Palmer is not West Ham’s only concern
Cole Palmer was quiet during Chelsea’s victory over Bournemouth last weekend. Bournemouth tracked the playmaker’s movements closely and when they were unable to stop him by legal means they were not afraid to foul him. But the fact that Chelsea found a way to win suggests they might not be Cole Palmer FC any more. Enzo Maresca has a range of options in attack and it was encouraging that two of his substitutes combined for the only goal on the south coast; Christopher Nkunku turning and finishing well after latching on to Jadon Sancho’s pass. “If we want to help Cole we don’t need to think all the pressure has to be on his shoulders,” Maresca said last week and the message has been taken on board. Others are stepping up and the worry for West Ham is that stopping Palmer might not be enough to stop Chelsea. Jacob Steinberg
West Ham v Chelsea, Saturday 12.30pm (all times BST)
Extra spice for young Villans
It is not the Midlands derby, but a Midlands derby no less and Wolves’s trip to Aston Villa promises to be tasty. Villa have made a strong start to the season, so far taking the razzmatazz of the Champions League in their stride, while Wolves badly need a fillip after taking one point from their first four matches. The visit of Wolves to Villa Park carries extra spice for Halesowen-born Morgan Rogers, who was schooled at their bitter rivals West Brom, and Jacob Ramsey, the boyhood Villa fan who grew up in Great Barr. “I grew up playing for West Brom, and Wolves weren’t a team I was a fan of,” Rogers said, putting it diplomatically, after Villa triumphed 3-0 at Young Boys on Tuesday. “It’s no different now. I want to beat them as much as anyone. Myself and Jacob, being from the area, it’s a big game for us. We’re going to have to dust ourselves off and go again.” Ben Fisher
Aston Villa v Wolves, Saturday 3pm
Smith Rowe aims to kick on at Fulham
Fulham did well to pick up Emile Smith Rowe in the summer. The midfielder endured a rotten couple of years at Arsenal, injury problems curtailing his development, but he looks more like himself at Craven Cottage. Playing regularly helps, as does knowing that Marco Silva will give him the freedom to express himself. Silva is an attacking manager and he wants Smith Rowe to thrive. These are early days but the initial signs are positive. The 24-year-old, nicknamed the Croydon De Bruyne, scored against Leicester last month and he laid on an assist for Raúl Jiménez in last week’s draw with West Ham. He will look to kick on against Newcastle. Silva believes that Smith Rowe will get better and more consistent as he builds more sharpness. JS
Fulham v Newcastle, Saturday 3pm
This is meant to be easy bit for Everton
In mid-August, the boffins at Opta did some sums and deduced that of all the 20 Premier League teams, Everton had the easiest 10 fixtures to start the season (Wolves had the hardest, if you were wondering). Yet after four matches, Everton sit bottom of the table having lost all four matches, to Brighton, Tottenham, Bournemouth and Villa. After making their worst start to a season since 1958-59, Saturday’s trip to Leicester already feels like a crucial match in the fight against relegation, which remains a disastrous financial prospect and the worst way to say goodbye to Goodison Park. Everton face all three promoted sides in their next six matches and must start to pick up points, before the tougher fixtures arrive. Michael Butler
Leicester v Everton, Saturday 3pm
A chance for Núñez to find rhythm?
Defeat to Nottingham Forest in their most recent Premier League match upset Arne Slot and his team because Liverpool were simply not good enough on the day. They bounced back in Milan having made a couple of changes from their previous three matches, bringing in Kostas Tsimikas and Cody Gakpo. Slot seems eager to play his strongest XI as much as possible but is quickly realising that the pace of English football and the demands of the calendar will reduce the opportunity to stick with his preferred option. Darwin Núñez made his fourth substitute appearance of the season in Italy but will want to show Slot he can start at No 9 and could get two games in a week with West Ham visiting in the Carabao Cup next Wednesday. The Uruguayan is the sort of player who needs consistent minutes, rather than repeatedly coming off the bench. He is at his best when there is a rhythm to his game and finding it could be a win-win situation for Slot. Will Unwin
Liverpool v Bournemouth, Saturday 3pm
Harwood-Bellis has fresh confidence
Few memories were made at Goodison Park on Tuesday night as Southampton stumbled through to the next round of the Carabao Cup on penalties. Russell Martin made 10 changes to the team that lost to Manchester United three days earlier, as he aimed to appease the majority of a bloated squad. Taylor Harwood-Bellis was given the captain’s armband, repaying the faith with an equaliser and successful spot-kick in the shootout. The centre-back has impressed in recent years in the Championship and making his move from Manchester City permanent this summer seemed an ideal option for clubs and player. Harwood-Bellis started the first three defeats but was taken off after 56 minutes at Brentford and left out on Saturday. Despite the knock to his confidence, he breezed through the match against Everton up against Beto. It is natural for a player to have anxiety having finally reached the Premier League and Harwood-Bellis’s efforts at Goodison Park should allow him to replace the suspended Jack Stephens this weekend. WU
Southampton v Ipswich, Saturday 3pm
Spurs may have to look at youth
There were many Tottenham players, who toiled and struggled in the fortunate Carabao Cup win over Coventry City, who didn’t exactly throw their hat into the ring to start Saturday’s game against Brentford. And while Ange Postecoglou will be grateful for the more established names who came off the bench to rescue the game for Tottenham, there were two players, making their first starts for Tottenham who did make an impression: the teenagers Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall. “They were both very, very good,” said Postecoglou. “They are going to play a big part in our season.” Based on performances elsewhere, the duo could find themselves back in the Australian’s starting XI quicker than they expected as Spurs face an excellent and efficient Brentford side that caused Manchester City all sorts of problems on the road last weekend. MB
Tottenham v Brentford, Saturday 3pm
Palace pin hopes on Nketiah
It’s only been 134 days since Manchester United’s last visit to south London but it already feels like a lifetime ago for Crystal Palace fans. The famous 4-0 victory at Selhurst Park in the first week of May was a high point in Palace’s purple patch at the end of last season that also featured them defeating Liverpool and Aston Villa. But with Oliver Glasner’s side now having to do without the inspirational Michael Olise and still looking for their first league win of the new season, Palace may not be the same proposition this weekend as their summer signings continue to bed in. A first goal for Eddie Nketiah in the Carabao Cup win over QPR in midweek capped a promising start to his Palace career after being deployed in a deeper role than he usually was at Arsenal. Glasner will hope he can provide the spark when United come to town again on Saturday. Ed Aarons
Crystal Palace v Manchester United, Saturday 5.30pm
Hudson-Odoi and Elanga seek starts
Unbeaten Nottingham Forest were excellent in their win over Liverpool at Anfield, keeping things extremely tight before making match-winning changes off the bench. Callum Hudson-Odoi and Anthony Elanga were influential as Nuno Espírito Santo added width to stretch the play in the second half. It was very much like rugby, where a coach has starters and finishers, with the wingers, on this occasion, being the experts among the replacements. It is a strategy that worked last weekend but how long the talents of Hudson-Odoi and Elanga can be convinced it is best for the team for them to wait their turn is unknown. They will both want to start at Brighton. Nuno is a clever coach and is making his players extremely hungry for success but it might be too much to resist seeing the two wingers flying from the off. WU
Brighton v Nottingham Forest, Sunday 2pm
Foden is ready to step up again
Phil Foden may take over from Kevin De Bruyne as Manchester City’s lead creator against Arsenal if the latter is ruled out with the groin injury he sustained during Wednesday’s draw with Inter. There are shades of last season, when Foden flourished after De Bruyne suffered a serious hamstring problem in the opening game at Burnley. Once again, we see the frightening depth of City’s squad: when the footballer who has a case for being the Premier League’s finest ever attacking midfielder is sidelined, Pep Guardiola’s solution is to draft in the current holder of the PFA players’ player and writers’ player of the year. Jamie Jackson
Manchester City v Arsenal, Sunday 4.30pm
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Man City | 4 | 8 | 12 |
| 2 | Arsenal | 4 | 5 | 10 |
| 3 | Newcastle | 4 | 3 | 10 |
| 4 | Liverpool | 4 | 6 | 9 |
| 5 | Aston Villa | 4 | 1 | 9 |
| 6 | Brighton | 4 | 4 | 8 |
| 7 | Nottm Forest | 4 | 2 | 8 |
| 8 | Chelsea | 4 | 3 | 7 |
| 9 | Brentford | 4 | 0 | 6 |
| 10 | Man Utd | 4 | 0 | 6 |
| 11 | AFC Bournemouth | 4 | 0 | 5 |
| 12 | Fulham | 4 | 0 | 5 |
| 13 | Tottenham Hotspur | 4 | 2 | 4 |
| 14 | West Ham | 4 | -1 | 4 |
| 15 | Leicester | 4 | -2 | 2 |
| 16 | Crystal Palace | 4 | -3 | 2 |
| 17 | Ipswich | 4 | -5 | 2 |
| 18 | Wolverhampton | 4 | -7 | 1 |
| 19 | Southampton | 4 | -7 | 0 |
| 20 | Everton | 4 | -9 | 0 |
