The English Premier League wraps up its opening stint with a full round of fixtures this weekend ahead of the international break.
It’s a blockbuster EPL Saturday, with the action building up to an Anfield clash between Liverpool and Chelsea in the evening kick off.
The title challengers meet on Merseyside as two of five clubs with perfect records from their first pair of games, as boss Jurgen Klopp goes up against his countryman Thomas Tuchel in a battle of the Germans.
There’s plenty of intrigue in the lunchtime fixture, too, as reigning champions Manchester City welcome ailing Arsenal to the Etihad Stadium.
Pep Guardiola’s former assistant Mikel Arteta is under heavy fire early on thanks to back-to-back defeats, while City hit back from an opening day loss to hit five on home turf last weekend.
Manchester United were pegged back for a draw on the road last weekend and are away again on Sunday afternoon, with pointless Wolves their Black Country hosts.
Ex-Wolves coach Nuno Espirito Santo has made a winning start to life as Tottenham coach, with his Spurs side at home to promoted Watford a little earlier in the day.
There’s also a cross-Pennine grudge match to complete a hat-trick of Sunday games, with Leeds making a journey west to do battle with Burnley at Turf Moor.
Elsewhere on Saturday there’s a London derby between West Ham and Crystal Palace at the London Stadium.
The Hammers have rattled in eight goals in their opening two fixtures to top the embryonic table on goal difference, with the Eagles yet to taste victory under the charge of Patrick Vieira.
Leicester were the victims at the former Olympic Park last time out and will attempt to rediscover the winning feeling as they head east to face Norwich.
Newcastle and Southampton have mustered a single point between them ahead of their St James’ Park meeting, with the home side having lost both of their opening encounters to see the pressure once again creeping up on beleaguered boss Steve Bruce.
There is cause for hope for Rafa Benitez and his unbeaten Everton, as they make a tricky trip down to face a Brighton side with a full, six-point haul so far.
Aston Villa boss Dean Smith, meanwhile, faces a reunion with his old club Brentford, with both teams having registered a first win of the new season good and early ahead of the Villa Park clash.
English Premier League predictions for 28 – 29 August
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.
