Football writer Alex Keble analyses where this weekend's fixtures could be won and lost, including:
- Will Frank lean into conservative football to lay a trap for Man Utd?
- Can big changes at both clubs bring back the Klopp-Guardiola end-to-end chaos?
- Will Emery fall into Iraola’s trap or has he learnt from the Liverpool defeat?
- Could the Stadium of Light ruffle the feathers of the league’s calmest team?
- Who will win the Brighton-Palace rivalry’s biggest fixture in over a decade?
- Will Andrews’ defensive football reveal a flaw in Newcastle’s approach?
- Can we start to trust Chelsea’s run of form?
- Will Everton strikers finally take advantage of Grealish’s creativity?
- Does a physical battle with Leeds offer Dyche the best chance of a home win this year?
- Can Nuno capitalise on a perfect opportunity to build on last week’s victory?
The 11th round of the 2025/26 Premier League season could have a huge impact on the standings. Eight of the 10 fixtures will be played between two teams who are closely placed in the table, meaning there could be plenty of movement over the weekend.
Here are 10 key questions ahead of the action.
Will Frank lean into conservative football to lay a trap for Man Utd?
The primary criticism being levelled at Thomas Frank's Tottenham Hotspur side, who have won just four points from their first five home matches, is that a workmanlike midfield isn’t taking enough risks to play the progressive football required on home soil.
While that might be true, it does not necessarily relate to how Spurs should approach Saturday's visit of Manchester United. In fact, Frank may wish to lean further into the direct, reactive, deep-lying tactics that formed the bedrock of his tenure at Brentford.
Man Utd have improved significantly in recent weeks but primarily this is because they have been able to simplify their roles in a counter-attacking system, letting their opponents have most of the possession.
So far this season, Man Utd have won 13 points from the four matches in which they had 50 per cent or less possession, but only four points from the five games in which they had the ball more than their opponents.
When Ruben Amorim’s side can sit back, compress space, and use the speed of their front three to attack quickly, they win 2.6 points per game. When they dominate the ball, they win only 0.8 points per game.
Man Utd PL possession/points ratio 25/26
| Possession split in % | Record | Points per game |
|---|---|---|
| Over 50% | P5 W4 D1 L0 | 2.6 |
| 50% or less | P5 W1 D1 L3 | 0.8 |
Man Utd’s resurgence could be slowed further, after they drew 2-2 with a defensive Nottingham Forest last weekend.
But to do that, Frank needs to ignore the noise and get Spurs to play even more like his old Brentford team.
Can big changes at both clubs bring back the Klopp-Guardiola end-to-end chaos?
For the last couple of seasons this fixture hasn’t been quite as exciting or end-to-end as it was at the peak of the battle between Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola.
Each of the last four meetings has produced precisely two goals; two 1-1 draws in 2023/24 followed by a brace of 2-0 wins for a dominant Liverpool last season.
Those matches were hardly classics. This one could be.
Liverpool and Manchester City are joint top of the Premier League charts this season for "fast breaks", with 16 each, reflecting the renewed urgency with which both teams attack.
For Liverpool, an overemphasis on attack has been widely understood to be the cause of their tactical difficulties and the way they pressed hard to great success against Aston Villa last weekend suggests Arne Slot will continue with a confrontational philosophy at the Etihad Stadium.
Meanwhile, Man City have been much happier to play direct football this season, even when playing teams as attack-minded as AFC Bournemouth; the interactions between Rayan Cherki and Erling Haaland, leading to two goals in that game, are reminiscent of the sort of action we used to see in Klopp-Guardiola battles.
What’s more, we know that fast breaks aimed at Ibrahima Konate’s side of Liverpool's defence are the best way to face the Premier League champions at the moment. Both Guardiola and Slot have good reason to go all-in at the Etihad. It could be a special game.
Will Emery fall into Iraola’s trap or has he learnt from the Liverpool defeat?
Villa went against the grain at Anfield. Despite Slot admitting recently that he is yet to solve the problem of opponents playing long balls against them, Unai Emery decided to pass out dangerously from the back, a high-risk and high-reward approach.
The risk was losing the ball near their own penalty area, which is what led to Mohamed Salah’s crucial opening goal. But the reward was that, once the first press was broken, Villa could get Morgan Rogers storming forward.
It was the kind of press-baiting tactic that Emery is well known for. The risks, and potential rewards, are just as big for the visit of Bournemouth.
The question for Emery is whether he believes he can set a trap for Andoni Iraola's players by luring the press, or whether he believes this time the risk is too great.
In Villa’s 1-0 victory at Bournemouth last season, Emery decided the latter, instructing Emiliano Martinez to kick long.
Villa held 34 per cent possession, their joint-lowest share of the season, and created an ugly game in which Iraola’s hard press and fast breaks were nullified.
Iraola’s side top the Premier League charts this season for total "direct attacks" (19) and goals from "direct attacks" (four), plus they have a league-high 9.9 Passes Per Defensive Action (PPDA), a metric that measures how intensely a team presses.
It makes sense for Villa to nullify Bournemouth, and to go longer, in an attempt to emulate the Rayan Cherki-Erling Haaland connection that helped Man City beat the Cherries last weekend.
But as we know from Villa’s game at Anfield, it’s never wise to predict what Emery will do.
Could the Stadium of Light ruffle the feathers of the league’s calmest team?
Arsenal keep on winning and doing it with the minimum of fuss. But it’s hard to imagine anyone going to the Stadium of Light at the moment and winning comfortably.
Sunderland’s physicality, their never-say-die attitude, and their rousing performances in unison with the crowd have made it very difficult for opponents. Arsenal won’t get it all their own way.
The hosts also have the sixth-best defensive record from set-pieces in the Premier League, allowing an Expected Goals Against (xGA) of only 2.61 from set-pieces so far and conceding just two goals. Only Brighton & Hove Albion and Spurs, both on one, have conceded fewer.
The league leaders might not be able to rely upon corners, then, while the bullish nature of Sunderland’s play – led and conducted by ex-Arsenal player Granit Xhaka – might put up a brick wall that Bukayo Saka and Eberechi Eze are unable to break down.
It is certainly a tougher test than Burnley last weekend, but Arsenal simply must find a way through. To drop points unexpectedly might allow doubt to creep in and fester over the international break.
Who will win the Brighton-Palace rivalry’s biggest fixture in over a decade?
The rivalry between Crystal Palace and Brighton hasn’t had a match with this much riding on it since the Championship playoff semi-finals in 2013.
These two sides are currently separated by a single point, hovering in the middle of the table just short of the European qualification spots.
As such, it is inconceivable that both clubs will qualify for European football this season, despite both enjoying strong starts to the campaign.
Palace’s 16 points from 10 Premier League matches is their most at this stage of a top-flight season since 1991/92, while Brighton’s 10 points from their last five outings has supporters excited by the progress being made under Fabian Hurzeler.
Will Andrews’ defensive football reveal a flaw in Newcastle’s approach?
One of the reasons Newcastle United have won just 12 points from their first 10 Premier League matches of the season, their worst record at this stage under Eddie Howe, is because opponents understand that Howe’s explosive football can be stunted by slowing things down and sitting deeper.
West Ham United’s 3-1 win last weekend was evidence of that, as was Newcastle’s 0-0 draw with Leeds. Brentford will try to follow suit.
Keith Andrews’ side are arguably the most defensive team in the Premier League; only Palace and Burnley average less than Brentford’s 42.8 per cent possession.
Newcastle are winless in their last eight away Premier League matches (D4 L4), failing to score more than once in any of those games and having a shot-conversion rate of four per cent across those fixtures.
Combine that with the challenge of facing Brentford’s defensive shell, and with the hosts’ record of 10 points from a possible 15 at home this season, and this starts to feel like Newcastle’s tough 2025/26 in the league is set to continue.
Can we start to trust Chelsea’s run of form?
Every time Chelsea appear to have turned a corner, they take a step backwards again, often as a result of disciplinary issues. They have received five red cards in all competitions this season, partly explaining why they are yet to put together three successive Premier League victories.
The 1-0 win at Tottenham Hotspur, however, was Chelsea’s best performance of the season – and perhaps a sign of things to come for Enzo Maresca.
A home fixture against rock-bottom Wolverhampton Wanderers is the perfect opportunity to keep the momentum going before a trip to Burnley, where Maresca’s side ought to be able to make it three wins in a row at last.
Nine points from the last four matches has quietened critics, but if Chelsea can win the next two, a run of 15 points from six might even ignite a title challenge.
Chelsea's next PL fixtures
Will Everton strikers finally take advantage of Grealish’s creativity?
Everton have only won one of their last seven Premier League matches (D3 L3) while only the current bottom three have collected fewer points across their last six outings than the Toffees' haul of five.
The issue is goals - or rather, a lack of them. Beto has scored only once and Thierno Barry is yet to find the net in an Everton shirt, which is starting to look like a serious issue. Barry missed a sitter from three yards out in the 1-1 draw at Sunderland, failing to convert a perfect Jack Grealish cross.
It is wasteful finishing that explains why Grealish’s assists have dropped off. He contributed four in his first three league matches but none in the last five, despite the fact he has actually been more creative since.
Grealish averaged 2.0 chances created per game in the first four matches and 2.6 in the most recent five. He will surely continue that form against Fulham, who have conceded 11 goals in five away games this season.
It’s up to Beto and Barry to finally convert those chances.
Does a physical battle with Leeds offer Dyche the best chance of a home win this year?
Sean Dyche got off to a flying start with a 2-0 victory over FC Porto in the UEFA Europa League and came within minutes of beating Man Utd in his second match at the City Ground. Both of those games suggest the new Nottingham Forest head coach can use home form to get them out of trouble.
But Forest face a difficult set of home fixtures. After Leeds on Saturday, they host Brighton, Spurs, Man City and finally Everton in this calendar year. The visit of Daniel Farke’s side is arguably Dyche’s best chance to win a home league game before the end of 2025.
And home form will be vital. Dyche won just seven of 38 away Premier League games as Everton boss.
Forest's next PL fixtures
Forest have gone nine home Premier League matches without a win. Confidence has been low and, despite the boost Dyche has given them, if league results do not follow performances, heads might drop again.
Leeds are a tall, powerful team who will be up for a scrap – but then Dyche revels in that kind of match.
Can Nuno capitalise on perfect opportunity to build on last week’s victory?
Nuno Espirito Santo finally has the win he needs to get his West Ham tenure up and running, and he will likely feel grateful that the fixture computer has thrown up a favourable match next.
Burnley have lost four of their five away games this season, the exception being a 3-2 win at bottom club Wolves on their most recent road trip.
If there was ever a chance for West Ham to put together consecutive league wins, this is it. In theory, anyway.
The Hammers had gone six Premier League matches without a win before the victory over Newcastle, but if they are to win back-to-back games for the first time since February they must find a different way of playing.
It suited West Ham to be able to play on the foot against Newcastle, just as much as it did not suit their opponents to be forced to find a way to break down a low block.
Burnley will be far more defensive than Newcastle, which presents West Ham with a problem.