Premier League Predictions GW4

The return of Premier League football after a two week hiatus to accommodate the international break. Love or loathe them, they're inevitable. Personal afflictions aside, I'll be analysing the upcoming fixtures this weekend and give my judgement on what might happen.

Arsenal kick start the weekend with the early kick off against Nottingham Forest at 12:30PM (GMT). Brighton travel to Bournemouth as part of the Saturday 3PM kick offs. They'll be joined by Crystal Palace hosting Sunderland, Aston Villa away to Everton, Fulham taking on Leeds United and Newcastle with the home advantage against Wolves. The first derby of the weekend will be Tottenham Hotspur travelling to West Ham United in the 5:30PM kick off. The football on Saturday will be concluded with Brentford against Chelsea which will take place at 8PM. Sunday will see Burnley welcome Liverpool at 2PM, then to close off GW4 will be Manchester City vs Manchester United at 4:30PM.

Like in the previous post, I will be listing absentees, some of them are estimates based on available information at the time of writing. There's never a guarantee that a player won't make it, so it's more just a heads up at who your team might be missing. Without any further delay, let's begin.

Arsenal vs Nottingham Forest

Both clubs enter this tie off the back of losing their first games of the season. Forest unexpectedly succumbed to a 3-0 defeat at home to West Ham, while Arsenal were expectedly dispatched by Liverpool after a Dominik Szobozslai wonder goal. This means that both clubs will be looking to put things right this weekend. However, for Nottingham Forest they've just parted ways with Nuno Espirito Santo, the man that guided them to European football for this season. This has come as a shock to neutral fans and the players of Forest who are said to be disgruntled with the decision. Arsenal's old nemesis Ange Postecoglou will take the helm.

It's hard to gauge what kind of Forest team will turn up. Will they be distracted by the news and take a rebellious stance against the club, or will they work even harder for the new boss? For Arsenal it's business as usual, but they'll have to overcome the curse of the early kick off and the new manager bounce. The Arsenal players themselves have had a productive international break with a number of them finding time to rest. I think they'll feel fresh and raring to go. Forest are evidently a good side and will trouble Arsenal with the personnel they've got, so I don't think the Gunners will run away with the result.

Predicted Score: Arsenal 2-1 Nottingham Forest

Noticeable absentees:

Arsenal: Ben White, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus, Kai Havertz, Christian Norgaard, William Saliba.

Forest: Nicolas Dominguez, Nicolo Savona.

Bournemouth vs Brighton

Bournemouth have had a topsy turvy start to the season, but the most recent match against Spurs will be the one they'll take confidence from. The 1-0 victory actually did Bournemouth an injustice as they could've had three or four. They completely shutdown Spurs and gave nothing away. Brighton have had an uptick in form and they'll also use their triumph over Manchester City as a massive confidence boost. Two teams that have claimed wins against the traditional 'big 6'.

Both of these outfits are very much attack minded and take pride in fast, interchanging football. There will be goals and they will cancel each other out, so this is not a game for the defensive units. I do think home advantage will be a factor in this one, so I do feel as though Bournemouth will edge it, but not before Brighton chip in with some goals.

Predicted Score: Bournemouth 4-3 Brighton

Notable absentees:

Bournemouth: Adam Smith, Enes Unal, Lewis Cook.

Brighton: Adam Webster, Mats Wieffer, Solly March, Tom Watson.

Crystal Palace vs Sunderland

Palace enter this game in unbeaten form. The five games they've played in all competitions have seen them win twice and draw three times which shows they're resolute in defence, but could perhaps dial up their attack. Sunderland have generally started life in the Premier League better than what they probably expected, two wins from three games is a very good place to be in. Having said that, the two wins have come on home turf with the loss coming from their travels. Sunderland have a chance to work on their away form, but Palace will hope to turn their draws into wins.

As I've said previously, I think Palace are a very good team with a great manager and I want them to do well. They're becoming a team that are hard to beat and I feel like Sunderland will be shown how hard they are to beat. I don't think it'll necessarily be straight forward for Palace as Sunderland are still finding their identity, but they should come out on top in this one. Although injuries to Wharton and Sarr could prove problematic.

Predicted Score: Palace 2-0 Sunderland

Notable absentees:

Palace: Adam Wharton, Caleb Kporha, Chadi Riad, Cheick Oumar Doucoure, Eddie Nketiah, Ismaila Sarr.

Sunderland: Ajibola Alese, Daniel Ballard, Dennis Cirkin, Leo Hjelde, Luke O'Nien, Romaine Mundle.

Everton vs Aston Villa

A clash between the old guards of top flight football. However, it's opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of how they've started the season. Everton will be delighted as they're on a three game winning streak in all competitions which has pushed them into 5th. For Villa it's been a miserable start as they've not registered a win in three attempts, losing two in the process. This has sent them all the way down to 19th. Villa will be desperate to register a win, whereas Everton will be hoping to extend their winning streak.

There's a great feeling around Everton at the moment. A shiny new stadium with the team playing the football it deserves. I can absolutely see them continuing in the same vein and picking up another three points against Villa. Of course Unai Emery will have had his players working overtime to halt their descent, but I don't think Everton will be the team they'll muster their first three points against.

Predicted Score: Everton 2-0 Aston Villa

Notable absentees:

Everton: Jarrad Branthwaite, Adam Aznou, Nathan Patterson.

Villa: Amadou Onana, Andres Garcia, Boubacar Kamara, Ross Barkley.

Fulham vs Leeds

This is one of those clashes that will go under the radar this weekend, most neutrals won't check in, but it could be a high scoring affair. Both of these clubs have struggled for lift off in terms of goals scored, so they'll both be desperate to register a few more very soon. Leeds head into this one with slightly better form, but Fulham will feel like they've played well enough to earn a win.

Leeds' only away game resulted in a 5-0 crushing at Arsenal, but it's their home form that's guiding them up the table. Fulham will look to capitalise on Leeds' away record and dispatch them with comfort. I do feel like Fulham will edge Leeds and it might not make for nice viewing from the latter's perspective. Leeds also have a couple of key injuries which will certainly change their approach.

Predicted score: Fulham 3-0 Leeds

Notable absentees:

Fulham: Issa Diop.

Leeds: Ethan Ampadu, Ao Tanaka, Lucas Parri.

Newcastle vs Wolves

It feels like a new era for Newcastle, the post Isak. Now that heavy cloud has been lifted they can kick on and look to turn their results around. They've faced some tricky opponents, but haven't been able to demonstrate the best of their abilities and this has left them without a win in three games. There's not much I can say about Wolves other than the fact that they're the worst team in the league so far this season. They sit rock bottom and haven't even picked up a point yet.

I don't think this will be the game that will see Wolves gain their first point of the season, so I'm going with a Newcastle win. I think the Geordie's will prevail in this one and I don't think they'll be generous to a struggling Wolves side. Their new signings will want to hit the ground running and, in front of the St James' Park crowd, they can absolutely do that.

Predicted Score: Newcastle 4-0 Wolves

Notable absentees:

Newcastle: Joelinton, Jacob Ramsey, Anthony Gordon.

Wolves: Enso Gonzalez, Hugo Bueno, Jorgen Strand Larsen, Ki-Jana Hoever.

West Ham United vs Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham were brought crashing back down to earth by Bournemouth last time out after flying out the blocks. It's still six points on the board, but they were packed up and shipped off by Bournemouth who had their number all game and that will concern Thomas Frank. This will be his first London derby in charge of Spurs and West Ham have proven to be a bit of a bogey team for the Lilywhites. West Ham had an awful start to the season, but somehow swept Nottingham Forest aside on their home turf, so all is not so bleak for the East London club. It will give them a confidence boost for sure.

This is the hardest game for me to predict because I really don't know what way this game will go. I want to say Spurs will do the business because of how good they looked against Burnley and Manchester City, but that Bournemouth game is playing on my mind and I think West Ham can frustrate them. The Hammers always turn up in this fixture and treat it like a cup final. I guess the fact that I can't choose either way is a sign that I shouldn't pick either side.

Predicted Score: West Ham 1-1 Tottenham Hotspur

Notable absentees:

West Ham: George Earthy, Luis Guilherme, Niclas Fullkrug.

Tottenham: Radu Dragusin, Dejan Kulusevski, Dominic Solanke, Kota Takai, James Maddison, Yves Bissouma.

Brentford vs Chelsea

Brentford are still trying to adjust to life after having the spine of their squad ripped out, and it has shown in their results. One win and two losses make up their three games. However, their only win this season came at their own ground which will give them confidence. Chelsea have blitzed almost everyone they've played, following on from their successful pre-season. The only blotch on their otherwise perfect start was the draw away to Palace. Although what's interesting to note is that they'll be up against another London club away from home, so this could be the start of a trend. In addition to this Chelsea have been rocked by allegations that have been brought forward by the FA, it could be damaging off the field, but may affect on the pitch performances.

I do think that Chelsea will be too strong for Brentford. As much as Brentford will want to put up a fight, I think Chelsea's attack is too sharp. They have a number of players that are in red hot form and they will be the difference in this fixture.

Predicted Score: Brentford 1-3 Chelsea

Notable absentees:

Brentford: Gustavo Gomes, Vitaly Janelt, Yunus Emre Konak

Chelsea: Benoit Badiashile, Cole Palmer, Dario Essugo, Liam Delap, Levi Colwill, Romeo Lavia

Burnley vs Liverpool

This is a fixture that should be relatively straight forward for Liverpool, despite being away from home. With the addition of Alexander Isak and three wins from three tucked under their belts, Burnley should be dispatched with some amount of ease. Burnley have got a win this season, but experienced two losses in their other fixtures, so not exactly turning heads. Although they forced Manchester United into a five goal thriller just before the international break, so they know they can give a game to the big teams.

I've said that Liverpool should breeze through this one and I think they will. It's not one of those games where they need to win 5-0 to show their dominance, they could win 1-0 and it'll still be a one sided contest. Burnley will have to try and make Turf Moor a cauldron and hope that it disrupts Liverpool's game plan.

Predicted Score: Burnley 0-2 Liverpool

Notable absentees:

Burnley: Axel Tuanzebe, Bashir Humphreys, Connor Roberts, Jordan Beyer, Zeki Amdouni.

Liverpool: Jeremie Frimpong, Stefan Bajcectic.

Manchester City vs Manchester United

The first Manchester derby will take place on the blue side of the city with the Etihad playing host. With only a point separating the two clubs after three games, both will be looking to increase that distance for the simple objective of bragging rights. It is United that sit with the additional point as they registered a draw in the two games they failed to win, whereas City experienced two defeats.

This fixture was almost a formality for City up until last season when Pep Guardiola's men saw a huge decline in form. This makes it a lot harder to predict and I don't think City look better as a squad now than they did when United beat them at the Etihad last season. Pep is also experiencing a huge injury crisis which has to be factored into any final decision. Unpredictable, and that's what will make this game so exciting.

Predicted Score: City 2-1 United

Notable absentees:

City: Rayan Cherki, Abdukodir Khusanov, Marcus Bettinelli, Josko Gvardiol, Mateo Kovacic, Nico O'Reilly, Omar Marmoush, Rico Lewis, Savinho, John Stones, Kalvin Phillips, Phil Foden.

United: Lisandro Martinez, Mason Mount, Matheus Cunha, Diego Dalot.

That's my summary of predictions for GW4. Whoever you support, I hope you get the result you want! Unless you're a Nottingham Forest fan...