The Premier League returns for Matchweek seven this weekend, and predictions are very hard to get right these days. Because if the opening six rounds are anything to go by, we are in for another generous serving of drama. Another buffet of questionable defending and managers discovering new ways to explain why their expensive squads cannot do the basics.
Manchester City are flying, Chelsea are beginning to find their rhythm, and Arsenal are finding resilient ways to prove they’re right to be called champions. Liverpool, meanwhile, are trying to convince everyone that their domestic struggles are merely a temporary inconvenience.
Manchester United? Well, there is only so much therapy a football club can afford. 
The weekend’s fixtures offer plenty of intriguing battles. So sit back and enjoy our Premier League predictions for Matchweek 7, including the five biggest fixtures and predictions for all 10 matches.
Everton vs Chelsea: Can the Blues keep their momentum going?
Chelsea travel to Merseyside looking to build on their impressive 5-1 victory over Bournemouth last time out. It was the sort of performance that makes supporters briefly forget every frustrating draw, defensive calamity and questionable transfer decision that preceded it.
Xabi Alonso’s side have collected 10 points from their opening six league matches, scoring freely enough to suggest that their attacking machinery is beginning to click. The combination of Cole Palmer, João Pedro and Morgan Rogers offers plenty of creativity, while Moisés Caicedo’s return from injury should help restore some balance in midfield.
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Everton, however, will not be particularly interested in Chelsea’s newfound enthusiasm. David Moyes’ side have also collected 10 points and remain unbeaten in the league, making them considerably more troublesome opponents than their reputation might suggest.
The Toffees have been defensively solid for much of the campaign, although their recent draw against Hull exposed some costly mistakes. Against Chelsea’s forwards, those lapses could prove expensive.
There is another reason for caution: Chelsea’s recent record away to Everton has been surprisingly poor. According to talkSPORT, the Blues have won only once in their previous nine away league visits and failed to score in seven of those matches. That is hardly the sort of statistic that inspires confidence.
Still, Chelsea arrive with greater attacking momentum, and their midweek rest could prove useful against an Everton side that will look to make this a physical, uncomfortable afternoon.
Everton should make them work for it, but Chelsea have enough quality to nick the points.
Prediction: Everton 1-2 Chelsea
Brentford vs Liverpool: Will there be a sting in the tail?
Liverpool’s 6-3 Champions League victory over LASK was certainly entertaining. Bradley Barcola finally found his scoring boots, producing a hat-trick that should ease some of the scrutiny surrounding his slow start at Anfield.
Unfortunately for Liverpool, a nine-goal European thriller does not automatically solve the problems that have been haunting their Premier League campaign.
Andoni Iraola’s side sit ninth with nine points after six matches, having struggled for consistency domestically. Their 3-0 defeat to Manchester City last weekend was another reminder that Liverpool can look frightening going forward while simultaneously making defending appear like an optional extracurricular activity.
Brentford will be delighted to exploit that uncertainty.
Keith Andrews’ side have made an impressive start, sitting fourth with 10 points and remaining unbeaten in the league. Their approach is not always pretty, but football does not award bonus points for aesthetic elegance. Brentford defend compactly, make life difficult through the middle and turn set pieces and long throw-ins into legitimate weapons.
In other words, Liverpool may discover that their opponents have no interest in participating in a glamorous attacking exhibition.
The Bees will happily turn the afternoon into a scrap, crowd Liverpool’s passing lanes and punish any defensive confusion. If the visitors cannot move the ball quickly enough to disrupt Brentford’s structure, they could spend much of the match passing sideways and wondering where the space went.
Liverpool’s European performance provides some encouragement, but Brentford’s domestic consistency makes them dangerous opponents. The hosts have the organisation and physicality to frustrate the Reds, particularly if Liverpool concede first.
Expect chances at both ends, a few uncomfortable defensive moments and at least one occasion when a Liverpool defender appears to have misplaced his footballing education.
Prediction: Brentford 2-1 Liverpool
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Manchester City vs Ipswich Town: Do we even need to talk about this one?
Manchester City have started the season like a team that has decided the title race is an administrative inconvenience. Which means this might be the only one of the Premier League predictions for this week that we get right.
Enzo Maresca’s side have won all six of their opening Premier League matches, collecting 18 points and opening a three-point gap over second-placed Arsenal. Their 3-0 victory over Liverpool last weekend was another demonstration of their attacking quality and ability to punish opponents who make even the smallest defensive mistakes.
The football has been fluent, the results have been excellent, and the rest of the league is already wondering whether anyone can persuade City to take a weekend off.
Ipswich Town arrive at the Etihad in 10th place with nine points. Their return to the top flight has been encouraging, and they should not be dismissed simply because they are facing one of the division’s strongest sides.
Nevertheless, this is a particularly difficult assignment. City have scored freely, controlled matches and shown that they can dismantle even established Premier League opposition when their rhythm is uninterrupted.
Ipswich will need to defend intelligently, remain compact and take their opportunities when they arise. Sitting too deep could invite sustained pressure, while committing too many players forward might leave City with acres of space to exploit.
The hosts did lose 4-2 to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Wednesday, but their performance offered reasons for encouragement after a difficult opening spell. Recovering from a three-goal deficit to threaten the European champions is hardly the behaviour of a team in crisis.
Ipswich could make the opening stages competitive, but City should have too much quality over 90 minutes.
Prediction: Manchester City 3-0 Ipswich Town
Leeds United vs Manchester United: United fans don’t want to talk about this
Manchester United supporters might want to spend Sunday doing literally anything else.
No, really. Take a walk. Read a book. Learn pottery. Anything that does not involve watching their football club attempt to string together a convincing 90 minutes.
Michael Carrick’s side have collected just six points from six league matches and sit 13th in the table. Their opening run has been described as their worst start in 40 years, a new and surprising low, considering they recently survived Erik Ten Hag and Ruben Amorim. Their recent 2-0 defeat to Atlético Madrid in the Champions League has only added to the anxiety.
United have struggled to establish consistency, and unfortunately for Carrick, Leeds are not likely to offer a convenient recovery opportunity.
Daniel Farke’s side sit seventh with nine points and have made a stronger start to the campaign. Elland Road should be hostile, noisy and thoroughly unpleasant for the visitors. Leeds have the energy to press United aggressively and the physicality to make midfield uncomfortable.
Carrick also has an awkward historical statistic to consider. He has lost five of his previous six managerial duels with Farke, with the only victory coming during his time at Middlesbrough in the League Cup.
Naturally, Manchester United could choose this exact moment to rediscover their talent, silence the crowd and produce a performance that makes the entire football world look foolish. Football has a sense of humour like that.
But most likely, the joke’s gonna be on them. Or more precisely, they’ll be the joke, and we’re in for another afternoon of football players doing their best to prove that it doesn’t take much to go pro.
Rival fans will be looking forward to this one. And chances are, this is another one of the Premier League predictions we get right.
Prediction: Leeds United 2-1 Manchester United
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Nottingham Forest vs Arsenal: 90 Minutes of Haram-for-Haram Football?
Arsenal travel to Nottingham Forest knowing that another dropped point could give Manchester City an opportunity to increase their advantage at the top of the table.
Mikel Arteta’s side sit second with 15 points, three behind the leaders, and cannot afford to lose ground in a title race that already looks like it could become another exercise in trying to keep up with City’s relentless winning habit.
Forest, meanwhile, are 15th with five points after six matches. Their league position suggests a team struggling to find its feet, but their recent performances indicate that they could be more dangerous than the table suggests.
Oliver Glasner’s side lost 3-1 to Crystal Palace last weekend, yet they created opportunities and played some promising attacking football. Their main problem was converting chances and dealing with counterattacks. In footballing terms, they did enough to make life interesting before finding several creative ways to ruin their own afternoon.
Arsenal should be wary. They were not entirely convincing against Leeds last weekend and needed their attacking reinforcements to make a difference. Their Champions League victory over Lille offered encouragement, but Forest will hope to exploit any hesitation in the visitors’ build-up.
The trouble is that this could become a tactical staring contest.
Forest may look to frustrate Arsenal, restrict the space between the lines and hit them on the break. Arsenal, meanwhile, could spend long periods circulating possession while searching for the perfect opening. If neither side wants to take a risk, we might witness 90 minutes of haram-for-haram football: a match where attacking ambition goes missing and everyone appears perfectly content to defend a respectable 0-0.
Expect a cautious contest, limited clear chances and one decisive moment separating the teams.
Prediction: Nottingham Forest 0-1 Arsenal
Predictions for the rest of the Premier League Matchweek 7 Fixtures
Fulham vs Hull City
Saturday, October 17 | 3:00pm
Fulham’s start has been dreadful. They sit bottom of the table with just two points from six matches, and manager Álvaro Arbeloa is already under pressure to find a solution.
Their biggest problem has been scoring goals. Gonzalo García, signed from Real Madrid during the summer, has managed just one league goal from 18 shots, despite generating promising opportunities.
Hull, by contrast, have collected nine points and sit eighth. They will fancy their chances against a Fulham side that has struggled to turn promising spells into results.
Still, desperation can produce strange things in football. Fulham desperately need a win, and home advantage could help them scrape something from this encounter.
Prediction: Fulham 1-1 Hull City
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Newcastle United vs Aston Villa
Saturday, October 17 | 5:30pm
Newcastle need a response after their humiliating 4-1 defeat to Coventry City on Monday. Matthias Jaissle’s insistence on aggressive, vertical football has produced exciting moments, but his team have also looked alarmingly vulnerable when their attacking approach goes wrong.
Aston Villa arrive with five points from six matches and plenty to prove themselves. Their new-look frontline has shown potential, but consistency remains an issue.
Newcastle have enough attacking quality to trouble Villa, particularly at St James’ Park. However, if the hosts continue to confuse relentless forward movement with an obligation to abandon defensive structure, Villa could punish them.
The visitors have a realistic chance of exploiting Newcastle’s exposed back line, especially if they can remain patient and attack the spaces left behind.
Prediction: Newcastle United 1-2 Aston Villa
Bournemouth vs Sunderland
Sunday, October 18 | 2:00pm
This could be one of the weekend’s more competitive encounters, with both sides looking to improve their position after difficult opening six-game runs.
Bournemouth sit 18th with three points, while Sunderland are 17th with four. Neither side has made the start it would have wanted, and both know that early-season points can become extremely valuable once the relegation battle starts getting serious.
Justin Kluivert’s return should give Bournemouth an attacking boost, while Sunderland will welcome Brian Brobbey back into contention. Both players could prove important in a game where individual moments may matter more than elaborate tactical plans.
Expect a competitive, occasionally scrappy contest. Neither team can afford to be reckless, but a draw would do little to solve either side’s problems.
Prediction: Bournemouth 1-1 Sunderland
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Crystal Palace
Sunday, October 18 | 2:00pm
Brighton have made an excellent start to the season, sitting third with 13 points and boasting the league’s strongest goal difference after six matches.
Their attacking football has been productive, and they will enter the M23 derby as favourites. Crystal Palace, however, have developed an irritating habit of making life difficult for their neighbours.
Brighton have not beaten Palace since February 2024, while their recent meetings under Fabian Hürzeler have produced frustrating results. Palace also have defensive concerns, which Brighton’s lively attack will be eager to exploit.
The visitors will need a disciplined defensive performance and some inspiration on the counterattack if they are to extend that run. Brighton’s current form suggests they are well placed to finally overcome their neighbours, but derbies have a habit of ignoring the form guide.
Prediction: Brighton 2-1 Crystal Palace
Tottenham Hotspur vs Coventry City
Monday, October 19 | 8:00pm
Tottenham’s season has been alarmingly poor, with three points from six matches leaving them 19th in the table and still searching for their first league victory.
Coventry, meanwhile, arrive with renewed confidence after consecutive wins, including their emphatic 4-1 demolition of Newcastle. Frank Lampard’s side have finally started converting their chances, and their performances suggest that they are beginning to settle into life in the Premier League.
Spurs should have enough individual quality to dominate possession, but that has not translated into convincing results. Their opponents will fancy their chances if Tottenham’s defensive uncertainty continues.
Coventry will need to remain organised and avoid getting carried away by their recent success, but the visitors have every reason to believe they can take advantage of Spurs’ fragile confidence.
If Tottenham lose this one, the post-match explanations could require their own Netflix series.
Prediction: Tottenham Hotspur 1-2 Coventry City
Premier League Matchweek 7 Predictions at a Glance
| Fixture | Prediction |
| Everton vs Chelsea | 1-2 |
| Brentford vs Liverpool | 2-1 |
| Manchester City vs Ipswich Town | 3-0 |
| Fulham vs Hull City | 1-1 |
| Newcastle United vs Aston Villa | 1-2 |
| Bournemouth vs Sunderland | 1-1 |
| Brighton vs Crystal Palace | 2-1 |
| Leeds United vs Manchester United | 2-1 |
| Nottingham Forest vs Arsenal | 0-1 |
| Tottenham Hotspur vs Coventry City | 1-2 |
The big winners of this week’s Premier League predictions could be Chelsea and Manchester City, while Liverpool and Manchester United face potentially damaging weekends. Arsenal should have enough to get past Forest, although supporters may have to endure another dreary evening before celebrating.
Of course, Premier League predictions are not an exact science. One red card, one goalkeeping disaster or one defender suddenly forgetting which team he plays for can ruin an otherwise sensible forecast.
That is the beauty of football. And, occasionally, the reason we need a lie-down afterwards.
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