Premier League: 10 things to look out for this weekend

Michael Carrick and Bruno Fernandes held clear-the-air talks this week. Fernandes was an unused substitute against Bournemouth after criticising Carrick’s tactics during the Champions League defeat by Como but it seems the situation has been resolved – for now. Dropping Fernandes did not do United any good against Bournemouth, who ran riot at Old Trafford, and the captain is expected to return to the starting lineup for the trip to Chelsea. If that happens, he owes Carrick a performance. Fernandes has been poor this season and it is time he did his talking on the pitch. Jacob Steinberg

Since Manchester City were found guilty of serially breaching Premier League financial rules, Enzo Maresca’s team have won four games (including Wednesday’s Carabao Cup shootout victory over Brighton) and lost two. Saturday’s 2-1 reverse at Aston Villa was their first Premier League defeat and should another follow in their rematch with the Seagulls, the manager may start to fear the guilty verdict and possible sanction (demotion to the Championship, for example) may become a distraction to his players. There is a precedent for City initially responding well to adversity, before it then affected results. After Rodri sustained a serious knee injury against Arsenal in September 2024, Pep Guardiola’s team went undefeated in seven matches, winning six. But then the wheels clattered off, with one victory and 10 defeats in the next 13. Jamie Jackson

The last time north-east opposition visited the CBS Arena, Frank Lampard’s side had no trouble finding the net, but their four goals against Newcastle on 12 October make up two-thirds of their league total for the season. Perhaps the most creative player at the club has spent most of this campaign watching from the bench. Gustavo Hamer, who created 12 goals for his Sheffield United teammates in the Championship last season, has asked to play for the under-21s to get his minutes up. “Myself and the staff have been really, really impressed by his approach, his training, his ethic,” Lampard said before Hamer came on as an 86th-minute substitute in last weekend’s defeat by Fulham. Will he get more than four minutes off the bench against the only team beneath Coventry in the table? Billy Munday

Beating Milan and then Manchester United made for a halcyon week in Bournemouth’s history. Winning at Old Trafford and defeating Aston Villa in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday all followed Marco Rose’s first Premier League win, against Sunderland on 18 October, which came as a great relief. The project is back on course. Eli Junior Kroupi, a late substitute last Sunday, has returned to the squad. In the Frenchman’s absence Evanilson has been on his best run of form since joining the club. He has four goals from five matches, and a tight-angled finish to make it 3-0 at United belied his reputation as a player who could score more. The Brazilian is a capable line leader, with Kroupi able to work the space his partner’s tireless running creates. When Sturm Graz were defeated in the Europa League, Evanilson served as support striker for the raw Álvaro Rodríguez. There is little starry about a club-record signing whose work ethic has been important to Rose’s early weeks in charge. John Brewin

Brentford’s early-season charge has slowed. No wins from their last three, and a disappointing draw at Hull last week – although only Liverpool have beaten Keith Andrews’ team this season in the Premier League. A 1-1 draw at Ipswich last Friday heightened frustrations at Nottingham Forest, Liam Delap’s scoring touch continuing to desert him, an unmarked Murillo missing a free header the best of a host of unconverted chances. The better opportunities tended to arrive from the flanks, with Daniel Muñoz overlapping from wing-back as the supplier for Neco Williams’ goal. After a decent start to the season for Morgan Gibbs-White in terms of chance creation, he was crowded out by Ipswich’s packed midfield. Oliver Glasner’s formation, founded on a defensive trio, seeks to bring the best from playmakers and ball-players. It brought results from Eberechi Eze and Adam Wharton at Crystal Palace but Gibbs-White and Forest are yet to prosper. Better finishing would certainly help a team stuck in the bottom three. JB

Two promoted teams and two positive managers meet at MKM Stadium on Saturday. “There will be ups and downs, this is normal,” said Hull’s Sergej Jakirovic last week. “We showed already that we can compete.” Ipswich’s Gary O’Neil is similarly enthusiastic: “They’re an incredible group,” he said of his players this week. “We’re not carrying anybody in that, there’s no one getting dragged along by this group.” Both teams kick off in mid-table, though with the awareness of the importance of defeating an opponent with similar ambitions. While other Championship graduates have been too readily accepting of their fate, both have grasped the nettle and shown off their survival instincts. Manchester City’s potential punishment could create an opportunity, leaving just two relegation spots to avoid. Hull’s initial hot streak has cooled, though last week’s draw with Brentford was useful. Against Forest, Ipswich made up for their lack of fluidity by showing the staying power to claim a point. JB

Despite landing in the Premier League in January last year, Mathys Tel’s goal against Chelsea felt like an arrival of sorts. The 21-year-old was highly rated as a youngster at Bayern Munich but has found the net just seven times in 50 league games since joining Spurs, initially on loan. Against Chelsea he picked the ball up in his own half and drove forwards 40 yards before finding the bottom corner from the edge of the box. Spurs fans will want more from Tel who, unlike many of his teammates, is rarely injured. “I think I can still do better,” he said after the 2-0 win at Chelsea that made it two on the spin for Spurs. “I can always do better. I need to work, work, work, work.” Crystal Palace come off the back of victory over Fulham in the Carabao Cup – the head coach, Pierre Sage, has been backed by the board after a tricky spell in the league. BM

Álvaro Arbeloa is at last getting somewhere with Fulham. After going without a win in his first six league matches, the Spaniard has collected six points against Hull and Coventry. Goals remain in short supply, though, and the form of the £40m striker Gonzalo García – seven games without scoring – is concerning. Arbeloa’s past relationship with García at Real Madrid is not proving as beneficial as Unai Emery’s knowledge of Nicolas Jackson’s game. That pair worked together at Villarreal, where Emery gave Jackson his La Liga debut. “Unai taught me everything about football,” Jackson said on signing from Chelsea in the summer. With four goals in five Premier League games, including a double against Manchester City last Saturday, Jackson is one of the form strikers in the country. “He was shooting a lot of balls over the crossbar,” Emery said. “Now he’s getting better.” BM

“Let’s try to finish this four-in-a-row in the best way,” said Andoni Iraola on Wednesday as thoughts turned from the Carabao Cup penalty shootout win over Chelsea to Arsenal’s impending visit to Anfield. Three consecutive home wins in different competitions, and in quick succession, have helped build momentum at Liverpool, although seven wins from the last eight (including Chelsea) shows the process had already begun. Iraola has handled his first intensive run of Champions League, Premier League and Carabao Cup fixtures expertly, rotating in every game while continuing to produce results. Noticeably, there has been no drop-off in Liverpool’s physical intensity either. The manner of Arsenal’s title triumph last season – and the general shift towards more aggressive, urgent football in the Premier League – were factors in Liverpool’s decision to change head coaches in the summer, and the results are paying off quickly. Iraola will be facing questions about a title challenge should four-in-a-row finish as he hopes on Sunday. Andy Hunter

David Moyes described it as “out of this world”, Alan Shearer talked about a world-class intervention, and Jordan Pickford agreed it ranked as “up there with my very best.” Rewind to March and Everton are beating Newcastle 3-2 on Tyneside when, in the 94th minute, Sandro Tonali unleashes a vicious and technically perfect volley. To the astonishment of everyone inside St James’ Park, Everton’s goalkeeper throws out his right hand and tips the ball over the crossbar. Pickford’s teammate Jarrad Branthwaite said it was “the best save I’ve ever seen” and Moyes can only hope his England goalkeeper proves in similarly defiant mood at a time when his international place is under a little pressure from the Leeds goalkeeper, James Trafford. Not that Pickford will lack inspiration; the lifelong Sunderland fan always enjoys frustrating Newcastle, as he did again in Thursday’s Carabao Cup victory. Matthias Jaissle’s team, and their midfield, are still adapting to life after Tonali and face a testing rematch at St James’ Park on Monday. Louise Taylor