Defending champion and current Premier League leader Liverpool has lost two consecutive matches. The Reds fell to streaking Crystal Palace last Sunday and then lost to Galatasaray in the Champions League on Tuesday. Liverpool now faces Chelsea on Saturday without starting goalkeeper Alisson who was injured in Tuesday’s loss. Chelsea, meanwhile, got a much-needed victory Tuesday versus former manager Jose Mourinho and Benfica in a 1-0 Champions League win. The winner, however, came from a Benfica own goal as a defender deflected a Chelsea cross into the Portuguese net. There is thus little evidence that Chelsea have found the answer to a wilting attack weakened by the injury losses of Cole Palmer and Liam Delap and a marked downturn in the play of forward Joao Pedro. Chelsea has lost back-to-back Premier League matches as it faces a Liverpool side trying to bounce back from its Crystal Palace and Benfica misadventures.
Arsenal has not lost since an August 31st defeat to Liverpool. Dramatic winners at Newcastle last week, Arsenal returns home to the Emirates on Saturday to face West Ham In Nuno Espirito Santo’s second match in charge of the Hammers. A Gunner win combined with a misstep by Liverpool would put Arsenal at the top of the table.
Preparations continue for the Gunners 📈
— West Ham United (@WestHam) October 2, 2025
Crystal Palace sits third in the table as the Eagles make their first visit to Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium on Saturday. The high-flying Eagles have not lost a Premier League match since April and extended their unbeaten run across all competitions to 19 matches with Thursday’s 2-0 defeat of Dynamo Kyiv in the Europa Conference League. Everton is unbeaten after three matches at their new home after drawing with West Ham in front of the Toffee home support this past Monday.
Nottingham Forest supporters are already getting increasingly angry and frustrated with new manger Ange Postecoglou. The former Tottenham Hotspur Manager has lost four times and drawn twice across all competitions since taking over at Nottingham Forest for Nuno Espirito Santo. There were already chants of “you’re getting sacked in the morning,” as Postecoglou and Forest were being beaten by Midtjylland in the Europa League on Thursday. Ange gets his next shot on Saturday at St. James’s Park versus Newcastle. The Magpies finally scored some goals in a midweek Champions League 4-1 shellacking of Belgian side Union St. Gilloise which was making its first ever appearance in the competition. While Newcastle has found the net only four times in league play this season, Forest have already conceded ten scores to Premier League opponents and Postecoglou sides are not noted for their defensive solidity.
Postecoglou’s successor at Tottenham Hotspur, meanwhile, has instilled some balance to the north London side. Spurs have conceded just four times, the joint second-best defensive performance in the league so far. Frank and his squad could face a difficult match at Elland Road this weekend against Leeds, which has exceeded expectations as a newly promoted club. The Whites are one of five clubs currently sitting on eight points, four points clear of the relegation line.
Burnley is the only one of the three recently promoted sides currently residing in the drop zone. The struggling Clarets, losers in three of their last four league matches, trudge to Aston Villa to face a side which looked rejuvenated in a 3-1 defeat of Fulham last week.
Things will be tough for the Cottagers this week as well when they head south to face Bournemouth. The Cherries are sixth in the table, winning half their matches and losing but once this season. The game between Fulham and Bournemouth at Vitality Stadium begins this weekend’s action with a Friday start time.
Things could be uncomfortable at Old Trafford on Saturday as Manchester United supporters can be expected to voice their frustrations with their manager and poorly performing team. The Red Devils host a Sunderland side which has thrilled its own supporters by exceeding expectations so far in the Black Cats’ return to the Premier League. A loss to the newly promoted club could seal the fate of Manchester United Ruben Amorim who has lost 16 of his 33 Premier League games and shows little sign of being capable of lifting the once elite club from the bottom half of the table. The Red Devils were spanked 3-1 by Brentford in their last outing. The Bees now face a more formidable Manchester based team when Pep Guardiola and his Citizens come calling on Sunday.
In another Sunday match-up, Wolverhampton will try to build on its first point of the season, earned last week against Spurs, when it hosts Brighton at Molineux Stadium.
