Premier League Saturday Tips: Back the Saints, Watkins and 4/1 Brentford shout

• Early drama at Portman Road

• United crisis set to deepen

• Gunners to pass tough test on South Coast

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Tottenham v West Ham (12:30) - Twin threats

Brennan Johnson continued his goal-scoring form over the international break. His run of goals has been timely for Spurs, who are still without Son Heung-min and Richarlison, and the Welsh forward has fired six in six across all comps after previously notching just five in 38.

For the visitors, it's Jarrod Bowen who jumps out as their main threat, the 27-year-old setting up or taking on 34 shots this term. Last time out, in a comfortable win over Ipswich, he accrued five key passes and created two big chances.

But it's a potentially bruising battle between Michail Antonio and Cristian Romero that grabs our attention here, with the Argentine fancied to pick up his first yellow of the season.

The take-no-prisoners defender was booked in both meetings with the Hammers in 2023/24 and tends to pick up cautions in top six affairs or London derbies.

Back both teams to score too. The Hammers have converted in each of their away matches to date while a revitalized Spurs have scored eight in three.

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Fulham v Aston Villa (15:00) - Big miss

Fulham are unbeaten at Craven Cottage while Villa are unbeaten on the road. An entertaining draw therefore would be fancied were if not for the hosts being deprived of Sasa Lukic.

The Serb has been pivotal to the Cottagers this term, a fulcrum in the centre-circle, and his injury could afford Youri Tielemans greater opportunity to boss proceedings, the Villa man having an outstanding season himself.

The Belgian won seven ground duels and aerial battles combined against Manchester United going into the break and his mix of graft and orchestration is key to Unai Emery's set-up.

If chances derive from Villa winning the midfield battle, expect Ollie Watkins to capitalize. The striker boasts six goal involvements in five and furthermore has a decent track record against Fulham, including three at their expense last season.

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Ipswich v Everton (15:00) - Early doors

The Toffees are still to win away from Goodison in 2024 but recent results at least offer up cause for optimism after their awful start to this campaign.

Restricting their opponents to fewer clear-cut chances is partly behind their much needed mini-revival. In their opening four games Sean Dyche's strugglers faced 6.7 shots on target per 90. In their last three that has plummeted to 3.3.

Such limited scope won't overly trouble Liam Delap, the striker who is overperforming on his xG by 2.8. Especially impressing at Portman Road, the 21-year-old has fired 66.7% of his team's goals so far. At the back, meanwhile, Dara O'Shea is one of only a handful of top-flight defenders still to be dribbled past. What an excellent signing he's been.

Don't discount early drama in this one. No team have conceded more goals before the break than Ipswich but they've also scored four times in the opening 15 minutes.

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Man United v Brentford (15:00) - Crisis point

Rock-bottom Wolves have scored four more times than United this term while Bournemouth - on the same number of points as Erik Ten Hag's men - have taken on 28 more shots.

A largely ineffective strike-force has brought the Reds to this critical juncture, a game that could see them languish as low as 16th a fifth of the way through the season. Would another defeat at Old Trafford even surprise? They have won only four of their last 10 in the league at home.

Ten Hag is 4/71.57 to be the next manager to leave his post.

In Brentford, the Reds face opposition who have accrued 5.7 shots on target per 90 minutes, the most of any team outside the top six, while Bryan Mbeumo is the obvious danger, scoring six in seven.

Only Manchester City have scored more first half goals than the Bees to date. Only Crystal Palace and Southampton have scored fewer before the break than United.

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Newcastle v Brighton (15:00) - A North-East thriller

Goals are anticipated at St James Park, especially as the Seagulls are on route to re-establishing themselves as the top-flight's entertainers.

In their last three outings Fabian Hurzeler's side have scored every 38 minutes. They've conceded every 33 minutes.

For their part, Newcastle last failed to convert at home way back in May 2023.

The potential return of Alexander Isak this weekend bodes well for the hosts, who lacked a cutting edge at Goodison. Individually, Jacob Murphy, Anthony Gordon and Harvey Barnes have been fine but there has been a notable drop-off in goal-threat.

Then there's Bruno Guimaraes whose midfield duel with Carlos Baleba could be a doozy. For all of his creative talents, Guimaraes has won 57 ground duels this season, averaging 2.7 tackles per 90.

For his troubles, he has become the most fouled player in the Premier League, impeded on 27 occasions.

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Southampton v Leicester (15:00) - Fragmented Foxes

The Foxes rode their luck several times to secure their first win of the season going into the international break. The sheer volume of chances Bournemouth created would have ordinarily resulted in a further loss for Steve Cooper's fragmented side.

That's not to take anything away from their victory, desperately needed as it was. It's simply to say that we shouldn't expect any degree of improvement to come from it.

Indeed, the hosts are fancied here to finally attain their own opening win but with scant stats to back that up (how can there be when the Saints have been so blunt up front and their own worst enemies at the back?) let's stay on more solid ground.

Leicester have won a meagre 2.2 corners per 90 to this point, by some distance a league low. That ratio isn't going to greatly increase in a tight, tense, early relegation scrap.

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Bournemouth v Arsenal (17:30) - Tough test

Arsenal routinely dismissed the Cherries twice-over last season, both times to nil, but they face a tougher test this time out.

Granted, Bournemouth have yet to keep a clean sheet while the unbeaten Gunners have been imperiously good from the get-go, scoring 2+ goals in five of their seven fixtures.

Andoni Iraola's men, however, have been much better than their league placing suggests, racking up the third most shots in the top-flight and always on the cusp of putting in a season-changing performance.

Will that happen here? Perhaps, but even then the visitors will arguably have too much for them, especially if both Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka are passed fit. Remarkably, the latter has only failed to conjure up a goal involvement in one league game in 2024/25.

Bournemouth incidentally have played top six sides twice this season, averaging five yellow cards per 90.

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Now read Alan Shearer's thoughts on England's Tuchel appointment here