The fixtures are coming in thick and fast for the Premier League, with Game Week 6 set to kick off within 48 hours of GW5!
The action gets underway at Goodison Park, as we’re treated to a high-stakes Merseyside Derby.
Elsewhere, Chelsea locks horns with the Irons, Villa host a rampant City side, and the Gunners put their perfect record on the line against Man U.
We’ve previewed all 10 EPL contests across the weekend and provided our best betting plays below!
This is a huge Merseyside Derby, with both Everton and the Reds currently playing within themselves.
Although, there is far more concern for the Toffees, who have been lucky to pick up three competition points and have been tipped to fight for survival by many footballing pundits.
Liverpool enter this fixture off the back of an emotional victory over the Toon, with the result only secured in the 8th minute of injury time by young signing Fábio Carvalho.
Despite the Reds looking off the pace, they are tenfolds the team that their neighbours aspire to be.
The Reds put four goals past Pickford on their last visit to Goodison Park and I’m backing them to repeat that feat on Saturday night (AEST).
We follow one derby with another, as two London-based outfits go toe-to-toe at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues slump into this fixture off the back of a disappointing defeat to a young Southampton squad, with Thomas Tuchel accusing his side of not being tough enough.
Sterling has been the one shining light for Chelsea across the opening weeks, scoring three of his side’s six goals, while laying on an assist for another.
Following three straight losses, West Ham is now looking to go three games undefeated (1W,1D), most recently holding Tottenham to a 1-1 stalemate.
The Hammers will have plenty of attacking options to choose from in this fixture, with Brazilian forward, Lucas Paqueta joining recent signing Gianluca Scamacca at the top of the ground.
Not only do the Blues lack toughness, but they also lack any real imagination in moving the ball forward.
The Irons are a far better outfit than the Saints and are a real chance of pulling off a snatch-and-grab at the Bridge.
We take a step down in quality here, as two of the PL’s newcomers duke it out for points toward survival.
Despite throwing a ton of cash at the wall, Forest sits 15th in the league, on equal points with their opponents Bournemouth, who have been quite fickle in the window.
The Cherries parted ways with manager Scott Parker following their 0-9 hiding at the hands of the Reds, and have since gone on to hold the Wolves to a 0-0 draw.
Whichever way you slice it, this is going to be a grim fixture for the neutral fans.
Neither team inspire me enough to jump into the H2H market here, instead, I’ll be backing Under 2.5 Goals to be scored, a bet which has saluted in four of their last five meetings.
The Bees host the Whites in what should be an intriguing midtable fixture.
Leeds is currently sitting 6th on the PL table and should consider themselves unlucky not to be higher after settling for draws against both Southampton and Everton despite dominating the contests.
Alternatively, Brentford has rescued a point from a losing position on three occasions already, scoring late against Leicester, Everton, and most recently the Eagles.
The Whites snatched all three points away to the Bees last season, and I’m backing their platoon of energic forwards to put this game beyond the home side’s reach.
Another two middle-of-the-road teams are set to meet when the Wolves take on the Saints.
Wolverhampton boasts a far superior squad to Southampton on paper, unfortunately for Bruno Lage’s side, the game is not played on paper.
The Wolves’ inability to execute in the final third has already cost them dearly this season, dropping points in all five of their opening fixtures despite looking the better side throughout.
Alternatively, the Saints have found a way to win games they have no right to, with their highly scrutinised strikers playing their socks off.
The Wolves’ lack of confidence in front of goals has me steering clear of the H2H markets, instead, I’m backing them to go under 2.5 goals for the fifth consecutive fixture.
Newcastle takes on Crystal Palace in a fixture that has all the building blocks to become a thriller!
The Toon will be eager to bounce back from a heartbreaking injury-time defeat to Liverpool last time out, a game in which they left everything out on the pitch.
Similarly, the Eagles were guilty of throwing away points late against Brentford, with Zaha’s brilliant strike canceled out by a last-minute Wissa header.
Newcastle will likely be without three of their best players in Saint-Maximum, Bruno Guimaraes, and Callum Wilson, who are all in the infirmary, this hands Palace a distinct advantage.
The Eagles have shown they can go toe-to-toe with any side in the league, with a healthy squad combined with a 24-hour rest advantage over their opponents here, I’m backing them to complete and upset.
We’re treated to our second London Derby of the weekend when the Spurs play host to Fulham.
The Cottagers have reentered the league in style, claiming valuable points against the likes of Liverpool, Wolverhampton, Brentford, and Brighton, with Serbian striker Mitrovic finding the back of the net five times already!
Not to be outdone, the Spurs are unbeaten on the season (3W,2D) and are fighting their way to results despite not playing their best football.
Despite early results, Fulham has been punching well above their weight, high-intensity play and a game plan of getting the ball to Mitro will only get them so far.
Four of Fulham’s last five fixtures have seen 3+ goals scored, a trend I’m backing to continue, with the Spurs being the main benefactors.
Aston Villa faces the daunting task of stifling the attack of Erling Haaland and co.
The young Danish striker officially owns the record for most goals scored in the first five Premier League appearances (9), notching up his second hattrick in as many games.
Meanwhile, Aston Villa has only managed four goals as a team and are currently dwelling inside the bottom three.
The Citizens have kept a league-high three clean sheets across the opening five games, amassing an incredible goal difference of +14.
I’m not expecting the Villans to pose any threat to City’s goal in this one, with all their energy focused instead on limiting Haaland’s damage.
Leicester currently sits dead last on the Premier League table and is one of three sides yet to win a fixture this season.
Alternatively, Brighton is off to a flyer, sitting cosy in 4th spot, conceding a league-low three goals across their five fixtures!
The Foxes are in all sorts at the moment, they’re playing with zero confidence, enthusiasm, and belief, and I wouldn’t be surprised to Rodgers cop the boot prior to kickoff.
I’m backing Brighton to claim their fourth win of the season and a sixth straight result of under 3.5 goals!
We’re forced to wait until the wee hours of Monday morning for what should be the match of the round, as Arsenal put their perfect record on the line against an improving United outfit.
The Gunners have been guilty of playing beautiful passages football, though have struggled to string together a full 90-minute performance.
Arsenal faces an anxious wait on the health of club captain and in-form midfielder, Martin Odegaard, after the Norweigian was subbed off early against Villa mid-week, he joins the likes of Partey, Elneny, and Zinchenko in the physio room.
Meanwhile, United have won three games on the trot and are starting to find their feet under new manager Eric ten Hag.
The former giants welcome the late editions of Casimiro and Anthony to their squad, which serves to only further boost morale around Carrington.
Arsenal has endured a rough time of it at Old Trafford in the past, winning just two of their previous 15 visits, and although like many, I see them enjoying a more successful season than the Red Devils, I think they might be a little too understaffed for this fixture.
At the risk of sounding pessimistic, I believe both sides would be happy to leave Old Trafford with a point here, my prediction is a cagey 1-1 affair.