Dream Team

PRETTY much every Manchester City player involved at Old Trafford on Sunday was worthy of individual praise.Erling Haaland (£7.5m) was involved in all three goals, Bernardo Silva (£3.6m) ran the show, Josko Gvardiol (£4.1m) had fun with some Iniesta-esque dribbles, and Rodri (£4m) set the tempo with aplomb.
But for the purposes of this exercise, the focus is on John Stones (£4.5m) and his welcome return to the world of Dream Team.

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Less ‘Barnsley Beckenbauer’ more ‘Barnsley Busquets’ these daysCredit: Dream Team
The 29-year-old missed the first seven Gameweeks of the season through injury and while he featured against Arsenal and Brighton, this weekend’s Manchester derby was the first time he played 90 minutes in 2023/24.
Perhaps not coincidentally, the reigning champions’ 3-0 win over Manchester United was their first clean sheet in over a month.
Stones once again performed the hybrid role in Pep Guardiola’s sophisticated system – part centre-back, part holding midfielder.
The England international starred in such a role at the back end of last season and was undoubtedly a key contributor to City’s treble.
Whether he’s mucking in alongside Ruben Dias (£4.4m) at the heart of defence or pulling the strings next to Rodri at the base of midfield, Stones has been one of his side’s most-influential players in the last year.
Stones played a key role in City’s treble last seasonCredit: Getty
It’s important to note that he’s categorised as a defender in the realm of Dream Team and so he registered five points for City’s clean sheet on Sunday – plus two for playing the full 90 minutes.
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Looking forward, it seems to reasonable to expect some extra points from Stones if he’s to continue taking up midfield positions with regularity.
The very nature of his unique role means he’s more likely to register shots on target and create big chances (both worth a point each in Dream Team this season) than traditional centre-backs.
He should also earn his fair share of bonus points as the season progresses.
Having only just returned to full fitness, it’s understandable that Stones’ ownership sits at a relatively modest 4.6%.
It will be interesting to see what extent that increases after an impressive showing in Gameweek 10.

Guardiola’s side exhibited ominous form in Gameweek 10Credit: Getty
City’s Gameweek 11 fixtures look ripe for points as well – they have the luxury of back-to-back home games against Bournemouth and Young Boys.
Some Dream Team gaffers may be put off by Stones’ price, at £4.5m he’s the fourth-most expensive asset in his position at the time of writing.
However, there’s every chance that may be seen as good value in a fortnight’s time.

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DREAM TEAM managers don’t need to be told that Aston Villa players are super viable this season.The Villains have popular assets in every position right now and with good reason.
After ten league games, no team have scored more goals than Unai Emery’s side and, in regards to the table, they’re just two points behind treble-winners Manchester City and one behind Liverpool.

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Villa midfielders are ticking over but it’s unclear who is the best optionCredit: Dream Team
However, while it’s clear that Emi Martinez (£3.3m), Matty Cash (£3.3m) and Ollie Watkins (£4.7m) are the best options in their respective positions, gaffers are having a hard time settling on Villa’s best midfielder right now.
There’s a cigarette paper between Douglas Luiz (£3.3m), John McGinn (£3.1m) and Moussa Diaby (£3.3m) in terms of both cost and total points.
The latter pipped his team-mates on Sunday with an 11-point haul at home to Luton but McGinn wasn’t far behind on ten while Luiz registered an assist for a six-point return.
Time for a three-way statistical analysis.
Total Points

Douglas Luiz – 74
John McGinn – 71
Moussa Diaby – 67

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It’s the Brazilian who leads the way in the metric that matters most having plundered 40 points in his last six outings.
Luiz has enjoyed a fine start to the campaignCredit: Reuters
Average Points-Per-Game

Douglas Luiz – 5.3
Moussa Diaby – 5.2
John McGinn – 5.1

A perfect illustration of how evenly-matched these three midfielders have been this term – no wonder Dream Team gaffers are torn.
Goals

Douglas Luiz – 5
John McGinn – 4
Moussa Diaby – 3

Villa’s No6 leads the way because he is the club’s first-choice penalty taker – that’s a bonus!
Ownership

Moussa Diaby – 10.2%
Douglas Luiz – 4.6%
John McGinn – 1.7%

The Frenchman is comfortably the most-popular of the trio – he’s the 14th-most selected asset in his position overall.
This is perhaps slightly curious given he’s marginally behind McGinn and Luiz in terms of total points but perhaps the following stats explain his popularity.
Goals are flowing freely at Villa ParkCredit: Getty
Assists

Moussa Diaby – 5
John McGinn – 3
Douglas Luiz – 1

Shots on Target

Moussa Diaby – 12
Douglas Luiz – 7
John McGinn – 6

Big Chances Created

Moussa Diaby – 7
John McGinn – 4
Douglas Luiz – 2

The former Bayer Leverkusen man leads the way in three key attacking metrics, perhaps indicating he’ll end up with a considerably greater tally of goal involvements than McGinn and Luiz by the end of the season.
Certainly Diaby is the most attack-minded of the three but midfielders are able to earn points through other methods this season.
Tackle Points

Douglas Luiz – 11
John McGinn – 4
Moussa Diaby – 0

Bonus Points

John McGinn – 7
Douglas Luiz – 6
Moussa Diaby – 0

Diaby’s attacking supremacy is offset here and a pair of goose eggs may be a slight cause for concern for his backers.
The Scotsman leads the way for bonus points – a reflection of his all-round contributions – but the fact this is the only metric he tops among the three midfielders probably indicates he’s not the optimum choice.
A reliable performerCredit: Getty
Yellow Cards

Douglas Luiz – 5
John McGinn – 3
Moussa Diaby – 1

It’s no surprise that the two more combative players have worse disciplinary records.
Luiz owners may be have to contend with a frustrating suspension at some stage.
So what’s the conclusion?
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If we absolutely had to choose one of these three fine Villa midfielders we’d probably edge it to Diaby because of his superior attacking threat.
Goals remain Dream Team’s primary currency and while Luiz’s penalties are a spanner in the works, the fact Diaby is sixth among all assets in his position for shots on target in 2023/24 suggests a greater potential for substantial double-digit hauls.

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THERE’S a much more familiar feel to the top of the Dream Team rankings after the weekend’s events.Julian Alvarez (£4.7m), Mohamed Salah (£6.7m) and Bukayo Saka (£4.7m) have all taken turns in the coveted number one spot in recent weeks but Erling Haaland (£7.5m) has reclaimed his crown in emphatic style.

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IrrepressibleCredit: Dream Team
Manchester City’s No9 has carved out a bracket of his own once again having plundered 19 points at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Pep Guardiola’s side put on a clinic against a beleaguered Manchester United outfit to win the derby 3-0, with Haaland scoring twice before he assisted the third.
Only hat-trick hero Eddie Nketiah (£2.4m) registered more points (20) than the Norwegian cyborg at the weekend.
This substantial haul follows on from the 26 points Haaland collected from Gameweek 9, spread over two fixtures against Brighton and Young Boys.
He ended his mini goal drought against the Seagulls before scoring two more in Switzerland in the Champions League.
This explosion of 45 points in the space of two Gameweeks has propelled Haaland to a season total of 131.
All of a sudden, he’s 22 points clear of Salah at the top of the rankings – which is remarkable because Liverpool’s main man has hardly been slacking of late.
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Haaland gifted Phil Foden a goal to cap an impressive outing at Old TraffordCredit: Getty
So what’s the message here? Haaland is very good – hardly a shocking revelation, is it?
The 23-year-old currently appears in 87.3% of teams, making him the most-popular player in the game by a huge margin.
It’s not like anyone needs convincing of his abilities but the precise nature of his performances should be monitored closely because of the weekly captaincy debate.
Those who opted to double Haaland’s returns these past two Gameweeks received 90 points compared to 45 earned by those who stuck the armband on Salah, Ollie Watkins (£4.7m), etc.

Even accounting for the points scored by the alternative captains, gaffers with maximum faith in Haaland are likely to have benefited from a significant swing.
Looking forward, there are a few favourable fixtures in Gameweek 11 but it’s a brave Dream Team boss who bets against Haaland vs Bournemouth and Young Boys with both those games to take place at the Etihad.
He let his rivals sit on the throne momentarily but it seems as if the king has returned.

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EDDIE NKETIAH (£2.4m) was Dream Team’s big winner this weekend.The 24-year-old may not have featured at all at the Emirates on Saturday had Gabriel Jesus (£5.2m) not suffered a hamstring injury against Sevilla in Gameweek 9.
But with the Brazilian forward sidelined, Nketiah was selected to lead the line for Arsenal against Sheffield United and he obliged with an excellent hat-trick before the hour-mark.
Nketiah added a Premier League match ball to his private collection of memorabiliaCredit: Dream Team
The Gunners registered a comfortable 5-0 victory over Paul Heckingbottom’s side and while there were plenty of Dream Team points to go around, nobody came close to the club’s homegrown poacher.
Nketiah took the Blades for 20 points when all was said and done, notching almost a third of his season total in one fell swoop.
It’s no surprise that Arsenal’s No14 currently features in just 2.1% of teams – he was a rotational player just a few days ago.
However, with Jesus expected to be out for “a few weeks” Nketiah is virtually guaranteed his fair share of minutes throughout November.
This neatly coincides with a relatively favourable run of fixtures for Mikel Arteta’s side, meaning there could be more points to come in the immediate future.
Easy as 1, 2, 3Credit: Getty
Granted, a trip to St James’ Park first up in Gameweek 11 has to be considered a tough test but Arsenal will feel confident of a home win over Sevilla in the Champions League having beaten the La Liga side in Spain.
Arsenal then face Burnley, Brentford, Lens, Wolves and Luton to take them into early December.
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Given that Aston Villa and Newcastle are the only two teams that have scored more league goals than the Gunners this season, Nketiah should be assured a steady stream of chances in the coming weeks.
And if Gameweek 10 is anything to go by, he should convert those opportunities into healthy returns.
Bukayo Saka (£6.5m) remains Arsenal’s primary threat in the realm of Dream Team – he’s one of just four assets into triple figures (101 points) in 2023/24.
However, the England winger is expensive while Nketiah is cheap as chips at £2.4m right now, offering an affordable route into Arsenal’s attack.

Plenty of points to come for Arsenal in November?Credit: Getty
The main drawback is that Dream Team bosses may find it impossible to fit the striker into their XI.
Erling Haaland (£7.5m) and Mohamed Salah (£6.5m) are going about their elite-level business as usual with Julian Alvarez (£4.7m), Ollie Watkins (£4.7m), Son Heung-min (£4.8m) and Darwin Nunez (£4.2m) all thriving as well – not forgetting Newcastle’s strikers.
Gaffers are spoiled for choice up front at the moment and Nketiah’s hat-trick brings him into the mix.
Decisions, decisions…

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DREAM TEAM brings you all the latest injury, suspension and availability news ahead of Gameweek 10 in one easily digestible dose.Alexnader Isak (£4.2m) is not available for Newcastle this weekend after he re-aggravated his troublesome groin injury against Borussia Dortmund.
The Swedish striker was in good form, earning 51 points across his last seven fixtures, but 14% of Dream Team managers will need to replace him before the deadline (7pm this evening).

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A frustrating setbackCredit: Dream Team
Jacob Murphy (£2m) also injured himself on Champions League duty and is set to see a specialist while Eddie Howe told reporters he expects Sandro Tonali (£2.2m) so be able available for the Magpies trip to Molineux, though a lengthy ban is imminent for the midfielder.
Destiny Udogie (£3m) is a doubt to face Crystal Palace this evening – the Tottenham left-back was substituted before the hour-mark in Gameweek 9 with Ange Postecoglou citing “tightness”.
In better news for Spurs fans, Yves Bissouma (£2.7m) is available again having served his suspension.
Manuel Akanji (£4.3m) is suspended for the Manchester derby having been sent off deep into stoppage time against Brighton last weekend.
The Manchester City defender features in 7% of Dream Teams at the time of writing.
Pep Guardiola suggested that both Julian Alvarez (£4.7m) and Phil Foden (£4.7m) had minor issues following the treble-winners’ Champions League victory in Switzerland but the pair are thought to be among the squad this coming weekend.
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As for Manchester United, Casemiro (£4m) faces a “race against time” to be fit for Sunday’s headline clash.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka (£2.8m) has returned to training but whether he’s ready to return to competitive action is unclear.
Jesus won’t feature against Sheffield United this weekendCredit: Getty
Gabriel Jesus (£5m) faces a few weeks on the sidelines after a scan revealed a hamstring injury – he limped off late on against Sevilla.
The Brazilian striker pouched 16 points in Gameweek 9 but Mikel Arteta will have to do without him for a while as Arsenal continue to be frustrated by injuries.
Thomas Partey (£2.6m) is expected to be unavailable for a similar amount of time.
Cody Gakpo (£3.3m) will be included Liverpool’s matchday squad for Sunday’s home game against Nottingham Forest – he came off the bench against Toulouse on Thursday night and suffered no ill effects.
Roberto De Zerbi told journalists that his squad came through their Europa League meeting with Ajax without further damage but both Solly March (£3.6m) and Danny Welbeck (£2.4m) will be out for “a long period”.
Bournemouth goalkeeper Neto (£2m) will be sidelined until after the next international break at the earliest having suffered an ankle injury in training this week.

ARSENAL
Injuries: Jurrien Timber, Thomas Partey, Gabriel Jesus
Suspensions: None
ASTON VILLA
Injuries: Tyrone Mings, Emi Buendia,, Jacob Ramsey, Alex Moreno
Suspensions: None
BOURNEMOUTH
Injuries: Ryan Fredericks, Emiliano Marcondes, Tyler Adams, Neto
Suspensions: Lewis Cook
BRENTFORD
Injuries: Shandon Baptiste, Rico Henry, Mikkel Damsgaard, Kevin Schade, Keane Lewis-Potter
Suspensions: Ivan Toney
BRIGHTON
Injuries: Julio Enciso, Pervis Estupinan, Tariq Lamptey, Solly March, Danny Welbeck
Suspensions: None
BURNLEY
Injuries: Michael Obafemi, Hjalmar Ekdal, Manuel Benson, Johan Berg Gudmundsson, Jordan Beyer
Suspensions: Connor Roberts
CHELSEA
Injuries: Trevoh Chalobah, Christopher Nkunku, Wesley Fofana, Carney Chukwuemeka, Romeo Lavia, Ben Chilwell, Armando Broja
Suspensions: None
CRYSTAL PALACE
Injuries: Michael Olise, James Tomkins, Dean Henderson, Eberechi Eze, Nathan Ferguson (doubt)
Suspensions: None
EVERTON
Injuries: Seamus Coleman (doubt), Dele Alli, Andre Gomes
Suspensions: Ashley Young
FULHAM
Injuries: Tosin Adarabioyo, Adama Traore, Kenny Tete, Issa Diop
Suspensions: None
LIVERPOOL
Injuries: Thiago Alcantara, Stefan Bajcetic, Andy Robertson, Ben Doak
Suspensions: Curtis Jones
LUTON
Injuries: Dan Potts, Jordan Clark, Albert Sambi Lokonga, Amari’i Bell, Mads Andersen, Reece Burke (doubt)
Suspensions: None
MANCHESTER CITY
Injuries: Kevin De Bruyne
Suspensions: Manuel Akanji
MANCHESTER UNITED
Injuries: Luke Shaw, Amad Diallo, Kobbie Mainoo (doubt), Tyrell Malacia, Aaron Wan-Bissaka (doubt), Lisandro Martinez, Casemiro (doubt)
Suspensions: None
NEWCASTLE
Injuries: Joe Willock, Emil Krath, Harvey Barnes, Sven Botman, Jacob Murphy, Alexander Isak, Elliot Anderson
Suspensions: None
NOTTINGHAM FOREST
Injuries: Danilo, Nuno Tavares, Taiwo Awoniyi, Gonzalo Montiel, Felipe, Divock Origi, Callum Hudson-Odoi
Suspensions: None
SHEFFIELD UNITED
Injuries: Rhys Norrington-Davies, Daniel Jebbison, Max Lowe, Will Osula, George Baldock, John Egan, Chris Basham, Tom Davies, Oli McBurnie, Anel Ahmedhodzic
Suspensions: None
TOTTENHAM
Injuries: Ivan Perisic, Rodrigo Bentacur, Ryan Sessegnon, Alfie Whiteman, Manor Solomon, Destiny Udogie (doubt)
Suspensions: None
WEST HAM
Injuries: Vladimir Coufal (doubt), Lukasz Fabianski (doubt)
Suspensions: Emerson
WOLVES
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Injuries: Hugo Bueno, Jean-Ricner Bellegarde (doubt), Joe Hodge
Suspensions: None

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AT first glance, the captaincy conversation for Gameweek 10 appears an open-and-shut case.Erling Haaland (£7.4m) is the default selection on account of him being a goal machine – he’s scored 11 in all competitions already this season.

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InevitableCredit: Getty
There are times to take on Manchester City’s No9 but such a ploy is harder to justify in the wake of a significant points haul from the big striker.
Haaland scored against Brighton last weekend before bagging a brace away to Young Boys on Wednesday night for a return of 26 points, doubled to 52 with the captain’s armband.
The prolific Norwegian was the best performer in Gameweek 9 so surely Dream Team managers should opt to double his points again, right?
At this stage, Haaland is by and away the most-selected captain ahead of Gameweek 10 but several seemingly one-sided fixtures are due to take place this weekend, creating tempting alternatives.
Aston Villa have won 11 home games in a row and are currently the Premier League’s second-top scorers this season.
Unai Emery’s side welcome relegation-threatened Luton to Villa Park on Sunday in a contest that could yield huge returns for Ollie Watkins (£4.5m) – Matty Cash (£3.2m) may also enjoy himself.
A man in formCredit: Getty
Elsewhere, Arsenal host a Sheffield United outfit with just one point to show for their efforts since promotion.
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Bukayo Saka (£6.4m) averages 8.8 points-per-game this season and he’ll be licking his lips at the prospect of taking on a beleaguered defence that have conceded 24 league goals already in 2023/24.
Liverpool v Nottingham Forest is another favourable match-up to consider.
Mohamed Salah (£6.6m) has amassed 35 points across the last two Gameweeks and gaffers who backed him over Haaland in Gameweek 9 were handsomely rewarded.
The Egyptian superstar is over 50% more popular among captaincy-pickers ahead of Gameweek 10 than he was this time last week.
Of the names mentioned, Saka and Salah potentially have an additional midweek fixture at their disposal but it wouldn’t be a surprise if both players were rested in the Carabao Cup fourth round.
It boils down to Haaland or a favourable fixture, although some fans would argue that the Manchester derby is also a favourable match-up for Pep Guardiola’s side given the unconvincing performances of the Red Devils this term.
A Dream Team legendCredit: Dream Team
Booster Strategies
First things first, the usual caveat that Boosters are generally best deployed during double Gameweeks.
Half the top-flight clubs are set to pull double duty in Gameweek 10 but extensive rotation is expected in midweek.
Saying that, a back five of Cash, Trent Alexander-Arnold (£5.3m), Ben White (£4.6m), Pedro Porro (£3.1m) and Kieran Trippier (£5.6m) looks fantastic to combine with Park the Bus on paper.
The aforementioned captaincy dilemma may provoke some to activate Max Captain.
This would give gaffers peace of mind, guaranteeing them the best captain when all is said and done, but if Haaland prospers then there’s a risk of a Booster going wasted.
The worst case scenario when playing Max Captain is that the player you were going to captain anyway ends up as the best performer in your XI that Gameweek.

12th Man is definitely best saved for a juicy double Gameweek but those desperate for returns this weekend could use this Booster to bolster their forward line.
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With Haaland and Salah virtually must-haves, there’s only room for one of Julian Alvarez (£4.7m), Son Heung-min (£4.8m) or Watkins to join them in a standard three-man attack.
12th Man would allow gaffers to back four in-form strikers for Gameweek 10 only, a tempting option given the fixtures, but the truth is there are more appealing opportunities to come later in the campaign.

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ALL hail Christopher Davey!Why? Because he racked up 247 points in Gameweek 9 to beat hundreds of thousands of Dream Team managers and claim the £100 weekly prize.
Let’s take a closer look at how he achieved such a mammoth score this past week.

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Bus thoroughly parkedCredit: Dream Team
As is usually the case, the best XI of the Gameweek is supercharged by the Park the Bus Booster.
Christopher decided to target Newcastle and Manchester United’s double headers and, despite the fact the former lost to Borussia Dortmund and the latter conceded to Sheffield United, his strategy paid off handsomely.
When the Blades equalised against Erik ten Hag’s side on Saturday it seemed as if Diogo Dalot’s (£3.2m) best chance of points (clean sheet) had gone up in smoke but the Portuguese full-back ended up as the visitors’ match-winner at Bramall Lane via a well-struck goal from 20 yards out.
The 24-year-old pouched a bonus point too to leave the Steel City with nine points, which he increased to 16 with a clean sheet at home to Copenhagen in midweek.
Dalot was the best-performing asset in his position in Gameweek 9.
Similarly, Andre Onana (£3.5m) topped the pile among goalkeepers because of his semi-redemptive penalty save in the Champions League.
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Two brilliant selections for Christopher in Gameweek 9Credit: Dream Team
Chistopher’s Newcastle contingent combined for 36 points, doubled to 72 with Park the Bus, thanks primarily to the Magpies’ 4-0 win over Crystal Palace in the league.
Kieran Trippier (£5.6m) remains the jewel in the crown; he’s now provided seven assists in 2023/24, only Ollie Watkins (£4.5m) has more among all players.
The ever-reliable right-back has 90 points in total, 22 more than the next-best defender.
Christopher did the right thing in switching to 5-3-2 to make the most of Park the Bus but the one drawback is that such a ploy leaves room for just five midfielders/strikers.
However, this relative lack of attacking assets was countered by an inspirational selection in the form of Douglas Luiz (£3.1m).
The Brazilian was his side’s unlikely hero against West Ham last weekend, bagging a brace and 16 points in the process (he added three more against AZ Alkmaar).
Primarily a combative midfielder, he has the added edge of being the Villains’ first-choice penalty taker and Unai Emery’s attacking tactics allow him to take up advanced positions more often than before.
Luiz’s ownership has doubled this week ahead of Villa’s home game against Luton in Gameweek 10.
A persistent threatCredit: Getty
Kaoru Mitoma (£3.9m) did well to pocket seven points at the Etihad (three bonus points, two shots on target, maximum appearance points) and he assisted one of Brighton’s two goals against Ajax on Thursday night.
The Japan international is up to seventh in the midfield rankings and his fixtures look rather friendly throughout November.
Seven points across two fixtures represents a below par Gameweek for James Ward-Prowse (£4.3m) but the set-piece specialist continues to collect more than his fair share of bonus points.
The West Ham midfielder has earned 19 bonus points this term, only James Maddison (£4.3m) and Eberechi Eze (£3.6m) boast superior tallies.
Up front, Christopher put his faith in Dream Team’s two biggest names and was justly rewarded.
Back among the goalsCredit: Getty
Erling Haaland (£7.4m) responded to some half-hearted digs at his form with three goals against Brighton and Young Boys for a 26-point return (doubled to 52 with the captain’s armband).
Was there any real doubt about the prolific poacher’s viability?
As for Mohamed Salah (£6.6m), he joined Haaland in the 100 Club on Thursday night when he came off the bench against Toulouse to put the cherry on top of Liverpool’s comfortable Europa League win.
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Prior to that, the Egyptian superstar had scored a brace in the Merseyside derby to make it 28 points from his last two league outings – what a player!
Congratulations, Christopher – good luck to you and all gaffers ahead of Gameweek 10!

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ANOTHER Xbox Series X has to be won through Score Predictor in Matchweek 11!And since it’s completely free to play – plus a lot of fun – there’s every reason to get involved and chance your hand.
We’ve even prepared some box-fresh tips to help you on your way.
In Matchweek 10, we correctly predicted Manchester City’s 2-1 win over Brighton, Tottenham’s 2-0 victory over Fulham, a draw between Chelsea and Arsenal, and victories for Aston Villa and Manchester United!
Let’s try to keep the momentum going…

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Paul Heckingbottom has a huge task on his handsCredit: Getty
Arsenal v Sheffield United
Best of luck to anyone going against a home win in this one.
The Blades have just one point to show for their efforts since promotion and a trip to last season’s runners-up is the last thing they need.
Arsenal average two goals per league fixture this season while Paul Heckingbottom’s side are closer to three goals conceded per game so it seems either 2-0 or 3-0 to the Gunners is the safe choice.
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Mikel Arteta’s side remain undefeated in the Premier League this term but there’s still a sense they haven’t quite been at their fluent best – a smattering of injuries have hindered them to some degree.
On that topic, Gabriel Jesus limped off against Sevilla in midweek and may not be 100% for Saturday’s 3pm kick-off, if available at all.
Arsenal made mincemeat of Bournemouth a few weeks back but their wins over Everton, Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest were a tad close for comfort so we’ll go for the more conservative prediction here.
Our Prediction: 2-0 to Arsenal
The Magpies have scored plenty of goals in the league this seasonCredit: Getty
Wolves v Newcastle
Eddie Howe’s side are the Premier League’s top scorers at this stage of the campaign having scored 16 goals in their last four outings in the competition.
Granted, they drew a blank against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League in midweek but a wider sample size indicates an attacking unit in fine form.
Let’s not underestimate Gary O’Neil’s men though, they’re unbeaten in four in the top flight, a run that features a victory over Man City.
We’d be more inclined to back a comfortable Newcastle win at St James’ Park but the fact Wolves have home advantage nudges us towards a more competitive affair.
The Magpies played a relatively intense game on Wednesday night, which could also help the hosts, but the league table doesn’t lie – Newcastle are sixth while Wolves are 12th, level on points with Fulham.
Our Prediction: 2-1 to Newcastle
Sean Dyche: xG believerCredit: Getty
West Ham v Everton
We’re prepared to immediately contradict ourselves here and partially overlook the league table in favour of deeper stats.
The Toffees have actually conceded fewer league goals than David Moyes’ mob and generated more xG – suggesting the two teams are perhaps closer than some fans think.
Couple this with the Hammers’ most recent result, a 4-1 loss to Aston Villa, and we’re tempted to back Everton to come away from East London with something to show for their efforts on Sunday.
Plus, West Ham have won just one of their last five league games.
But let’s not get too carried away, it wasn’t that long ago Sean Dyche’s side lost to Luton.
Our Prediction: 2-2 draw

Liverpool v Nottingham Forest
Steve Cooper has overseen three consecutive draws but those games came against bottom-half opposition.
Incredibly, Liverpool have won 3-1 five times already this season and that’s genuinely enough for us – it just feels right.
Our Prediction: 3-1 to Liverpool
All eyes on Old Trafford this SundayCredit: Dream Team
Manchester United v Manchester City
The big one.
The Red Devils have a decent record in the derby in recent times despite the gulf between the neighbours in general performance since Pep Guardiola’s arrival in the city.
However, Erik ten Hag has overseen a string of underwhelming performances in recent months – they’ve somehow won their last three games in all competitions without sparking much optimism.
Those who have watched United closely may have the sense that a house of cards is set to fall.
As for City, it’s a simply a fact that they have won every game Rodri has played this season and the Spaniard is bound to be one of the first names on the teamsheet this weekend.
Erling Haaland was subjected to some half-hearted jokes a week back but he’s since responded with three goals in two outings – United’s injury-hit defence and a shaky Andre Onana will have to play out of their skins to deny the Norwegian poacher.
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In regards to our prediction, we’ve taken into account the fact City haven’t kept a clean sheet in their last six games.
Our Prediction: 3-1 to Man City

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