Premier League: 10 things to look out for this weekend

Clarets need to pass Brentford test With Thomas Frank, Bryan Mbeumo, Yoane Wissa, Christian Nørgaard and Mark Flekken leaving Brentford in the summer, the Bees looked the established club most likely to go down, thereby allowing a promoted one to stay up. In the event, though, they’ve made a solid start to life under Keith Andrews, more or less alternating wins and losses to sit 13th in the table, five points above the relegation zone. Burnley, on the other hand, find themselves roughly where most people thought they’d be: second-bottom having lost three games in a row. As it happens, they’ve not been that bad, asking difficult questions of more exalted opponents with tidy midfield play, before succumbing to defeat anyway. Ultimately, conceding two goals a game is not sustainable, but it’s worth noting that one of Burnley’s three league victories came against Sunderland, a side whose physical, intense and forward-thinking style is not dissimilar to Brentford’s. If they can get their passing going, they’ve a chance. Daniel Harris Brentford v Burnley (Saturday 3pm, all times GMT) City must get title challenge back on track On Tuesday night Pep Guardiola was contrite after his 10-man reshuffle of Manchester City backfired in the dire 2-0 defeat by Bayer Leverkusen. Expect, then, Erling Haaland, Phil Foden, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Rúben Dias and other frontline acts to be restored against visitors who won 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium in April 2021 but have lost the four games since by a 16-2 combined margin. Leeds arrive third-bottom with 11 points from 12 games and despite City losing two in a row for a second time this term – after last weekend’s 2-1 defeat at Newcastle – they really should win. If not then their title credentials really will be questioned. Jamie Jackson Manchester City v Leeds, Saturday 3pm Semenyo’s presence will be key Much may hinge on whether Antoine Semenyo’s sprained ankle recovers in time for Bournemouth’s outstanding winger and leading scorer to be involved at one of his former homes. Back in January 2020 Semenyo arrived at the Stadium of Light on loan from Bristol City. He made only seven appearances for a team then languishing in League One before Covid struck and he returned to Bristol as the first lockdown began. Fast forward almost six years and while Semenyo is now a player coveted by a host of leading managers, Sunderland are a club transformed. Régis Le Bris’s team kick off level on 19 points with Bournemouth and, after six matches, remain unbeaten at home in the league. Should Semenyo play, his likely duel with Reinildo could prove a minor classic. Louise Taylor Sunderland v Bournemouth, Saturday 3pm Gueye’s gaffe could hurt Everton Everton’s lenient treatment of Idrissa Gueye following his extraordinary red card at Manchester United does not cloud the fact that the experienced and influential 36-year-old has cost his team at a point where momentum appears to be building. It is unlikely he would have received applause from teammates or been spared a public admonishment from David Moyes had Everton’s heroic efforts at Old Trafford gone unrewarded. Everton might be without Gueye until the new year depending on when he is called up by Senegal for the Africa Cup of Nations. His absence could be felt immediately with Newcastle, despite failing to win on the road in the Premier League this season, not exactly short of high-calibre midfielders and runners able to break the lines that Gueye usually protects. With the summer signing Merlin Röhl recovering from a hernia operation, Tim Iroegbunam appears best-placed to benefit from the veteran’s prolonged absence. The 22-year-old has impressed in spells and must seize the chance for a consistent run. Andy Hunter Everton v Newcastle, Saturday 5.30pm Frank’s Spurs seek plan and vision When Ange Postecoglou arrived at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium initial results were encouraging, but the eye test told a different story: his team were dreadful and, inevitably, they soon regressed to the mean. Similarly, before last weekend, no team in the league had accumulated more away points than Thomas Frank’s Spurs, but this felt like a coincidence and a derby display of wet, cowardly incoherence underlined the point. At home, only bottom-placed Wolves have performed worse, and regardless of an improved midweek effort, another desperate showing on Saturday will increase pressure on Frank, especially as only Wolves have a worse away record than Fulham. Tottenham have looked devoid of attacking wit, frightened to take risks and lacking a goalscorer, creator, and the merest semblance of redemptive magic. No one sensible expects a manager still settling in to deliver the impossible, but some kind of plan and vision should at least be discernible. DH Tottenham v Fulham, Saturday 8pm Palace have put United fears behind them There was a time when the prospect of facing Manchester United at Selhurst Park sent shivers down the spines of Crystal Palace fans. Between 1991 and 2021, United won nine and drew four of their 13 league visits to south London having previously only lost on a handful of occasions – albeit including a famous 5-0 thrashing inspired by two goals from Don Rogers in 1972. How times have changed. Palace haven’t lost to United at home since July 2020 and have won three of their last four Premier League games against them, including two victories at Old Trafford and a 4-0 annihilation inspired by Michael Olise in May 2024. United face the prospect of failing to score against the same opponents in five consecutive league games for only the third time in their history if they can’t find a way to break down Oliver Glasner’s watertight defence. Ruben Amorim will be hoping his side can take advantage of any tiredness in Palace’s legs after their Conference League exertions on Thursday. Ed Aarons Crystal Palace v Manchester United, Sunday 12pm Edwards faces prospect of bleak winter Things do not get any easier for Wolves and Rob Edwards. After being outclassed by Crystal Palace last weekend, on Sunday they face a trip to their in-form Midlands rivals Aston Villa. Then it is Nottingham Forest, Manchester United, Arsenal and Brentford before Christmas. Wolves lost to each of the promoted clubs this season and surely even the most optimistic Wolves supporter can be forgiven for wondering: where are the points coming from? A section of Wolves supporters tempered their anger at Molineux last time out but any grace period afforded to Edwards, a personable former player and coach, will soon fade. Even so he has to maintain belief. “When we take these jobs we all back ourselves – there’s a belief and ego we all have: ‘I can be the one who can stick around for a while,’” he said. “I haven’t joined this club to be gone within a few months.” Ben Fisher Aston Villa v Wolves, Sunday 2.05pm Brighton need to buoy up Baleba On the face of things, Sean Dyche’s side are building momentum, winning their last three games convincingly. But Leeds and Liverpool sit second- and third-bottom of the form table respectively; in other words, they’re losing to pretty much everyone. Brighton represent a different test, their possession-heavy style leaving fewer gaps to exploit than Forest’s most recent opponents, meaning the midfield battle should be fascinating. Elliot Anderson and Morgan Gibbs-White, all-rounders of creativity and physicality, are in terrific form, but so too is Yasin Ayari. Carlos Baleba, on the other hand, is enduring a miserable period, subbed at half-time last time out; no player in the division stays on for fewer minutes than his average of 61 when starting a match. He is too good for this to continue for long – but he will have to improve markedly to make an impression on Sunday. DH Nottingham Forest v Brighton, Sunday 2.05pm Nuno needs new strategies for his subs Nuno Espírito Santo’s defensive substitutions during West Ham’s draw with Bournemouth did not go down well. West Ham had no outlet and blew a 2-0 lead after following up Luis Guilherme’s half-time removal by replacing Callum Wilson with Tomas Soucek early in the second half. In fairness to Nuno, he is not working with a deep squad. The absence of Lucas Paquetá and Crysencio Summerville limited his attacking options and it is worth pointing out that bringing Soucek on for Wilson, who is yet to complete 90 minutes this season, had worked during recent wins over Burnley and Newcastle. However, the Soucek-Wilson swap probably has a limited shelf life. Opponents will work it out. Nuno needs to find alternative ways to put his bench to use when West Ham host Liverpool on Sunday. Jacob Steinberg West Ham v Liverpool, Sunday 2.05pm Estêvão’s stardust gives Maresca dilemma Chelsea fans have fallen hard for Estêvão Willian. They want the Brazilian prodigy to play as much as possible but Enzo Maresca has tried not to rush him. The head coach has handed the 18-year-old four league starts this season and could put him back on the bench when Chelsea host Arsenal on Sunday. The more exciting move, though, would be to throw Estêvão in from the start after his wonder goal against Barcelona. The youngster is fearless. There is a logic to going with more experience against Arsenal, however, and Estêvão is one hell of an impact player to bring off the bench. It is easy to envisage Maresca bringing João Pedro back into the team and starting with Pedro Neto and Alejandro Garnacho on the flanks. But Estêvão has the Stamford Bridge crowd drooling over his every move. Maresca has a tricky decision to make as he plots how to help Chelsea cut Arsenal’s six-point lead at the top of the table. JS Chelsea v Arsenal, Sunday 4.30pm Pos Team P GD Pts 1 Arsenal 12 18 29 2 Chelsea 12 12 23 3 Man City 12 14 22 4 Aston Villa 12 4 21 5 Crystal Palace 12 7 20 6 Brighton 12 3 19 7 Sunderland 12 3 19 8 AFC Bournemouth 12 -1 19 9 Tottenham Hotspur 12 6 18 10 Man Utd 12 0 18 11 Everton 12 0 18 12 Liverpool 12 -2 18 13 Brentford 12 -1 16 14 Newcastle 12 -2 15 15 Fulham 12 -3 14 16 Nottm Forest 12 -7 12 17 West Ham 12 -10 11 18 Leeds 12 -11 11 19 Burnley 12 -10 10 20 Wolverhampton 12 -20 2