With another dastardly international break on the horizon, Gameweek 7 provides the last instalment of Premier League fixtures until mid-October.

Nine top-flight teams have been in European action midweek, with not all of England’s representatives enjoying themselves on the continent. The so-called “lesser sides” will be aiming to take full advantage of their fatigue to enter the international period on a high.

Here are Sports Illustrated’s Premier League predictions for the upcoming round of fixtures.

Bournemouth have been one of the surprise packages of the Premier League season. Many expected them to struggle after the dismantling of their defence in the transfer market, but the Cherries are unbeaten in their last five and have climbed to sixth.

Fulham will be tasked with denting their confidence on Friday night, with the Cottagers looking to recover from their controversial 3–1 defeat at Aston Villa last weekend. The west Londoners haven’t won at the Vitality Stadium since 2019, though.

Saturday’s late kickoff is undoubtedly the standout fixture of the Premier League weekend, with the out-of-sorts Liverpool travelling to Stamford Bridge. The Reds have lost their last two matches and have been dismal defensively, something Chelsea will be aiming to exploit. The Blues have been in patchy form themselves but could secure a statement win to get them back on track this weekend.

The day begins at Elland Road, however, where Leeds United are aiming to take advantage of Tottenham tiredness after their midweek trip to the Arctic Circle. Spurs were forced to fight back from two goals down to secure a draw at Bodø/Glimt on Tuesday, meaning they have won just one of their last four matches in all competitions.

Tottenham’s north London adversaries enjoyed a more prosperous midweek, with Arsenal beating Olympiacos to build on last weekend’s late triumph at Newcastle United. The Gunners will be expecting another win on Saturday afternoon when they host fellow capital side West Ham United, with Nuno Espírito Santo looking to keep the Arsenal at bay in his second match in the Irons hot seat.

Manchester United were plunged back into crisis with their dreadful defeat at Brentford last weekend and they’re desperate to claim all three points at home to Sunderland. Their only wins of the campaign have come at Old Trafford, but the Black Cats will cause them serious issues having made a fantastic start to the term. They are fifth in the standings heading into Gameweek 7.

In a rare turn of events, there are more matches on Sunday than Saturday. Five games will grace our TV screens, with four of them staged at 2 p.m. BST. There is a battle of claret and blue in one of those fixtures, with Aston Villa hosting Burnley as they aim to follow up their first Premier League win of the season last weekend with another triumph on home soil.

Crystal Palace are the only unbeaten team left in the Premier League after their incredible last-gasp victory over Liverpool last weekend, and they face another Merseyside foe on Sunday when they journey to Everton. The Toffees, who have also made a largely encouraging start to the season, will be aiming to end Palace’s streak as they search for a first league win since the end of August.

Both Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest were in European action midweek, although the latter had the advantage of a home tie in the Europa League. This fixture would have been considered a battle of fine margins at the beginning of the season, but Ange Postecoglou’s underwhelming start to his tenure as Forest boss means Newcastle will be significant favourites on Sunday.

Wolverhampton Wanderers are the only side not to have won a Premier League match this season and will be aiming to change that at home to Brighton & Hove Albion. The Old Gold will be hard pushed to clinch all three points this weekend, however, with their opponents having beaten Manchester City and Chelsea in their last four league games, as well as drawing with Spurs.

The final match of Gameweek 7 sees Manchester City make the trip to the capital. Looking to recover from their disappointing draw at Monaco midweek, the Cityzens will travel to Brentford hoping for better fortune than their rivals Man Utd enjoyed last weekend. The Bees will make life awkward for their visitors, but Pep Guardiola’s men should still come out on top.

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