Premier League: 10 things to watch this weekend and standings after 5 matches played
Story By Staff Reporter
1. Is Rice rested and ready?
Gary Lineker questioned Declan Rice’s future role in England’s midfield. Alex Scott had impressed on his first senior start, a 7-0 thrashing of Croatia. Yet Rice had good reason to withdraw from Thomas Tuchel’s squad. He wanted to manage his workload, and he had only three weeks off after the World Cup before pre-season training began.
The 27-year-old has struggled with persistent back problems since a hamstring injury last December. Mikel Arteta hopes the rest has done him a world of good. Rice is reportedly close to agreeing a lucrative new contract at the Emirates. Arsenal resume their Premier League title defence against Leeds on Saturday. Ed Aarons
Arsenal v Leeds, Saturday 12.30pm (all times BST)
2. Garnacho’s time to shine
Several Aston Villa players impressed on international duty. But a player who stayed behind may have impressed Unai Emery most. The remaining squad went to Spain for a mid-season training camp. Alejandro Garnacho joined them, and he last played for Argentina almost two years ago.
Garnacho has rarely appeared in a Villa shirt, playing just 31 minutes as a substitute. Yet he scored in both friendlies during the break, against Southampton and Sevilla. The 22-year-old joined on loan from Chelsea in the summer, with a conditional obligation to buy. He has been an unused substitute in Villa’s last four matches. Villa hope Emery has unlocked a player who has struggled for form since leaving Manchester United. “Ready now!” Garnacho posted on social media last weekend. Villa hope he is right. Ben Fisher
Aston Villa v Brentford, Saturday 3pm
3. Toth can soothe the pain of Scott’s injury
Marco Rose already has four players out injured: Eli Junior Kroupi, Amine Adli, Veljko Milosavljevic and Julián Araujo. None has featured this season. Then Alex Scott got hurt on England duty and will miss two months. Bournemouth sit 17th and still seek their first league win. They squandered nine points from winning positions in four of their first five games. Scott, 23, helped create those leads in the first place.
Alex Toth has played just 55 minutes this season. He seems unlikely to start at Chelsea, where the older, more experienced Ryan Christie is available and in good form. Still, the 20-year-old forced his way into Hungary’s starting lineup during the international break. Expect him to get more minutes soon, with Bournemouth facing nine matches in the next month. Barry Glendenning
Chelsea v Bournemouth, Saturday 3pm
4. Ipswich’s calm is an obstacle for Fulham
Ipswich sit in mid-table with six points. They beat Sunderland and Crystal Palace. Gary O’Neil’s team faced a tough opening schedule and lost to Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal. Still, O’Neil has kept team spirit high. After the home defeat by Liverpool, he painted an ultra-positive picture. Most observers felt that game was beyond his team from the early stages. The strategy has worked so far, especially compared with winless Fulham.
Like O’Neil, Álvaro Arbeloa is new to his job. Fulham played better in the draw against United but did not get the win they deserved. They did show signs of the progressive, attacking football the former Real Madrid interim promised. Much of the burden has fallen on Josh King. The teenager is building on last year’s breakthrough season. John Brewin
Ipswich v Fulham, Saturday 3pm
5. Ballard’s absence is a boon for Brighton
Sunderland are still in the Carabao Cup and have a Europa League campaign to negotiate. They have taken just four points from their first five league games. Now the fixtures will come thick and fast. Whether they can cope with such a hectic schedule remains to be seen.
Régis Le Bris lost Dan Ballard and Brian Brobbey to hamstring injuries during the international break. He must reshuffle against a free-scoring Brighton side. They make the 700-mile round trip to Wearside for their first game since embarrassing Arsenal three weeks ago. Wilson Isidor will almost certainly replace Brobbey. Omar Alderete or Nordi Mukiele will take Ballard’s centre-back spot. Sunderland conceded five against Manchester City last time out, and their defence has looked porous this season. It will need total focus to stop a team that has already scored 16 goals. BG
Sunderland v Brighton, Saturday 3pm
6. Crisis talk lingers at Old Trafford
If “Dr Tottenham” is a thing, Manchester United have their own healing powers for opponents. Self-inflicted damage plays a part too. They rolled out the welcome mat to Premier League newcomers Hull on opening day. They let Brighton back into a Carabao Cup tie. Before the international break, flagging Fulham regained some faith. Their goal came from slapstick defending by Lisandro Martínez and Senne Lammens.
Will Old Trafford lift the gloom for Tottenham? Fans there have regulatory matters at City to celebrate. Spurs have again taken on the crisis-club label, as they did last season and the one before. Michael Carrick’s January arrival temporarily lifted that label from United. Lose to Tottenham, and it will probably return. Spurs have done damage before. Their 3-0 win at Old Trafford in September 2024 started Erik ten Hag’s hurtle towards the exit. Losing the Europa League final began Ruben Amorim’s downward spiral. Carrick beware? JB
Manchester United v Tottenham, Saturday 5.30pm
7. Fiery reception awaits Glasner at Palace
All eyes will be on Oliver Glasner as he returns to Selhurst Park with Nottingham Forest. The afternoon will be emotionally charged for both sets of supporters and in the boardroom. Crystal Palace chair Steve Parish tried to defuse tensions last week. He urged fans to “buck the trend” and welcome the manager who led the club to its first three major trophies in 12 months. “I would be mortified if he gets anything other than the roof blown off,” said Parish.
Feelings run high towards Forest and their owner, Evangelos Marinakis. Some still blame him for Palace’s demotion to the Conference League at Forest’s expense last season. Many fans have not forgiven Glasner for joining their rivals. They could make their feelings known when the Austrian takes his seat in the dugout before kick-off. EA
Crystal Palace v Nottingham Forest, Sunday 2pm
8. Aerial battle of the dead-ball bosses
Sergej Jakirovic and David Moyes manage two of the Premier League’s more “pragmatic” sides. Both favour safety-first defensive styles. Their teams happily surrender possession and rank among the top flight’s lowest for pass completion. They rely on rapid transitions and set pieces for a major share of their expected goals.
Two obdurate defences could see a well-delivered dead ball into a packed penalty area settle this game. It may not be pretty. Expect defenders on both sides to spend Sunday afternoon bracing for rearguard action and peering towards the sky. The last time these sides met in the Premier League, Everton won 4-0 with ease. A decade on, the aerial traffic is unlikely to be so one-way. BG
Hull City v Everton, Sunday 2pm
9. Anfield to turn up the heat on besieged City
Manchester City resume playing under the darkest of clouds. They visit their greatest rivals of a golden period, and a guilty verdict now hangs over the club. Five Premier League wins from five under Enzo Maresca had offered hopes of success in a post-Pep Guardiola era. Since then, the definition of success has shifted for a club consumed by legal issues. But the band must play on. Can Maresca summon a siege mentality?
City lifted a treble, including the Champions League, when the 100-plus charges first came to light in 2023. The Anfield crowd will readily remind them of the infamy the club faces. Guardiola’s now-disputed dominance came at the cost of Jürgen Klopp’s great team. That will add to the ire, and very probably to a pyrotechnic greeting. Cool heads may be necessary in the policing and on the pitch. A return to focusing on football may offer welcome relief. JB
Liverpool v Manchester City, Sunday 4.30pm
10. Will Coventry build on their first win?
The international break has curbed the adrenaline rush from Coventry’s win at Nottingham Forest. Jay Dasilva scored a brilliant goal, the club’s first in the top division since 2001. It gave Frank Lampard a blueprint to build on. Forest blew themselves out before Dasilva struck on the counter. Stephen Mfuni, 18, on loan from Manchester City, starred in the rearguard effort on his Premier League debut.
Coventry now seek a first Premier League goal at a stadium opened in 2005, after the club’s long decline had set in. Newcastle this week marked five years of ownership by a consortium led by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. They have played two seasons of Champions League football and lifted a trophy. Yet a sense of unfulfilled promise remains. Matthias Jaissle is leading the second phase of a jagged development process. This season’s positive signs are tempered by reverses such as the 4-1 defeat by Leeds. That shows how far Coventry must travel. JB
Coventry v Newcastle, Monday 8pm
2026/27 English Premier League standings after 5 matches played:
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | GD | Points |
| 1 | Manchester City | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | +8 | 15 |
| 2 | Arsenal | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | +4 | 12 |
| 3 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | +11 | 10 |
| 4 | Brentford | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | +6 | 9 |
| 5 | Leeds United | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | +4 | 9 |
| 6 | Liverpool | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | +3 | 9 |
| 7 | Everton | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | +3 | 9 |
| 8 | Hull City | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | +2 | 8 |
| 9 | Newcastle United | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 |
| 10 | Chelsea | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | -2 | 7 |
| 11 | Ipswich Town | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | -4 | 6 |
| 12 | Manchester United | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 5 |
| 13 | Nottingham Forest | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | -1 | 5 |
| 14 | Sunderland | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | -4 | 4 |
| 15 | Crystal Palace | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | -5 | 4 |
| 16 | Aston Villa | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | -5 | 4 |
| 17 | AFC Bournemouth | 5 | 0 | 3 | 2 | -2 | 3 |
| 18 | Coventry City | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | -9 | 3 |
| 19 | Fulham | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | -3 | 2 |
| 20 | Tottenham Hotspur | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | -6 | 2 |
