The pundit predictions for this weekend’s Premier League clashes, including Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham.
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Premier League football is back this weekend following the international break, and we have some big games on the docket, including a couple of London derbies. Arsenal take on Nottingham Forest just days after they sacked Nuno Espirito Santo and replaced him with Ange Postecoglou, while West Ham go up against Tottenham.
Elsewhere, Brentford host Chelsea for a West London derby on Saturday evening. Here we round up the predictions from BBC Sport’s Chris Sutton and SportsKeeda’s Paul Merson.
Arsenal vs Nottingham Forest
Chris Sutton
“I am not expecting an extreme change from Nottingham Forest in Ange Postecoglou's first game in charge. Sure, he will tweak things, and he has got his principles where he likes to play attacking football, but I can't imagine him going in with a high defensive line in his first game, especially against Arsenal.
“A return to north London is pretty much as tough a start as he could get, even though Arsenal have a few injuries with Bukayo Saka, William Saliba and Kai Havertz ruled out. There is so much talent in the Arsenal squad now that they are still so dangerous - Noni Madueke was excellent for England against Serbia, and he will be full of confidence after that display. This might be another game where Arsenal have to grind a result out, but they will find a way of winning it. Prediction: 2-0.”
Paul Merson
“This is a difficult game for Arsenal because everyone is expecting them to get back to winning ways against Nottingham Forest. And apparently, they have to do it in style too! I agree that maybe Eberechi Eze should have played from the start against Liverpool. But it's ridiculous that after Dominik Szoboszlai scored, everyone started questioning Arsenal for not pushing enough and being negative.
“I was watching that game and thought Arsenal looked comfortable at Anfield. It was almost the perfect result away from home, and if they had held on for a few more minutes to get the draw, everybody would have given them the league title already!
“Let's not forget that Liverpool were an absolute force at home last season. Not only have they scored in every league game at home since last September, they have also been unbeaten during that time. So Anfield is not a place where you go and not show respect.
“After the sacking of Nuno Espirito Santo, it will take Forest some time to get used to Ange Postecoglou. It's like chalk and cheese. Nuno made them tight at the back and relied on the counter-attack, but we know how Postecoglou is someone who goes gung-ho with his approach. Don't get me wrong, I like watching Postecoglou's teams because his playing style is entertaining. But I'm not sure I would like it if it was being played by my team!
“Noni Madueke has impressed me in recent weeks. I thought he looked good against Liverpool and he has sort of carried that form into the England team as well. With Bukayo Saka still out injured, Madueke will have a big role to play for Arsenal this weekend. It's definitely a good start to his career in north London, but we need to see more of the same on a consistent basis to call him a success.
“Arsenal need to win because they have some tricky fixtures coming up. I expect the Gunners to get the job done at the Emirates. Prediction: Arsenal 2-0 Nottingham Forest.”
West Ham vs Tottenham
Chris Sutton
“For West Ham to go to Nottingham Forest and win 3-0 was an incredible result - I never saw that coming, so fair play to those of you who did [Out of more than 54,000 predictions by BBC readers, only 1,435 backed the Hammers to win and just 53 of you got the exact scoreline].
“Now it is about Graham Potter's side backing it up, but I don't think they will. I never really fancy West Ham at home the same way I do with other teams because their fans always seem edgy at London Stadium. Tottenham have a point to prove too after their surprise home defeat by Bournemouth. I didn't think that would happen either, but Thomas Frank's teams are usually so well-balanced and I am expecting them to bounce back. Prediction: 1-2.”
Paul Merson
“Two unbelievable results for both these teams last time out. I did have a feeling about Tottenham messing up that Bournemouth game and I said it here too! But I never expected West Ham to win, hugely-significant three points for them before the international break.
“Don't get me wrong, it was a great result for West Ham against Nottingham Forest, but three goals in the last 10 minutes can sort of paper over the cracks! This is West Ham's cup final, Spurs at home is their biggest game of the season. So they must play on the front foot from the start and I don't think it suits them.
“There isn't much pressure on Graham Potter this weekend as compared to in the past few weeks. But if he doesn't win, he will be back to square one. That is exactly what I think will happen at the London stadium, Spurs win. Prediction: West Ham United 1-2 Tottenham Hotspur.”
Brentford Vs Chelsea
Chris Sutton
“There was such a crazy finish to Brentford's defeat by Sunderland that the Bees must still be wondering how they lost. I'd been very confident that Keith Andrews' side would go to the Stadium of Light and win after watching them beat Aston Villa the previous week - a result they thoroughly deserved.
“I have to be careful with this prediction, though. At this stage of the season I can get hoodwinked a bit because I have covered some teams when they have played well, and it means I overlook some of their opposition's qualities.
“Chelsea have some fantastic players and have made a decent start to the season so they have to be favourites here. But I am going to stick with my instincts and say Brentford will give them a good game too. In fact, the more I think about it, the more this smells like a west London derby draw. The points have been shared in this fixture in each of the past three seasons, so let's go for four draws in a row. Prediction: 1-1.”
Paul Merson
“Chelsea weren't great against Fulham, but they still won so it's still a positive result. They will have to be patient away from home against Brentford this weekend. But the longer this game goes on without a goal, I would be worried. Brentford will sit back and I don't think Chelsea will be able to create a lot of chances here.
“The Nicolas Jackson situation at Chelsea was very interesting. He was on his way to Bayern Munich and all of a sudden, Liam Delap gets injured. They initially wanted to cancel Jackson's loan but later decided to let him join Bayern, possibly with one eye on balancing the books as well. If I were Chelsea, I would have kept him. I don't think he's a bad player.
“I'm surprised Newcastle did not sign Jackson though. He fits the bill more than Nick Woltemade in the sense that he can be direct and make good runs like Alexander Isak. Brentford away is never an easy place to go to and I expect Chelsea to be up against it. I still think they can hold on to a nervy 1-0 lead though. Prediction: Brentford 0-1 Chelsea.”