Matchweek 1 of the Premier League is done, and matchweek 2 is just around the corner. Drawing on squad quality and how each side actually looked in their opener, here are predictions for the six focus clubs.

Crystal Palace vs Manchester City: City survived on a substitute, but Palace’s back line is the real concern

City needed a stoppage-time rescue act from substitute Cherki, who set up two goals to complete the comeback. It was nervy, but new manager Maresca’s rotation genuinely paid off, and the squad’s underlying quality is still there, with enough bench depth to shift the game once both sides tired. Palace, by contrast, did have some bad luck in their opener — two shots off the woodwork left them with nothing to show for their spells of pressure — but their back line was genuinely poor too, more or less bullied for large stretches. I like City to win this one comfortably.

Liverpool vs Nottingham Forest: Salah’s gone to the Süper Lig, but Liverpool’s attack is still stacked

With Salah off to Turkey’s Süper Lig, Liverpool are officially in the post-Salah era — but the attacking line remains genuinely loaded: Gakpo, Isak, and Salah’s presumed heir apparent Ngumoha still give them real firepower. Their 2-2 draw with Newcastle exposed some issues defending in transition — marking assignments weren’t tight, and they got beaten for pace and positioning on the counter — but that’s a relatively fixable problem. I like Liverpool to correct course and win this one.

Tottenham vs Newcastle: Spurs’ new signings haven’t gelled, and Newcastle have the better mood in the camp

Spurs’ 0-3 opening-day defeat exposed real problems — new arrivals not yet integrated, and serious issues in both the back line and the goalkeeping department. Newcastle, despite losing several key players over the summer, fought their way to a draw against Liverpool in week one. Given where Spurs are in their integration process and where morale sits for each side, I lean toward Newcastle here — goalkeeper-defense communication problems don’t get solved in a week, decision-making doesn’t meaningfully sharpen that fast either, and Spurs’ attack was also flat in game one. Newcastle have a real shot at taking something from this.

Chelsea vs Brighton: Brighton’s 4 goals came with an asterisk, and Chelsea’s home defense should hold up

Brighton have had Chelsea’s number in recent meetings, and they’re riding high after a 4-0 win in week one — but roughly two and a half of those four goals were really down to opposition errors rather than Brighton’s own quality. Chelsea, meanwhile, showed good attacking form and solid integration of their new signings in their own opener; the defense has real issues too, but nothing close to Aston Villa’s collapse. With home advantage, I like Chelsea to edge this.

Manchester United vs Ipswich Town: the loss doesn’t mean the attack is broken — set-piece defending is the real issue

United’s opening-day shock ended in an embarrassing scoreline, but the underlying performance was actually fine — several genuinely threatening shots, undone mainly by an outstanding display from opposing keeper Tzolakis. The real problem was set-piece defending, where marking broke down repeatedly — whether that gets fixed in a single week is genuinely uncertain. Still, a professional side working with a dedicated set-piece coach should be able to shore this up quickly, and against a side in the lower half of the table, I don’t expect United to have much trouble picking up the win here.

Aston Villa vs Arsenal: Arsenal’s depth is the league’s best, and Villa’s defense is still bleeding

There’s not much to debate here — Arsenal have the deepest squad in the league this season, top to bottom, and barring a major injury I’m backing them almost every time. Villa just shipped four to Brighton in week one, with sloppy defensive errors throughout, and they’ll have even less of a chance to withstand Arsenal’s firepower. I like Arsenal to cruise through this one.

Closing thoughts

These are my personal predictions for the six focus clubs’ matchweek 2 fixtures — for reference only. Please gamble responsibly.