1
Best for Kerkez to sit out derby
It would be a surprise to see Arne Slot start Milos Kerkez against Everton, given the left-back’s struggles against Burnley last weekend. Kerkez was booked for diving and was lucky to avoid a second yellow after fouling Jaidon Anthony before being substituted for Andy Robertson after 38 minutes at Turf Moor. Surely Slot will not risk a similar performance in the cauldron of the Merseyside derby, especially with such a dependable option in Robertson and the tricky Iliman Ndiaye on the right wing for Everton? “It’s a massive jump [playing for Liverpool],” said the Scot as he came to the defence of Kerkez this week. “I came from Hull City, he’s come from Bournemouth, and it’s probably quite similar. He will be the starting left-back for Liverpool in the future and it’s up to me to push him this season and help him improve.” Kerkez is lucky to have such an experienced mentor, but may face a wait to get back into Slot’s starting XI after Robertson started against Atlético Madrid in midweek. Michael Butler
Liverpool v Everton, 12.30pm (all times BST)
2
Fresh direction for Brighton with Ayto
It has been a busy week on the south coast. The former Arsenal interim sporting director Jason Ayto was confirmed as David Weir’s successor on Monday after the Scot’s surprise departure, having spent seven years at Brighton. Ayto is credited with playing a major role in bringing Martín Zubimendi to north London after stepping in to replace Edu last year, with the Brighton owner, Tony Bloom, hoping the 40-year-old’s arrival will give the club “new leadership and direction”. He is expected to attend Saturday’s meeting with Tottenham at the Amex as Fabian Hürzeler , who marked his 50th game in charge of Brighton in the 2-1 defeat to Bournemouth last weekend , attempts to get their season back on track. Ed Aarons
Brighton v Tottenham, Saturday 3pm
3
Will Postecoglou favour Wood or Jesus?
Chris Wood will have surely cursed the sacking of Nuno Espírito Santo at Nottingham Forest. The New Zealander played the best football of his career under the Portuguese manager, who made the striker the focal point of his attack. It would be a brave move for Ange Postecoglou to drop Wood against Burnley, one of the 33-year-old’s former sides, but Forest’s new manager typically favours a more mobile forward, capable of an aggressive press. Wood was absent as Forest crashed out of the Carabao Cup at Swansea but Postecoglou will at least have taken heart from the two goals scored by the Brazilian striker Igor Jesus, a summer arrival, before Forest collapsed to defeat. Despite his excellent record for Forest, Wood is now under pressure to perform in a tactical system that might not be suited to his needs. MB
Burnley v Nottingham Forest, Saturday 3pm
4
Dissent and demoralisation at West Ham
It remains to be seen how many West Ham fans turn up to protest against the club’s deeply unpopular board before Saturday afternoon’s home game against Crystal Palace. However big the demonstration is, though, there is no doubt that supporters have turned. West Ham have not won at home since February and it could get ugly if Palace, who have not lost at the London Stadium since 2018, go ahead. The pressure is on. Graham Potter has to find a way to lift his side after last weekend’s defeat to Spurs. Unity is a long way off but the organisers of the protesters want West Ham fans to stick with the team. Jacob Steinberg
West Ham v Crystal Palace, Saturday 3pm
5
Patience with Amorim running out
A total of 31 points from 31 league games in charge means Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United tenure is sinking fast. To stop floundering the head coach needs wins; executive patience will soon expire, make no mistake. Three points against a Chelsea team who arrive as Club World Cup champions and undefeated in the league is a difficult ask but if the match is lost then United will have to beat Brentford and Sunderland in the next two outings. After those two matches is the trip to Liverpool, on 19 October, which looks ominous. Jamie Jackson
Manchester United v Chelsea, Saturday 5.30pm
6
Wolves opt for stability and Pereira
Wolves believe this season will be different. This time last year Gary O’Neil was weeks into a new four-year contract but was sacked four months later. Now Wolves are preparing to reward Vítor Pereira with a new three-year deal despite a pointless start to the campaign. Wolves, who host Leeds on Saturday, are bottom of the table after losing their opening four league matches. Pereira transformed Wolves last season, in effect leading them to safety with a couple of months to spare, and the chairman, Jeff Shi, believes stability will help the club prosper again. “We need a coach to stay here and help us for a long time,“ Shi said in a recent interview. “Every coach needs time for the jigsaw to be made.” Ben Fisher
Wolves v Leeds, Saturday 3pm
after newsletter promotion
7
Bees must beware another late show
Fulham like to leave it late. Few managers are more adept than Marco Silva at making decisive substitutions. Rodrigo Muniz and Emile Smith Rowe have stepped off the bench to score late equalisers against Brighton and Manchester United respectively this season and Kevin, the new signing from Shakhtar Donetsk, impressed after coming on for his debut during last week’s late win over Leeds. Brentford, then, will be wary of Silva’s wiles when they make the short trip to Craven Cottage on Saturday evening. They will remember being stung in this fixture last season, losing a 1-0 lead after Harry Wilson came on to score twice in stoppage-time. As if that was not bad enough Fulham did it again in the reverse fixture, Tom Cairney and Wilson coming on in the second half to turn a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 lead. Brentford will know not to take anything for granted. JS
Fulham v Brentford, Saturday 8pm
8
Handling Woltemade is a tall order
Three-quarters of Bournemouth’s first-choice defence departed the club this summer in Milos Kerkez, Dean Huijsen and Illia Zabarnyi but, after three wins from four, the Cherries seem stronger than ever. The ease with which the 18-year-old centre-back Veljko Milosavljevic has slotted in alongside his partner Marcos Senesi has been striking; the new signing signed for the club on deadline day and made only 27 first-team appearances for Red Star Belgrade before his £13m move to the Premier League. Milosavljevic marshalled Danny Welbeck and Stefanos Tzimas expertly in the win against Brighton but if the Serbian retains his place ahead of another of Bournemouth’s new additions, Bafodé Diakité, he faces a different prospect altogether in Nick Woltemade. The 6ft 6in Newcastle striker showed against Wolves he is both an aerial threat and a nimble forward able to link the play, somewhere between a classic No 9 and a second striker. Containing the big German will be key in deciding if Bournemouth continue their excellent start. MB
Bournemouth v Newcastle, Sunday 2pm
9
Roefs’ excellence bars Villa’s path
Will Sunday’s trip to the Stadium of Light prove to be the start of a positive reset for Aston Villa? Or might it signal the beginning of the biggest crisis of Unai Emery’s tenure at the club? Emery’s cause would be aided appreciably if his side could score a first league goal of the season. The only problem is that Sunderland have collected seven points from their opening four league games and possess the outstanding Robin Roefs in goal. They say there are no “steals” in the European transfer market any more but the 22-year-old cost a modest initial £9m, potentially rising to £11.5m, when Sunderland signed him from NEC Nijmegen this summer. On the convincing evidence of his first four games it is no surprise that a keeper who has played for the Netherlands at every junior level and starred for the under-21s in the recent European Championships has now graduated to the Dutch senior squad. Louise Taylor
Sunderland v Aston Villa, Sunday 2pm
10
Arteta to stick with impressive Mosquera?
The praise has been flooding in for Cristhian Mosquera after his impressive performance against Athletic Bilbao on Tuesday night. “He’s still so young,” said Jurriën Timber after Arsenal’s 2-0 win. “It looks so easy for him, winning his duels and on the ball as well. It’s great to have him next to me, and he has a bright future as well.” Signed from Valencia for an initial £13m, the Spain Under-21 international looks like one of best value summer deals having filled in admirably for the injured William Saliba. The Frenchman has been back in training this week after limping off against Liverpool with an ankle injury before the international break. The question is whether Mikel Arteta will bring Saliba back or stick with Mosquera for the meeting with Manchester City. EA
Arsenal v Manchester City, Sunday 4.30pm
