The English Premier League juggernaut rumbles along with a bonus set of midweek fixtures between Tuesday and Thursday, as the Fifa World Cup in Qatar looms on the horizon at the end of the year.
Nine EPL matches take place across three nights, with fans only denied the spectacle of Arsenal versus Manchester City, thanks to the postponement of the battle between first and second due to the Gunners’ European commitments.
That means opportunities abound for the chasing Premier League pack.
Manchester United still have work to do to solidify their top six credentials, despite an uptick in fortunes under new boss Erik ten Hag, who was brave enough to substitute Cristiano Ronaldo during last weekend’s draw at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils are back on home turf on Wednesday night, with Tottenham eyeing second place in the EPL table above Manchester City if they can secure a positive result.
It was last season’s runners-up Liverpool who ended City’s status as the last unbeaten side in the competition at the weekend, with Mohamed Salah striking late to ignite the Reds’ faltering campaign.
Jurgen Klopp’s men are also rewarded with another home match, as inconsistent West Ham make the trip to Anfield.
Chelsea have been near enough perfect under new coach Graham Potter so far, with the likeable Englishman steering the Blues back into the top four mix at the earliest opportunity.
They make the short hop across west London to tackle minnows Brentford, whose own bright start has seen them remain in the top half against the odds.
Newcastle and Everton are also in Wednesday action at St James’ Park, with the Toon Army just seeking their striking boots after holding Manchester United on Sunday.
It’s been an encouraging start to the new season for Eddie Howe’s oil rich charges, which is more than can be said for Frank Lampard’s Toffees, whose mini-revival has been punctured by back-to-back losses.
Southampton won’t be relishing their trip to fellow south coast side Bournemouth, despite collecting their first point since August at the weekend.
The Cherries have gone six games unbeaten since sacking Scott Parker in the wake of their 9-0 drubbing at Liverpool, propelling them to the safe waters of midtable.
Leicester and Leeds face off on Thursday at the King Power Stadium with both scratching around for form in the top flight’s lower reaches.
Brendan Rodgers’ Foxes remain mired in the relegation zone while their West Yorkshire visitors are only four points and four places better off, having long-since lost the winning formula under Jesse Marsch.
The heat is also firmly on Aston Villa coach Steven Gerrard ahead of their trip to Fulham.
A round of boos rather harshly greeted their defeat to purring Chelsea last time out, but it feels like the Villans need to fashion at least a point from their Craven Cottage trip to quell the growing storm.
Brighton have the ideal opportunity to arrest their slide since losing boss Potter to Chelsea on Tuesday night, with bottom club Nottingham Forest the visitors to the Amex Stadium.
Crystal Palace and Wolves also meet on Tuesday at Selhurst Park, with the pair out to avoid becoming embroiled in the relegation mix going into the World Cup break.
English Premier League predictions for 18 – 20 October
Prediction methodology explained: The expected win percentage is based off publicly available odds. For example, if a team’s odds are 2.30, the expected chance of winning is 43%. If the odds are 1.62 the expected chance of winning is 62% and so on. These are accurate at the time of writing but are subject to change. Where there is no value listed, the odds were not available at the time of writing.
| Chance of winning (%) | Usual win % with these odds | |
| Brighton | 71 | 80 |
| Nottingham Forest | ||
| Chance of winning (%) | Usual win % with these odds | |
| Crystal Palace | 45 | 62 |
| Wolves | 29 | 43 |
| Chance of winning (%) | Usual win % with these odds | |
| Arsenal | P | |
| Manchester City | P | |
| Chance of winning (%) | Usual win % with these odds | |
| Bournemouth | 38 | 47 |
| Southampton | 38 | 33 |
| Chance of winning (%) | Usual win % with these odds | |
| Brentford | 21 | 33 |
| Chelsea | 59 | 50 |
| Chance of winning (%) | Usual win % with these odds | |
| Liverpool | 71 | 63 |
| West Ham | ||
| Chance of winning (%) | Usual win % with these odds | |
| Newcastle | 63 | 80 |
| Everton | ||
| Chance of winning (%) | Usual win % with these odds | |
| Manchester United | 42 | 59 |
| Tottenham | 35 | 29 |
| Chance of winning (%) | Usual win % with these odds | |
| Fulham | 34 | 1 |
| Aston Villa | 40 | 35 |
| Chance of winning (%) | Usual win % with these odds | |
| Leicester | 47 | 50 |
| Leeds | 31 | 21 |