Premier League Gameweek 4 Preview

Southampton VS Manchester United

The opening game of the weekend sees Southampton host Manchester United as St. Mary’s Stadium. Southampton currently sit 11th place with 4 points and come into the game with a bit of confidence after a impressive 2-1 win away to Leicester in the league last week and a 3-0 away to Cambridge in the cup. As for Manchester United, they sit 14th in the table with 3 points. They got both their first points and win last week with a massive win at home to Liverpool. In head-to-head meetings since 2011, Manchester United have won 11 of the 22 matches whilst Southampton have only won 2 games. The last victory for either of these teams was Man United’s ridiculous 9-0 thrashing but the Saints did pretty well last week against another team that scored nine against them. Southampton actually haven’t beaten United at home for a long time. Southampton will believe they can get a result and they are definitely in a better run of form than they have been in a long time. As for United, they need to build on their performance from Monday as that is the only way they can really start to sort themselves out. United haven’t lost to Southampton in there last 13 games so this is a good opportunity for them to get a positive result.

Prediction: 1-2

Brentford VS Everton

Brentford host Everton in one of the five 3 o’clock kick-offs. Brentford currently sit 8th in the table with 4 points after a frustrating loss at Craven Cottage last week. Everton, however, sit 17th with only 1 point. It’s crazy to think that despite the difference of quality between the two teams at the start of this season, an Everton win here would see them go level on points with the Bees. In head-to-head meetings, Brentford have 2 wins compared to Everton’s 1. Brentford won both of their league meetings last season whilst Everton won the matchup in the FA Cup. Brentford are currently the third highest scorers in the league and will be hoping to get back in the winning column this weekend. As for Everton, they haven’t been good this season and will likely struggle again. They do have a lot of injured players in their squad which doesn’t help them but even still, they don’t look like a very good team.

Prediction: 2-0

Brighton VS Leeds

This, on paper, is a really exciting matchup. Brighton sit 5th in the table with 7 points and come in after another impressive away result, this time with a 2-0 win at West Ham. Leeds also comes in with 7 points, but they sit 3rd and have been one of the surprise teams, particularly with their 3-0 thrashing of Chelsea. In head-to-head meetings since 2011, Brighton have won 62% of their meetings whilst Leeds have only lost 12% of their games. Leeds United have also never beaten Brighton in the Premier League before so they will aim to make history this weekend. For Brighton, they have on paper, had some really tricky matchups and that run will continue this weekend but, the Seagulls clearly don’t seem to mind given the number of points that they have. The team has also kept the joint most number of clean sheets this season which creates a really interesting dynamic as Leeds are ranked 4th in goals scored per match. They also have the top scorer in Rodrigo who will be looking to keep his run up of scoring in every league game. Leeds can be incredibly happy with how they have started their season and even though this is going to be a tough matchup, Jesse Marsch will definitely believe that his team can get a result.

Prediction: 3-2

Chelsea VS Leicester City

Chelsea and Leicester both come into this game looking to bounce back after a poor result last weekend. Chelsea lost 3 nil away to Leeds and that result has dropped them to 12th place on 4 points whilst Leicester lost at home to Southampton meaning, the foxes sit 19th place with only 1 point to their name. Chelsea have a decent record against Leicester, winning 52% of their matches since 2012 whilst Leicester have only won 19% of the games between the two sides. Leicester’s last victory against Chelsea came in the FA Cup in 2021. Chelsea come into this game unbeaten in there last 4 home games and need to get a positive result to gain some confidence back that they lost when they played Leeds. Leicester, on the other hand, will look to take advantage of Chelsea’s lack of confidence but it’s not like they have much confidence either. A loss here for Leicester would put Brendan Rodgers under some unwanted pressure.

Prediction: 2-1

Liverpool VS Bournemouth

Liverpool and Bournemouth both come into this game after a poor performance the week prior. Liverpool have had a terrible start to the season, and this shows with them sitting 16th in the table without a win. They didn’t play well away to Manchester United, and they need to bounce back. As for Bournemouth, they sit 15th with 3 points after being outclassed by Arsenal last Saturday. In head-to-head meetings, Liverpool have won 11 of there 13 meetings with Bournemouth’s only win coming back in 2016 after a crazy 4-3 game where Nathan Ake scored in the 93rd minute. Mo Salah has also scored in all 6 of his games against the Cherries so he clearly likes playing against them. This is the perfect game for Liverpool to finally get a result in as the have the potential to wipe the floor with Bournemouth. As for the Cherries, this is the third game in a row against a top team, so they have nearly got through this tough period but arguably, out of the 3 games, this is the one that they have the most chance of getting a result in. After all, they are ahead of Liverpool which is something I don’t think many people would have said when they saw the fixture list.

Prediction: 3-0, Salah hattrick

Manchester City VS Crystal Palace

Manchester City VS Crystal Palace is always an intriguing matchup. City come into the game second in the league with 7 points after a thrilling 3 all draw away to Newcastle last week whilst Crystal Palace sit 9th place after their first win of the season last week at home to Aston Villa. In head-to-head meetings, City have won the majority of the games, with 14 wins compared to Palace’s 3. There have also been 3 draws. This doesn’t mean City will necessarily beat Palace as the team from London took 5 points off the Premier League champions last season and didn’t even concede a goal. Also, in the 2018/19 season, City got 54 points out of a possible 57 at home in the league, the only game they didn’t win was a 3-2 loss to Crystal Palace so it could happen. Man City, however, will 150% believe that they will win this game and considering they have kept the joint most clean sheets and also scored the joint most amount of goals, they have a right to be confident. As for Palace, they are unbeaten in there last 4 away games and the team is ranked 2nd when it comes to creating big chances in the league this season. They got a result away to Liverpool and Eze and Zaha have been brilliant, so you just never know.

Prediction: 3-2

Arsenal VS Fulham

Saturday Night Football hosts a London derby as top of the league Arsenal host 7th place Fulham. Arsenal won comfortably last weekend away to Bournemouth and are the only team left in the league with an 100% record. Fulham got there first win of the season last weekend at home to Brentford and can be very happy with how their season has started. In head-to-head meetings since 2010, Arsenal have won 7 of there 12 meetings with Fulham’s only win coming way back in 2012. Arsenal have averaged a joint best 3 goals a game and will probably think they can get that again. Fulham are also pretty good when it comes to scoring goals but, they haven’t managed a goal in there last 2 away games. Hopefully, this will be a fun game between two unbeaten sides.

Prediction: 3-1

Aston Villa VS West Ham United

Aston Villa host West Ham in a matchup between two struggling teams. Villa come into the weekend in 13th place in the table with 3 points. They were comfortably second best to Palace last weekend. As for West Ham, they are the only team without a point after defeats to Manchester City, Nottingham Forest and Brighton. In head-to-head meetings, West Ham have won 47% of the matches whilst Villa have won 24% of their games. Aston Villa haven’t beat West Ham in their last 9 meetings which should give the Hammers confidence. Aston Villa come into this game hoping for a win and they have been pretty good at home recently, they are unbeaten in their last 4 matches at Villa Park. As for West Ham, they cannot afford to start the season with 4 losses, and they need to find a way to score as they haven’t managed too in the Premier League all season.

Prediction: 0-0

Wolverhampton Wanderers VS Newcastle United

Wolves VS Newcastle is a game between two teams having very different seasons. Newcastle sit 6th in the table with 5 points and come into this after a very impressive performance against Manchester City. As for Wolves, it’s been a tough start to the season and 1 point has shown this. However, Wolves played well in the first half of their 1-0 loss away to Spurs last weekend. In head-to-head meetings since the start of the 2010/11 season, Wolves have 4 wins, Newcastle have 5 and there has been 7 draws. Wolves are unbeaten in there last 4 games against Newcastle at the Molineux. For Wolves, this is an important game for them as a defeat would put pressure onto Bruno Lage’s ability to lead his Wolves team forward. Wolves always have a good defensive record, but they need to sort out their lack of a killer instinct in front of goal. Newcastle, on the other hand, have been playing well and will have believe they can win. They haven’t lost in there last 6 games, and I expect that to grow to 7. However, Callum Wilson is injured and won’t be playing in this match so that is a big loss for the Magpies.

Prediction: 0-2

Nottingham Forest VS Tottenham Hotspur

The final game of the weekend sees newly promoted Nottingham Forest host Antonio Conte’s Tottenham Hotspur. Forest came so close to winning at Goodison Park last week, but they can still be happy with 4 points from their opening 3 games. Tottenham currently sit 4th with 7 points and have started the season well. They won 1-0 at home to Wolves last week. When it comes to head-to-head meetings between the two teams, there really isn’t anything relevant. This is definitely the toughest fixture yet for Forest, but they are unbeaten in there last 4 games at The City Ground. Dean Henderson has the highest average of saves per match (6) and he will probably need to make a lot more if his team is to get a positive result. As for Tottenham, they will know that this will be a lot tougher than it is on paper, but they have a good record away from home and have been good in both the attacking and defensive areas.

Prediction: 2-3