Aston Villa vs. Brighton & Hove Albion

Villa Park, Saturday, 12:30pm Local, 7:30am Eastern

The weekend kicks off with one of the most intriguing matches of the round. Both Aston Villa and Brighton are fighting for the European places this season and are looking like solid bets to finish in the upper reaches of the table. When Brighton were turned over by West Ham - their only league loss - the Seagulls were undone by sharp counter attacks. Unai Emery’s Villa have an ideal set up to score in transition but will need to keep Roberto De Zerbi’s squad at bay, which is easier said than done. Working in the Birmingham club’s favor, Ollie Watkins opened his league account with a nice finish last time out. He is the point of their attacking trident, so keeping him in form is key for Villa.

De Zerbi was not happy with his club’s performance last time out against Bournemouth, despite coming away 3-1 victors. The Seagulls were also dumped out of the League club in midweek, adding to his frustration. Brighton have enough quality to win against any club in the league, and their manager will expect an exacting display. Kaoru Mitoma came on last week to change the match - expect the Japanese winger to get a chance from the start. If the club performs to De Zerbi’s standards, it could be a very long afternoon for Villa.

Bournemouth vs. Arsenal

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

Andoni Iraola and Bournemouth have been handed an absolutely bruising start to the campaign, and this weekend’s matchup is no different. Hosting last year’s second place finishers, the Cherries will look to show that they can put together a solid defensive performance against a top side. What quality the South Coast club has shown so far has been undermined by a softness in their defense. Tyler Adams, team USA’s captain, is finally fit to return, and his presence in defensive midfield could be key for both steadying the center of the park and freeing Philip Billing to find attacking opportunities. It’s a tall order for the Cherries, but they need to keep finding ways to improve. 

Arsenal will expect to win this match. To come away from the Vitality stadium with anything less than 3 points would be a failure. The Gunners spurned expectations last season by competing for the title late into the campaign. They were a young team who found a rhythm and a togetherness which allowed them to become greater than their individual parts. This year it’s up to them to show that they’ve matured - that they’ve learned how to put together a run that doesn’t fizzle out in the home stretch. Making matches like these entirely routine is a big part of how they can do that.

Everton vs. Luton Town

Goodison Park, Saturday, 3pm Local, 10am Eastern

After taking up residency in the crisis clubhouse, Everton have had a tiny renaissance. Having comfortably beaten a highly favored Brentford squad in the league, the Toffees then dumped out Aston Villa in the Carabao Cup. It would be foolish to assume that these two results mean that Sean Dyche’s team is out of the woods, but they’d begin to put real distance between themselves and the bottom three if they can earn a victory versus Luton Town. Dominic Calvert-Lewin is currently healthy and has netted goals in his last two appearances. Fans of the Merseyside club will naturally be wary, but if the talented but injury ravaged striker can keep up this pace, Everton can avoid a third straight relegation scrap.

While Luton Town have yet to win, they earned their first point last time out and have shown indications that they’re growing into the competition. The Hatters had opportunities to take all three points against Wolves and will feel they weren’t far away from at least drawing against Fulham. While these are nice thoughts, they’re nothing more than consolation. If Luton and Rob Edwards want to have a serious chance of staying up, they need to attack matches like this. The promoted clubs are all struggling, and pulling clubs like Everton and Wolves down into the trenches with them is the only way any of them can survive. Carlton Morris and Jacob Brown have shown flashes of promise, let’s see if they can take the next step.

Manchester United vs. Crystal Palace

Old Trafford, Saturday, 3pm Local, 10am Eastern

As a reward for their midweek win at home over Roy Hodgson’s Crystal Palace, Manchester United get a weekend matchup at home against Roy Hodgson’s Crystal Palace. The last two games have gone well for Erik Ten Hag, winning narrowly in the league before comfortably handling the Eagles in the League Cup. It’s up to the manager and the players to ensure that these wins are the foundation for a solid run and not just temporary respites from their ongoing struggles. As the Red Devils’ injury list continues to expand (last minute left back addition, Sergio Reguillón, is now out and Lisandro Martinez is expected to miss months), roleplayers, especially in defense, need to step up. Have United turned a corner, or have they just briefly stopped their freefall?

Crystal Palace are one of a few clubs who seem to have already found their natural place in the league this early in the season. The Eagles sit comfortably in mid-table and it’s difficult to see them either challenging for higher than 9th or getting pulled into any real danger. While we’re still waiting for a fit Michael Olise, Palace’s attack is full of promising but inconsistent performers. If the likes of Mateta, Édouard, and Eze can steadily bag goals, the South London club’s prospect will immediately look brighter. Palace have yet to pull a major upset this year, but with United’s revamp still booting up, this weekend’s match may be their best opportunity so far.

Newcastle United vs. Burnley

St. James Park, Saturday, 3pm Local, 10am Eastern

After absolutely humbling Sheffield United last time out, Eddie Howe and Newcastle will be salivating at the prospect of hosting another of the promoted sides. The Magpies also dumped Manchester City out of the League cup in midweek, making fans of the North Eastern club quickly forget any talk of crisis. Anthony Gordon has taken a major step forward this season, using skill and mischief in equal measure to buoy the team. Callum Wilson displaced Alexander Isak as first choice striker, but that hasn’t stopped Isak from scoring twice in his last two appearances. Things are looking up for Newcastle, and Burnley will not find St. James Park a friendly proposition on Saturday.

Burnley keep nearly pulling off great results. They had the better of the play against Manchester United. Only a marginal handball cost them all 3 points against Forest. They took the lead against Tottenham. However, they’ve yet to show they can hang around and earn a result in the top flight. This weekend’s match may not be an ideal opportunity for the Clarets, but eventually they will need to become greater than the sum of their parts if they want to back up their amazing campaign in the Championship by staying up. Vincent Kompany will not be in danger if Burnley don’t get a result away to Newcastle, but surely promise needs to start turning into points soon.

West Ham United vs. Sheffield United

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

Both of these clubs need to find their footing again, but in vastly different circumstances. West Ham have lost two in a row, but those losses came against Manchester City and Liverpool and there were positives that they could take from those run outs. Sheffield United, on the other hand, were crushed 8-0 after having the rug pulled out from under them against Tottenham the week before. This match needs to be a hard reset for both clubs. West Ham are far better positioned to take a step forward this weekend, with their new signings continuing to shine and a good start to the Europa League and Carabao Cup under their belts. This weekend’s match may provide Mohammed Kudus his first league start - the promising young midfielder is still looking to find exactly how and if he can fit in the Hammer’s first eleven.

Beat downs happen in this league, and they don’t need to become catastrophes. Over the past few years, Bournemouth and Southampton have shown that one lopsided result doesn’t need to color your entire season. But, last week wasn’t just one bad result for the Blades: it was part of a larger pattern of poor results and simply being overmatched. They have shown potential, and - before last week - the club seemed to be the most likely promoted side to get a win, nearly earning victories against Everton and Tottenham. If Paul Heckingbottom and the Blades can have short memories and avoid the instinct to wallow, there’s no reason for them to dwell on missed opportunities or past failings. But, pressure is a force that can change things for the better or worse. It’s up to the players now to decide in which direction to take this setback. 

Wolverhampton Wanderers vs. Manchester City

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

While Wolves have had a few results against City over the past few seasons, there is little reason to think that the midlands club can challenge the champions this Saturday. Wolves have sputtered this campaign, only earning 4 points so far. This has been enough to keep them out of the very bottom of the table, but it’s not enough to keep them from hovering over the danger zone. Pedro Neto has consistently been a bright spark for Gary O’Neil’s club, and it’s difficult to think that Wolves have any chance against Pep’s men without a massive performance from the winger. O’Neil will set up his side to soak up pressure and jump on whatever meager scraps they can find on the counter attack. It’s an approach that’s unlikely to work, but it’s probably the only chance they have. A positive result would be wonderful, but avoiding a hiding is a more likely goal to aim for.

City have been on procession for this season, yet to draw or lose in 6 attempts. I won’t pretend that I think that will change this weekend. However, this matchup does provide an interesting conundrum for Pep Guardiola which may have downstream effects for the season. Rodri, City’s nearly everpresent midfielder, will miss this match and next week’s face-off against Arsenal. The Sky Blues have coped well with absences so far, but their squad isn’t blessed with depth and the most obvious replacement, Kalvin Phillips, doesn’t seem to be held in high esteem by his manager. What Guardiola will decide to do and the ramifications of this decision will almost be more interesting than the result of the match as it will give observers a window into how City’s relatively thin squad will stretch if more problems arise. 

Tottenham Hotspur vs. Liverpool

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Saturday, 5:30pm Local, 12:30pm Eastern

The runaway match of the weekend, Tottenham and Liverpool’s clash will give viewers a chance to see which revitalized team is farther along in its rebuild. Ange Postecoglou’s side are coming off of a solid North London Derby, and they had a free week to prepare. While the beginning of the season has been full of overwhelming positives, injuries could be starting to creep in with Ivan Perišić now out for the season. Richarlison, who had such a positive impact against Sheffield United, historically loves a match against Liverpool as does Son Heung-min. Spurs have shown they have the cutting edge to punish teams who give them a chance, and Liverpool - despite having the second best defensive record in terms of goals allowed - have often been let off the hook by their opponents poor finishing. Tottenham seem unlikely to continue that pattern.

So far Liverpool’s wealth of firepower has covered any defensive frailties, but they won’t want to rely on this continuing to be the case. The club’s early season injury list is easing, and we could see Klopp’s first choice defense on the pitch for the first time since their comeback at Newcastle. A positive result will be the ultimate goal, but showing more resilience and avoiding a slow start will be high in their mind. Then again, maybe they’re happy with 3-1 results every time. Based on midweek squad rotation, we can expect Darwin Núñez to get another start - will he continue to find more consistency? While matches between top sides are often cagey, there’s little reason to think that this Saturday’s late game will lack attacking flourishes. If there’s a winner, we may finally know who stands to be City’s most likely challenger for the title.

Nottingham Forest vs. Brentford

City Ground, Sunday, 2pm Local, 9am Eastern

While this match may have flown under the radar for some, it has the makings of one of the most intriguing of the weekend. Nottingham Forest have so far proven themselves to be more formidable than many predicted, and Brentford have sputtered after a promising start. The faceoff between the two should give viewers a finely poised contest, the winner of which will be firmly entrenched in upper mid table. Steve Cooper’s Forest have kept themselves in every game (even last week’s 2-0 loss to City had life in it until the death), and historically have performed best at home. Their attack has not only quality, but variety. The speed of Elanga and Awoniyi balanced with the target men, Wood and Origi. This is a more mature Nottingham squad who has earned the respect of the league.

Brentford are a confounding club right now. Thomas Frank’s side started the campaign so brightly, and were unlucky to draw a few matches they could have won. That didn’t seem like a big deal at the time, but - after 2 straight losses - those earlier dropped points make for stressful reading in the league table. The club is completely capable of putting this mini-slump behind them, and that’s why this matchup is so compelling. Last year there would be no question as to which club would be favored: it would be the Bees. But the margins are so slim in the Premier League that Brentford’s slight dip in form in conjunction with Nottingham Forest’s improvement makes this contest impossible to predict.

Fulham vs. Chelsea

Craven Cottage, Monday, 8pm Local, 3pm Eastern

We have a West London Derby gracing our screens on Monday evening! The solid if so far unspectacular Fulham square off against the struggling Chelsea. The Cottagers have avoided a second season slump and look to be good for a spot in mid-table. Goals have been hard to come by (as they have for Chelsea), and Marco Silva has yet to find the right balance in his strike force. Deadline day signing Alex Iwobi is still being integrated into the side, and at his best he can provide a knitting force from midfield to brighten up flat attacks. Chelsea, still ravaged by injuries, have shown fragility and a lack of organization in the back. This could be an ideal situation for Fulham in front of their home support.

Mauricio Pochettino’s Blues won in midweek - springing a Carabao Cup surprise over Brighton. While it wasn’t a goal fest by any means, it was a victory which they’ll look to build upon. Nicolas Jackson scored the lone goal, and his form will be paramount until Nkunku and others return from their spells on the sidelines. It would be dangerous, however, to read too much into one victory in a cup competition. When the lights have been brightest so far this season, Chelsea have wilted. Fulham aren’t pushovers by any extent, but, with all the talent that Pochettino has at his disposal, this is a match Chelsea really need to win.

BONUS

Luton Town vs. Burnley

Kenilworth Road, Tuesday, 7:30pm Local, 2:30pm Eastern

We have a bonus treat! This match, rescheduled from Match Week 2 to accommodate Luton’s final updates to their ground, may not be the sexiest on paper. However, it just might prove to be one of the most consequential of the early season. If either Luton or Burnley win - especially if they can pair that win with a good result on Saturday - they will more than likely find themselves out of the relegation places. It’s too early to put too much stock in the table, but the boost of confidence might be just what either club needs to kick on. There’s no guarantee that this will be a scintillating contest, but it will have a major impact on the narrative of the early season.