Ten key questions for this weekend's EPL matches

Can Slot fix leaky defence or will Gyokeres profit at Anfield?

If we put to one side the heroics of 16-year-old Rio Ngumoha and the trope that winning ugly is a sign of potential champions, Liverpool supporters might be feeling mildly alarmed by their team’s start to the season.

Arne Slot’s side were given a scare by AFC Bournemouth on the opening day and were then fortunate to leave St James' Park with three points after letting a two-goal lead slip against Newcastle United's 10 men.

They could do with a more measured performance to calm the nerves.

Bournemouth and Newcastle hurt Liverpool in similar ways: by taking advantage of Slot’s move towards wilder attacking football, which is summed up best by Liverpool’s shakiness in the full-back positions.

The way Milos Kerkez was beaten by Bruno Guimaraes for Newcastle’s first goal forms part of a vulnerable opening two games for Liverpool’s new left-back.

On the other side, Jeremie Frimpong’s aggressive overlaps left Liverpool open to counters against Bournemouth and, unsurprisingly, Slot’s side didn’t fare much better when Dominik Szoboszlai filled in on Monday.

Arsenal will know to strike at Liverpool on the counter; will know to focus on Kerkez and Szoboszlai when breaking; and will know to hit the runs of Viktor Gyokores as early as possible.

Gyokeres' movement, especially behind out-of-form Ibrahima Konate, seems Arsenal’s best route to goal.

Unless, that is, Slot has found a way to tighten things up. Restoring a bit of balance to the side is his top priority. Another performance like those against Bournemouth and Newcastle is unlikely to yield a positive result.

Will Emery take new route to not fall into Glasner’s traps?

Crystal Palace are the very last team Aston Villa will want to face after their laboured performance in a 1-0 defeat to Brentford last weekend.

Unai Emery’s tactical plan to carefully move the ball around the back, then wait for gaps to appear for threaded passes into Morgan Rogers, struggled in west London. Teams appear to be working Villa out.

Oliver Glasner arguably already has. Villa fell straight into Palace’s pressing traps in both February's 4-1 defeat at Selhurst Park and the 3-0 loss in April's FA Cup semi-final at Wembley.

If Villa again try to play into the feet of their No 10s, they will surely be picked off and countered once more.

Emery needs to adapt his approach in this game and beyond. Villa require greater width and pace, while Emery needs to embrace a more direct and varied route to goal, possibly via Donyell Malen or Evann Guessand.

Can Hurzeler v Guardiola produce another brilliant end-to-end game?

Both league meetings between the sides in 2024/25 were chaotic, swinging one way and then other, as Manchester City failed to slow down an assertive, high-pressing Brighton & Hove Albion.

Brighton’s 2-1 victory at the Amex Stadium in November saw Fabian Hurzeler’s team stubbornly refuse to stop their all-action game, eventually pinning Man City and roaring back from a goal down.

In March's 2-2 draw at the Etihad Stadium, Pep Guardiola appeared to lean into the madness, a front four of Savinho, Omar Marmoush, Erling Haaland and Jeremy Doku making Man City so direct, and so stretched, that Kaoru Mitoma and Yankuba Minteh had too much space going the other way.

Guardiola’s clear plan to play a more direct style in the 2025/26 season, led by two very high No 8s in Tijjani Reijnders and Bernardo Silva or Rayan Cherki, suggests Saturday’s meeting will be more of the same.

On this occasion, that should help City. Brighton have scored only one goal from an Expected Goals (xG) of 2.91 this season, underperforming their xG by a greater margin than any other side.

Will Man Utd get fast start they need in must-win game?

At half-time at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on the opening weekend Burnley had outshot the hosts by 10-5 and despite being 1-0 down, would have been proud of a battling, feisty performance.

They had raced out of the blocks and gone man-for-man all over the pitch, unsettling Spurs’ rhythm to create an even contest that could easily have gone their way, before the home side accelerated away in the second half.

This should serve as a warning to Manchester United, who were similarly quick off the mark at Fulham, with Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo taking shots at every opportunity during a blitz of early activity.

United will need to do that again for the visit of Burnley and match the energy of Scott Parker’s side to get control of what looks a banana skin.

After their shock EFL Cup exit at League Two side Grimsby Town in midweek, Ruben Amorim badly needs a win at Turf Moor.

The rebuild is going to take time and confidence is an important part of the process. With Chelsea and Man City next up, a draw or defeat on Saturday would get Man Utd fans fearful of their team being winless after five Premier League matches.

How will Frank approach games against the middle-class?

So far we have seen different sides of Thomas Frank, who was more defensive when Spurs faced Paris Saint-Germain, dominated possession against Burnley, and pressed high and hard against Man City.

But what’s more likely to define his time at Spurs is how he lines up against the "middle-class" clubs like Bournemouth.

Since 2023/24 only Liverpool, with 134 shot attempts from high turnovers, have had more than the 126 of Bournemouth. Andoni Iraola’s side will be difficult to contain and it will be interesting to see whether Frank is ambitious and expressive in his approach, or if he deals with Bournemouth cautiously.

Will he go for power in midfield, like the Joao Palhinha and Rodrigo Bentancur partnership used against City? Or will he play the more graceful Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray, as employed against Burnley?

Whatever the team selection, Frank will be confident. He is undefeated in six matches as a manager against Bournemouth and has beaten Iraola three times before.

Will Forest feud be put into perspective by the visit of “hurting” West Ham?

“The team's suffering at the moment, we all are, we're all hurting. I can assure you no one's happy,” Graham Potter said after West Ham United's 3-2 defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers in the EFL Cup in midweek. After full-time Jarrod Bowen's attempts to speak to the fans brought about an apology by the winger on Instagram.

"Our supporters have been fantastic," added Potter. "They are hurting because of the results we've had and Jarrod obviously cares about the club and the team. It's just an exchange of views by people who care.”

Since 14 January this year, Potter’s first Premier League match at West Ham, no ever-present side have picked up fewer points than their 20. The Hammers have faced a competition-high 12 shots on target this season, while also conceding the most goals, with eight.

The problems at West Ham might just minds at Nottingham Forest, where for the past week or so head coach Nuno Espirito Santo has been fielding questions about his relationship with club owner Evangelos Marinakis. A win against West Ham may just help Forest and Nuno turn the page.

Can super-subs again get Fulham past Palmer-less Chelsea?

Rodrigo Muniz scored off the bench to salvage a 1-1 draw on the opening day at Brighton and then Emile Smith Rowe did the same against Man Utd last weekend, continuing a theme from last season.

Nobody does super-subs quite like Marco Silva. In this exact fixture last season Fulham came from 1-0 to win 2-1 courtesy of late goals from two substitutes, Muniz and Harry Wilson.

Chelsea kicked into life at West Ham last Friday, and although Joao Pedro and Estevao instantly formed a strong partnership together, they were clearly helped by a struggling Hammers defence.

Joao Pedro, who has been involved in six goals in his last four matches in all competitions for Chelsea, won’t find it so easy against Fulham’s powerful pair of Calvin Bassey and Joachim Andersen.

In fact, like Palace before them, this stubborn Fulham side are likely to test whether Enzo Maresca’s patient possession football can realistically launch a title challenge.

Can Osula solve Newcastle’s striker problems?

Anthony Gordon's 10 shots are the most by a Premier League player this season, while only three have had more touches in the opposition box than his total of 12.

Gordon's red card against Liverpool on Monday night and subsequent suspension comes at a bad time; the Alexander Isak situation is still not resolved and Wolves are reportedly standing firm against Newcastle's bids for their striker Jorgen Strand Larsen.

That does mean there’s a chance for William Osula, the 22-year-old who scored the equaliser against Liverpool on Monday night with a smart finish. Osula has been limited to short cameos so far, amassing a mere 151 minutes of action across 16 matches.

That’s an average of only nine minutes of game time per substitute appearance, which also means, having scored twice in the Premier League, Osula is averaging a goal every 75 minutes.

A first start looks likely, and he comes up against a Leeds United defence who struggled against Arsenal, falling to a 5-0 defeat.

Newcastle are crying out for a hero right now. What a chance for Osula to become one.

Which club will better ride momentum?

This is a new fixture in the Premier League, the 940th to be played since the competition’s inception in 1992. Sunderland and Brentford last faced each other in the top flight in 1946/47.

It might be the most important match of the weekend. Having beaten West Ham on the opening weekend, Sunderland are keen to continue their impressive start to the season at the Stadium of Light and make it two wins from two on home soil.

Brentford, meanwhile, are looking to build on their 1-0 victory against Villa. After the departure of star players Mbeumo and Christian Norgaard, along with head coach Frank this summer, Keith Andrews’ Bees were seen by many to struggle. If Andrews can follow up the win over Villa with another three points on Saturday, those opinions will greatly diminish.

Can Strand Larsen improve Wolves’ slow start?

Strand Larsen’s quickfire double against West Ham in the EFL Cup in midweek turned the tie on its head, both sharp finishes giving Wolves a morale-boosting 3-2 win at Molineux.

The Norwegian needed those goals and Wolves did too, following a slow start to the Premier League season. Wolves have taken the fewest shots (15) and recorded the lowest xG (1.02) after the opening two matches, while only three sides have had fewer touches in the opposition box than their total of 33.

Everton have only conceded one goal so far in 2025/26, yet they have the highest Expected Goals Against (xGA) in the division of 4.6.

That tells us they are giving away plenty of high-quality chances. If Strand Larsen is on form, Wolves can get some points on the board.