Seven straight wins for Manchester City, 23 goals for Brighton and just one victory for Manchester United. The first seven Premier League rounds have sent these clubs in very different directions. Now City face an Aston Villa side with a strong recent record against them, Liverpool host the league’s highest scorers, and Chelsea meet Tottenham in a London derby.
Matchweek 8 runs from 23 to 25 October. We look at the key fixtures, underlying numbers and odds from 888STARZ.
Aston Villa vs Manchester City: A Tricky Trip for the Leaders
24 October | 12th vs 1st
City have a perfect 21 points and 19 goals from seven matches. But their latest 3-2 win over Ipswich showed that even a struggling side can make life difficult for the league leaders.
Aston Villa have caused City far more problems in recent meetings. The Birmingham club have won four of their last six Premier League encounters, including both fixtures last season. Erling Haaland has scored just once against Villa in his previous five league appearances.
Unai Emery’s side have often troubled City by crowding central areas and disrupting their passing game. With Rodri no longer in the visitors’ squad, that approach could be particularly effective.
888STARZ: Home — 4.93, Draw — 4.42, Away — 1.71.
There are 13 points between the teams, but Villa’s recent head-to-head record and style of play make them a tougher opponent than their 12th-place position suggests.
Chelsea vs Tottenham: Six Straight Derby Wins
24 October | 4th vs 16th
Chelsea have climbed to fourth after back-to-back league victories. Tottenham have just six points, and their 3-1 win over Coventry last weekend was their first Premier League success of the season.
The head-to-head record also favours Chelsea: they have won their last six league meetings with Tottenham. But the return of James Maddison has given Spurs more ways to build attacks through the middle.
Roberto De Zerbi has been experimenting with three attacking midfielders, setting up an interesting midfield contest against Xabi Alonso’s Chelsea. The hosts have scored 17 goals, but their 13 conceded show there is room for opponents to exploit.
888STARZ: Home — 1.76, Draw — 4.41, Away — 4.57.
Chelsea have been comfortably the better side this season. Still, the derby will be a much tougher test of Tottenham’s new system than their victory over Coventry.
Liverpool vs Brighton: Nine Goals Against Twenty-Three
25 October | 5th vs 3rd
The gap in Premier League scoring is striking: Brighton have 23 goals to Liverpool’s nine. The visitors sit third and have kept four consecutive clean sheets in the league.
Liverpool’s attack, though, is beginning to find its rhythm. Alexander Isak has five Premier League goals, while Florian Wirtz leads the league for chances created with 20. In midweek, Liverpool also came from 2-0 down to beat Villarreal 4-3 in the Champions League.
Brighton press aggressively and defend with a high line. That helps them generate chances but also leaves space for quick attacks in behind.
888STARZ: Home — 2.19, Draw — 3.99, Away — 3.25.
Liverpool are favourites according to the odds, even though Brighton have been the more consistent side so far. At Anfield, the league’s most prolific attack faces a Liverpool team whose attacking potential is only just starting to show in domestic competition.
Arsenal vs Everton: Winning Without Their Earlier Attacking Edge
24 October | 2nd vs 8th
Arsenal are only three points behind City, but their recent performances have been noticeably more cautious. Against Nottingham Forest, they won 1-0 despite producing just 0.5 xG, six shots and no big chances.
Mikel Arteta’s side played with far more freedom in attack earlier in the season. Since the 3-0 defeat to Brighton, a more conservative approach has returned, although the results have remained positive.
Everton have problems of their own, having gone eight away league matches without a win. But they have conceded only seven goals in seven rounds, so breaking them down could be harder than the difference in squad quality suggests.
888STARZ: Home — 1.50, Draw — 4.57, Away — 7.70.
Arsenal are deserved favourites. After a demanding Champions League match against Bayern and a run of narrow wins, though, finding their attacking fluency again may not be straightforward.
Manchester United vs Bournemouth: Old Trafford Holds Little Fear for the Visitors
25 October | 13th vs 15th
United have won just one of their seven Premier League matches and suffered a painful 4-1 defeat to Como in the Champions League in midweek. Bournemouth, meanwhile, are improving: they beat Sunderland 2-0 in the league and followed it up with a 3-0 Europa League win over Milan.
There is another uncomfortable statistic for United: Bournemouth are unbeaten in their last six Premier League meetings with them, winning four. In each of their last three trips to Old Trafford, the visitors have scored at least three goals.
888STARZ: Home — 2.06, Draw — 3.84, Away — 3.70.
United are still favourites, but only narrowly. After their heavy defeat in Italy, they face an opponent that has made a habit of exploiting their defensive mistakes.
The Other Matchweek 8 Fixtures
Ipswich open the round against Nottingham Forest, who have scored just five goals from 11.2 xG — the league’s worst finishing return relative to expected goals. Coventry host Fulham, while Crystal Palace face Newcastle, with both teams among the league’s poorest defensive performers.
Hull City take on Brentford, and bottom-of-the-table Sunderland meet Leeds, who unexpectedly sit seventh after seven matches.
What to Watch in Matchweek 8
For the first time in several weeks, City travel to a ground where the home side have repeatedly found ways to beat them. Arsenal cannot afford to let the leaders pull away, but they need to start creating better chances again. Brighton have an opportunity to test their extraordinary scoring record against one of England’s biggest clubs.
Things are just as tight in the bottom half. Only three points separate Manchester United in 13th from Sunderland in last place. One victory could change the positions of several teams.
After the round, we’ll compare the results with the recorded 888STARZ odds and the actual match statistics.
UEFA Champions League