Chelsea v Fulham – Prediction Chelsea 2 Fulham 0
The west London Derby is usually a cracker. Chelsea’s last league outing was a 5-1 romping over West Ham, while Fulham drew 1-1 with Manchester United thanks to a disciplined shape and set-piece threat. Neither had midweek Cup drama, though Chelsea drew Lincoln City and Fulham drew Cambridge in the Carabao Cup third round. Expect Chelsea’s control at Stamford Bridge to tell.

Manchester United v Burnley – Prediction Manchester United 2 Burnley 1
United arrive off a 1-1 at Fulham, but all the noise comes from a historic Carabao Cup shock, going out to League Two Grimsby on penalties, a new low for United. Burnley beat Sunderland 2-0 last weekend and then snatched a late Cup win over Derby to advance. United surely have to improve against a Burnley side still finding their feet in this division.

Sunderland v Brentford – Prediction Sunderland 1 Brentford 1
Sunderland were beaten 2-0 at Burnley in the league but were very good on the opening day. Brentford are buoyant after a 1-0 win over a good Aston Villa team and a Cup victory over Bournemouth so should have renewed confidence. With a lot on the line both teams will not want to lose.

Tottenham Hotspur v AFC Bournemouth – Prediction Tottenham 2 Bournemouth 0
Spurs stunned Manchester City 2-0 at the Etihad last weekend and look physically sharp. Bournemouth ground out a 1-0 over Wolves but exited the Cup to Brentford. Spurs should create enough to win by two.

Wolverhampton Wanderers v Everton – Prediction Wolves 0 Everton 0
Wolves lost 1-0 at Bournemouth but staged one of the Cup’s thrillers, turning West Ham over 3-2 with a late Jørgen Strand Larsen brace. Everton beat Brighton 2-0 last weekend and were much improved. A tight contest points to shared spoils.

Leeds United v Newcastle United – Prediction Leeds 1 Newcastle 3
Leeds were thumped 5-0 by Arsenal and then slipped out of the Cup at Sheffield Wednesday on penalties capping off a tough week for them. Newcastle’s last league game was a 3-2 defeat to Liverpool settled by 16-year-old Rio Ngumoha in the 100th minute, but some of their build up play was sublime.

Brighton & Hove Albion v Manchester City – Prediction Brighton 1 Manchester City 2
Brighton lost 2-0 at Everton and remain a work in progress in both boxes and have a had a difficult start to the season. Brighton normally step up their game against the Premier League’s best. City were beaten 2-0 by Spurs but typically respond well after setbacks. Expect City to sneak it late.

Nottingham Forest v West Ham United – Prediction Nottingham Forest 3 West Ham 1
A aggregate score of 8-1 in their first two games – West Ham look like the Premier League whipping boys at the moment and the late Cup collapse at Wolves couldn’t have helped. Forest drew 1-1 at Crystal Palace last week and look organised without the ball. Forest should win comfortably.

Liverpool v Arsenal – Prediction Liverpool 1 Arsenal 3
Liverpool arrive off a dramatic 3-2 win at Newcastle, sealed by Ngumoha’s 100th-minute strike Arsenal were ruthless in a 5-0 dismantling of Leeds. Anfield, is always an intimidating place to go but Liverpool look far from their best.

Aston Villa v Crystal Palace – Prediction Aston Villa 1 Crystal Palace 1
Villa fell 1-0 at Brentford and seem to be struggling to score. Palace drew 1-1 with Forest. Both look like mid table teams at the moment. Palace to draw a third straight game?

Game of the week: Liverpool v Arsenal rarely disappoints. With attacking stars on both sides in form, this should be breathless with no team keeping a clean sheet in this fixture in the last 3 years so expect goals. Arsenal haven’t lost Liverpool in the last 3 Premier League seasons and we expect the trend to continue. A lens on these predictions highlights the drama and unpredictability of the Premier League’s early weeks.