1
Henderson’s return to Merseyside
A lively reception awaits the former Liverpool midfielders Jordan Henderson and Xabi Alonso at Everton and, in the case of the former, any jeers can be considered an unintentional tribute. They will speak of what the 36-year-old is able to produce now as much as what, and where, he delivered in the past. With two goals and an assist against Bournemouth last Saturday, Henderson became the oldest player to contribute directly to three goals in a Premier League game, and demonstrated his role at Chelsea is not simply to elevate standards off the pitch. His midfield partnership with Moisés Caicedo gave Alonso’s team balance and enabled the front three of Morgan Rogers, João Pedro and Cole Palmer to flourish. Their confrontation against an Everton defence that had impressed this season, only to litter the draw at Hull with costly mistakes, will provide a stern test of the hosts’ unbeaten start and may well be dictated by the veteran behind them. Andy Hunter
2
Bees a tougher test than Lask
Still unbeaten in the top flight, Brentford’s commitment to pragmatism is serving them well. Keith Andrews’ side like to sit deep, close off the middle of the pitch and force opponents to play around them, while flooding the opposition box at set pieces and throw-ins allows them to create the chances from which most of their goals arrive. In spanking six past Lask, the Austrian champions, Liverpool showed how good they can be on the front foot, but they will face far less obliging hosts at the Gtech Community Stadium. If Andoni Iraola’s side can dominate the ball and move it quickly enough to penetrate Brentford’s rearguard, they could win comfortably. However, the Bees’ efforts to turn the afternoon into a saloon brawl and capitalise on dead-ball situations may help to maintain their unbeaten run. Barry Glendenning
3
García needs to find finishing touch
Gonzalo García has one league goal from 18 shots this season. The striker joined Fulham from Real Madrid in the summer and has looked promising in patches. García is 22 and capable of getting on the end of chances. He has an expected goals tally of 3.60 but is underperforming with his finishing. The challenge is to become more clinical. Fulham, bottom of the league, have six goals in six games and García is without a goal since scoring on his debut, against Chelsea. Álvaro Arbeloa has put a lot of faith in his fellow Spaniard. The head coach is under increasing pressure and winless Fulham need García to fire when they host Hull City. Jacob Steinberg
4
City still free-flowing after guilty verdict
Even when losing for the first time this season in Wednesday’s 4-2 Champions League defeat by Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City appeared the real deal as they rallied from 3-0 down after 32 minutes to give the European champions a scare. Enzo Maresca deserves credit for following Pep Guardiola serenely; his City, so far, are a free-flowing attacking machine and invigorating to watch. If not for the guilty verdict against the club for serious financial breaches of Premier League rules, the perma-twinkling Italian might be more widely lauded. Ipswich last beat City at home in the competition in November 2000: do not expect the statistic to change on Saturday. Jamie Jackson
5
Jaissle should find his ‘inner Rafa’
Newcastle’s latest attempt to play vertical football left Matthias Jaissle’s side horizontal at Coventry on Monday night. That 4-1 defeat against Frank Lampard’s team has prompted quite an inquest on Tyneside where Jaissle could do without his players falling flat on their faces once more when Aston Villa visit St James’ Park. Jaissle maintains that his “vertical football” is the brand of high-octane, aggressive attacking that Newcastle’s hierarchy believes should become the club’s default, and is the way fans want to see the team play. That argument is not without validity but it is also worth remembering that, less than a decade ago, under Rafael Benítez’s charge, Newcastle often played a low block bolstered by three at the back, rarely took unnecessary risks and improved steadily. Admittedly resources were thinner then but the fans almost universally adored Benítez and were heartbroken when he eventually tired of Mike Ashley’s ownership and resigned. Quite apart from making his dislike for “chaotic football’ plain the Spaniard was a realist who knew a gung-ho approach would spell relegation. Granted tactical fashions have changed, but Jaissle could do worse than slow things down a bit and search for his “inner Rafa” against Villa. Louise Taylor
6
Eyes on Kluivert and Brobbey
With nine games each scheduled for the month between international breaks, Bournemouth v Sunderland will give an early indication of how both will cope during their first experience of such a relentless Thursday-Sunday autumnal grind. Sunderland are 17th, Bournemouth are 18th, and with seven points between them after six Premier League rounds, scaling similarly dizzy heights to last season already seems a lofty goal. For both clubs, European campaigns are far too much of an exciting novelty to be considered anything like a chore. In circumstances where squad depth is crucial, the returns of Justin Kluivert for the hosts and Brian Brobbey for the visitors will be welcomed by Marco Rose and Régis Le Bris. It would be no great surprise to see either Dutch international make a game-deciding contribution in what is already a six-pointer on the south coast. BG
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7
Brighton must buck Palace trend
Brighton’s momentum appears unstoppable at the moment, although supporters will be wary of Sunday’s showdown against Crystal Palace given their recent history. They haven’t beaten Palace since a 4-1 thrashing at the Amex in February 2024 when Roberto De Zerbi was in charge, while Fabian Hürzeler managed only a point in four encounters with the Eagles under Oliver Glasner. Both are having to juggle European commitments this season and Brighton will start as heavy favourites against Pierre Sage’s side after their superb start to the campaign. Palace have big concerns in defence, but can the Frenchman defy the odds against the Premier League’s top scorers? Ed Aarons
8
Carrick confronts old nemesis Farke
Michael Carrick has lost five of his past six technical-area duels with Daniel Farke. Indeed the only time Manchester United’s manager has bested his Leeds counterpart was in a League Cup tie during his Middlesbrough tenure. If such statistics are not sufficient to put Manchester United’s currently beleaguered manager off a trip to West Yorkshire on Sunday, there is a sense that Leeds are overdue a first victory at Elland Road since 2002 against their arch-enemies from across the Pennines. One thing is certain; it will be a typically raucous latter-day War of the Roses. But, right now, while the White Rose blooms, its red counterpart is wilting alarmingly. Will Carrick survive this latest meeting with a manager who, at Championship level during his Middlesbrough days, proved something of a nemesis? He will not care to remember that, last January, a 1-1 draw at Elland Road proved to be Ruben Amorim’s final game in charge of Manchester United. LT
9
Forest a genuine threat to champions
Despite losing 3-1 to Crystal Palace last weekend, Nottingham Forest played some excellent front-foot football only to be let down by extreme profligacy in front of goal and vulnerability to their hosts’ counterattacks. Oliver Glasner attributed his side’s defeat to karma upon his return to Palace, saying: “It was like I didn’t deserve to win at Selhurst Park because the players did everything.” When they welcome Arsenal to the City Ground on Sunday, they will give the champions plenty to ponder if they can play as well again. Mikel Arteta’s side were unconvincing for 65 minutes against Leeds last weekend and failed to impress until they brought their heavy artillery around the same time against Lille on Tuesday. If one or both of Morgan Gibbs-White and Liam Delap can convert the kind of chances they missed at Selhurst Park, Forest have every chance of getting something. BG
10
On-song Coventry can pile angst on Spurs
The last time Tottenham hosted Coventry in the Premier League, Steffen Iversen, Les Ferdinand and Serhiy Rebrov scored in a comfortable 3-0 win. And while Spurs fans will almost certainly have envisaged a similar scoreline when the fixtures were announced, they will now be viewing Monday night’s fixture with even more than the usual amount of apprehension and dread. Like Tottenham, Coventry’s main problem until recently was an inability to convert chances, but in their demolition of Newcastle on Monday they visibly grew in confidence and swagger as four different players took the plaudits. While it’s taken a while and they may still struggle, through back-to-back wins Frank Lampard’s side have now announced themselves as a Premier League force to be reckoned with, which is something Tottenham haven’t managed in more than two years. BG
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/oct/16/premier-league-10-things-to-look-out-for-this-weekend
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