Premier League Saturday Tips: Back Eze, Salah and a 6/1 Chelsea punt

• Palace to compound Foxes woes

• Forest's Anfield curse to continue

• City to seal the deal early

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Southampton v Man United (12:30) - Little reward

Despite averaging 68.6% possession and racking up 42 shots the Saints remain winless and drawless, with just a solitary goal to their name. Even that was a late consolation of no significance.

If wastefulness in the final third accounts for much of their troubles - frankly, their 2.4% shot conversion rate is pitiful - mistakes at the back have proven just as costly. No team have committed more errors leading to goals conceded (4).

All of which suggest doom, gloom and eventual relegation awaits them this season but a different view can be taken, for now at least.

Russell Martin's men are creating plenty of chances while it's well within their means to cut out avoidable clangers.

Should they manage this against United, the hosts have every opportunity to secure their first points, what with the Reds being deprived of key men and once again in the doldrums and on the cusp of crisis.

A word to the wise though - United have come from behind to win on ten occasions versus Southampton in the Premier League era. Only Liverpool against Newcastle can top that.

This, in truth, is a tough one to call so let's revisit that possession stat at the top and what it's led to. Only Spurs have won more corners than the South Coast club to date.

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Brighton v Ipswich (15:00) - Seagulls flying

There are definitely positives for Ipswich to take with them to the Amex but there's no getting around the fact that Kieran McKenna's side have taken on the fewest shots in the Premier League this season, a meagre seven of them troubling the opposition keeper.

At the other end meanwhile, they are giving up a big chance every 20 minutes.

Added to this, the Tractor Boys have received twice as many yellow cards as Brighton so far, and this is particularly pertinent when you place Sam Barrott in the middle. The no-nonsense ref has dished out 6.5 cautions per 90 this term, the second highest average among his peers.

The hosts by comparison are flying with Kaoru Mitoma more than playing his part, a goal, an assist and three successful dribbles per 90 illustrating that the winger is back to his impactful best.

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Crystal Palace v Leicester (15:00) - Eze does it

Goals typically rain in at Selhurst Park, with four per game in 2024.

Should that trend continue this Saturday expect most of them - if not all - to come from the hosts, with the Foxes facing a hefty 43 shots at this early juncture. It's certainly kept keeper Mads Hermansen busy, the Dane pulling off four saves per 90.

Which brings us to Eberechi Eze who incidentally has scored five goals from outside the box this year, a figure only matched by Phil Foden.

The England star has had 15 attempts on goal in 2024/25, the second highest tally in the league.

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Fulham v West Ham (15:00) - Nordic noir

Fulham's summer signing Sander Berge is set to make his full debut this weekend and it's noteworthy that the Norwegian midfielder has already made his presence felt, fouling in a late cameo at Portman Road.

The 26-year-old was booked when facing the Hammers last term for his former club Burnley and here, in front of new fans, he will be keen to introduce himself.

English Premier League - Top 8 Fouls

One player especially on his radar could be Mohammed Kudus who has started the season with a bang, completing 3.7 dribbles per 90, not to mention taking on 2.3 shots per 90.

For this he has been fouled six times.

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Liverpool v Nottingham Forest (15:00) - Usual suspects

Three wins, all to nil, amounts to a perfect start for Arne Slot and with an accommodating schedule through to late October we cannot rule out records being broken for opening results under a new boss.

Next up it's Forest, who are in possession of a forward in form, with Chris Wood bagging two in three, and Morgan Gibbs-White on a high from making his international debut this week.

In fine fettle, the visitors will have a good go here, exemplified by Nuno Espirito Santo's side registering a league-high number of direct attacks so far.

That being said, this is Forest at Anfield, a place where they last left triumphant in 1969. Their two visits post-promotion have seen them concede three goals apiece.

Expect Trent Alexander-Arnold to come to the fore, the full-back creating five chances for England vs Finland, after similarly impressing against Republic of Ireland.

The 25-year-old has a 0.60 xA per 90 for the Reds this season.

And of course there is the revitalized Mo Salah, boasting six goal involvements already.

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Man City v Brentford (15:00) - Thousand cuts

Remarkably Brentford were the last side to beat City at the Etihad in any competition. That was 45 games ago.

Since then, the Bees have lost Ivan Toney to a ban, then permanently to Saudi Arabia, but in Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa they have a pairing that can trouble the league champions. All five of Brentford's goals to date have been scored by the duo.

Still, it's hard to look past a home win here, especially as Thomas Frank's side have been surprisingly passive in recent weeks, allowing the opposition an average of 16.7 passes per defensive action.

We can anticipate therefore a very familiar scenario playing out, that of City getting their way via death by a thousand cuts, but don't discount an early strike to make that task easier.

Haaland and co have converted inside the opening 20 minutes in ten of their last 12 league outings.

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Aston Villa v Everton (17:30) - Another toffee crumble

This is the Toffees' worst start to a top-flight campaign since 1959 and a handful of early injuries will once again deprive Sean Dyche of options and necessitate a bench half-populated by kids. It means the manager has to go with what he's got and what's he has got is a malfunctioning side that is psychologically scarred from their late collapse against Bournemouth a fortnight ago.

It doesn't help then that Villa Park awaits, where Everton have scored just once in seven-and-a-half league hours since the Villans returned to the top-flight in 2019.

Let's just say that an away win will be the shock result of the weekend.

As for Unai Emery's men, what intrigues is that they've scored in both halves in each of their victories so far. Last season they managed this on 11 occasions at home.

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Bournemouth v Chelsea (20:00) - Cole, not dole

Unbeaten they may be but the Cherries tend to struggle against the traditional big six and that has certainly been the case under Andoni Iraola, winning only one of their 12 encounters last term. In five of their six at home they failed to score.

It gets worse too because Cole Palmer is expected to return to action, after pulling out of the England squad with a hip problem. No player has assisted more goals than the 22-year-old across Europe's big five leagues in the last calendar year.

Moreover, he has started this campaign like he ended the last, already accruing four assists, a league high.

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Now read Alan Shearer's thoughts on Everton and Sean Dyche here