournemouth are above them on the ladder; they’re actually sitting in fourth spot, ahead of Manchester City. That’s on the back of some serious football in tight games.
This one won’t be any different. Their previous history shows it’ll be exactly that. A tight, niggly game where just one goal could be the difference between three points and zero.
I’ve picked out a double market favouring the home side or the draw and the unders.
Fulham have suffered back-to-back 3-1 defeats in the Premier League, and unfortunately for them, I think they’re staring down the barrel of another similar result.
The Gunners are the best defensive side in the league, having conceded just three goals in the first seven games of the season.
They have also won their last two league matches heading into the weekend, and I think they will prove too much for the home side to handle.
Two, three or four goals for the Gunners… zero for Fulham.
This is a must-win for both sides, and the Spurs are at home, currently unbeaten in seven games.
Aston Villa have gone through their tough start, but have started to show signs of improvement with a couple of wins on the bounce.
Six of the last seven games these two teams have played have gone over 2.5 total goals, with a few 4-0, 4-1 score lines.
The way Spurs play, Aston Villa on the rise, I’ll be backing goals in this fixture.
This is a huge game for both clubs.
Liverpool in terms of the ladder and staying in touch with Arsenal early on, but for United, Amorim needs to keep churning out positive results for the club or he could be the next manager gone. (Apart from Ange, he doesn’t count)
Liverpool have stumbled a bit lately and has not been able to keep a clean sheet for over a month.
United have been hit or miss but they did beat Chelsea this time last month and Chelsea just knocked over Liverpool before the break. If you look into that form you might give United a chance this weekend.
They’ve actually snagged a few points at Anfield too recently, just forget about that 7-0 loss a few years back.
Fresh off the break, I think Amorim, fighting for his job can get his side another point out of this one.
Three draws in their last four league games…
Former Nottingham manager, Nuno Espirito Santo will hope that two weeks will have been enough time to get more of his ideas across at West Ham United.
West Ham are winless in their last four games; however, Brentford have lost all three of their away games so far this season.
Will Nuno be able to get the Irons going?
I think yes, and it’ll come on the back of their main man, Jarrod Bowen. I’ve found a betcha boost I like the look of. Jarrod Bowen anytime goalscorer & West Ham win paying $5.50
Bowen has had a great start to the season and now under new management, hopefully some of his performances can result in wins for West Ham.