Welcome to the weekend where nobody’s Premier League predictions are safe, least of all the ones about Manchester United. Matchweek 8 gives us a perfect Manchester City walking into Unai Emery’s lair and an Arsenal side shuffling into the Emirates without Bukayo Saka. There’s also a London derby at Stamford Bridge, with Spurs freshly armed with one win. One.
Calm down.
Then there’s United, who were hammered 4-1 by Como in the Champions League on Wednesday. Como. A club in its first-ever Champions League campaign. Smh. 
Here are our Premier League predictions for the five biggest games first, then the rest of the round. All kick-off times are Nigerian time (WAT).
Aston Villa vs Manchester City: Can Emery ruin the perfect record?
Saturday, October 24 | 12:30pm
Enzo Maresca has become the first manager to win his opening seven Premier League games at a club, and City top the table on 21 points. Erling Haaland already has eight league goals. Phil Foden bagged a hat-trick in Tuesday’s 5-1 Champions League win over AEK Athens. Lovely stuff.
Now they have to visit Villa Park, where Emery treats beating City like a hobby. Villa have won four of their last six league meetings with City, including the last three at home. Haaland has scored just once in five league games against them. Emery’s favourite trick is using two No.10s to overload City’s midfield, and the Premier League’s own analysis says Rodri’s absence could make that even easier.
Villa are unbeaten in seven and beat Viking 3-1 in Europe on Wednesday. They’re still without Amadou Onana, Ian Maatsen and Aaron Wan-Bissaka. City will miss Antoine Semenyo (knee) for around eight weeks, though Maresca insists Haaland is 100% fit.
Perfect records always end somewhere, and Villa Park is a fair place to book. But with Haaland and Foden in the mood, we’re backing the leaders to survive a thriller.
Prediction: Aston Villa 1-2 Manchester City
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Arsenal vs Everton: Premier League predictions for a haram-for-haram afternoon
Saturday, October 24 | 3:00pm
Arsenal are second, three points behind City, and have won every league game at home this season. The problem is how they’re winning.
In last week’s 1-0 victory at Nottingham Forest, their open-play numbers were the lowest of the campaign: 0.5 xG, six shots and zero big chances. Noni Madueke came on for a half-time-hooked Eberechi Eze and nicked it. The champions are winning ugly again, and the Emirates faithful are not thrilled about it. But then, the end justifies the means, yeah? Yeah?
The injury list isn’t helping. Saka limped off in Wednesday’s 2-2 draw at Bayern Munich, where Declan Rice rescued a point in the 82nd minute, and Mikel Arteta admitted the news isn’t good. William Saliba remains out as well.
Enter Everton and David Moyes, Arteta’s old mentor. The Toffees haven’t lost away this season, with three draws from three. They also haven’t won an away league game in eight. They lost 2-0 to Chelsea last weekend but have a fully fit squad. Expect a low block, Jordan Pickford making saves look easy, and Arsenal passing sideways as if the ball is hot.
That’s haram-for-haram football, where nobody wants to be the first to commit the sin of attacking. Someone will crack, and it’ll probably be at 1-0.
Prediction: Arsenal 1-0 Everton
Chelsea vs Tottenham: The London derby where Spurs hope lightning strikes twice
Saturday, October 24 | 5:30pm
Ladies and gentlemen, we have a miracle! Tottenham Hotspurs finally won a league game!!!
Monday’s 3-1 against Coventry, their first Premier League victory after six winless games, brought back James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski. Roberto De Zerbi also unveiled a 3-1-3-3 formation with three No.10s. Well done, lads. Now enjoy Stamford Bridge, where Spurs have won once in their last 36 league visits and have lost their last six league meetings with Chelsea.
Xabi Alonso’s side look increasingly composed. They beat Bournemouth 5-1, then won 2-0 at Everton thanks to a Pedro Neto brace. They’ve scored 17 league goals but are still conceding more than Alonso would like. They’ll also be without Reece James (out for the rest of the year after knee surgery) and goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez (fractured jaw).
The tactical question is whether De Zerbi’s narrow trio can overrun Jordan Henderson and Moisés Caicedo. It’s clever, it’s unorthodox, and it’s the kind of plan that either looks like genius or gets you three goals past your head.
Given how this fixture has gone lately, we know which one we’d bet on.
Prediction: Chelsea 2-1 Tottenham
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Liverpool vs Brighton: Premier League predictions for an Anfield shootout
Sunday, October 25 | 3:00pm
Brighton are third, own the league’s best attack, and hammered Crystal Palace 5-0 last weekend. They also beat Arsenal 3-0 earlier this season and have kept four clean sheets in a row. Fabian Hürzeler’s high-pressing side lead the league for high turnovers with 80.
Liverpool are fifth on 12 points and have won three on the spin in all competitions. Wednesday’s 4-3 comeback against Villarreal, which Alexis Mac Allister helped turn with two goals, featured defending best described as optional. Alexander Isak has five league goals, and Florian Wirtz has created more chances than anyone in the league (20).
Injuries bite, though. Dominik Szoboszlai, Jeremie Frimpong and Hugo Ekitike are out, and Bradley Barcola is a doubt. Ryan Gravenberch should be back from suspension.
Brighton can be dragged into wild games. They lost 4-3 at Chelsea in August and conceded twice in an EFL Cup win at Old Trafford. This has all the ingredients of a goal-fest, and Anfield loves one of those. Liverpool have kept just one clean sheet in three league games at home this season, so don’t expect anyone to need a goalkeeper’s gloves.
Prediction: Liverpool 3-2 Brighton
Manchester United vs Bournemouth: How low can they go?
Sunday, October 25 | 3:00pm
Let’s recap Manchester United’s week. They lost 4-1 at Como on Wednesday, with Nico Paz scoring twice and setting up another. Joshua Zirkzee grabbed a consolation in stoppage time, which felt more like a pity gift. It was one of United’s most embarrassing European defeats, and it extended their winless run to seven games in all competitions.
In the league, they’ve won once all season. Only in 1986/87 have they had so few wins at this stage in the last 54 years. Captain Bruno Fernandes openly criticised Michael Carrick’s tactics after the Como game, which followed Lisandro Martinez doing the same a while ago. Carrick signed a two-year deal in May and is expected to stay in the dugout. Sesko, Mainoo and Shaw are out, but Leny Yoro is back from his European ban.
Marco Rose’s Bournemouth are the visitors nobody wants. They finally won in the league last weekend (2-0 against Sunderland) and are unbeaten in their last six meetings with United, winning four. They’ve scored at least three goals in each of their last three league visits to Old Trafford, a first for any team. United’s defence has been so generous lately it should register as a charity.
Carrick needs a hero. Bournemouth need only turn up.
Prediction: Manchester United 1-2 Bournemouth
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Premier League predictions for the rest of Matchweek 8
The rest of the round comes with fewer headlines but plenty of drama.
Ipswich Town vs Nottingham Forest
Friday, October 23 | 8:00pm
Forest rank seventh for expected goals (11.2) but have scored just five times, the league’s biggest underperformance. Liam Delap returns to Portman Road with one league goal this season. He scored 12 for Ipswich last year, so the grass should feel familiar.
Prediction: Ipswich 1-1 Nottingham Forest
Coventry City vs Fulham
Saturday, October 24 | 3:00pm
Fulham claimed their first win last weekend (1-0 against Hull) but are still winless away. Coventry hammered Newcastle 4-1 at home before losing at Spurs. Frank Lampard’s side will fancy their chances against Fulham’s possession-heavy approach.
Prediction: Coventry 2-1 Fulham
Crystal Palace vs Newcastle United
Sunday, October 25 | 3:00pm
Palace have conceded 17 league goals, the most in the division, including five at Brighton last Sunday. Newcastle have shipped 14 and lost 4-1 at both Leeds and Coventry. Two leaky defences in one place means goals, and neutrals will love it.
Prediction: Crystal Palace 2-2 Newcastle
Hull City vs Brentford
Sunday, October 25 | 3:00pm
Hull are winless in five and lead the league in yellow cards (22). Brentford lead in fouls (103) and are second for set-piece xG. Expect a scrappy, stop-start grind.
Prediction: Hull 1-2 Brentford
Sunderland vs Leeds United
Sunday, October 25 | 5:30pm
Bottom-placed Sunderland have lost four in a row, managing just three shots in a 2-0 loss at Bournemouth. They now host seventh-placed Leeds just three days after a Europa League trip to Poland. Things aren’t getting easier.
Prediction: Sunderland 1-2 Leeds
Premier League predictions at a glance
| Fixture | Prediction |
| Ipswich Town vs Nottingham Forest | 1-1 |
| Aston Villa vs Manchester City | 1-2 |
| Arsenal vs Everton | 1-0 |
| Coventry City vs Fulham | 2-1 |
| Chelsea vs Tottenham | 2-1 |
| Crystal Palace vs Newcastle | 2-2 |
| Hull City vs Brentford | 1-2 |
| Liverpool vs Brighton | 3-2 |
| Manchester United vs Bournemouth | 1-2 |
| Sunderland vs Leeds United | 1-2 |
Premier League predictions are never an exact science. One red card, one goalkeeper howler or one defender forgetting which team he plays for can wreck a sensible scoreline. But if you can only trust one prediction this weekend, it’s that Manchester United will find a new way to disappoint.
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