- Seagulls to spark into life
- Saints set to stumble again
- Back salah to hammer the Hammers
- Spurs will fare well at Old Trafford
Brighton v Nottingham Forest (Tuesday, 19:30) - Tricky Trees in pieces
Forest have yet to win on the road this term and until Steve Cooper solves the jigsaw of what is essentially a brand-new squad that isn't going to change anytime soon.
An inability to keep clean sheets obviously doesn't help their cause but it's the knock-on effects of their struggles that interests us here. No team has picked up more yellows in 2022/23 (29) and only Crystal Palace and Manchester United have won fewer corners.
As for the Seagulls they're in a strange place under new management, as they rack up impressive shot-counts and boss possession but they've already lost the spark that troubled Liverpool at Anfield.
"We lose too many second balls, too many duels," Roberto De Zerbi said at the weekend.
If that is even put half right at the Amex, they should claim their first three points post-Potter.
Crystal Palace v Wolves (Tuesday, 20:15) - Blunt and boring
Wolves' problems up front did not emerge over the summer. Last season, only the three relegated sides scored fewer goals in the top-flight and they have only managed to score more than once in a game on a single occasion since the start of April. The last time a centre-forward got on the score-sheet was at Watford's expense in early March.
This is not down to misfiring individuals. This is not due to injuries, as costly as they've been. This is a sustained systemic failing.
Which is why our Manager Markets Live blog tips Nuno Espirito Santo to return because to put their remarkable impotence into context, no side in England's top seven rungs has found the net less often in 2022/23. The same applies to Scotland too, from Annan to Queen's Park.
Palace, meanwhile, have scored four in their last five and conceded four in five. This is not a meeting that screams classic.
Bournemouth v Southampton (Wednesday, 19:30) - Home sweet home
There is no such thing as home advantage in this derby with the hosts coming out on top just once in the last nine meetings between the south coast clubs. If that suggests the Saints should be fancied, however, recent form and circumstance says otherwise.
After taking charge of a beleaguered collective of Championship-standard players, interim Cherries boss Gary O'Neil faithfully adhered to the new managers' playbook, first making his side hard to beat, then allowing them to be more expansive once confidence returns. The results have been impressive.
Six games unbeaten, Bournemouth have committed 33% more shots on target in the latter half of O'Neil's short spell at the helm to his opening three games, and with last season's 29-goal man Dominic Solanke rediscovering his firepower - the forward has a goal and two assists in his last two outings - it is indeed the hosts who should be backed.
Brentford v Chelsea (Wednesday, 19:30) - Staying ahead of the crowd
For the first time since 2016, Chelsea have strung together four wins off the back of four consecutive clean sheets. Given that Graham Potter was the man who made Brighton such formidable front-runners - the Seagulls didn't lose any of the last 20 games in which they took the lead under the glowed-up gaffer - we can assume he has already successfully relayed his secrets at the Bridge.
If the Blues go in front, it will take something special for the Bees to turn things around.
Are they capable of that? With eight-goal Ivan Toney in their ranks don't rule anything out, but Brentford have only won two of their eight home games against top six opposition since gaining promotion. And with two wins, two draws and two losses in recent weeks they are currently the very definition of inconsistent.
Liverpool v West Ham (Wednesday, 19:30) - Hammers to fall
Lately, the Hammers have experienced the capricious extremes of refereeing decisions more than most, benefitting against Fulham, then getting punished at Southampton.
To an extent, such controversies have detracted from David Moyes' men enjoying a mini-revival after a woeful opening spell of the campaign genuinely surprised. Gianluca Scamacca and company have scored twice as many goals in their most recent three games to what they previously managed in seven.
How genuine their resurgence is we will discover at Anfield this Wednesday, at a ground where the Hammers have only won once since 1963. The absence of Luis Diaz or Diogo Jota flying down the Reds' left is encouraging for the visitors, as is the faint possibility of there being an after-the-Lord-Mayor's-show atmosphere in L4 following their frenetic victory over Manchester City.
Mo Salah remembering that he is the unstoppable goal machine Mo Salah, however, is an ominous sign, with the Egyptian bagging four in two. Worse still, last season's Golden Boot winner has 10 in 11 against West Ham.
Newcastle v Everton (Wednesday, 19:30) - Honours even
The Magpies are the only top-flight side without double figures in their against column while their home record is worthy of note too, losing only twice at St James' Park in just shy of a year, and those defeats were to Manchester City and Liverpool.
Widening our view, we find a team that has been beaten just once all term and that courtesy of a 98th minute concession at Anfield. This is a Newcastle team on the up and more would be made of it were it not for Arsenal's sublime season and Liverpool's struggles.
Eddie Howe's side also impress in their sharing out of goals, with nine different scorers to date, but even if this all lends itself to a home victory how can we possibly overlook the propensity of both teams to draw this season. Combined, Newcastle and Everton have shared the spoils in 50% of their fixtures in 2022/23.
Man Utd v Tottenham (Wednesday, 20:15) - Central casting
Which Manchester United will turn up at Old Trafford this Wednesday evening? The one that out-ran Liverpool and out-smarted Arsenal, leading optimists in the Stretford End to believe that Erik Ten Hag's rebuild was well underway?
Or the team lacking ideas, that flattered to deceive and managed only two shots on target against Newcastle this weekend? It was a performance that revealed some demolition work is still required.
It's no coincidence that the Reds looked a shadow of their recent selves minus Christian Eriksen who has quickly established himself as an influential figure, and it's in midfield where Spurs will win this contest, for all that Casemiro has settled in well.
Rodrigo Bentancur and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg have both been brilliant this season, while Yves Bissouma made all the difference coming on against Everton, although here expect such domination from the off. Only Bournemouth have conceded more in the first 45 this term than United.