Ten KEY questions for this weekend's matches

Will chaotic Liverpool return this fixture to its 1990s aesthetic?

Broadcasters have been obsessed with this fixture ever since two classic 4-3 matches in the 1990s, when Kevin Keegan’s ‘‘Entertainers’’ produced wild end-to-end encounters.

At long last, we might see another contest of that calibre.

Liverpool were far too open against AFC Bournemouth, when two flying fullbacks left the wings exposed and an attack-minded midfield – led by Dominik Szoboszlai and Florian Wirtz – was often caught ahead of the ball, allowing Bournemouth to counter into open grass.

Perhaps Arne Slot will have learnt his lesson and move back to playing two No 6s side by side in midfield. But even if he does, Newcastle United have the speed, power and counter-attacking intentions to dominate both flanks.

Anthony Gordon, Anthony Elanga and Harvey Barnes will target the gaps left open by Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez. They did that against Aston Villa, piercing the back line with their direct attacks.

A simplified counter-attacking strategy should help Newcastle get over their goalscoring issues. They haven’t scored in any of their last four Premier League matches without Alexander Isak, drawing two and losing two, while the Magpies have not beaten Liverpool in their last 17 top flight matches (D5 L12).

If Liverpool are anything like as exposed as they were against Bournemouth, Newcastle have just the forwards to take advantage.

That should swing the game one way, then back the other, with Liverpool’s firepower difficult for the Newcastle defenders to suppress.

Will Frank’s pragmatism blunt City, or does Reijnders change the picture?

Thomas Frank has already shown Tottenham Hotspur fans that he will manage with flexibility and pragmatism (traits often lacking in the Ange Postecoglou era), deploying a low block and counter-attacking 3-5-2 against Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and then a more expansive 4-3-3 against Burnley.

It’s the former that will come out at the Etihad Stadium, with Spurs channelling the tactical outlook that saw Nuno Espirito Santo, Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho all pull off smash-and-grab wins against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City while in charge of Spurs.

Man City have won just four of their last 12 Premier League matches against Spurs. Every time they’ve failed, it’s been to a defensive Spurs who get bodies behind the ball before breaking quickly.

But Guardiola is evolving and the influx of more direct players this summer might just change the picture.

Tijjani Reijnders was magnificent on his Premier League debut, unlocking Wolverhampton Wanderers’ five-man defence by breaking lines with the ball at his feet and splitting them open with his passing. If he performs similarly against Spurs, Guardiola might just have discovered a new weapon with which to fight defensive opponents.

Then again, the combinations between Mohammed Kudus and Richarlison were equally impressive against PSG as in the Premier League opener. Man City’s newly aggressive high line and high press – back, thanks to assistant coach Pepijn Lijnders, for the first time in years – could leave them exposed to Kudus and Richarlison on the break.

Saturday’s game is a big test of the changes made at Man City and at Spurs.

Can Chelsea find their attacking groove to increase West Ham's woes?

It is far too early in the season to renew concerns about the style of football being played at Chelsea but the opening-weekend 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace has many pundits wondering if they are ready for a Premier League title challenge.

We will know more on Friday night, because West Ham United – who conceded three goals to Sunderland last weekend – are the kind of team Chelsea ought to be able to score freely against.

Enzo Maresca has sometimes been accused of playing an overly rigid, positional and chess-like style of football at Leicester City and Chelsea and that appeared to be the case against Palace: they completed the joint-most passes of the weekend, with 51 but too many of them were sideways.

Far too often they simply moved the ball around at the back, with Cole Palmer (No 10), looking isolated.

They need greater incision at the London Stadium, which may encourage Maresca to call on Estevao a little earlier. He made more dribbles than any other player on the pitch against Palace, with six, despite only coming on in the 54th minute.

If he can give Chelsea greater thrust, West Ham might feel they are in trouble.

The Hammers have won just two of their nine home league matches under Graham Potter, drawing three and losing four, picking up nine points. No West Ham head coach has ever won fewer than 10 points in their first 10 home games.

Can Sunderland ride momentum and make it two wins from two?

Given that the promoted clubs have all gone straight back down in each of the last two seasons, it's fair to say that Saturday's contest at Turf Moor could have huge ramifications. It doesn’t matter how early in the campaign these matches come - they are likely to have enormous significance by May.

It’s amazing how much can change in the course of one weekend. Burnley’s defeat at Spurs saw them concede 19% of the total league goals they let in last season (3/16), bursting their bubble, while Sunderland’s emphatic 3-0 win against West Ham saw the club reborn.

Sunderland’s big-spending summer looks to have put them in a considerably stronger position than a club they finished two places and 24 points behind in 2024/25.

New signings hit the ground running, promoted players scored the goals and Sunderland simply powered past West Ham; their 396 high-intensity pressures applied was a competition-high on the opening weekend.

If they can ride that momentum at Turf Moor, Sunderland could win their opening two matches in a top-flight season for the first time since 1980/81.

Only three teams in Premier League history have won their first two matches and been relegated.

Does Leeds’ defence offer Gyokeres the opportunity to make an impact?

The criticism of Viktor Gyokeres was a little overblown. Much has been made of his four passes and zero shots against Manchester United but Old Trafford is a tough place to make your Premier League debut and Arsenal were well below par, giving Gyokeres little to work with.

In fact, some of his runs looked encouraging, while he battled well physically with Matthijs de Ligt. A home debut against promoted Leeds United offers Gyokeres the chance at a second first impression.

Some pundits have been concerned that Gyokeres, coming from Portuguese football, is a bit of a flat-track bully. But that is precisely what Arsenal need - someone to score goals against the low blocks of bottom-half clubs, turning more of last season’s 14 Premier League draws into wins.

Last season Gyokeres was directly involved in 14 goals in 12 appearances against promoted sides in the Primeira Liga, producing nine goals and five assists.

With Eberechi Eze set to arrive to inject even more creativity into the Arsenal team, a Gyokeres goal – to make everyone forget that debut - is definitely on the cards.

Will Villa get off the mark against a Brentford side lacking creativity?

Villa’s frustrating summer left many supporters deflated by a commendable 0-0 draw with Newcastle, in which just three shots on goal – their fewest in over a year – raised fears of what a future without Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio will bring.

Order may be restored at the Gtech Community Stadium, where 75 Premier League goals were scored last season, more than any other venue.

Only Ipswich Town and Southampton conceded more than Brentford’s 35 on home soil, and although those were counter-balanced by 40 goals scored, the third-most in the division, the Bees are without Bryan Mbeumo this season and, for now at least, Yoane Wissa too.

Clearly, Brentford’s fans are more alarmed than Villa’s about what 2025/26 will bring. Those fears will increase dramatically should Unai Emery’s side be victorious; Brentford have never lost their first home top-flight match since earning promotion in the 2020/21 season.

Can Amorim avoid an early-season crisis with victory at Craven Cottage?

It might sound too early in the season to talk of crisis but after defeat against Arsenal last Sunday, Man Utd need to get some points on the board at Craven Cottage.

Only twice in the competition's history have United been defeated in their first two games of a Premier League season, firstly in 1992/93 – when they recovered to win the title - and again in 2022/23, when Erik ten Hag got off to a disastrous start in his debut campaign.

All is not lost, then, should United fall at Fulham. But it would be a huge blow to Ruben Amorim, whose tactical work this summer produced some strong performances in pre-season followed up with a competent display against Arsenal.

That good work might be undone if they fail to get past Fulham. Thankfully for the visitors, Man Utd have won each of their last eight Premier League matches against the Cottagers.

The only signing Fulham have made this summer is a backup goalkeeper, Benjamin Lecomte. Marco Silva’s side may be up against it on Sunday, but the pressure is very much on their opponent, not them.

Does Eze loss give newly-progressive Forest an advantage?

Eze took six of Palace’s 11 shots against Chelsea, an impressive 55%. It’s hard to think of a single attacking player with a greater influence on their team than his on Palace, making Eze's move to Arsenal a painful loss for Oliver Glasner should the deal be completed.

Eze’s 16 goals and assists and his 58 chances created, put him top of the charts for Palace in 2024/25. How Glasner’s side cope without him will be the defining story of their season. A home game against Nottingham Forest is the perfect test.

Nuno Espirito Santo has clear plans to make Forest more progressive this season, which of course might leave them more open (than they historically have been) to Palace’s counter-attacks but if Eze’s departure blunts those Palace breaks then we can predict a difficult year for Glasner.

Certainly this week, after Eze left Palace and Omari Hutchinson joined Forest, it’s the visiting fans feeling more optimistic about the season ahead.

Will Hill Dickinson Stadium opener be a moment of celebration?

The moment has finally arrived. David Moyes will lead Everton into their new 52 769-seater stadium this weekend against Brighton & Hove Albion, a landmark event that should help Everton open their account this season.

Ten clubs have opened a new stadium while in the Premier League and only one – Southampton at St Mary’s in 2001 – lost their first match. The atmosphere inside Hill Dickinson Stadium should give the hosts a major advantage.

But of course, it’s possible the pressure will prove too much. A stadium change is rarely a smooth process and after Everton’s defeat on Monday night at Leeds they are not necessarily in the best shape.

Everton faced 21 shots against Leeds, their most in a match since Moyes returned to the club in January. Sunday will have a carnival atmosphere. That doesn’t mean it will bring the right result.

Can Iraola stop the habit of poor starts against troubled Wolves?

Andoni Iraola will be relieved with what the fixture computer has come up with this season.

He won just 15 points from his first 12 matches of 2024/25, following three points from the first nine matches of 2023/24 and on both occasions Iraola could blame extremely difficult fixture lists.

Anfield was a tough place to start but it gets easier now, with Wolves, who suffered a 4-0 defeat to Manchester City, looking vulnerable.

Both sides have lost big players this summer, both sets of fans may fear their club is moving backwards. By Saturday evening, the hosts will likely feel they are in a much more comfortable position of the two.