Man Utd, Man City, Arsenal and Everton - What to look out for in the Premier League this weekend

Newcastle v Manchester City the headline fixture - can Magpies rattle Rodri-less champions?

Manchester City have had an unsurprisingly solid start to the season, with Erling Haaland apparently on a quest to smash through every record in his path, but they dropped points for the first time in last weekend’s draw with Arsenal. Two points were a loss for them - but the biggest loss was the injury to midfielder Rodri, who looks set for a long absence after being forced off with a knee problem.

All three of City’s Premier League defeats last year came when Rodri was absent from the squad, so his injury is a massive concern for Pep Guardiola. It doesn’t help that their first test without the Spaniard, who is tipped for this year’s Ballon d’Or, comes against Newcastle - who have proven tough opposition in recent years.

Their last league meeting needed a stoppage time winner from Oscar Bobb to secure the points, and Newcastle knocked them out of the League Cup last season. With ten points from their first five matches, Eddie Howe’s side have had a decent start to this campaign - will they be able to shock the league by knocking City from their unbeaten perch?

Hürzeler and Maresca face off as they look to continue impressive PL debuts

Considering they’ve stepped into the Premier League for the first time this season, Brighton’s Fabian Hürzeler and Chelsea’s Enzo Maresca have made strong starts. The Blues sit fifth in the Premier League table while the Seagulls are seventh. Despite the negative press around Chelsea’s chaotic transfer window, Maresca’s work on the training ground has mostly paid off, while Hürzeler has guided Brighton to some difficult draws and they are unbeaten so far.

Chelsea’s only loss is to City on the opening weekend, which can probably be forgiven - but this week will be a tough test for both managers. Both will want to keep their momentum up, but both know the other’s attackers pose a real threat. Goals haven’t been an issue for either side so far, with an average of 2.2 per game for Chelsea and 1.6 for Brighton.

It will be the other end of the pitch that Maresca and Hürzeler ought to focus on in their preparations. Neither team has kept a clean sheet against opposition in the top half of the table so far - if either manager’s instructions this weekend can impart the defensive solidity that has been lacking in what have otherwise been some pretty strong performances, that could decide the balance of this fixture, which kicks off on Saturday at 3pm.

Arteta has with point to prove against Leicester as he faces injury problems

On the other side of last weekend’s 2-2 thriller at the Etihad were, of course, Arsenal. There are some times when a draw feels distinctly like a loss for one side, and that was the case for the Gunners, who sank to the floor after John Stones’ stoppage-time equaliser finally put an end to almost an hour spent defending their lead.

However, the headlines after the game were dominated by City players’ comments about Arsenal’s alleged timewasting and tactics in the second half, which they saw out with 10 men. Arteta’s side were accused of using the ‘dark arts’ throughout the game, which the Spanish boss rejected in midweek.

He pointed out that several players who City had accused of timewasting did in actually leave the field due to injury, and David Raya was among those not to feature in their midweek Carabao Cup squad. The stopper, who has been outstanding between the sticks so far, is a doubt for the weekend’s fixtures - Ben White could also be out.

The Gunners face Leicester at home this weekend as they look to return to winning ways and Arteta will want his players to prove that they can step up with those key absences. The team will also likely seek to prove that they can play more attractive football than the defensive display they were forced into last week - with Leicester’s defence having been leaky so far this season, the Emirates support will expect goals. The match is at 3pm on Saturday.

Three table neighbour clashes (well, almost) pose a chance for clubs to assert dominance

Yes, it’s still early days - but a win over a side next to you in the standings should never be underestimated. The margins are now so fine between those who stay up and those who go down, or those who compete in Europe and those who don’t, that every chance to knock points off a rival is key. There are three such games this weekend: Manchester United and Tottenham, both of whom began their Europa League fixtures this week, face off at Old Trafford with a chance for Ten Hag’s Red Devils to move into the top half of the table.

The sides have an identical record for far this season, with Spurs leading United on goal difference - but the hosts have an advantage in an extra day of recovery from the midweek games. The mixed nature of each side’s season so far makes this match difficult to predict, and it is definitely one to watch as an early chance for two of the ‘big six’ to stake a claim on a more fitting place in the table. That match takes place at 4.30pm on Sunday.

Only just below them, West Ham have a chance to jump from 14th to leapfrog their opponents Brentford, who sit 12th. The Julien Lopetegui era is off to a shaky start, with the Hammers eliminated from the Carabao Cup this week, while Brentford are adjusting to an Ivan Toney-less life and have only been able to beat Crystal Palace and Southampton so far.

This weekend’s tie at Brentford is perfectly poised for an attempt at redemption for Lopetegui’s side - a strong performance might well relieve some of the pressure on him. The clash takes place on Saturday at 3pm. Elsewhere, Nottingham Forest and Fulham are currently separated by just one point and face each other at the City Ground at the same time. The visitors are fresh from an impressive 3-1 victory over Newcastle, while Forest followed up their shock victory over Liverpool with a thrilling draw against Brighton last weekend.

Both have seen some low-scoring games so far this season, so this does have the potential to be a cagey match. In the last 10 minutes, though, the prospect of leapfrogging their opponents and hanging onto a place in the top half of the table could bring Fulham out of their shell.

In a week of change at Everton, could they secure their first win?

Sean Dyche’s team finally got their first point on the board last week, and this week has seen an agreement reached for a takeover of the club by the Friedkin Group. The winds of change are blowing, but will that give them a boost on the pitch? The Toffees are still without a win in the league and are in the relegation zone as they face Crystal Palace at Goodison Park.

Their opponents are also winless so far, but will surely be licking their lips at the prospect of facing an Everton side who seem unable to hang onto a lead to save their lives. Will this be the week that Everton secure a win? Doing so would propel them out of the drop zone - though that doesn’t mean too much in practical terms at this stage of the season, it would certainly be a morale boost for fans. Sean Dyche will also undoubtedly be keen to impress the club’s probable new owners as rumours are swirling that he’ll be replaced if results don’t improve.

Palace are certainly fallible and are the closest opposition in terms of table rank that Everton have faced so far - but they’ve shown some impressive grit in draws with Chelsea and Manchester United. The quality of Palace’s attackers, like Eberechi Eze, also doesn’t bode well for a team that have shipped the joint-most goals of anyone in the league. Everton v Crystal Palace kicks off on Saturday at 3pm.