Matchweek 2 of the Premier League is done, and matchweek 3 is just around the corner. Drawing on squad quality and each side’s current form, here are predictions for the six focus clubs.
Manchester City vs Coventry City: Maresca’s latest reshuffle keeps paying off, City stay in top form
City were in excellent form in matchweek 2, and Maresca’s latest reshuffle paid off again — Cherki and Haaland both scored twice, both in red-hot form, and O’Reilly’s forward runs from his deeper role looked sharp too. Coventry, meanwhile, are on a two-game losing streak and short on form — it’s hard to imagine them offering much resistance against a City side this well stocked. The one real question mark is how Enzo’s arrival settles into the group chemistry-wise, but given how well he and Maresca worked together at Chelsea, I don’t expect that to get in the way of a City win here.
Ipswich Town vs Liverpool: Barcola arrives, giving Liverpool’s attack an upgrade — but the defensive concerns remain
Liverpool was the one pick that missed last round — I put too much faith in their pedigree as a big club and underestimated how much of a genuine adjustment period even a big club goes through during a rebuild. That said, right before the summer window shut, Liverpool finally landed their marquee signing in Barcola, the winger who impressed at PSG and should give the Reds’ attack a real step up in firepower, while Gakpo has also been confirmed to be staying. Liverpool’s defensive issues haven’t gone away, though, so I like Liverpool to win this one, but I expect goals at both ends and a fairly high-scoring match overall.
Nottingham Forest vs Tottenham: Spurs show no signs of turning it around, and Forest have the head-to-head edge
Spurs have lost their first two games badly and still haven’t scored a single goal all season — the attack has been that flat. And it’s not just a scoring problem either — they can’t hold a lead defensively either, with no real reliability anywhere from front to back. On top of that, Forest had real success against Spurs last season, sweeping both fixtures by big margins. This isn’t a one-player problem for Spurs — the whole squad currently looks like it doesn’t quite know how to play. I like Forest to win this one, with Spurs facing a third straight defeat.
Arsenal vs Chelsea: the six focus clubs’ first head-to-head of the season, and Arsenal’s defense has the edge
This is the first meeting between any of the six focus clubs this season, and it should be a genuinely good watch. But despite both being big clubs, the two sides are in very different places right now — Arsenal haven’t conceded a single goal yet, the back line looks settled, and outside of a slightly light attacking line there’s really no obvious weakness in the squad. Chelsea, by contrast, have been winning almost entirely off the back of ferocious attacking output — seven goals scored across their first two games — but their defense is just as broken, having shipped five goals of their own over the same stretch. With Arsenal at home, I expect them to hold Chelsea’s firepower in check and win this one by a narrow margin.
Manchester United vs Everton: United riding momentum, Everton’s attack takes a transfer-window hit
After the opening-day loss, United bounced back quickly, beating Ipswich 5-2 in matchweek 2 — with Bruno Fernandes putting on a hat-trick that gave the squad’s morale a real lift. Still, United conceded twice in that match; the second was arguably down to City-style relaxation with the game already won, but the first did expose a genuine gap in marking at the back. United are on the road this time, but Everton just took a hit on the transfer front right before the window closed — Balogun’s move fell through after failing his medical, and Ndiaye has also left for Manchester City, leaving Everton’s attacking options seriously depleted. Overall I think United have the edge here, and I like them to win this one on the road by a narrow margin.
These are my personal predictions for the six focus clubs’ matchweek 3 fixtures — for reference only. Please gamble responsibly.