Luton Town vs. West Ham United

Kenilworth Road, Friday, 8pm Local, 3pm Eastern

Kenilworth Road will finally host a Premier League match. After missing out by being relegated before the inaugural season - and subsequently careening down the pyramid to non-league - Luton Town are set to host a top flight match at their intimate and iconic ground. The Hatters will hope that there’s some home-field magic in store for them, after getting outplayed in both of their first outings. They’ve shown flashes of potential, but have faded down the stretch. If they’re going to compete, let alone survive, Kenilworth Road will need to be a fortress. Regardless of the result, this will be a day to remember - though Luton will be crossing their fingers for some fireworks.

Their opponents are West Ham United, who have defied some pundits’ expectations and sit in the top four following wins against Chelsea and Brighton. The Hammers will look to continue their fast start, and will have every confidence they can go into the international break with 10 of 12 available points. This will also be their first chance to field Mohammed Kudus, who arrived from Ajax. Kudus is an attacking midfielder and not an exact replacement for any of their current crop. He may start on the bench and at least initially be used to change games in the second half. West Ham have invested their Declan Rice money astutely, let’s see if they can play spoiler to Luton on Friday.  

Sheffield United vs. Everton

Bramall Lane, Saturday, 12:30pm Local, 7:30am Eastern

Both clubs in the match enter with crisis potential. Each have 0 points, Sheffield United are only out of the relegation zone on goal difference, and Everton sit squarely on the bottom. Of the two, the Blades have shown more signs of life in the first three matches. Especially versus Nottingham Forest and Manchester City, they’ve demonstrated that they can hang around in matches. They also love playing at home and have added back a star from last year, James McAtee, who rejoins on loan. Sheffield United are far from being in form, but they are building a strong identity and will see this as a great opportunity to get their first points of the season.

This will sound dramatic for the fourth match of the season, but, if Everton lose on Saturday, they will be in a full blown catastrophe. Their finances are a mess, they can’t score goals, and relegation while they’re still constructing a new stadium would be disastrous. Sean Dyche will point to their chances created as a reason not to worry, but - until a finisher steps up - these concerns aren’t going anywhere. However, new arrival Beto from Udinese did score in the Carabao Cup midweek. If they can get him firing quickly, Everton may have reason to hope.

Brentford vs. Bournemouth

Gtech Community Stadium, Saturday, 3pm Local, 10am Eastern

Thomas Frank and undefeated Brentford square off against Andoni Iraola and Bournemouth in West London. The Bees have started very well, though they’ll regret not earning all three points from Crystal Palace last week. While Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa were kept off the score sheet, Kevin Schade netted his first goal for the club. Brentford fans will hope to see him kick on from here, and he’ll likely get chances against a not exactly water-tight Bournemouth defense. 

The Cherries are sputtering a bit after a promising start, though it should be noted that they’ve played three strong teams in West Ham, Liverpool, and Tottenham. The Bournemouth squad is still forming, and major additions Alex Scott and Tyler Adams are recovering from injury. While results haven’t gone their way, Iraola will still be confident he can build a mid table squad. The clash of styles in this match could be extremely interesting or extremely dull as both clubs operate on the assumption that they won’t have much of the ball. This is an opportunity for either team to lay down a marker and prove that they’re capable of beating the clubs around them.

Burnley vs. Tottenham Hotspur

Turf Moor, Saturday, 3pm Local, 10am Eastern

Two of the highest profile new managers, Vincent Kompany and Ange Postecoglou, face off at Turf Moor. It still feels like we haven’t seen enough of Burnley to categorize them yet. They’ve lost to Manchester City and Aston Villa, which is something plenty of teams will do this season and still survive. What has been apparent is that the free flowing offense that earned them promotion is not going to produce to the same degree in the top flight. There will need to be changes; they will need to solidify. Tottenham is not the best opponent to show us how far along they are, but - if Burnley can start by not shipping 3 goals - this could be a step in the right direction for the club.

The feel good factor in North London may have taken a slight dent when Spurs were knocked out of the Carabao cup on penalties midweek, but their league form remains strong. After two consecutive 2-0 wins, anything less than a victory would be a huge disappointment. It will likely come too early, but Tottenham also look to have added Brennan Johnson from Nottingham Forest, who adds a flexible option in attack. All signs point to Spurs moving in the right direction, but it would be unreasonable to assume they won’t face bumps along the way. Tottenham fans will just hope those bumps don’t start this weekend.

Chelsea vs. Nottingham Forest

Stamford Bridge, Saturday, 3pm Local, 10am Eastern

Chelsea steered their early season back on track with a dominant victory over Luton Town last weekend, and they’ll want to keep that momentum going against Nottingham Forest. Raheem Sterling and Enzo Fernández both seem to be finding traction in their second seasons with the club, and each week provides an opportunity for the new signings to bed in. Forest have shown they can score goals, especially on the counter, but they’ve conceded a fair amount as well. Chelsea’s attacking players will go into the matching expecting to create plenty of chances.

Forest will look back on their first three matches with some regrets. In two of them, they’ve let a lead slip. Last week’s defeat from 2-0 up away to Manchester United will still sting. Nottingham Forest have yet to show that they can control a match from start to finish, and, while that’s partially to be expected, they’ll need to show greater steel if they want to improve on last season’s points total. They also look almost certain to lose Brennan Johnson, who was crucial to them last campaign. A few major additions (most significantly Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ibrahim Sangaré) look like they’ll come in before the window closes, leading to another season where Steve Cooper will be figuring out his best eleven in flight.

Manchester City vs. Fulham

Etihad Stadium, Saturday, 3pm Local, 10am Eastern

The Champions are the only team remaining with a perfect record, and they’ll like their chances to continue rolling at home against Fulham. Erling Haaland has kept up his scoring, with 3 goals in 3 games, and this may be Jérémy Doku’s first appearance (the right winger was an unused substitute last Sunday). While all has gone to plan so far for the Manchester club, they did have to survive a small scare in their last match. It’s by no means reason to panic, but Manchester City fans would love to see a straightforward and dominant win on Saturday.

Fulham have started well, but have ridden their luck a bit. They opened the season with a narrow win, and earned an even more narrow draw against Arsenal when down to 10 men. The Cottagers, at time of writing, seem to have also received a surprise boost in midfield, with João Palhinha now set to stay despite undergoing medical tests with Bayern Munich. The West London club are solidifying (adding Alex Iwobi from Everton) and will look forward to having a fully settled squad. While a positive result is the goal, Fulham will view this match as a free hit - losing to Manchester City away is not going to define their season.

Brighton & Hove Albion vs. Newcastle United

Amex Stadium, Saturday, 5:30pm Local, 12:30pm Eastern

Both teams suffered setbacks last weekend, with Brighton’s shock defeat to West Ham one of the surprises of the early season. The Seagulls will look back on the match and wonder how they only found the net once, and De Zerbi’s side should be able to shake off the loss quickly. They’ve also completed one of the surprise moves of the summer, with Ansu Fati (heir to Messi’s number 10 at Barcelona) joining on a season long loan. Fati to Brighton is a move the clubs both hope will reinvigorate the young player’s career, having suffered from a slew of injuries recently. While the mood is still positive overall, fans of the Seagulls may worry that West Ham’s tactics exposed a weakness in the team.

Newcastle have been disappointed two weeks in a row, and the first rumblings of discontent are bubbling up. It’s an open question if losing to Manchester City and Liverpool genuinely constitutes a crisis, but a defeat to Brighton would compound the problem. The Magpies are a very talented team and viewers should have no doubts about that. However, after this international break, the Champions League will kick off. Newcastle were drawn in an epically difficult group, so each match will require a full-strength squad. The club’s depth will be tested, and they could release a lot of pressure with a positive result Saturday evening.

Liverpool vs. Aston Villa

Anfield, Sunday, 2pm Local, 9am Eastern

The Reds are coming off a huge emotional high, following their extra time win against Newcastle. Darwin Núñez will feel reinvigorated, and the club looks to have added a long term midfield target in Ryan Gravenberch from Bayern Munich. There are plenty of good vibes around the club, but there are serious concerns as well. Virgil Van Dijk, the newly minted club captain, will be suspended for this match at least, and fellow starting center back, Ibrahima Konaté, misses out due to injury. All of this means an already suspect defense is down to its bare bones. Liverpool will be desperate to go into the international break on a high, but they will be very wary of the speed Aston Villa bring on the counter.

Villa have recovered well after an opening weekend drubbing, winning two on the bounce. John McGinn, Moussa Diaby, and Ollie Watkins highlight a potent attacking force - and Nicolò Zaniolo is still being integrated into the side. On paper, Villa seem like a perfect squad to cause Liverpool problems, especially with a weakened defense. The Birmingham club has also adjusted well after losing Tyrone Mings to a long term injury. That said, their backline has only been tested by notoriously lackluster Everton and newly promoted Burnley. Liverpool will ask different questions. If this match has a winner, they’ll end the first push of the campaign feeling as though they can challenge at the top end of the table.

Crystal Palace vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers

Selhurst Park, Sunday, 2pm Local, 9am Eastern

In South London, two clubs square off looking to build some momentum going into the international break. Crystal Palace earned a late draw away to Brentford last time out, and they’ll feel that home matches to clubs like Wolves are close to must wins. It looks like Eberechi Eze will stay, and the Eagles have bolstered their defense with Dean Henderson joining in goal and Rob Holding coming in for depth. Palace have yet to quite hit the offensive heights of the tail end of last season, but they scored 4 against Championship side Plymouth Argyle in the Carabao Cup midweek. Fans will hope they’re able to take that form forward.

Wolves earned their first points of the season against a struggling Everton side, and will want to continue their progression. Matheus Nunes has left for Manchester City, with Tommy Doyle joining the midlands club in a related move. It’s still too early to tell what exactly Wolves’ level is for this season, with both their inconsistent results and performances. This is a match the Midlands club would circle for potential points going into the season, and - despite their turmoil and struggles - they’ll still believe they can win.

Arsenal vs. Manchester United

Emirates Stadium, Sunday, 4:30pm Local, 11:30am Eastern

The highest profile match of the weekend is also the last match before the international break. Arsenal came back to lead Fulham last time out, but were pipped to a late draw. United also fell behind, but they were able to recover from 2-0 down to win against Nottingham Forest. Both teams have failed to show the best versions of themselves yet this season but have each put up solid points totals. Arsenal’s difficulties seem to be rooted in growing pains with new signings, and due to Mikel Arteta experimenting with his squad - most notably using Thomas Partey as a right back. The Gunners have some injury woes as well, but should have the personnel to adjust. It remains to be seen how long Arteta will experiment with his lineup, though Oleksandr Zinchenko’s return should allow them more flexibility.

Manchester United have an impressive six point total coming off of performances that were lucky to earn any. The players would be well within their rights to brush this off and forget those performances and point to their position in the table. However, until they show more cohesion - especially in midfield - questions will be asked. To take a positive outlook, the club looks to have brought in key additions in Sofyan Amrabat and Sergio Reguilón, who should improve the midfield and provide depth in the problematic left back position. This game will give viewers a great sense of where these clubs stand and which - if any - can challenge for top honors.